Temple at Mehkar in the 1860s, Maharashtra, India

Photograph of the temple at Mehkar from the Allardyce Collection: Album of views and portraits in Berar and Hyderabad, taken by Robert Gill in the 1860s. The temple seen in this photograph was described by Gill in the Central Provinces list of 1897: "All that a few years ago represented the once fine temple of Mehkar was a picturesque ruin of standing columns and lintels, situated upon a very high basement or platform. The columns, judging from photographs, were of an old type and rather neat in design, and decorated with large lozenge-shaped ornament, conventional eaves, and bands of geese. These have now all disappeared." The temple, in all likelihood built by Jain devotees, was also accompanied by residential buildings built to house pilgrims visiting the site.