THE SEVEN PAGODAS. 



163 



lozenges. This painting does not look very old or antique, and 

 it is more in amount and better preserved than the several 

 other scraps of colour noticed in the other caves or sculptures. 



Arjuna's Penance — The great Bas-relief. 



17. I did not observe this great bas-relief sculpture at all so 

 minutely as I should have desired, but it has been described 

 by Braddock, page 87, by Kavali Lakshmayya, page 202, by 

 Chambers, page 4, and others. 



Immediately below Arjuna a small shrine or temple has been 

 carved which is a miniature of the adjacent monolithic shrines of 

 the place. It consists of a simple cell with a narrow entrance 

 between plain unornamented piers, and has a four-armed image 

 standing within, said to be that of Krishnasvami (K.L., p. 203), 

 It has a comparatively large projecting cornice, ornamented on 

 three sides with hooded face medallions, a rail or balustrade 

 course with griffins' heads, and is surmounted by a square dome 

 with three horse-shoe dormers containing the curved block projec- 

 tion, each capped by flat spikes, and a kala§am finial above all. 

 I cannot say whether the enshrined image is integral and coeval 

 with the shrine, or a more recent addition. There are no steps 

 of approach to this representation of a shrine. A cursory exami- 

 nation does not enable one to make out clearly what is the general 

 idea of the whole design. The scene appears to be laid in the 

 wilderness, from the wild animals and the caves or rocks they 

 issue from or move about amongst. The whole assembly of 

 celestials and terrestrials turns towards the cleft of the rock in its 

 centre, except the emaciated ascetic who is doing penance by 

 standing on his left leg with his right held up and his hands 

 held up high over his head. His face is to the front. (This 

 attitude of penance is to be seen in several other of the figures, 

 particularly in that of a cat just before the big elephant's 

 trunk.) 



The central cleft of the rock is, or has been, occupied by Naga 

 figures. The lowest is a single-headed cobra erect with his 

 hood or neck expanded. Next above is a Nagini or female Naga 

 figure, having the figure of a woman down to the waist, and 

 below that the body and tail of a serpent . She has also a triple - 



