1850.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL, 



37 



But if we notice points of resemblance, we must also notice 

 striking marks of dissimilarity — for instance, the Egyptians always 

 made ornament subservient to a meaning, and never allowed it to 

 interfere with the grandeur of the outline: the Hindoos, on the 

 contrary, sacrificed purity of outline to the elaborate ornament 

 with which their pagodas are overloaded. In Egypt, the temples 

 were of one simple angular form; and the peculiar worship to 

 which they were dedicated, whether of Osiris, Amun, or Athor, 

 was taught by the sculptures and hieroglyphics on the walls: in 

 India, the whole exterior form of the temple was made to bear a 

 certain significance; thus a corrupted form of Mithratic worship 

 gave the circular dome, which in the interior was to represent the 

 holy concave of the heavens, and was sprinkled with stars on an 

 azure ground, or decorated with a sculptured zodiac; other pago- 

 das took the more ancient pyramidal form, and some the two com- 

 bined, showing a pyramid terminated by a cupola or globe; other 



Hindoo Temple at Deo, in Bahar, 



Indian temples assumed, from the theology of their builders, 

 the oval form of the mundane egg; and others, again, a square or 

 cross symbolical of the four elements and four cardinal points. 

 1 he Egyptians, though avoiding all expression of human action or 

 passion m their statues, never gave them those additional heads and 

 limhs that deform Hindoo sculpture: while in some of the Indian 

 bas-reliefs there is an idea of grouping and graceful attitude, not 

 seen amongst the Egyptians. 



The term "pagoda" applied to Indian and Chinese temples is 

 derived from the Persian words pout, an idol, and ghmhi, a temple. 

 Ihe exterior of the pagodas are generally covered with figures of 

 Indian deities or animals, sculptured \vith great spirit; and the 

 lotty walls and ceiling of the interior are profusely adorned with 

 rich painting and gilding: daylight is only admitted by the soli- 

 tary entrance-door, but they are illuminated by ever-burning 

 lamps suspended from the roof. The banks of the Ganges, Kistna; 

 or other sacred rivers is, when possible, selected for the site of the 

 great temples, m order that the worsliippers may have the benefit 

 ot ali]uti(ui in the holy stream: when the pagodas are at a distance 

 trom the river, a large quadrangular tank or reservoir is con- 

 structed in front, lined with freestone or marble, and having a 

 f ^ o"i„ 1"^ descending from the margin; many of tlie tanks are 

 trom 300 to 400 feet in breadth. The entrance to all the principal 

 pagodas is formed by a portico with lofty columns, and ascended by 

 a flight of stone steps, sometimes, as in that of Tripelli, to the 

 number of one hundred. The gate is always fronting the east. 

 1 he interior is divided into three parts, which may be compared to 



a centre and two side aisles; at the further end is the sanctuary, 

 surrounded by a stone balustrade to keep ofl' the populace. The 

 pagoda of Santidus, in Guzzerat, is described by Tavernier as in- 

 cluding three courts, paved with marble, and surrounded by por- 

 ticoes supported by marble columns, and decorated with female 

 figures sculptured in the same material. Into the inner court no 

 one was allowed to enter without taking off his sandals. The ceil- 

 ings and walls of the interior of the pagoda are adorned with 

 mosaic work and variously coloured agates. The courts of the 

 temple of Seringham, measured round the outer wall, are nearly 

 four miles in circumference, and are entered through immense 

 pyramidal gateways on each of the four sides. The pyramidal 

 gateways leading to the magnificent pagoda of Chillambrun, on the 

 coast of Coromandel, exceed 120 feet in height. The Choultry, 

 or hall, in some cases is of enormous size, having 100 columns in 

 length and 10 in width, or 1,000 columns in all: they are popu- 

 larly called "halls of a thousand columns;" and this is usually lite- 

 rally true. AVhen it is remembered that each of these columns is 

 ornamentally carved from capital to base, that these carvings are 

 usually all different in design, and that the material used is gra- 

 nite, it must be admitted that they are wonderful works. 



The excavated temples of Hindostan have afforded a fertile 

 theme for argument,— some authors taking their remote antiquity 

 for granted, while others deny their existence beyond the invasion 

 of the Saracens. Lieut. Fergusson upholds the latter opinion, prin- 

 cipally on account of the frequent use of the arch. Now, the vault 

 being a sacred form, a section of it may have been adopted in 

 ancient times, and thus account for the semicircular arch so con- 

 stantly found in these rock-cut temples; yet we must allow that 

 when the ogee arch also appears, it affords conclusive evidence of 

 their more recent date, as it is well known that this form was first 

 employed by the followers of Jlahomet. The remote antiquity of 

 the excavations in India, as in Egypt, is objected to because most 

 of them are imitations of structural models. Lieut. Fergusson 

 says, that the Brahminieal caves are always imitations, thougli those 

 of the Buddhists are generally simple excavations. A mistake 

 may have arisen from treating these rock-cut temples as if ex- 

 cavated at one period, when it is probable they were the work of 

 successive centuries; for it is known that the Buddhists were the 

 earliest cave-diggers, and that they made use of natural caverns, 

 which they improved by art. The most simple excavations con- 

 sist of a square cell with a porch; but frequently in the monastery 

 eaves, the verandha or porch opens into a square hall, three sides 

 of which are occupied by cells — the hall being sometimes so large 

 as to require the support of pillars; in a deep recess of it, facing 

 the entrance, is placed a statue of Buddha: thus tlie cave is a place 

 of worsliip as well as an abode for the priests. The Brahminieal 

 caves have generally a temple attached, which consists of an ex- 

 ternal porch, an internal gallery over the entrance, and a centre 

 aisle twice the length of its breadt'i, having a vaulted roof, ter- 

 minating in a semi-dome, under which stands a dagopa; a narrow 

 aisle surrounds the whole interior, separated from the centre by a 

 range of massive columns. This side aisle is generally flat-roofed, 

 though sometimes in earlier examples covered by a semi-vault. 



Kxcavaled Temii 



Generally speaking, all those parts which would be ot wood in 

 structural buildings, are of wood in the caves; when this is not llie 

 case the same forms are presened, though carved in the rock. 'J'he 

 cave-temples are usually lighted by a lartre ajierture over the en- 

 trance, having the striking effect of throuiug the full blaze of 

 light upon the idol, while the rest of the cavern remains in com- 



