Pillar in the form of Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu

 Pillar in the form of Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu

Pratihara Dynasty, 10th Century AD,Ajmer Museum.

         The four important gods of Hinduism are Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The fourth is Surya, the Sun god. These four gods provided the design for this huge pillar of a temple. The hugeness of the pillar reveals the weight it must have borne and possibly indicates the height of the temple itself.
       Although pillars are not as important as the facade of the building, but they play a pivotal role in the structure of the building.  While the Greeks invented four types of  pillars, the Indians invented at least forty types of pillars. This not only proves the imagination of the architects, but also establishes the dexterity of the artisans.