Ohap. XXVII. THE VILLAGE AND ITS TEMPLES. 461 



bungalows, peeping out amongst their shrubberies, dottid 

 about in all directions ; the billiard bungalow, sanatarium, 

 and public library, all built of laterite, standing in an open 

 space ; the native bazar at our feet ; and a curiously shaped 

 mass of mountain peaks to the south and west. 



One day we rode over to the native village of Mahaba- 

 leshwur, which is three miles from Malcolm-penth. The little 

 village consists of a few dozen thatched huts, on the side of a 

 wooded hill, and some very interesting temples. By the 

 roadside, in the hedges surrounding the huts, there were 

 roses, daturas, and jambul -trees {Eugenia jambolamim) with 

 heads of graceful flowers. 



The chief temple, built at the foot of a steep hUl, has an 

 open space in front. The exterior wall is faced with pilasters 

 painted yellow, the intermediate space being red. In the 

 centre there is an arched doorway leading into an interior 

 cloister, built round a tank. No European is allowed to 

 enter, but, from the outside, a cow carved in stone is visible 

 on the opposite side of the tanlc, with a stream of water 

 pouring from its mouth. This fountain is said to be the 

 source of the Krishna, and the temple is considered very 

 sacred in consequence. To the right, and a little in front 

 of the temple, there is a square chapel sacred to Siva or 

 Mahadeo. A flight of steps leads up to three narrow arched 

 doorways, the centre one being occupied by an image of the 

 bull Nandi in stone, in a sitting posture, with its back to the 

 people, and facing the image of the God inside. The chapel 

 is surmounted by a very picturesque dome, with stone tigers 

 at each angle. Tall trees and thick bushes cover the hill in 

 the rear immediately above the larger temple, and on the 

 left there is a long native cJioultry, with a thatched roof. 



These temples were built about a century ago by a rich 

 banker of Sattara, but they stand on the sites of more ancient 

 structures, the work of Gowlee Rajahs. The Gowlees are a 



