18 Ancient Javanese Remains. [No. 1, 



roof, rising in terraces apparently. But it is in too great ruin to allow 

 of one's determining its exact form. When perfect the temple must 

 have been a noble structure, 



The material is a close-grained but not heavy volcanic stone, well 

 cut, and very finely jointed, but without mortar. It is much cracked, 

 and whole surfaces of wall threaten to come down. 



This absence of mortar is common to all the ancient buildings that 

 I visited, and the result is a degree of dilapidation far greater than 

 age, or even perhaps earthquake, need have occasioned in structures 

 otherwise so solid, a dilapidation which is rapidly advancing and 

 cannot be materially retarded. 



The absence of mortar is also a notable feature in the ancient brick 

 temples of Pagan in Burma, in the temple at Buddh-Gya, (but that is 

 certainly Burmese work), and I believe also in the Ceylonese remains, 

 as it is in the topes of Sanchi and Benares. It would be curious to 

 ascertain what is the earliest Indian building in which the joints are 

 set in mortar, and whether the absence of it is peculiar to Buddhist 

 or to sacred buildings. There was no ignorance of the use of lime, 

 as I shall mention presently. 



The greatest singularity of this, as of some others of the temples in 

 Java, consists in the strange combination of Buddhism and Brahminism 

 which they present. In fact an intelligent Madras servant who was 

 with me, and who explored everything with great interest, hit the 

 right nail on the head in saying " Master ; inside temple like Burmese, 

 outside like Hindoo." The inside cell is about 20 feet square rising 

 vertically 16 or 18 feet and then tapering upwards by the projection 

 of each successive layer of stone an inch or two beyond that which 

 underlies it, like the under side of a staircase. It is in fact a form of 

 aspiration towards the arch which is found in primitive buildings in 

 many parts of the world, in the Pelasgian remains of the Pelopon- 

 nesus and of Asia Minor, and in the tombs of Kertch and of Etruria, 

 in the so-called Picts' houses of Northern Scotland, in the ancient 

 palaces of Yucatan, and in the arcades of the Kootub at Delhi ; and 

 is identical in principle with the timber sanga with which the 

 Himalayan mountaineers span successfully rivers of more than 100 feet 

 in width. 



The cell contains three colossal images, carved in a hard and 

 polished granular volcanic stone probably trachyte. The central one, 



