Photo 1009/2(1399)

Genre: Architectural Photography

Head-on view of the richly carved doorway: 'At Narsinghpur, collected together in the public gardens, are a great number of interesting sculptures brought, chiefly, from Barehta-Nonea by a former Deputy Commissioner of that district. The principal object among them is a very fine carved temple doorway from a temple which was dedicated to Vishnu...With the exception of the dedicatory block, [it] is in perfect preservation. There are also portions of columns, beams, parapet slabs, bracket capitals, and miscellaneous sculpture. Among the latter are a few good figures, notably one of Bhairava, partly damaged, and one of a standing female figure. The latter is from a Jaina temple, and there are several seated crosslegged Jinas among the figures grouped about...These sculptures at present are exposed very much to the weather, and I would strongly recommend their removal to the interior or verandah of the Town Hall, which stands in the garden, where they might be set up as to be an ornament to the building...These sculptures were both drawn and photographed. Four drawings were made, three negatives were taken...' (Henry Cousens, 'Progress Report of the Archaeological Survey of Western India, for the months May 1893 to April 1894', p. 4).