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HTML clipboardN of the gopura (which has an inscription dated 23
February 1702, describing the building of the now-ruined 'chedf, or tomb, just
outside the gallery), the next 52m of bas-relief show Vishnu fighting an army of
asuras. Both the design and carving are markedly interior to the preceding
bas-reliefs, and it comes as a rather monotonous disappointment. It was carved
much later, between 1546 and 1564. As in the Battle of Kurukshetra and the
Churning of the Sea of Milk, the composition focuses on the centre, with the
asuras converging from both sides on Vishnu, who stands four-armed on the
shoulders of Garuda. One of the few points of interest is a group of asuras
riding giant birds 3 m beyond Vishnu, their legs wrappped around the birds'
necks.
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