Photo 212/5(34)

Genre: Architectural Photography

Close view of the Draupadi and Arjuna Rathas from the south-east. Lyon's 'Notes to accompany aseries of photographs prepared to illustrate the ancient architecture of Southern India' (Marion and Co., London, 1870), edited by James Fergusson, gives the following description of this photograph: '440 - is a view of the same Monolith as shown in 439, together with the next one, which is the next in size, as it is in succession. The view is taken on the east side. The second Rath is a square of 26 feet each way, and 25 feet high. It is four storeys in height, and as will be observed, is only a simpler and purer type of all the square pyramidal towers depicted in the preceding Photographs. It is, however, so little altered from its original, that we have no difficulty in tracing back every feature to the Buddhist monasteries, or viharas, of which this temple is only a reduced copy. Immediately behind this is a figure of a bull, but except a portion of the head seen in the Photograph, completely buried in sand. It is said to be of life size, when cleared.'