222 Rock-cut temples of Khandgiri . [No. 3. 



A visit to the Bock-cut temples of Khandgiri. — By E. A. Samtjells, 

 Esq. B. C. S., Commissioner of Cuttack. — Communicated by the 

 Government of Bengal. 



Cuttack, the 25th February, 1856. 

 To the Secretary to the Government of Bengal. 

 Sib, — I have just returned from a visit to the Bock-cut temples 

 of Khandgiri in the Khas estate of Khoordah, and wish to draw the 

 attention of the Lieutenant-Governor to the present state of these 

 very interesting monuments of antiquity. A full account of them 

 will be found in the text book which accompanies the illustrations of 

 Eergusson's Bock-cut temples of India, (p. 10) in Sterling's His- 

 tory of Orissa (p. 149), and in the 6th and 7th Yols. of the Jour- 

 nal of the Asiatic Society. I need only mention here, that they 

 are supposed by Eergusson to be, with one exception, the most 

 ancient works of this class in India, and are deservedly objects of 

 great interest to Indian Archaeologists, and to all, indeed, for whom 

 the combination of gigantic works of art with picturesque scenery 

 has any charms. 



2. I found the temples in very much the same state as that de- 

 scribed by Eergusson, although, from the circumstance of there 

 being only one or two byragees in the place at the time of my visit, 

 I was more fortunate than he was in being able to penetrate every 

 portion of the different caves, and to note accurately the extent to 

 which injury to the sculptures had proceeded. 



3. The friezes in the verandahs of the caves I found generally 

 in very good preservation, though so begrimed with soot from the 

 fires which the byragees have been in the habit of burning beneath 

 them, that it requires a good light to make out all the details. Th3 

 figures stand well out from the wall, and the judicious use of a 

 brush with soap and water, would in the course of a few days 

 restore them to their original beauty. 



4. The life-size figures at the angles of the caves, have suffered 

 more. The features of the very interesting figure in the cave called 

 the " Thakoor Gumpha," which represents a man clothed in a kilt 

 and socks or buskins, are completely destroyed, and the upper part 



