170 H1NDO 
nomical apparatus adapted to It, and the obfervations 
made under Its meridian, go no farther back than the 
l'eign of Akbar ; who, as it is faid, “ being defirous of re¬ 
covering the lojl fcievces of Hindoo]}an, directed.that obfervato- 
ries fhould be erefted at Delhi, Agra, and Benares.” The 
former have.been lately infpefted by William Hunter, 
efq. and his account of them is published in the fifth vo¬ 
lume of the Afiatic Refearches; whereby they appear to 
refemble very much the obfervatory defcribed by fir Ro¬ 
bert Barker, bart. at Benares ; for whofe.very ample detail 
of that building, and its appropriate inftruments, we beg 
to refer the reader to the article Benares, vol. ii. p. 880. 
The majeftic ftyle of the ancient Hindoo Architec¬ 
ture, like that of the Egyptian, will be belt appreciated 
by contemplating their pagodas or temples, which aftonifh 
by their magnitude, and raife our admiration by the im- 
menfity of the fculptures with which they are adorned. 
While the ftupendous fize of the towers, the height and 
folidity of the walls, the fpace that is inclofed within 
them, and the prodigious labour that the whole an¬ 
nounces, impofe the higheil refpeft, w'e cannot at the 
fame time but acknowledge the beauty, as,well as firiipli- 
city, of the whole compofition. In the fouthern parts of 
Hindooftan, many of thefe auguft fabrics are frill in a 
ftate of prefervationbut in the northern provinces, where 
the ravages of the Mohammedan and Mogul invaders le¬ 
velled all before them, their temples,are chiefly conftruft- 
ed of the fragments of their ancient works thus defo- 
lated, and rebuilt by the fugitive Hindoos, when they 
had obtained fome relpite from perfecution, but had, evi¬ 
dently loft their tafte and knowledge in the art's. Strik¬ 
ing examples of this fa ft are to be feen in many places, 
•where modern columns are erefted upon ancient capitals ; 
while others are made to fupport bales, with piers be¬ 
tween them, conftrufted entirely of mutilated pieces of 
fculpture. 
The Brahmins in general are extremely fliy of admit¬ 
ting Grangers into the interior of their temples ; and this 
indulgence is feldom granted but through the interference 
or authority of fome principal rajah. Mr. Orme, the ad¬ 
mired author of the. Hiftory of Hindooftan, was among 
the firft of the Englifli who were admitted to this honour. 
He has accordingly defcribed, in a mafterly ftyle, theTu- 
perb temple in the iflari.d of Seringham, on the coaft of 
Coromandel; vvljich deferiptipn our readers wall find un¬ 
der our leftion,of Ancient Architecture, at p. 66, of 
our Second Volume. This famous temple is dedicated to 
Viflmu, and in the inner inclolure are the altars and the 
image of that god. The Brahmins who belong to its efta- 
blifhment, with their families, and dependants, are faid 
to amount to ten thouland fpuls. 
The temple of Jagan-Nath, commonly written Jager- 
naut, on the coaft of Oriffa, we have already noticed. It 
is pretended that this temple lias been in exiftence ever 
fince the commencement of the Cali Yug, 3102 years be¬ 
fore the birth of .Clirift ; and it is, as. we have before ob- 
ferved, the only temple throughout the whole extenfive 
region of Hindooftan, where pilgrims and devotees of 
every feft and cajft mix together, and perform their idol- 
wbrfhip to their favourite god, with equal 'zeal, and free 
toleration. The Brahmins pretend, that the reafon of 
this lingular unanimity of all fefts of Jagan-Nath is, be- 
caufe 'the god Crifhna originally prefided in this temple, 
and ordained, that all lefts coming, to wor.fhip there, 
fhould be epnfidered as. one people, and would be favour¬ 
ed by the gods in proportion as they fhould manifeft a 
fraternal regard and affeftion for one another. It is re¬ 
markable, however, that, when any of thefe lefts meet at 
other .placed they, .are ever forward in expreffing their 
contempt of each other’s creed. 
In the city of Madura, in the dominions of the nabob 
of Afc'o't, there is a Hindoo pagoda of great magnifi¬ 
cence. This fplendid fabric has been already defcribed 
under our article Architecture, vol. ii. p. 67, wdiere 
an Engraving is given of the fiiperb pillars w hich fup¬ 
port its majeftic roof; and the prbfulion of fculptures 
0 S T A N. 
with which thefe columns are embellifhed, will afford the 
reader a correft idea of the fculptures beftowed on all 
fimilar works in Hiridooftan. 
The pagoda or temple of Perwiittum, on the fouth bank 
of the Kiftna, is a fabric of confiderabip curiofity, w hich 
has been recently defcribed by captain Mackenzie, as fol¬ 
low's : 
On entering the fouth gate of this ftately building, we 
defeend by fteps into the inner court, where the princi¬ 
pal deity, called Mellecarjee, is worfhipped. It is Iquare, 
and the roof is terminated by a pyramid of fteps": the 
whole walls, and roof on the outfide, are covered with 
brafs plates, which have been gilt, but the gilding is now 
worn off.' Thefe piates are joined together by f'mall bars 
and fockets, fo that the whole may be taken off without 
damage to the fpire or pyramid, which is about thirty feet 
from the ground : the plates are plain, excepting a few 
embofl'ed figures of women, fome fmall ornaments, and on 
the friezes of the doors, the pannels of which are alfo 
plated. From hence We enter a fmaller temple of Malle- 
carjee, where he is adored in the figure of a rude ftone, 
erefted, without fculpture or carving, at the upper end. 
Behind this buildirig an immenfe fig-tree covers, with its 
fhade, the devotees and attendants, who come in immenfe 
numbers to worftiip this rude idol. Captain Mackenzie 
was afterwards allowed to fee the facred idol, which is 
kept always in a dark recefs, and never worfhipped but 
when the fun is high enough toTefleft his rays into this 
fanElum fanElorum. When the hour‘arrived; the doors on 
the eaft fide of the giit pagoda were thrown open, and a 
mirror, or reflecting fpeculum, was brought for the pur- 
pofe of reflecting the fun-beams upon the idol. Direftly 
oppofite to the gate of the pagoda is a ftone building raifed 
on pillars, ericlofing a well, and ending in a point; and, 
being at the diftance of twelve or fourteen, feet, darkens 
the gateway by its fliadow, until the fun rifes above it •. 
this, no doubt, has been contrived on purpofe to raife the 
expectation of the people, and, by rendering the fight of 
the idol more rare, to favour the impofition of the Brah¬ 
mins. The moment being arrived, a vaft crowd fur- 
rounded the entrance, impatierit to obtain a glimpfe of the 
awful figure within, A peribn,- being placed near the 
door-way, waved and played the conc.i've mirror in fuen a 
manner as to throw gleams of light into the pagoda ; in 
the deepe'ft recefs whereof was difeovered, by means of 
thefe- corufeations, a fmall, oblong, roundifh white ftone, 
with dark rings, fixed in a filver cafe. It appears that 
this idol is intended to'reprefent the lingain, which is 
held in fo much reverence by the feft of Siva. Captain 
Mackenzie fays the ftone is quite fmoot.h, and fliining, 
and that the dark rings, or ftreaks, are painted on it; it 
is probably an agate of an uncommon fize. 
The whole of this temple, with a choultry for the pil¬ 
grims, courts, &c. are enclofed by a wall 660 feet long, 
and 510 feet broad. Below the level of the principal gate, 
a road, twenty-four feet broad, goes parallel without to 
this wall, from whence is a defeent by fteps to gardens on 
the north fide : from the eaft gate a double colonnade runs 
120 yards, forming a ftreet: an oblong tank is on the weft 
fide, from which water is condufted to reiervoirs in the 
gardens. The form of the enclofure. is an oblong iquare, 
with one fquare projeftion to the weft. The great gate¬ 
ways are lupported by ftone pillars, leaving apartments for 
the guard on each fide the entrance : they are covered 
with fpires of bric'k-worlc ; arid this, with ’the pillar be¬ 
tween, being retired fome feet within the line of walls, 
fhows that they are of a.more modern conftruftion, though 
the fpires are rather ruinous : and it may be proper to re¬ 
mark, that thele brick fpires, formed of Teveral ft cries, 
with fmall pilafters of no regular order, and the niches 
ornamented with figures in plafter, feem to be the latefi: 
invention ufed in the pagodas; thofe with pyrajnidal roofs, 
ftep-faihion, arid the fummit crowned Sometimes by an im¬ 
menfe globe, are tlie,molt ancient. Yhe wall of the eri- 
clol’ure is built of hewn blocks of granite, from fix to feven 
feet long by three high, exuftly fquared, and laid toge’- 
ther j 
