100 
built in the fame manner, and. has 
the fame ornaments as the temple; 
it is 162 feet high, 116 broad at 
the bafe, and 64 in thicknefs. There 
is no particular purpofe to which it 
is appropriated that I could ever 
find out; yet there is this nl 
circumftance refpecting it, that, 
the difputes between the church and 
the government, which are of a feri- 
ous nature, fome enthufiaft goes up 
in great form with mufic to the top 
of it, and makes a vow, that, if the 
difpute is not fettled in a certain 
time, he will throw himfelf from 
the pinnacle. ‘The dread of having 
this man’s blood upon their heads 
generally brings about an accommo- 
dation; and I have only heard of 
one inftance where he was under: the’ 
neceflity of fulfilling his vow. 
The area which contains the tem- 
ple is nearly 500 yards fquare, 
The age and founder of thefe 
buildings is not to be afcertained, as 
the bramins conceal the dates, from 
an idea that their gréat antiquity in- 
creafes the veneration of the peo- 
le. 
Choultries are not only annexed 
‘to temples, but built in different 
places for the accommodation of 
travellers, and are frequently en- 
cowed with revenues by charitable 
érfons for the purpofe of diftribut- 
ing provifions. They are generally” 
built of ftone, with a flat or terraced 
roof of the fame materials; they 
have commonly three fides fhut ont 
from the weather, and the one left 
open is generally that facing the 
fouth or north, but more commonly 
the north, by Which’ means neither 
the fun, nor the unwholefome winds 
that blow in March and April, can 
incommode the inhabitants. 
The great chaultry of Timul Naik 
was begun in the fecond year of his 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1790. 
reign, in the year 1623, and was 
finithed in twenty-two years, and is: 
_faid to have coft above a million 
fterling ; but it is to be underitood, 
that every village was obliged to 
fend a certain number of wo. kmen, 
according to the number of inhabi- 
tants, who were fubfifted, but re- 
ceived no wages, which confiderably' 
diminifhed the expence. 
{t is built of an oblong fquare. 
form, and'confilts of 124 pillars of 
ftone placed in four rows, 
manner of executing it was as fol- 
lows. They dug pits at ftated dif- 
tances down to fand for a founda- 
tion, in which they placed their. pil- 
lars, which are compofed only of 
one ftone roughly cut before they 
were fixed in thefe pits; and when: 
they were all arranged, the different 
figures were carved upon them, 
When they did not find fand or gra- 
vel, they put in fand, and rammed 
it well down before they placed the 
columns. 
The pillars are twenty feet high ; 
over thefe pillars were placed the 
capitals, that are compofed of a: 
number of ftones geometrically 
placed, fo as to leffen the breadth of 
roof, which they do confiderably. 
The roof itfelf is compofed of 
long ftones, reaching from capital to 
capital, which being very heavy, and 
from their leneth liable to accidents, 
they were ritied to their places in 
the following .manner: the fpace 
between the pillars, as high as the 
top of the capital, was fo filled with 
earth, as to form an inclined plane, 
along which the ftones were rolled 
up to their fituation, and the earth 
afterwards removed. Thefe ftones 
are again covered with a layer of 
bricks cemented by chunam. ’ 
The pillars are curioufly carved 
with different figures, reprefenting: © 
ftories 
The @ 
Sito tagael 
