284 
SCENES IN INDIA, 
CHAPTER XXI. 
CAVERN TEMPLES AT SALSETTE. 
The following morning I took my gun, with a 
determination to try the jungle for game, hut pre- 
viously amused myself with examining some of the 
smaller excavations. I found that these abounded to 
an extent scarcely credible, but all that I entered 
were, in every respect, vastly inferior to the large 
cavern already described. The sculptures were fewer, 
and of a much meaner order, though occasionally there 
were some striking groups to be seen — illustrating the 
mysteries of Buddhism, to which these caves were, by 
universal consent, originally dedicated. 
From the portico of one of the caverns the prospect 
is singularly striking. A long ledge, of several feet in 
width, supported at either end by the solid rock from 
which it is cut, protects the spectator from the in- 
fluence of the sun, and allows him to enjoy without 
inconvenience the beauties of a scene remarkable for 
its peculiarity and grandeur. The portico is termi- 
nated towards the body of the building by a row of 
tall, massive columns, gracefully proportioned, and 
with no ornament, except on the bases and capitals. 
With the superincumbent ledge, which they support, 
they form a vestibule of great elegance. Under its 
