1865.] 



Notes on Boodh Gya. 



285 



This chamber, the floor of which is at about the level of the terrace, 

 may probably have had before it an open porch ; but all traces of this 

 would have disappeared with the falling in of the arched roof below. 

 I have before alluded to the extraordinary opening — or horizontal 

 arch on the overlapping or Lehra principle as existing in the story 

 above this. 



By the aid of ladders and bamboos obligingly furnished me by the 

 Molrunt, I with considerable difficulty got within this, and found the 

 floor to be about 55 feet from the ground, and that within it, on all 

 sides, there was a space of about 5 feet of upright Avail before the 

 springing of the curve, and that this bit of wall was plastered ! 



This room might have been entered from the roof of the porch 

 above suggested ; but -was evidently not used for 

 any purpose. 



The open arch extends just half way in the 

 height. Another similar arch, but closed externally, 

 stands upon it as shewn marginally, and it is very 

 curious that the open arch above mentioned should 

 have been left in its singularly unfinished condition. 

 The temple at Kooch, however, displays the same 

 peculiarity. 



I have now at some length described the arches 

 at Boodh Gya, relative to which Babu Bajendra- 

 lala Mitra notes, (p. 4,) that when he brought the 

 fact of their existence to the notice of Capt. Mead, 

 Executive Engineer, who was shewing him through 

 the ruins — " He readily acknowledged that the 

 builders of the temple, whoever they were, 

 certainly knew the art of constructing an arch, 

 and the one before them was a very good speci- 

 men of it." 



The first thing that strikes an observer, when 

 looking at the great tower from a little distance, 

 and it is clearly seen in the photographs of Boodh 

 Gya kindly prepared for me by my companion, 

 Mr. Peppe of Gya, is, that the whole of the arch arrangements are a 

 subsequent insertion and formed no part of the original building. 



Eough plan shewin 

 general elevation. 



