3. Description of Pillars in the Maṇḍapas

(i). Measure of the Paṅktis

Starting either from 1½ hastas, adding 6 aṅgulas, till 5 hastas we get 15 measures or from ½ hasta till 5 hastas increasing by 3 aṅgulas each time, the extent of each paṅkti (bhakti) is thus measured (XLIV. 20-1):

adhyardhaṃ hastamārabhya ṣaṭṣaḍaṅgulavardhanāt |
pañcahastāvadhiryāvat bhaktivyāsaṃ tripaṃcadhā ||
ardhahastaṃ samārabhya yāvatpañcakarāvadhi |
guṇāṅgula vivṛddhyā tu bhaktivyāsaṃ prakalpayet ||

(ii). Height and Expanse of the pillars

Increasing by 6 aṅgulas the heights of the pillars vary from 2½ hastas to 8 hastas, thus resulting in 23 measures. One can also increase the height by 3 aṅgulas (43. 37-8)^[1] :

sārdhadvihastamārabhya ṣaṭ ṣaḍaṅgulavardhanāt |
aṣṭahastāvadhiryāvat trayoviṃśāṃghribhedakam ||
upānāduttarāntaṃ svaguṇāṅgulavivardhanāt |
stambhānāmudayaṃ hyevaṃ ||

The expanse of the pillars must range from 8 aṅgulas to 19 aṅgulas with an increase of ½ aṅgula at each succeeding storey or pillar, giving rise to 23 types of measures (XLIV. 23):

vasvaṅgulaṃ samārabhya ardhāṅgulavivardhanāt |
ekonaviṃśamātrāntaṃ trayoviṃśāṃghrivistṛtam ||

(iii). Components of the pillars and description of the base

The height of the pillar is divided into 12, 11, 10, 9 or 8 parts.

Among those 1 part is the measure of the base of the pillar and the head of the pillar may be 1 to 9 parts (XLIV. 24):

pādoccaṃ bhānurudrāṃśe daśa-nava-aṣṭāṃśaṃ vā bhajet |
mūlākāraṃ tadekāṃśaṃ tattadaṃśo navāgrakam ||

The height of a storey must be half the height of the pillar and this rule is common for all the maṇḍapas.

Moreover, in the height of the pillar of 5 parts, 2 parts are the measures for the elevation of the storey (XLIV. 25):

talīpārdhatalottuṅgaṃ sāmānyaṃ sarvamaṇḍapam |
talipoccaṃ tu bhūtāṃśe dvibhāgaṃ ca talodayam ||

The masūraka^[2] (component of the base or the prastara) must be one-fifth or one-fourth the height of the pillar and it may be endowed with an upapīṭha or the adhiṣṭhāna or can be just the masūraka (XLIV. 26):

aṃghrituṅgāgnivedaikabhāgaṃ vāpi masūrakam |
sopapīṭhamadhiṣṭhānaṃ kevalaṃ vā masūrakam ||

The elevation of the upapīṭha may be of the same height of the dharātala or twice or thrice its height.

Further, the upapīṭha, adhiṣṭhāna, caraṇa, prastara, etc. must be decorated as explained before (in their respective chapters)^[3] (XLIV. 27-8):

dharātalasamoccaṃ vā dviguṇaṃ triguṇaṃ tu vā |
upapīṭhodayaṃ khyātaṃ upapīṭhocchrayaṃ tu vā ||
upapīṭha madhiṣṭhānaṃ caraṇaṃ prastaraṃ tathā |
nīpraveśamalaṃkāraṃ guṇyaṃ prāgiva vidyate ||

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Since the 22nd verse as per the Maharishi edition is incomplete the Muktabodha edition is quoted here.

[2]:

Kāmikāgama, I. 52. 80cd-81ab; 55. 202ab-03cd use the term masūraka as a synonym for adhiṣṭhāna. Also see Kāraṇāgama, V.18.

[3]:

These have been described in the chapters V-VIII, XVIII and so on of the Kāśyapa Śilpaśāstra.