490 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XIX, 
in the absence of similar edifices in India proper, has led 
Hamilton and others to suggest a Chinese origin. 
Lévi, however, claims that these pagodas represent a style 
of religious architecture which has disappeared in India proper. 
He suggests that although the buildings are recent, not earlier 
than the 15th century A.D., yet the architecture reproduces 
without doubt forms of immemorial antiquity and hints that 
they might be directly evolved from the early wooden architec- 
ture of India which preceded and acted as the model of the 
most ancient stone monuments of the country. Lévi has given 
some evidence from figures on coins and plates in support 
of this view. The description of the many-storeyed edifice, 
with roof of copper tiles. in the Chinese annals, supports this 
hypothesis to some extent; nothing is however mentioned in 
the annals in detail about the style of architecture.! 
To explain the resemblance of the Chinese pagodas and 
Japanese temples Lévi suggests that the parallels are due 
to Newar influence. He supports his hypothesis with the 
facts that 
(i) Newars have largely influenced art in China and this is 
admitted in the annals, 
(ii) Newar artisans were widely employed in Tibet, Tartary 
many parts of China and this continued up 
to modern times.’ 
Havell has arrived at the same conclusions from a study of 
early and mediaeval Indian architecture. He suggests that 
the so-called pagoda style in Nepal is derived from the asana type 
of temple architecture in India. The names of the Indian 

| §. Lévi: ibid., Vol. II, pp. 10-12. ° ; 
? The evidence on this point has been mentioned when discussing 
the arts of Tibet and Nepal. The sources are mainly Huc, Tagine 
awaguchi. Also Lévi: ibid., Vol. 11], pp. 185-9 (Appendix). in 
this Appendix in Lévi’s book a very interesting account zs cog of the 
se i n iz 
influen e Newars on Chinese and Tibetan art. I D. the 
Emperor of China had a golden pagoda raised in Tibet. The artisans 
employed were all obtained from Nepal and worked under ar 
er 
master-builder. This artist, Arniko, later on went to the Chinese court 
and became the master-builder and statue founder of the Empire. See 
also Perey Brown: ibid., p. 154 et seq. 5 
* E. B. Havell: The Ancient and Medieral Architecture of India, 
Lordon, 1915, pp. 120-1. 
* Rim Riz: An Essay on the Architecture of the Hindus, London. 
1834, p. 49. 
