TEMPLE OF KARLEE. 27 



five o'clock next morning-, and no doubt this is 

 the best way of getting on without losing much 

 time. 



The ascent of the Bhore ghaut is necessarily slow ; 

 it consists of a succession of steep hills mostly covered 

 with splendid forests and intersected by deep gorges 

 filled with thick junge — a very hot-bed of tigers. We 

 dined and passed the night at the station, and early 

 next morning, our horses having duly arrived, we rode 

 three miles along the Poonah road, and about a mile 

 across country to Karlee hill, through very beautiful 

 wild scenery. 



The entrance to the temple, likewise cut into the 

 rock, although very inferior to that of Elephanta, has 

 a circular arch, and is roughly sculptured, representing 

 the usual Hindu deities ; to the right are two small 

 chambers kept perfectly dark, excepting an illuminated 

 coarse mask at the fm-thest end with red cheeks and 

 protruding tongue, sufficiently grotesque and frightful 

 to send children away howling. The central hall, 

 however, has retained much of its original character ; 

 for this, like so many others of the innumerable cave 

 temples of India — about a thousand have been dis- 

 covered, of which nine-tenths in the Bombay pre- 

 sidency, 75 per cent, of the whole constructed by 

 Buddhists, 20 per cent, by the Brahmans, and 5 per cent. 



