STONE CIRCLES, ETC. IN INDIA. 57 



tised from the third century B.C. to seventh A.D., is essentially 

 tumular, circular, and external, thus possessing the three 

 great characteristics of all the so-called Druidical remains."* 

 These resemblances, indeed, are too great to be accidental, and 

 the differences represent, not so much a difference in style, as 

 in civilisation. Thus, the tumuli of India, though sometimes 

 of earth, are " generally of rubble masonry internally, and of 

 hewn stone or brick on the external surface, and originally 

 were apparently always surrounded by a circular enclosure of 

 upright stones, though in later times this came to be attached 

 to the building as an ornamental band, instead of an inde- 

 pendent feature. In the most celebrated example in India, 

 that at Sanchee, the circle consists of roughly squared up- 

 right stone posts, joined at the top by an architrave .of the 

 same thickness as the posts, exactly as at Stonehenge ; the 

 only difference being the insertion of three stone rails be- 

 tween each of the uprights, which is a masonic refinement 

 hardly to be expected among the Celts." In India, then, 

 the circles of stones seem generally to have surrounded 

 tumuli ; but this is not always the case, and there are 

 some, " which apparently enclose nothing." Again, they 

 are generally covered with sculpture ; but to this also there 

 are exceptions, as, for instance, at Amravati, where there are 

 numberless little circles of rude unhewn stone, identical with 

 those in this country, but smaller." 



The great stones at Stonehenge are, as we know, roughly 

 hewn, and there is a very remarkable cromlech, near Con- 

 folens in Charente, in which the upper stone is supported, 

 not on rude stone blocks, but on four slender columns."! 

 At this stage, the Druidical architecture in Western Europe 

 was replaced by a totally different style, while in India, on 

 the contrary, it was permitted to follow its natural course of 

 development ; so that it requires an observant eye to detect, 

 * I. c. p. 212. f Statestique Monumentale de la Charente. 



