CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



581 



between the English and French, it wag alternately oc- 

 cupied by each. The pagoda of Chillambrum, which 

 consists of one square, only 1332 feet by 936, entered 

 by a pyramid 122 feet high, has already been sufficient- 

 ly described in the historical Part of this article. 



The pagoda Ahmed-Abad in Guzerat, or pagoda 

 of Santidus, consists of three courts surrounded with 

 marble columns, and paved with marble. No person is 

 admitted into the innermost court with their sandals on. 

 All the porticos are covered with female figures of ex- 

 cellent workmanship ; the inside of the roofs and walls 

 are decorated with Mosaic and precious stones, (see Ta- 

 vemier and Thnenot's Travels.) This pagoda was con- 

 verted into a Turkish mosque by Aurenzebe. 



The Jumna-Mesgid is quadrangular, 140 paces by 120; 

 round the inside of the inclosing wall runs a gallery, hav- 

 ing its roof supported by 34 pillars. The temple itself 

 stands upon 44 pillars, ranged in couples ; the pavement 

 is marble ; in the middle of the front are three large gate- 

 ways. On the sides are two gateways ; each gate has a 

 sort of pilasters : the minarets are Mahomedan. 



The pagoda of Baswara, or Bezoara, now a fort on 

 the Vistnu river, is not inclosed by walls, but stands 

 upon 52 lofty columns, with statues of Indian deities 

 standing between them ; it was placed in the midst of an 

 oblong court, which was surrounded by a gallery, sup- 

 ported by 66 pillars. (See Tivernier.) 



4>. The fourth kind are in the form of a cross. The most 

 noted is that of Benare?, in the city of Casi, on the 

 banks of the Ganges, down to which there is a flight of 

 steps. This, from the earliest period of history, has 

 been devoted to Hindu religion and science. The form 

 of the temple is that of a great cross, with a cupola in 

 the centre, which, towards the top, takes a pyramidal 

 form. At the extremity of each branch of the cross, 

 which are of equal length, there is a tower with balco- 

 nies, to which the access is on the outside. Within the 

 temple, immediately under the central cupola, there is 

 an altar, eight feet in length, and six in breadth, covered 

 sometimes with tapestry, sometimes with cloth of gold 

 and silver. Tavernier saw several idols, one, in parti- 

 cular, six feet high, having its neck decorated with a 

 chain of precious stones ; the head and neck only were 

 visible ; the body was covered with a robe. On the 

 right of the altar waa a golden figure, composed of an 

 elephant, a horse and a mule ; upon this the deity jour- 

 neyed on his guardian care of mankind. In this pagoda 

 was also an idol of black stone, or Sammena codom. 

 Aurenzebe polluted this temple. 



Mattra, the Methora of Pliny, 18 miles from Agra, 

 en the road to Delhi, is the birth-place of the beneficent 

 god Chreenhna. The pagoda is constructed of the same 

 tone as Delhi, and stands upon a very extensive octa- 

 gonal platform of hewn stone. This platform is ascend- 

 ed by two flights of stone steps, which lead to the grand 

 portal, composed of pillars with the usual sculptures. 

 The pagoda is in the form of a cross, with a lofty cupola 

 in the centre, and two others nearly similar on each side. 

 The sanctuary is separated by a balustrade, behind which 

 only priests are admitted. In the sanctuary is a square 

 altar, 16 feet in height, covered with gold and silver 

 brocade, and here stands the god Ram Ram ; the head 

 only is visible, and appears of black marble, with two 

 large rubies for eyes ; the body is covered with a robe of 

 purple velvet. 



5. Of those which are of a circular form, Sonnerat 

 thinks that Juggernaut is the most ancient in India, and 

 says that the Brahmins attribute it to the first king on the 

 coast of Orijta, 4800 years. Its plan is a perfect circle, of 



immense size. Juggernaut is said to be only another name Practice. 

 for the god Mahadeo, who is represented by the figure **" ""Y""" 1 ' 

 of a large bull, which projects out of the eastern side 

 of the edifice : the image of Juggernaut stands in the 

 centre of the building, upon an elevated altar, surround- 

 ed by an iron railing. Mr Hamilton describes the idol 

 as being an irregular pyramidal black stone, and the 

 temple deriving light only from 100 lamps. He com- 

 pares the edifice to a great butt set on end. This place 

 is the residence of the Arch-Brahmin of all India, and 

 the sacred dominions are said to yield pasturage for 20,000 

 cows. See Buchanan's Christian Researches. 



Besides these, which are offered as specimens of the 

 different forms of Hindu temples, there is one more 

 which our general views of the matter require to be no- 

 ticed. The Ayeen Akbery relates, that near to Jugger- 

 naut is the temple of the Sun, in constructing which, Temple of 

 the whole revenue of the Orissa was, for 12 years, the Sun. 

 wholly expended ; that the wall which surrounds the 

 whole is 150 cubits high, and 19 cubits thick ; that there 

 are three entrances; at the eastern gate are two elephants, 

 each with a man on his trunk ; on the west are two fi- 

 gures of horsemen, completely armed ; and over the 

 northern gate, are two tygers sitting upon two dead ele- 

 phants. In front of the gate is a pillar of black stone, 

 of an octagonal form, 50 cubits high. After ascending 

 nine flights of steps, there is an extensive inclosure, with 

 a large cupola, constructed of stone, and decorated with 

 sculptures of the sun and stars, surrounded by a border, 

 composed of a variety of human figures, some kneeling, 

 some prostrate with their faces on the earth, and some 

 representing minstrels, also a number of imaginary ani- 

 mals. But of this splendid temple, so minutely de- 

 scribed in the Ayeen Akbery, not a vestige is now to be 

 found. 



It may be observed, generally, that these temples, for Tanks for 

 the sake of ablution, are usually placed on the banks of ablution. 

 the Ganges, Vistnu, or some sacred river ; or where 

 that is not the case, artificial tanks or reservoirs are con- 

 structed, generally of a quadrangular form, lined with 

 freestone or marble, and having steps to descend into 

 them. Crawford mentions several tanks from 300 to 

 4OO feet in breadth. (Crawford's Sketches, vol. i. p. 106.) 

 Some of these tanks cover 8 or 10 acres, have steps of 

 masonry 50 or 60 feet long, are faced with brick-work, 

 and plastered substantially and neatly. The corners of the 

 tank are generally ornamented with round or octagonal 

 pavilions. (Oriental Sports, vol. ii. p. 116.) 



In the Birman empire, which, for situation and van- 

 ous circumstances connected with its history, is one of 

 the most interesting districts of the East, the temples of 



Sculptures. 



Godama are of a pyramidal form, of solid brick-work, 

 placed upon an elevated terrace ; and the base of the 

 great pyramid is frequently encompassed by a double 

 row of small ones, having its summit terminated by an 

 umbrella made of iron bars into a sort of filigree work, 

 and adorned with bells ; many of these pyramids are 

 from 300 to 500 feet high. In the larger temples, the 

 umbrella, with at least the upper part, sometimes the 

 whole, of the pyramid, is entirely gilded. Other tem- 

 ples, of similar shape, are hollow, and have images of 

 Godama within them ; but the images are more fre- 

 quently placed in chapels, which encompass the pyra- 

 mid. Dr Buchanan saw at Ava an image of one block 

 of pure alabaster, of so large a size, that one of its 

 fingers appeared about the length and thickness of a large 

 man's thigh and leg. The whole statue must therefore 

 have been above fifty feet high. 



At one village, Colonel Byrnes saw 30 or 40 yards ful! 



empire. 



Temples 

 of Godama 

 pyramidal. 



