THE 



MONTHLY MxlGAZINE. 



No. 396.] 



JUNE 1, 1824. 



[5 of Vol. 57. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



For the Blontlihj Magazine. 



DESCRIPTION fif the TEMPLE of VIS- 

 VACARMA, HF.WN OUt of ELORA 



MOUNTAIN. (With an Engraving.) 



CAPTAIN Seely, of the Bombay 

 Native Infantry, has just published 

 a very interesting; volume, on " The 

 VVonders of Elora." It appears that 

 these famous temples and dwellings arc 

 excavated out of a monntain of granite, 

 and extend upwards of a mile and a 

 quarter. 



It was, he says, not witlioul emotion, 

 that I entered the pretty little rural vil- 

 lage of Elora, embosomed in a grove of 

 trees, inhabited by Brahmans; and, on 

 account of the holiness of the spot, the 

 troops stationed here were Rajpoots. 

 The whole district then belonged to the 

 Mahratta prince Holkar, whose mother 

 was a munificent patroness to the Brah- 

 mans and devotees living in the neigh- 

 bourhood. I at once rushed into the 

 wonders and glories of these immortal 

 works ; but it is totally impossible to 

 describe the feelings of admiration and 

 awe excited on the mind upon first 

 beholding these stupendous excavations. 

 On a close approach to the temples, the 

 eye and imagination are bewildered 

 with the variety of interesting objects 

 that present themselves on every side. 



Conceive the burst of surprise at sud- 

 denly coming upon a stupendous teni- 

 plo, within a large open court, hewn out 

 of the solid rock, with all its parts per- 

 fect and bcautii'ul, standing proudly 

 alone upon its native bed, and detaciied 

 from the neighbouring niounlain by a 

 spacious area all round, nciirly 250 I'cet 

 deep, and 160 feet broad: this unrivalled 

 fane rearing its rocky head to a height of 

 nearly 100 feet — its length about 145 

 feet, by sixty-two broad — having well- 

 formed door-ways, windows, staircases 

 to il.« upper floor, containing fine large 

 rooms of a smooth and polished surface, 

 regularly divided by rows of pilhirs: 

 the whole bulk of this immense block of 

 i.solated excavation being upwards of 

 600 feet in circumference, and, extraor- 

 dinary as it enay appear, having beyond 

 its areas three handsome figure-galleries, 

 Monthly Mag. No. 396, 



or virandas, supported by regular pillars, 

 with compartments hevvn out of the 

 boundary scarp, containing forty-two 

 curious gigantic figures of the Hindoo 

 mythology— the whole three galleries in 

 continuity, enclosing the areas, and oc- 

 cupying the almost incredible space of 

 nearly 420 feet of excavated rock; 

 being, upon the aTcrage, about thirteen 

 feet two inches broad all round, and in 

 height fourteen feet and a half; while, 

 positively, above these again are exca- 

 vated fine large rooms. Within the 

 court, and opposite these galleries, or 

 virandas, .stands Keylas the Proud, 

 wonderfully towering in hoary majesty 

 — a mighty fabric of rock, sur|jassed by 

 no relic of antiquity in the known 

 world. 



Keylas is but one out of about a 

 dozen that are hewn out of this moun- 

 tain. A range of distinct habitations 

 and temples extend along the line, to 

 the right and lift, for more than a mile 

 and a quarter, in a direction nearly 

 north and south. 



A few yards further to the southward 

 stands Teen Tal (three stories), a vast 

 excavation, hollowed out of the very 

 bowels of the r.iountain ; having three 

 spacions floors, distinct, and standing 

 over each other, ascended by regular 

 flights of steps leading into the upper 

 stories like those of a large mansion. If 

 Keylas, from its figure, gallery, areas, 

 and insular situation, stands (ire-emi- 

 nent. Teen Tal, from its immensity of 

 excavation, massive pillars, and rich 

 .sculptures, nearly rivals its neighbour in 

 grandeur. 



The arched temple of Visvacarma is 

 a singular and unique piece of incredi- 

 ble labour, and is enough of itself to 

 stamp the glory of any country. Hu- 

 man industry and skill arc here seen in 

 unequalled perfection. This astonishing 

 cavity is hewn out of the solid rock, 

 penetrating 130 feet into it; cxhil)iting 

 a deep spacious temple, having an 

 arched or circular roof, a series of 

 octangular pillars reaching down the 

 whole length of the temple to the 

 farther or eastern end, where stands an 

 3 D immense 



