ANTIQUITIES AND PLANTS OF INDIA. 



355 



Skeleton figures, resembling the popular representation of Death. 



In one instance, a woman holding a small quadrangular box ; perhaps 



for containing ointment: 

 In another instance, a man holdino^ a flay^on or bottle. 

 Pigmies, are repeatedly represented ; 

 Together with cornucopias ; 



And a man holding a roll, or a cylindrical implement resembling one. 



Some of the angles of the door-ways, were observed to have oblique 

 perforations; perhaps not coeval with the original construction ; but 

 entirely similar to those seen at Hadjerkim, in Malta. 



In the finest of the Ellora caves, I observed some remains of orna- 

 mental painting; the colours employed, being dull retl, light blue, 

 light green, and yellow. 



The goddess having (like the Amazons of old) a single breast, or 



the combined personage, female on one side, and called " Parbutee 



and Mardao," was seen only at Elephanta. 

 Where too, representations occur of the Hindoo Triad; or of "the 



creating, the preserving, and the destroying power." 

 The floor of some of the Elephanta caves, is made to contain a thin 



stratum of water : and indeed, I remarked no provision for drainage, 



in the other Indian caves. 



The Elephanta Caves, regarded as a work of art, always pleased 

 me; and even in the sculptured figures, I found something to admire, 

 in the grouping and in the boldness of the relief 



On the other hand, the style of the immense excavations at Ellora, 

 is corrupt; and the general effect, is not altogether agreeable. Some 

 of the details, however, are worth the attention of artists. And the 

 excavated building, is interesting as a specimen of the style of temple- 

 architecture at an ancient period. It should be observed, that there 

 is a seeming mixture of class at Ellora ; in the presence of caves of 

 the usual Budhist character: these, however, have every appearance 

 of beincr coeval with the rest of the series; and I was unable to dis- 

 cover about them, any inscriptions in the 'cave character.' 



There are no naked figures, in the Budhist caves; neither could 

 I find anything of an indecent tendency; a striking point of diffe- 

 rence, from the Pliaraonic and from the Roman antiquities. 



The same remark, may indeed be extended to the Braminical 

 caves; for the emblems of Siva, which occur in some of them, have 



