Page:Oriental Scenery — One Hundred and Fifty Views of the Architecture, Antiquities, and Landscape Scenery of Hindoostan.djvu/303

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ORIENTAL SCENERY.

leading up to what is now called the second-floor. 7, A recess with several small figures. 8, The Deva's apartment, in which there is a large figure of Adinatha with attendants. 9, Contains six small figures sitting, and four flying. 10, A small room without sculpture. 11, A recess with eight figures; large as life, and two small flying figures.

The second-floor of Do-tali is entered at No. 1. 2, The verandah. 3, Niches with sitting figures. 4,4, Masses of rock unwrought, which darken this apartment very much. 5, The recess of the idol, containing Adinatha and his attendants. 6, A recess with figures like the former. 7, Leads down to a lower apartment; the large figures of this temple are well executed; but the smaller ones, of which there are not less than ninety on these walls, are done very rudely, as the greater part of this excavation appears to be, excepting the pillars of the upper front verandah, which are ornamented and very neatly finished. The height of this excavation in no part exceeds ten feet.


Nos. XXII. and XXIII. Plans H.

VISWAKARMA.

The situation of this curious temple is marked by No. 13, in the third general view of the mountain. Viswakarma is considered by the Hindoos as the artist of the gods. This excavation seems to possess a greater variety in the design than any other to be met with in the whole range, a material difference appears in the semi-circular form of the ceiling, and in its height, which is thirty-five feet. The simplicity of the interior pillars and the large balcony in front are likewise different from any thing else to be seen in this mountain. There are two other grand excavations in this part of India, likewise with coved ceilings, but have, in other respects more resemblance to each other, than either of them to this; the one is at Echvera, near the top of the Bhore Ghaut, and the other on the island of Salsette. No. 1, The entrance into the area, 2. 3,3,3, The verandah round the area. 4,4,4,4, Dark rooms without sculpture. 5,5,5, Doorways into the temple, all round which there is a verandah, 8,8,8. 9, The idol Viswakarma sitting in front.

UPPER STORY.

The apartments on both sides are much decayed. 10, A large room which has had sculpture in it. 11, The balcony. 12,12, Figures in basso-relievo. 13,13, Gigantic male figures, each having two females standing by them. 14, A continuation of the balcony looking into the temple. 15, Two apartments unfinished to the left, and four dark rooms to the right, entered from the apartment with pillars, which is in a considerable state of decay.


No. XXIV. Plans H.

DEHR WARRA.

The Hallacores's Quarter. By this designation have the Bramins, who describe them, thought proper to discriminate this group of caves, which, though making no conspicuous figure here, would render any other place illustrious. They, under this term of pollution, endeavour to deter visitors from entering it, though the large cave is a very fine one; over the front of which a river, in the rainy season, rushes into the plain below, forming a sheet of water, that, in a beautiful cascade, covers the front of the excavation as with a curtain of crystal. There are two stripes of stone that run parallel to each other along the floor, from the entrance, the whole depth of this cave, (the prospect from which, of the great tank, town, and valley of Ellora, &c. is beautiful,) and seem intended as seats either for students, scribes, or the sellers of some commodities, a convenient passage lying between them up to the Idol at the end of the cave. 1,1, Stripes of stone running through the area of the temple. 2,2, Apartments of the Idol, a sitting figure with curled hair, the soles of his feet are turned up. Numbers 3, Dark rooms, which, like most others in these excavations, are very full of bats.

THE END.


G. NORMAN, PRINTER, MAIDEN LANE, COVENT GARDEN.