INDIA. 345 



of the sea. It is hewn out of solid, hard rock. It is 

 about 130 feet long and of the same width, and 17 feet 

 high. At present it is only used as a place of worship 

 on occasions of Shiva festivals, and in the middle of 

 February a religious fair is held here. The sculptures 

 which ornament the walls are cut out of the rock as 

 well as the columns which support the stone ceiling. 

 All of them show the ravages of time. Some of the col- 

 umns are destroyed whole or in part, and large pieces 

 have been split off from many of the mural figures. 



'In short, do you not see stones even yield to 

 the power of time; lofty towers fall to decay and 

 rocks moulder away? Temples and statues of the 

 gods go to ruin, nor can the gods themselves pro- 

 long their dates or give reprieve from fate." — 

 Lucretius. 



Of the nine allegorical figures illustrating the Brah- 

 min cult I will only briefly describe the central one 

 which represents Brahma, the creator; that on the right 

 is Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer, on 

 the left. This is the most elaborate and striking of the 

 sculptures. Brahma's face is expressive of peace, kind- 

 ness and reflection. If the artist of this exquisite work 

 of art made any mistake it was in sparing stone in form- 

 ing the thick everted lips. Brahma holds a lotus flower 

 in his left hand; Shiva holds the deadly serpent, the 

 cobra. The significance of the pomegranate is creation; 

 that of the lotns flower preservation, and that of the 

 ugly snake in threatening attitude, destruction. The 

 figures on each side are supposed to be doorkeepers, 

 each attended by a dwarf. The figures of this master- 

 piece of the sculptor's art of 4,000 years ago are well 

 preserved and a study of them will satisfy any observer 

 of the great skill of Indian artists of that remote period. 

 In front of the open temple is a small tank, in the 

 shallow water of which a number of pigmy frogs enjoyed 

 their childish frolic. No one can visit this venerable 

 cave temple without becoming deeply impressed with 

 the art of India long before the infant Moses was 



