"In one case, that of the early thirteenth-century Cauras (or Causat) Kambha Masjid at Kaman, Rajasthan, one of the earliest Indian monuments of the Ghurids, dating from before the establishment of the Slave Kingdom by Aybak in 1206, we find elements in use which were taken not from recent Hindu structures, but rather from monuments which were built four or five centuries earlier. This appears to have been done with calculated consistency; and, possibly, the practice may have been much more widespread. Building materials for the Kaman mosque were removed from pavilions (mandapzkas) and monasteries (mathas) and a variety of other structures, including temples, which were built during the rule of the Shurasena dynasty in the seventh and eighth centuries and the Pratiharas in the ninth century. The resulting mosque still substantially expresses a Hindu sensibility, and, built by Hindu craftsmen (at least in part) under Muslim patronage, integrates Hindu architectural design with Islamic ornament and use."
Kaman, Rajasthan

January 1, 1970