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Leimapokpam Keirungba Temple
The temple is situated in Imphal town in the compound of Manipur State Road
Transport Corporation. It is donated by Leimapokpan Keirungba in 1875 AD. It is
not in use now.
The whole structure of the temple is made in bricks. It is a square cube and
appears just rising from the ground level. Its pedestal is not raised above the
ground. It is facing south. The facade wall is decorated and in
front there is a semicircular arch supported by three pillars on
each side. The arch towards its outer extremity is thickened with additional
brick layers having hexagonal holes. On either side of the arch stands the
replica of shrine with stupi. The cornice is achieved by giving different layers
of bricks, by making their courses outward and then giving a slant to the
projection with the help of flat bricks. Above the cornice is the railing. The
outer jacket cube has got a row of arcades in its eastern and southern walls.
There are no arcades in the western walls.
A staircase is provided to it on a
raised rostrum having flying steps from both sides and then it leads into the
thirteen spiral staircases ending above to open to the terrace of the
building.
The Garbha Griha is square and the sanctum wall is provided with three doors.
The circumambulatory path is approachable through arcades on east and north
sides and through the arch gate from the front side.
The floral motifs on the facade wall below the cornice and in the railing
show an advancement in art expression. The arrangement of pillars, the
archivolt with multifold curves, the geometric modulation of arch holes,
the foil
arrangement inside arcades etc show an architectural improvement as compared to
that of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century
temple construction.
This is one of the important monuments
of Manipur. The pollution
around is the main factor to cause damage to the monument.
Shri Govindajee Temple of Old Palace Kangla
The temple is situated in the old Kangla palace area, now occupied by the
Assam Rifles. It was built during the time of king Narasingh in 1847 AD. As a
result of the earthquake of March 1868 the structure collapsed. It was
then reconstructed by king Chandra Kirti Singh in 1869 AD. At present the
Pakhangba, the deity connected with the royal family clan of Ningthauja is
worshipped in this temple.
It is built in bricks and is on a raised pedestal.
It is two celled, facing
east. The facade carries a Verandah with a sturdy system of pillars which support
the beam of brick-made cornice. Above the cornice is the first railing
just above the Verandah having mini-shrines, salas on each of the corner. The
outer jacket wall on all sides is raised up to the cornice and the second
railing having mini-shrines, salas one each, at the corner and two arch door
openings in the railing connect the Verandah and pradakshna path terrace. The
sanctum cube wall is raised right up to the cornice and then the third railings
is made, which is the replica of the first and second railings. It also contain salas one
each at the corner. From the base of the railings starts the dome, the arches of
which converge at the base of the rectangular flat corner on the top.
The sanctum hall is rectangular.
There are three holes in the hall floor
which are believed to be the caves. The hole on the northern side is called the
Laung cave, on the southern side is called the Mangang cave and that on the
southern side of western wall is called the Khuman cave. It is believed that the
deity appears through these caves. The pradakshna path is on all three sides of
south, west and north, between the sanctum cube wall and the outer jacket wall
and opens to the Verandah through north and south doors. Architecturally it shows parabolic structure of the dome in Bengal style and the Salas
are in atypical Hindu style. The temple has a rectangular base and on the top it
culminates with a rectangular crown over the dome. The railing decoration is in
Islamic style. It can be considered as an amalgamation of Hindu and Islamic
archetypes. The artistic designs are available as floral motifs on the walls
which are now worn out. The temple is the monumental evidence of the
royal patronage of Vaishnav temple in Manipur.
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