ing their foreheads with their hands joined in the attitude of

prayer.

Between Nandgaon and Sakigaon we had crossed the range of hills which divides the valleys of the Taptee and Godaveri. North of the hills all the waters flow westwardly, but the country in which we now were is drained by the Godaveri and Kistna, rivers that empty into the Bay of Bengal. We were now, therefore, fairly in the Děkkun, a term that is by some confined to those parts of the Indian Peninsula which are south of the Nurbudda valley and drained by eastwardflowing rivers, but which, as generally used, includes all the country south of the Vindya chain.

We had also entered the territories of another native prince, the Nizam, as he is styled. His capital is Hydurabad, and his dominions are almost four times as large as was the kingdom of Oude, or three times as large as Ireland, with twice its population. The founder of this dynasty was a Soobahdar, or governor, under the Mogul Emperor. During the disturbances that accompanied the decay of the Delhi empire, he asserted his independence, which was afterwards recognised and confirmed by the English. Unfortunately, there is no treaty which gives the English the power of interfering in the internal management of the Nizam's territories, and although a Resident is stationed at the capital he can do little but remonstrate whenever an act of more than usual folly or oppression occurs. The country is therefore misgoverned, Right and Justice are set at naught, the power of the Nizam is in many places defied, the whole country is a nest of robbers and a secure resort for Thugs, and the Company's officials can do nothing to remedy this state of things; what is worse, they are compelled by their treaty obligations to sustain the corrupt and powerless government, the inefficiency of which occasions all this disorder, and which, without their support, would soon be supplanted.

During the day that we remained at Sakigaon our kuhárs went into the village to buy materials for their food. When they came out again they were followed by the village buniahs, who with many tears and groans declared that the bear

ers had not half paid for the food which they had taken. This accusation was rendered only too probable by their whole conduct since leaving Agra, and on investigation we discovered it to be true, and compelled them to pay the whole value of the flour. In this case, therefore, the unfortunate villagers were righted, but we had good reason to believe that such occurrences often took place without our knowledge, and that those who were imposed on hesitated to complain for fear that we should side with our followers, in which case the latter would be sure to take revenge.

This was another instance of that "Zubburdustee"-the law of "Might makes Right"-which is so universally recognised in India. He who has the power takes, and he who is wronged gives up without question. Rarely is complaint made to the officers of justice, who, even in the Company's territories,* are looked upon with fear and distrust. In fact a native regards a resort to the courts and police very much as we do the conduct of the doves in the old fable, who called upon the hawk to defend them from the kite, and were subsequently eaten up by their champion.

*It will be remembered that the officials of the Honourable Company's police, and their judges in the courts of first resort, are all natives, who, from the very slight supervision that can be exercised over them by their European superiors, are scarcely less venal and tyrannous than in native states.

16*

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE CAVE TEMPLES OF ELLORA.

General Description of the Temples-Khailas-Fine Sculptures-"The Work of Gods or Devils?"-Other Caves-A Heavenly Carpenter-A Disorderly Household-View from Hill-Saint's Tomb-Roza-Aurungzeeb's Tomb-His Character-Splendour and Power-Decay of the Mogul Empire-A Night in Paradise-Indra SabhaSonorous Obelisks-The Doorma Lena-Architectural Ornaments of the CavesHindoo Religious Mendicants-Peasantry-Their Complexions.

On the morning of February 23, we arrived at the caves of Ellora, which are fourteen miles from Sakigaon. They are the most perfect, and best known of the rock temples which abound in this part of India, and it was therefore with no little interest that we got out of our palkees and began to explore them. The caves are hollowed out of the rock, at the foot of a ghât, or range of hills, which rise steeply from the plain to the height of six hundred feet. Their name, Ellora, is a corruption of Weroola, the name of a small village about a mile distant. The caves extend for three miles along the foot of the hill. They are of various ages, the most northern, and the southern caves being of Boodhist origin, while those in the middle are Brahmunical, and about nine hundred years old, or even less.

We first visited the cave called Khailas, or Paradise, which, although one of the most modern, is at once the largest and most elaborate of the series. It is a quarry-like excavationof which the depth is 250 feet, and the breadth 133 feet. There is a wall of solid rock, separating the enclosure from the plain. The interior of the quarry is occupied in the centre by the temple. This is of the usual form, consisting of the shrine with its pyramidal dome, and several pillared porticoes and halls. The sides of the quarry are steep, and hollowed

1

out into successive stories of halls and galleries, into which light is admitted by open colonnades. All these buildings, the great temple, its porticoes and galleries, as well as the other apartments and the massive wall which divides the whole from the valley, are carved and quarried out of the solid rock.

The temple is about eighty-five feet high to the top of the pyramidal spire over the shrine. Its length, including the porticoes which are connected with it by hanging galleries of stone, is not less than 150 feet, and the greatest breadth is about ninety feet. The largest apartment is sixty-six feet by fifty-five. Its ceiling, which is supported by heavy square columns, is not more than twelve feet high, and carved to represent rafters. At the end of this apartment is a low door, opening into the shrine, which is a small and dark room, containing only a gigantic Mahadeo, four feet high. The columns and walls of the apartment were most elaborately carved, as was also the whole exterior of the building, the designs of which represent the exploits of Ram in Lunka or Ceylon, where, with the assistance of the monkey-god Hoonimán, and

his army of apes, he delivered his wife Seeta from the cap

tivity of a demon. The chambers and galleries in the sides of the quarry were similarly decorated. Sometimes the devices are uncouth, as is the case in one of the apartments, the roof of which is supported by huge stone lions and elephants fighting with each other. In the enclosure between the temple and the gateway are two obelisks, seventy-five or eighty feet high, supported on the backs of elephants. Like all the other buildings and accessories, they are carved from the solid rock. On coming out we met two Hindoo devotees, or Sooniasees, and asked them who had built the temple. "How do I know," one of them replied, "whether it was a god or a devil?"-implying that it was beyond the power of men.

After seeing the Khailas, we paid a hurried visit to the caves which lie to the south of it. They are mostly square apartments, about a hundred feet deep, cut into the steep face of the cliff, and approached by a terrace running along the hillside. The roofs were generally twelve or fifteen feet high,

and supported by many solid columns. Some were approached from court-yards, excavated in the hill-sides, and others consisted of several separate apartments, joined by corridors. There was, however, a great uniformity of design, the most remarkable exception being a cave known as the "Carpenter's Cabin," which is not open in front like the others, but has only a small door for entrance. The interior is oblong in form, about fifty feet long and twenty-five broad. The end opposite the door is apsidal, and the roof is ribbed, and pointed with a perfect Gothic arch. Altogether, it would do remarkably well for a Christian church. This cave is singularly plain, the only figure of any kind being the colossal statue of the "Carpenter," or architect, as the word maistree would be better translated. This statue is situated in the apse, and represents the maistree as sitting cross-legged, with one hand on each knee. The natives told us that he was a son of Seewa-that he excavated all these caves, and finally died from a cut in the finger, wounded by an ill-directed blow of the chisel. In fact, one of his hands was represented in the statue as bleeding. This must have been a late legend, as this cave, and the others near it, are of Boodhist construction.

We now ascended the ghât, which proved a hot and fatiguing business, as it was nearly eleven o'clock and we had had no breakfast. On the top of the hill we came upon a broad plain, upon which there were several large stone tombs of Moosulman architecture. One of these, we found, was used as a bungalow by the officers of the Aurungabad mess, and was completely fitted up with a table, chairs, and cotton carpet. Here we ventured to take up our quarters, and wrote off to the commandant of Aurungabad for permission to remain all night. Opposite the tomb was a bungalow belonging to a retired English officer, who was a hundred years old, the natives said. He sent us over some mutton and vegetables, and offered to assist us in any way in his power. We thanked him for his kindness, in a note, and asked leave to call upon him; from this, however, he excused himself on the ground of illness and the fatigue of dressing. However, we found out afterwards that the real reason for objecting to our visit,