1850.] 



Sircar of ' fry tun. 



375 



one paw : the Ajuntah sculpture differs very slightly. In the Stuc- 

 co painting a black male figure is seen praying and behind him a 

 Lion is rearing up. 



The second group has a male and female praying : behind them 

 are Lingas, out of which the heads of the Cobra are protuding. 

 The Ajuntah sculpture differs from this by the male praying towards 

 the Buddhist figure, whilst the female has turned herself towards 

 the Snake ; who is in its full length, without lingam, or pedestal. 

 The Stucco painting represents a black male figure praying with a 

 Cobra rearing itself up behind him. 



The third group is a kneeling figure, beside whom stands a Bud- 

 dhist ascetic praying — an Elephant beneath a mango tree is behind : 

 the Ajuntah sculpture shows a female clasping a male in her arms 

 both kneeling, with the Elephants behind ; the Stucco painting of 

 this part is lost. 



The last group is much mutilated, but appears to be a female seat- 

 ed bearing an infant in her arms, an old hag with pendent breasts 

 and streaming hair stands over her ; serpents are twined round her 

 neck and arm : a Buddhist ascetic is praying behind them. The 

 Stucco painting shows an old harridan painted white, in the attitude 

 of dancing, her left hand holds a Snake which passes round her throat 

 in lieu of a necklace, her right hand upraised, points with the fore- 

 finger towards a figure beside her. She wears bands of blue beads 

 round her wrists, and ankles — her hair hangs in elfin locks over her 

 flaccid breasts, a portion only of a black figure is seen kneeling before 

 her. The Ajuntah sculpture is similar to that shown here, with the 

 exception of the Buddhist ascetic. 



The richly dressed figure occupies as conspicuous a position as 

 the one just described, he wears a conical ornamented cap, with the 

 Buddhist emblem in front : in the right ear is worn an earring of a 

 wheel shaped form, whilst in the left he wears it ringed shape : neck- 

 lace, bar armlets, bracelets, and waist ornaments as before described 

 in the first Cave. On each side are placed male and female figures, 

 five feet high, who are again attended by dwarfs : above are flying 

 figures. We may note that in corroboration of the simpler figure being 

 the most sacred, we here perceive flying figures occupying the place 

 of those in the attitude of prayer, accompanying the simpler one. 



The recesses east and west are raised from the floor of the .hall 

 by three steps, and are each supported by two pillars and two pilas- 

 ters, similar in design to those of the verandah, but smaller in di- 



