182 



DESCRIPTIVE REMARKS ON 



is superposed immediately on the capital with a thin flat tile 

 intervening. 



The face of the rock above this excavation appears to have 

 been carved to represent a (structural) building with a prominent 

 overhanging cornice, plinth and balustrade moulding, with 

 surmounting row of cells as usual ; but much of this is hidden by 

 the brick masonry wall b}' which the front of the excavation has 

 been enclosed. 



In the centre of each end of the main (excavated) chamber an 

 octagonal pier has been left standing to support the rock above, 

 which forms the roof of the cave. 



These two piers resemble the four in front just mentioned, 

 except that they have no lion bases. They are composed thus : 

 at foot a plain base about 2 feet 3 inches in diameter, orna- 

 mentally sloped away in 8 inches of height to 1 foot 4 inches, 

 the diameter of the shaft, which extends undiminished for 3| 

 diameters to the shoulder, above which comes a gradually tapering- 

 neck and spreading collar-moulding for the height of a single 

 diameter up to the lower side of the usual bulging squashed- 

 cushion capital, which is nearly a diameter in height and If 

 diameters in width. 



Above the capital there is no slab abacus, but merely a thin 

 square plate, above which the scroll- ended brackets extend 

 less than 3 diameters in length and less than 1 diameter in 

 height. The height of the column is 6 diameters from floor to 

 top of capital, 7 to the architrave, and nearly 8 to the ceiling. 

 The plain outline of the shaft is broken by a narrow and a wide 

 band of ornamental carving of rather old-fashioned style. 



A shrine-cell has been excavated at the back, the doorway of 

 which projects 3 or 4 feet into the centre of the main chamber 

 with its floor a couple of steps (1 foot 9 inches) higher. The 

 doorway is a deep and comparatively large one, being 6 feet 9 

 inches high, 6 feet 3 inches wide, and 4 feet deep. 



The shrine-cell or sanctuary is 8 feet 9 inches high, 8 feet 7 

 inches wide, and 6 feet 7 inches deep, and its back wall is 23 feet 

 6 inches from the face of the original excavation, or 44 feet 6 

 inches from the face of the outer (built) chamber, whence this 



