102 Records of the Geological Survey of Lidia. [vol. vix. 
tion of temples. The old holes for the wedges are still to be seen, and one enormous slab, 
which was partially split old, was never removed, and still clings to its place. 
In Behar many temples are to be found in the construction of which granite was em¬ 
ployed. At Gya some of the Buddhistical rails and the floorings of temples, &c., are of 
granite. 
At Barabar Hill occur, so far as I know, the only instances of artificial caves excavated 
in these hard rocks. In sandstones and trap, as we shall see hereafter, not a few instances 
can be quoted. 
Throughout the Chutia Nagpur Division sandstones are generally more or less accessible, 
so that temples built of granite are of by no means common occurrence. But as we proceed 
southwards along the eastern coasts from Midnapore through Orissa, the use of granite 
seems to be more and more common. 
At Neeltigur Hill, in Pergunnali Ultee, in Orissa, Hindu temples and deities are of 
garnetiferous gneiss, as are also some large figures in the Black Pagoda at Pori. 
On Mahendragiri Hill, iu the district of Ganjam, I observed an example of what I 
have since been informed was not uncommonly the practice with regard to the construction 
of these temples. On the top of the bill is an unfinished temple built of huge blocks of 
porphyritic gneiss, which ou their exposed faces are rough and uncut. The practice appears 
to have been, uot to have attempted any ornamental work until all the stones of the building 
were iu position and then to have pared them, so to speak, into shape. One of the stones 
which I measured in this temple had the following dimensions, 9' X 3' 9" X 3', which would 
indicate a weight of about 8 tons. 
The natives get over the difficulty of accounting for such megalithic structures by as¬ 
serting them to be supernatural, or by saying that “ there were giants in those days. 
In his report on the Nilgbiri Hills, Mr. H. Blanford pointed out several places where 
excellent building stones could be obtained from the crystalline rocks. But not much use 
has hitherto been made of them. In Mysore a variety is obtained, which is split into posts 
20' long, which are used for the support of the electric telegraph wire. As readily accessible 
examples of the useful and ornamental purposes to which the gneisses of Southern India 
have been put, Mr. King instances the following 
A polished slab of quartzo-fclspathic gneiss in the Durbar hall in the Rajah’s palace at 
Taujore, which measures 18' x 16’ X 2' 1|". 
A small temple in the north-west corner of the Pagoda Court at Taujore, which is “ a 
perfect gem of carved stone-work,” the elaborate patterns on which are as sharp as when 
they left the sculptor’s hands. 
Other beautiful examples of carving are to be seen at the Rock Pagoda of Tricliinopoli, 
at Yolcandapuram, and at the Chellumbrum Pagoda. “ Even at Trivalur near Negapatam, 
at the eastern extremity of the great delta of the Cauvery, nearly sixty miles from the nearest 
gneiss quarries, the great pagoda and tank are surrounded by walls of massive gneiss. 
“As an instance of the peculiar susceptibility of gneiss to fine carvings, the rings 
appended to the drooping corners of some pagoda buildings may be mentioned. These 
rings, the links within which are moveable, and the projecting corners, are carved out of 
single blocks of gneiss, such as may be seen at the Strimustrum Pagoda.” 
Mr. King also mentions the use of blocks of gneiss in the construction of walls, bands 
of tanks, beach groynes at Tranquebar, culverts, bridges, &c. 
