226 
A. M. Broadley — The Buddhistic Remains of Bihar. [No. 3, 
sides- of the temple, was a verandah, and the sockets of the beams are still 
visible in the upper wall. The southern side still stands more than thirty 
feet high. 
In order to get a more complete idea of the lofty cupola which doubt- 
less once surmounted the temple of Baladitya, I have since cleared away a 
great part of the rubbish in the northern side of the temple, and have been 
thus enabled to design a restored elevation of the whole building. I have 
also procured an illustration of the great doorway, which is of the greatest 
archeological and architectural interest. 
Although there was little variety in the Buddhist architect’s design, 
it was peculiarly graceful and calculated to produce a pleasing and 
majestic effect. The gargoyle face, the almost endless repetition of the 
figure of Buddha, the quaint niches and the long lines of lotus leaves, 
formed a tout ensemble which Hindu art lias never surpassed. Of the 
minor sculptures which decorated this and similar religious edifices, a full 
description will be given when I come to speak of the different localities in 
which they were found. 
The pillars which formed ono of the chief features, both in the build- 
ings and in the monasteries, became more and more elaborate as know- 
ledge and art increased. 
Secondly . — The monasteries appear to have been quadrangles of brick 
buildings (similarly ornamented to the temples), and generally having a pago- 
da in the centre. According to Hwen Thsang’s account, they must have been 
very magnificent. Little idea can be gained of the form, &e., by an inspection 
of the ruins ; for the wood carvings and tiles have of course disappeared under 
the ravages of time. The monasteries were almost invariably situated in pic- 
turesque positions on the banks of ponds of the clearest water, and surround- 
ed by groves of mangoe, bar, and pipal trees. They appear to have been 
generally built a short distance from the villages to which they belonged. 
Any further description is unnecessary, as I shall dwell very fully on all 
monasteries of Bihar, when I come to speak of them separately. 
Thirdly . — Votive St upas. The subject of t> ise most interesting monu- 
ments of the Buddhist faith has been clearly ; a Wefly summarised by Herrn 
Schlagintweit.* Ho writes — “ The ancient 'stupas were originally meant 
as receptacles for relies of either the Buddhas or the Bodhisattvas, and the 
kings who encouraged the propagation of the Buddhist faith. But already 
in the early periods of Buddhism stupas were constructed ex voto as sym- 
bolical substitutes for a tomb with a sacred relic, either for marking the spot 
where remarkable incidents in the sacred history had taken place, or for 
decorating the Viharas and temples. Their erection is considered as an act 
* Buddhism in Thibet, p. 193. 
