1864.] 



Elephant Statues in the Delhi Palace, 



377 



The stone of which the elephants are built is of black colour and slaty 

 texture, greatly resembling that of which the Indo-Greek sculptures are 

 wrought near the Indus. There is nothing of this kind at or near 

 Delhi ; nor do I think it is found at Chittore : but of this I am not 

 certain. Being in blocks of moderate size it may have been brought 

 from afar. The statues stood at the gate of the citadel of Delhi at 

 the commencement of Aurungzebe's reign. When that monster's 

 religious frenzy attained its height, they were probably pulled to 

 pieces, in deference to the hatred of the orthodox for images of all 

 kinds. Dernier states, not (as quoted by Tod), that they stood at 

 the principal entrance to the citadel, but that they stood at one of 

 the principal entrances. This was probably the Delhi gate of the 

 citadel ; so called as facing the original city of Delhi. They were 

 found buried in old and in recent rubbish, inside the citadel, at a spot 

 intermediate between the two principal gates, but nearer to the Delhi 

 Gate. 



The screens to the citadel gates were built by Aurungzebe him- 

 self, and they could not perhaps have been built without removing 

 these statues, which at any rate would be most suitably posted out- 

 side the gate of the screen. Supposing them to have been pulled 

 down accordingly, it is not to be supposed that the saintly monster 

 would have had any share in reconstructing idols. 



P. S. — In Tod's narrative we are told that there were 30,000 in- 

 habitants in the fortress of Chittore when it opened its gates. Yet 

 he does not say that these rushed out sword in hand upon the enemy. 

 And from Ferishta's account we gather that they could have made little 

 or no defence, as few if any of the assailants were slain. The spirit of 

 manhood seems to have deserted the breasts of the males to centre 

 in that of the women. Indeed the brutal sacrifice of the Johur whilst 

 30,000 of the garrison survived, or even the ten thousand reckoned 

 by Tod, denotes anything but the spirit of heroes. Undoubted in- 

 stances of the gallantry of Eajpootres are on record. But they seem 

 at times to have despaired very early in the day. Certainly no army 

 of undisciplined troops could have taken Chittore if manfully defended 

 by ten thousand men. 



3 p- 



