ANNIVERSARIES IN APRIL. MONDAY, 29th. 1774 The Royal Humane Society established. Its object is to administer immediate relief to persons drowned, or who from any other accident are labouring under suspended animation, and to reward individuals who by their own personal exertions may save a fellow-creature from drowning. Up to the year 1823, this Society had, by its agents, rescued upwards of 5000 individuals in the metropolis and its immediate neighbourhood alone, and had distributed rewards to upwards of 20,000 claimants. 1832 Died Dr. Isaac Huntingford, Bishop of Hereford, and Warden of Winchester College. TUESDAY, 30th. 1524 The Chevalier Bayard, surnamed the "Knight without Fear and without Stain," was killed. He was chosen by Francis I. as the most worthy to confer on him the degree of knighthood. 1655 Le Sueur, a famous French historical painter, sometimes called the French Raphael, died. 1745 The Battle of Fontenoy, in which the English army and its! allies, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, were defeated by the French under Marshal Saxe. 1795 The Abbé Barthelemy, the Nestor of French literature, and author of the Travels of Anacharsis the Younger in Greece," died at Paris, aged 80. 1824 Belzoni, the celebrated traveller in Africa, died. THE MONTH OF MAY. MAY, the third month in the year of Romulus, became the fifth in that of Numa, and has ever since retained the same station in the calendar. Thirty-one days were assigned to it by the founder of Rome, while his successor reduced them to thirty; Julius Caesar restored the odd day. The name of the month was fixed long before the time of Romulus; the ancients considered it sacred to Apollo, and on the first day the Romans offered sacrifices to Maia, the mother of Mercury. This would, at first sight, seem to fix the origin of the name to the goddess; nevertheless, learned commentators have contended that Romulus continued the name in honour of his senate, who were distinguished by the epithet of Majores, (or the greater Council.) The Saxons called this month Tri-milchi, the young grass, then in the vigour of its growth, being so heartening to the cows as to enable them to yield milk thrice a day. In the old Cornish language the name of the month was Me, an evident alteration of May. In this month Nature appears to deck herself in her gayest attire, and clothe herself with all the colours of the rainbow; the hawthorn, laburnum, lilac, honeysuckle, and all the fruit-trees, are in full blossom, while the lily and tulip are ornamenting the gardens, and the daisy and cowslip spangling the fields in all directions. The whole country seems one mass of blossom, from whence breathes a perfume as salutary as it is delightful. Ancient painters embodied May in the shape of a lovely countenanced youth, clad in a white and green robe, embroidered with various flowers; on his head a garland of white and damask roses; a lute in one hand, and on the forefinger of the other a nightingale, which first warbles its " evensong" in this month. ANNIVERSARIES. WEDNESDAY, 1st. The Church on this day commemorates the martyrdoms of Sr. PhiLIP and ST. JAMES THE LESS, or, as his eminent virtues caused him more generally to be called, THE JUST. St. Philip was the first person called to the Apostolate; and, in the distribution made by the Apostles of the provinces in which they were severally to propagate the Gospel, Upper Asia is supposed, by the best writers, to have been allotted to St. Philip. He suffered martyrdom, either by crucifixion or being hung by the neck to a pillar, at Hieropolis, in Phrygia, A. D. 52. ST. JAMES was the son of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by a former wife, and is for that reason styled the brother of our Lord. In the distribution above referred to, St. James was elected bishop, or superintendent, of the metropolitan church of Jerusalem. He suffered death from the Scribes and Pharisees, A. D. 62, in the 94th year of his age, by being thrown from a high tower of the Temple, and afterwards knocked on the head with a club by a fuller named Simeon. The first of May, or MAY DAY, was with our forefathers a day of universal relaxation and holiday; the youth, of both sexes, went early in the morning with music to gather the May, or blossomed branches of the trees, which they formed into garlands with flowers, to decorate the houses and May-poles, one of which was to be seen in every village. In towns and cities various trades formed processions through the streets, and the evening closed with dancing round the May-pole. Nothing of this is now remaining, except the annual saturnalia of the young chimney-sweepers. 304 The Emperor Dioclesian resigned his crown, and retired to a private station at Salona, in Dalmatia, his native town. 1517 Evil May-Day. The apprentices and mob of London made a sudden riot, and attacked especially the houses and property of foreign traders residing in the city. For a long time after, the Mayings and May-games of the citizens were much curtailed in splendour. 1700 John Dryden, the celebrated poet, died. 1707 The Union between England and Scotland, which was thenceforth called Great Britain, took place. 1750 A Parhelion was visible for some time at Brecon, in Wales ; two false suns appeared, one on each side the real luminary. THURSDAY, 2nd. 1519 Leonardo da Vinci, one of the fathers of the Italian school of painting, died. The masterpiece of his pencil is "The last Supper," in the Dominican church at Milan. He was also a celebrated sculptor, architect, and musician. 1668 The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle signed. 1816 The Princess Charlotte of Wales married to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobourg. FRIDAY, 3rd. THE INVENTION OF THE CROSS.-The anniversary of the finding, by St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great, the Cross on which our Saviour suffered, while digging the foundations of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the Romish church this day is observed as a solemn festival. 1495 Discovery of the Island of Jamaica by Columbus. 1655 The Island of Jamaica taken from the Spaniards by the English forces, under Admiral Penn and Colonel Venables. 1747 A signal victory gained by Admiral Anson over the French fleet, near Cape Finisterre. 1789 Opening of the States General in France. SATURDAY, 4th. 1471 The Battle of Tewkesbury between the contending Houses of York and Lancaster, in which the latter were completely defeated; Queen Margaret was taken prisoner, as well as her son, Prince Edward, who was put to death on the 21st. 1677 Died Dr. Isaac Barrow, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge; an eminently learned divine, and profound mathematician. He was the master of Sir Isaac Newton. 1734 Died Sir James Thornhill, painter to King George I. He executed the paintings round the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. 1799 Seringapatam, the capital of the Mysore empire, taken by storm by the English troops under General, afterwards Lord, Harris. Tippoo fell, sword in hand, in defence of his capital, and his body was found under a heap of slain in one of the gateways. 1804 Napoleon Buonaparte elected Emperor of France. 1818 Treaty between England and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, for the abolition of the Slave Trade. 1819 Captain Parry sailed from Deptford, on his first voyage to discover the North-west passage. SUNDAY, 5th. FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 1761 The Jesuits expelled from France. 1789 Died Joseph Baretti, author of an Italian and English Dictionary, and several other literary works. 1808 Charles IV., King of Spain, surrendered his crown to Buonaparte. 1821 Buonaparte died at St. Helena, in the sixth year of his exile, and the fifty-second of his age. HYMN FOR SATURDAY EVENING. ANOTHER Week has past away, Another Sabbath now draws near; How light the happy spirit springs, A short release from all our care; O Lord, those earthly thoughts destroy, The coming hours of hallow'd rest: LONDON: PUBLISHED IN WEEKLY NUMBERS, PRICE ONE PENNY, AND IN MONTHLY PARTS, PRICE SIXPENCE, BY JOHN WILLIAM PARKER, WEST STRAND. Sold by all Booksellers and Newsvenders in the Kingdom. Hawkers and Dealers in Periodical Publications supplied on wholesale terms by ORR, Paternoster-row; BERGER, Holywell-street; And by the Publisher's Agents in the following places --Aberdeen, Brown & Co. | Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd.| Neuecastle-on-Tyne, Fin Bath, George. Ereter, Penny & Co. lay & Co.; Empson. Birmingham, Langbridge. Falmouth, Philp. Norwich.Muskett;Smith Bristol, Westley & Co. ; D. Glasgow, Griffin & Co. Nottingham, Wright. Vickery. Gloucester, Jew. Oxford, Slatter. Bury, Lankester. Hereford, Child, Paris, Bennis. Cambridge, Stevenson. Hull, Wilson. Plymouth, Nettleton. Carlisle, Thurnam. Ipsoich, Deck. Salisbury, Brodie & Co. Chelmsford, Guy. Jersey, Le Ber. Sheffield, Ridge. Cheltenham, Lovesy. Lancashire and Cheshire, Shrewsbury, Eddowes. Chester,Seacome; Harding. Bancks & Co., Man- Staffordshire Putteries, Chichester, Glover. chester. Watts, Lane End. Colchester,Swinborne & Co. Sunderland, Marwood, Derby, Wilkins & Son. Warwick, Merridew. Devon port, Byers. Whitby, Rodgers. Dublin, Curry Jun. & Co. Worcester, Deighton. Dundee, Shaw. Yarmouth, Alexander. Durham, Andrews. York, Bellerby. Leamington, Merridew. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION, APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. HAVING in a former paper given an account of Natural Caverns and Grottoes, we now proceed to describe some of the most interesting Cavern Temples, Tombs, &c. which are found in various parts of the world. It is obvious, that so extensive a subject cannot be comprised, however concisely it may be treated, in one Number; we therefore intend to devote a future Supplement to the description of those excavations found in Egypt alone; and in the present number to give an account of the wonderful temples in Hindostan, and of the catacombs of other nations, which are in any way curious*. When the improvements in the arts of life, consequent on increasing numbers, enabled man to erect dwellings more convenient than the rude caves he at first used for his abode, he continued to employ these excavations for two important purposes,-places of burial, and temples of worship. The custom prevalent among so many of the earliest nations, of preserving the bodies of their dead, would create a demand for spacious burying-places; and natural caverns, which admitted of being enlarged, according to the increasing population, would obviously be made use of for the purpose, or excavations would be made in rocky hills, where none previously existed. Such places have received the name of Catacombs, from Greek words, For the Indian temples, our authorities have been the erudite papers of Mr. Erskine, Captain Sykes, and Mr. Salt, all published in the Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay. We have also availed ourselves of the present Lord Munster's account, in his Over-land Journey from India. For the Catacombs, we have had recourse to numerous travels in the countries in which they occur. + By Abraham's Treaty with Ephron, it appears that caves in the mountains of Canaan had been employed as burying-places before his arrival in that country (Genesis, chap. xxiii.); and notices of the same kind may be found in many parts of Scripture. VOL. II. meaning "perfect caves;" they are accordingly found in those countries, as Syria, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Sicily, and the Canary Islands, where this custom formerly existed; and modern researches into them have contributed to throw much light on the early history of nations. The employment of caves for religious purposes would be equally natural, both from the solemn gloom which pervades them suggesting this appropriation to the mind, and from the ready shelter they afforded to those engaged in devotional observances; but the laudable wish to render the shrine worthy of the deity worshipped, which has made the temple of the heathen, and the church of the Christian, the most magnificent of their edifices, soon caused more symmetrical and more imposing excavations to be made. The three religious sects of India are those of Brahma, Bouddha, and Jaina; according to the first of these, three energies, the creative, preserving, and destroying,-are embodied under the names of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; the two latter are supposed to have been incarnated on earth in different ages and in various shapes; each different incarnation or avatar furnishes a different deity, to whom worship is addressed. Brahma alone has no variety of incarnations, and is never worshipped in that way. Besides these three great gods, there is a large crowd of minor deities. The sun, moon, the wind, sea, every river or fountain, is either a deity, or has one to preside over it; the greater gods have, be sides, numerous dependants and servants; and their heaver like earth, has its physicians, poets, and dancing-girls. "As in many of their incarnations the gods are supposed to have appeared with several heads, or hands, and other singularities, the images in their temples present these peculiarities; hence, at least in India, any monster, any figure, partly human, partly brutal, any multiplicity of 53 heads or hands, in the object adored, indicates a Brah- | avenue, and immediately facing the centre of the principal minical place of worship; and these are flat-roofed, and generally square." "The religion of the Bouddhists differs greatly from that of the Brahmins: they teach that from time to time men of surpassing piety and self-denial have appeared on the earth and have been transferred to a state of superior bliss. These saints or prophets, after reforming the world in their life-time, have attained the power of performing miracles, and are still imagined to have certain powers of influencing us: it is these men that are the objects of Bouddhist worship; and wherever this form of religion prevails, the relics of these holy persons are venerated. The largest temples, often in the form of a pyramid, or section of a globe, are supposed to contain a tooth, a hair, or other portion of a saint. Those temples which are hollow contain images, sitting cross-legged, or sometimes standing upright, in a meditative attitude; these are objects of veneration; in temples belonging to this sect, no unnatural images, no monsters, with many heads or hands, are found. As the priests and scholars live in a sort of collegiate establishment, near some great temple, a multitude of cells, surrounding those which are excavated, are a characteristic of their having belonged to the sect of Bouddha. The great chamber is generally supported on two rows of pillars, with aisles, and is vaulted and oblong." We need not enter into any particulars respecting the other sect, since no excavated Jaina temples have been as yet discovered. THE TEMPLE OF ELEPHANTA. THIS celebrated temple is situated in a beautiful island of the same name, in the Bay of Bombay. At about 250 yards from the landing-place, on the slope of one of the hills, there stood a large and clumsy elephant, cut out of an insulated mass of black rock: from this the island derives its modern European name; this figure, however, fell down in the year 1814, so that its ruins on the ground are all that now remain of it. The valley, after winding between the hills for some distance, affording a beautiful view of the ocean and the island of Salsette, opens into an area, before the principal entrance to the cave. This consists of a spacious front, supported by two pillars and two pilasters, being thus divided into three openings, under a steep rock, overhung by brushwood and wild shrubs; through these are seen ranges of columns, supporting the flat roof, their capitals appearing pressed out by the superincumbent weight. The darkness that obscures the interior, and the gloomy appearance of the gigantic sculptured figures on the walls, produce a most powerful impression on the mind. The whole excavation consists of three principal parts; the great temple, which is in the centre, and two smaller chapels; these side temples are approached by two narrow passes in the hill, one on each side of the grand entrance, but at some distance from it: after advancing up these some way, another entrance to the great cave is found, both exactly like the principal one, consisting of two pillars and two pilasters: thus there are three fronts, facing the north, the east, and the west. It is hardly possible to make the reader comprehend the precise form of the cave without a plan; but some idea of it may be given, by stating that it resembles a cross, with four very short and equal arms, the three entrances being at the extremity of three of these, while the southern end is occupied with the triple bust and other sculptures. From the east to the west front, the length is one hundred and thirty-three feet, and about the same from the principal entrance to the southern end or bottom of the temple. The height varies from fifteen to seventeen feet and a half. There are in all six-and-twenty elegant isolated columns, and sixteen pilasters attached to the rocky walls; but eight of the former are much ruined. The pillars are placed in regular rows, with the two at each of the three entrances. The place of four of those of the cross avenue from the east to the west is occupied by a small temple, which thus stands quite isolated: it is on the right hand on going down the principal aisle from north to south. On the right and left sides of the southern arm of the cross is a small chamber, about nineteen feet square, probably intended for the reception of sacrificial instruments. The principal object in the cave is a triple-headed idol, richly sculptured with various emblematical devices and ornaments. This stands, or rather is left in a recess cut round it to the depth of thirteen feet, at the end of the centre entrance; it represents Shiva, and the whole temple appears, from the subjects of the numerous sculptures, to have been peculiarly dedicated to him. During the rainy seasons, the floor of the cave is covered with water, which gradually decomposes the rock, and causes portions to fall down; it is also said that the Portuguese, on their first discovery of the place, wantonly injured it. From these causes, the subject of much of the sculpture on the walls is doubtful: we shall give a short notice of one of the groups, from which they will be generally understood. This represents an union of Shiva and Parvati, or Parwuttee, his consort, in a figure half male, half female; it has four arms, one of which rests on the bull Nundi, on which Shiva is supposed to ride: the distinction of the two sexes is accurately preserved, even in the cap and hair. Another arm holds the cobra de capello. The lower part of the figure is decayed away, from the water lying against it; on the right of Shiva's shoulder is a small figure of Brahma, with three heads and four arms, sitting on a throne of a lotus, supported by five geese; he holds a lotus in one hand, and a pot of water in another: these and the geese are emblematic of this deity; from the lotus, the world was supposed to be expanded at the time of creation; the wateringpot indicates the ablutions used previous to prayer. Between Brahma and Shiva's right arm is seen Indra," the lord of the firmament," riding on his elephant Airawati,—the spouting of water from the trunk of this animal being rain. In his left hand, Indra holds a thunder-bolt. On the left of the chief figure, is a female attendant, with a chouri, or fly-flap; and below are two dwarf Peisaches, or demons, beings supposed to have been created by Shiva during one of his avatars; they reside in burialgrounds and cemeteries, and are his favourite followers,whence he derives one of his many names of Bhutpati, or "Lord of the demons." On the left of the first attendant is another female-servant, carrying the mirror and dressingbox of the goddess, who is represented, with true mortal feelings, as fond of her toilet. Higher up is Vishnu, with four hands, riding on his eagle, or hawk, called Garud, but in this, and many other instances, represented with a human form: he is represented as living on snakes, and has usually one round his neck. The isolated temple, before mentioned as standing on the right hand in the great cave, must next be noticed. It is about twenty feet square, and has a doorway with six steps on each of its four sides; on each side of the doors is a gigantic figure, fifteen feet high. Within this shrine is sculptured that emblem of creative power, named in the Hindostanee language Ling, about three feet in height and nine in circumference, formed of a different stone from the rock in which the temple is cut, and therefore probably brought from a distance. This is still an object of veneration, and is occasionally adorned with garlands of flowers. On leaving the great excavation by the western entrance, behind the isolated shrine, you come immediately into the open air; but the soil is here considerably raised, so that it is necessary to climb over a mass of stones, that seem to have fallen from above; the rock is hewn smooth to a considerable height on three sides of this open court, which, from some circumstances, does not appear to have been always open, but to have had a roof, which has fallen in. At the south side of this court is an excavated cave, filled with water, inaccessible from this cause, as well as from a quantity of rubbish which nearly chokes up the entrance; the ceiling was supported, or rather intended to have been supported, by pillars, for the whole is left in a very rude state, being obviously only commenced. On the western side of the same open court there is a chapel, twenty-three feet wide and fourteen deep, with two pillars and two pilasters in front; on the right is a figure sitting on a lotus throne, but the earth which covers the floor hides the lower part of the sculpture. A door leads from this chamber into an inner one, about ten feet square. A small irregular closet is seen on the left, or southern side of the first apartment of the chapel : a great deal of Brahminical sculpture adorns the walls of this excavation. On the opposite side, or to the east of the great excavated temple, is another irregular open court, like the former, encumbered with rubbish, probably also the remains of its rocky roof; the southern side is excavated into a very regular temple, eighty-six feet long, and about twenty-five The central head personifies Shiva abstractedly; the right-hand severe face indicates him as incarnated, and the left-hand feminine countenance is that of Parivati, his consort. broad: partly enclosed by two columns and two pilasters in front of it. At the bottom of the cave, opposite the front, is a small chapel, like that of the great temple. The excavation appears to have been once painted, some of the colours being still visible on the roof, though in no case can the subjects be deciphered*. TEMPLES IN SALSETTE. THE island of Salsette, situated in the bay of Bengal, not far from Elephanta, contains many excavated temples of great grandeur and extent. One set of these, called Jogheyser caves, lie nearly two miles distant from the village of Ambollee. The branches of a banyan-tree stretch across a sloping path, forming a picturesque and beautiful arch, under which the western front is approached; a descent of eight steps leads to a small ante-room, divided into three compartments. The figures carved on the walls have nearly disappeared, from decay; but a variety of neatlyexecuted sculpture is distinct on the sides and cornice of the door which leads to the great chamber. The great cave is one hundred and twenty feet square, and fifteen high; twenty pillars, resembling those of Elephanta, form an inner square, within which is a chamber twenty-four feet square, containing the ling, covered with holy red paint, and over it a small bell on a wooden frame. A verandah extends the whole length of the south side of the great cave; its ceiling is supported by ten massy pillars, resembling those inside; there are three doors, with two windows opening into it from the chamber, the cornices of which are richly carved, and over these are panels of sculpture; at the western end of the verandah is a small cell, the bottom filled with water; and adjoining this is a temple, with a small statue in front of it; at the eastern end are other cells, and a passage leading up into the hill; for this excavation, unlike the others of this island, is below the general level of the country. About two miles north-west of Magatani, near the extensive ruins of a Catholic monastery, built by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, on the eastern side of the hill on which they stand, is another excavated Hindu temple, known by the name of Montpezir Cave. The inhabitants of the convent employed it for some purpose, probably as a granary or store-room. About nine miles south-east of Montpezir are the far-more celebrated temples of Kennery or Canara, situated in a wild country of great beauty; the hill in which they are cut is approached by a gradual ascent, so overshadowed by shrubs Our readers will find a very entertaining account of a party of pleasure, which spent some time at Elephanta for the purpose of drawing and describing it, in the Second Series of Fragments of Voyages, &c., by Captain Basil Hall, written with all that vivacity and brilliance for which his works are so remarkable. The account of the antiquarian discussions on Shiva's head, their ingenious mode of lighting the Interior of the cave by means of the ladies' mirrors and the table-cloths, their pleasant meals and active investigations, are as instructive as amusing; and the banishment of the round of beef, to avoid paining the feelings of their Hindû attendants at seeing this portion of their sacred animal eaten in the precincts of a temple, though now desecrated, is honourable to the feelings of the party. and lofty trees, as completely to conceal the temples till you are close upon them; the first that presents itself consists of two columns, supporting a solid plain entablature, with an oblong chamber, open in front, hollowed out over them; within, two ante-rooms, about thirty-five feet broad and twelve deep, lead to a chamber, twenty-six in length, but obviously left unfinished; the front wall, or back of the portico, has three doors and three windows opening into the ante-rooms, while three doors open from these again into the principal chamber; over the central door is an open arch, nearly as high as the ceiling; an irregular excavation leads up from this to the great cave; two solid masses of stone, with spherical tops, called dhagores, are found in the passage, and indicate that this has been a Bouddha place of worship; one of these stands in a deep recess, the sides of which are carved with figures in altorelievo grouped in panels, the principal one, which repeatedly occurs in other parts of these excavations, is that of Bouddha; he is always shown in one of four attitudes,three sitting with his legs folded under him, and his hands joined as if in prayer; the fourth represents him standing. Behind the northern dhagope he is sculptured as sitting on a couch supported by lions, with a youthful figure on each side, one bearing a lotus; underneath are boys with hoods of cobra de capellos, or the sacred snake, supporting the stalk of a lotus, on which his feet are resting; two others are seen flying in the air, and in the back-ground are two more, in an attitude of supplication. This group is repeatedly found in Bouddha temples, and several interpretations have been given of it: there is every probability that, in time, much light will be thrown on the ancient history of the Hindu religion, by an accurate examination of the sculptures of these places of worship. The representation of the front of the great cave, taken from Mr. Daniell's splendid work on Indian scenery and antiquities, which we have given, will convey a clear idea of it. On each side of the vestibule is seen a lofty column attached to the rock; beyond the first, two dhagopes are carved on the wall, on the face of one is an inscription in a language, we believe, now totally unknown. Beyond the left-hand column is an opening in the rock, communicating with two cells, in the first of which are five large figures of Bouddha, boldly carved. Three square doors, with five windows above, light and give access to an inner vestibule, the opposite side of which is the screen of the great chamber; the piers of this are carved with four full-length standing figures, two male and two female, the actions and expressions of which are far from contemptible; above these are several little recesses, with a figure of Bouddha in them, in his four attitudes, but not arranged with any symmetry or regularity. At each end of this second vestibule is a statue of Bouddha, twentythree feet high, placed in arched recesses; these figures, though incorrect in point of design, have an air of grandeur and dignity, that is not always seen in works of more refined art. The great chamber is eighty-three feet long by thirty broad, and is circular at the further end; a colonnade runs round it six feet wide, the square pillars of which support the lofty arched roof; the ceiling under the colonnade is flat; the capitals consist of lions or elephants, holding large jars with their trunks; in one, the animal is pouring the contents of the vessel over a dhagope, and, in another, over a tree, supposed to be the holy tree sacred to Bouddha. At the circular end of the cave is a solid dhagope, fifty feet in circumference. To the left of the steps leading up to the first vestibule is an excavation in the rock holding another dhagope resembling that in the great chamber, but more enriched. Turning round an angle of the rock to the eastward, a winding flight of steps is seen, leading to many smaller caves, situated along the brink of a deep ravine formed by a mountain-stream, on both sides of which caves are excavated, generally communicating with each other by steps. It must be added that the jungles surrounding these caves are still the resort of tigers, and that these animals dwell in the caves during certain seasons of the year, and often frequent them for the water in the tanks: the marks of their feet have deterred many a traveller from prosecuting his researches as far as he otherwise might have done. TEMPLE OF KENNERY, AT SALSETTE. TEMPLES OF ELLORA, NEAR AURUNGABAD. THESE excavations are in a hill, in the form of a crescent; the slope is generally easy, but in some places the rock presents a perpendicular face of from twenty to sixty, and sometimes a hundred feet. It is in these parts that the caves are excavated; and they extend for about a mile. The names by which the several temples are now known bear no connexion with their original destination, and have been given by the Brahmins from some fanciful motives or associations connected with their forms or sculptures*. In the hill is a colossal figure of Boodh, sculptured in a rock of black basalt; it is perfectly naked, in a sitting posture on a throne, from the centre of the front of which a half-wheel projects; the seat is supported by elephants and tigers; above the wheel an astronomical table is carved on a tabular projection. The figure is ten feet high, and has its legs crossed, the hands lying in the lap; over the head is the seven-headed snake, the folds of whose body serve as a back to the seat for the figure to rest against. There are six attendants, five sitting, and one standing, in the attitude of prayer, decorated with ear-rings, necklaces, and bracelets. This image, which corresponds in every respect with the figures of Boodh all over India, is called Parusnath, and there is a yearly pilgrimage to it. The next excavations are those called Indra Sabah: they consist of three caves, communicating with each other, and all Boodhist. The first is sixty-one feet long by forty-eight broad; the ceiling is flat, supported by pillars and pilasters, and is fourteen feet high; in a recess is a figure of Boodh, in the same attitude as Parusnath on the hill; and round the walls are other figures of this same personage, either sitting cross-legged or in the European manner, or standing, but without any kind of personal ornaments; the principal one is called Juggernath Boodh, and is represented by some as the same as that worshipped at Juggernath. The second cave is entered by a narrow passage from the first, which it generally resembles. The third is entered from the second. There is in it, as in It is worth remarking, that it uniformly appears, by the accounts of intelligent travellers, who, interested in seeing and understanding the various sculptures of the East, demand some explanation of their Brahmin guides, that the modern priesthood of this ancient religion are totally ignorant of the various points of their creed; and in many instances, when repeating parrot-like tales of the signification and origin of particular groups or places, they have been corrected in their erroneous statements by English gentlemen, who were far more conversant with Hindą mythology than themselves. the first, a principal figure of Boodh, and one in each compartment round it, some standing, some sitting, with attendants riding on elephants, tigers, and bulls. An erect figure of Boodh, on the left of the sanctuary, has two women in attendance on either side, and a votary sitting at his feet in an attitude of prayer, with sheep, rats, a snake, and a scorpion, reposing around him,-alluding possibly to the fabled slumber of the divinity between the destruction and re-creation of the world: the doorway is highly decorated with small figures of Boodh and his attendants. In the centre of the cave is a base, resembling that which usually supports a ling; but whatever was on it has been removed; a passage, however, for the water, with a spout like the head of an animal, as usually found accompanying this emblem, still remains: if this were its destination, it affords another proof of an union of Boodha and Brahminical worship in remote times. At the extremities of the front verandah are the deities called Indra and Inderani, the former seated on an elephant, the latter on a tiger; they have each a tree growing from their heads, on which pea-fowl are roosting. In front of this Indra cave is an area cut out of the rock, with a small temple in the centre, in which is an altar with figures of Boodh on it: on one side is a single elephant, without covering or ornament, and an obelisk is left standing in the area. These excavations are two stories in height; but the lower caves are destroyed by damp, and partly filled up with earth washed into them. The present name signifies "Nuptial Palace," given it The Doomar Leyna, a Brahminical temple, is the next. from a sculpture supposed to represent the marriage of Sew and Parwuttee* [Shiva and Paravati]. This is the most extensive excavation under one roof at Ellora, being one hundred and eighty-five feet by one hundred and fifty broad, and nineteen feet high; there are twenty-eight entrance, represents Sew in his character of Ehr Bhudra, pillars and twenty pilasters. One group, on the left of the of the piece of sculpture of which we have given a sketch resenting the insult offered to Paravati: this is the subject as occurring in the excavation called Dus Awtar. Several small caves present themselves in both banks of a ravine, all in the form of a cube of six or seven feet. In the centre of each is the emblem; and the wall The Hindû names are spelt differently in the various papers. The area of this excavation is greater than that of Westminster Hall; the floor of the temple contains 27,750 squa、 feet, that of the latter only 20,000 feet, |
