Architectural Survey of Temples, No. 4: Temples of the Pratihara Period in Central India

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Historical background. 3. Architecture. 4. Art and iconography. 5. Description of temples. Select bibliography. Glossary of Indian architectural terms. Index.

From the Foreword: "The artistic remains of Pratihara period are available in an extensive area comprising Haryana and Central India and covering whole of Uttar Pradesh, part of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. A notable feature of temple art and architecture raised under the Pratiharas is its decorative idiom showing harmony with the structural medium employed. Apart from the skill of the carver it has drawn inspiration from already existing cultural and artistic traditions, on an area besides religious propensities of the period. In the present volume Shri Trivedi has studied temples of the Pratiharas of the central India particularly those at Gwalior in all possible details including iconography and structural art. The present work illustrates the continuity of the architectural and sculptural attainment of the Gupta period under a logically developed and elaborate form with many additions and deletions. In its last phase, the Pratihara period presents a well developed architecture covering a major part of North and Central India. During the Pratihara period the simple plan and elevation of the temples of earlier phases changed into a well elaborate format consisting of a mukha-mandapa, antarala and garbha-griha and an elevation having profusely carved adhisthana, jangha and sikhara. This architectural tradition was closely followed by Chandelas, Parmaras and Kachchhapaghatas and other regional schools."