CHAPTER IX.

ARCHITECTURE AND ANCIENT STRUCTURES OF THE HINDUS.

THAT the Hindus possessed a knowledge of the mechanical powers, which in the lapse of time, and under the oppressions of their conquerors, has been lost, may, among other proofs, be inferred from those huge and ponderous masses of granite to be seen in their ancient edifices, raised to wonderful heights above the level of the ground. The ceilings of gateways, and of rooms of lofty elevation, are to be observed, formed by slabs of granite, placed laterally, and nicely shaped to each other, some measuring above thirty feet in length with a proportional thickness.* Many edi

t

* See description of the temple of Seringham, &c. in

fices, of immense size, and curious and skilful structure, are yet in perfect preservation, though of such remote antiquity, that no legend or tradition exists of the epochs when they were erected. Inscriptions still remaining on them, are no longer intelligible; yet, from the solidity of their construction, and the durability of their materials, they have hitherto resisted all the effects of time. The inscriptions alluded to, must either be in a language that was anterior to the Sanscrit, or which, if coexistent with it, may have been some secret one, known only to the learned amongst the priesthood, but which in the course of numerous succeeding ages has been lost or, if in the Sanscrit language, that the characters may have been so changed, as in the case of our own language, as to render the reading and explanation difficult to those who have attempted them. Those temples, which are to be met

Monumens Anciens et Modernes de l'Hindoustan, par L. Langlès, p. 24.

with, formed by excavations into mountains, may be of yet more ancient dates than those raised by the architect on sites chosen for the purpose. The subterraneous temples which have as yet principally attracted the attention of Europeans, are those at Gayah and Ellora, those on the islands of Salsette and Elephanta, those at Mavalipuram, and those in Cabul and Candahar, which (as already noticed) formed part of the ancient Indian empire.

The subterraneous excavations at Ellora, in the Deckhan, extending, with a few intervals, over a tract of nearly two leagues, consist of gateways, areas, temples, halls, rooms that must have served for dwellingplaces, and extensive corridors. Some of those excavations are in two stories, one immediately above the other, the roofs of each supported by columns, cut and shaped out of the solid rock, without being detached from it. Every where, but especially in the temples, are to be seen statues and sculptures in relief, exhibiting subjects taken from the Hindu mythology. It appears

from an account given of them, by Sir Charles Malet, who visited them in 1794,* that those excavations are not only very numerous, but some of them of vast extent. Though indisposition prevented him from seeing all of them, he nevertheless visited, and has given a description of fifteen distinct places, some of them consisting of several rooms. One named by the Hindūs, paradise, besides the temple, which is spacious, has above twenty other rooms and passages. He concludes his account by saying :—" It is necessary to observe, that there are a great many other excavations in the semicircular mountain that commands a view of the fine valley of Ellora, which indisposition prevented my visiting. Whether we consider the design, or contemplate the execution, of these extraordinary works, we are lost in wonder at the idea of forming a vast mountain into almost eternal mansions. The mythological symbols and figures throughout the whole, leave no room

* Asiatic Researches, vol. v. p. 135.

to doubt their having owed their existence to religious zeal, the most powerful and most universal agitator of the human mind.

"The ancient Brahmins avoided the contamination of cities, and affected the purity and simplicity of rural retirement; when far removed from observation, the imagination of their disciples probably enhanced the merits of their sanctity. To alleviate austerities, and to gratify the devout propensities of these holy men, naturally became objects of pious emulation. Under this influence, the munificence of princes may have been engaged to provide them retreats; which, sanctified by the symbols of their adoration, were at once suited, in simplicity and seclusion, to those for whom they were intended, and in grandeur to the magnificence of their founders."

The article on Ellora, in the fifth volume of the Asiatic Researches, contains a fac-simile of ancient inscriptions, taken by Mr. Wales, an able and ingenious artist, who went thither for the purpose of making drawings of the excavations, and of the country