BY DR. BERNCASTLE. 183 



The finest specimens of this class are at Ellora and Elephanta ; 

 also on the island of Salsette. These two last I have visited and 

 described. I have also described the Buddhist temple of Karli, 

 and was the first writer who gave a description of the cave temple 

 of Bambourda, near Poona, which, although differing from any 

 other I have seen, I believe should be classed amongst the third, 

 or Brahminical order. Dr. Bird told me that they were first 

 described by a Danish traveller, in the transactions of the Asiatic 

 Society, in 1853 ; but he was not aware that my account was pub- 

 lished in my work in 1850. 



I shall now attempt to describe the rock-cut temples in the 

 order in which I visited them, beginning with the most cele- 

 brated those of Elephanta, next Kannari, then Karli, and lastly, 

 Bambourda. Elephanta, called by the natives Gara-pori, is an 

 island seven miles from Bombay and five from the Mahratta 

 shore. It is six miles in circumference, and is composed of two 

 hills, with a valley between, at the foot of which, as you land, 

 you see just above the shore on your right an elephant coarsely 

 cut out in stone, of the natural size and colour, standing on a 

 platform of stones, which has given the name to the island. 



Ascending an easy slant, about half way up the hill, you come 

 to the opening or portal of a large cavern, hewn out of a solid 

 rock, into a magnificent temple ; for such it may well be termed, 

 considering the immense labour involved in such an excavation, an 

 attempt that appears far more bold than that of the pyramids of 

 Egypt. There is a fair entrance into this subterraneous temple, 

 which is an oblong square, in length 135 feet by 120 broad. The 

 floor not being level, the height varies from fifteen to eighteen 

 feet. The roof was supported by twenty-six pillars and eight 

 pilasters, disposed in four rows ; but several of the pillars are 

 broken. Each column stands upon a square pedestal, and is 

 fluted; but instead of being cylindrical, is gradually enlarged 

 towards the middle. 



Above the tops of the columns a kind of ridge has been cut, to 

 resemble a beam about twelve inches square, and this is richly 

 carved. Along the sides of the temple are cut between forty and 

 fifty colossal figures, in height from twelve to fifteen feet, none of 

 them being entirely detached from the wall. Some of these 



