Extract from an Account of the Caves on the Elephanta Island, near Bombay, by Lieutenant Colonel Barry. From the Gentleman's Magazine for 1785.

IN

N feveral parts of the coaft about Bombay, are found caves of fuch remote antiquity, that neither tradition nor records can reach their origin; in many of them are infcriptions, written in a language and characters now totally unknown; but of these difufed, or dead languages, befides the Shanfcrit, or facred one, there are, in India, many remains. I am told the Jews at Cochin have yet the grant of their fynagogue, at prefent unintelligible. This, I once conjectured, might be the primitive Hebrew, as these people are fuppofed

Tupos, Greek.

Eny, Greek.

Teew, Greek, trepido.

Supra, ύπερ.

Regina, Lat. N. B. Rex, regi, raiat, all of the fame analogy. Mulfum, Lat.

Agouos, Greek.

Iodos deopos,

Ποδος δρόμος,

Greek.

Fel, Hungarian.

Matcha, a tiger, Malay and Madagafcar.

Crellis, Bohemian.
Campen, Teutonic.
Beug, night, Mindanao.

to be of the miffing tribes; but I am affured, the country powers never admitted their public deeds to be drawn in the language of foreigners.

That these caves were formed for religious purpofes, cannot even be doubted, as well from their conftruction as the fculptured reprefentations of Gentoo mythology,which all of them contain. Perhaps a defcription of one might be introduced, with good effect, as an episode to fome eastern heroic poem.

It is not unpleasant to trace, as men grow refined, the temples of their worship, from the darkness of caves and forefts, thro' the gloom of Gothic ftru&tures, to the airy elegance of Grecian architecture.

As I visited the Elephanta, the principal, I would call it, cathe

dral,

dral, of these caves, I shall attempt fome account of it.

This extraordinary offspring of human induftry is on Elephanta Ifland, fo called from the ftatue of an elephant, of natural fize, tolerably cut out of a solid rock, on its weft coaft, which is nearly fix miles from the cattle of Bombay. The caves are about the middle of this iflet; the approach to them being through a deep ravine, so that one is ftruck with furprize at coming fuddenly on their openings, and feeing an abrupt precipice, of more than 60 feet perpendicular, rifing from the roofs of thefe excavations, and covered at the fummit with fhrubs and trees, that hang over the rock, which is of hard ftone, more fo than that ufually employed in our home edifices; but as many quarries are known to indurate when exposed to the air, it may not be unreasonable to infer, that its prefent density is partly original, and partly acquired; but of this, however, I neither made experiment, nor fought information.

Of these caves there are three; the principal being in the centre, and the leffer ones on either hand, though not placed in fimilar directions; one having a common front, the other being at right angles with it; in each of the inferior ones is a small chapel, with baths at the end.

To the grand cave, or temple, there are three entrances by porticoes of four pillars each, of the fame order with those within. Its elevation is very difproportionate to its area, which laft is nearly a fquare of 40 yards, whilft its height is not more than half as many feet; but the eye is not only offended at firft by the lowness, but also by the

flatness of the roof, which certainly would have acquired more of grandeur by being arched, the effect of which we obferve in our own churches. This roof is supported by 36 columns, placed at equal diftances, tho' fome of them have been broken down by the intemperate zeal of the Portuguese to exterminate idolatry; which, as well as the taftelefs curiofity of latter vifitants, has likewise impaired many of the figures.

Each column is divided into three equal parts, the pedestal being one, the thaft another, and the capital, including the entablature, the third; the pedeftals are fquare; the fhafts rudely grooved, and not, as ufual, cylindrical, but gradually bulbing outwards to the centre, their greatest diameter being more than half their height. The capitals are, as their fhafts, grooved, and appears, to use the miner's phrafe, like globes flattened by the preffure of country on them. The entablatures are fimple, and without diftin&t divifions of members. These proportions and forms, so different from Grecian rules, are not pleafing to a corrected tafte; but as they have in themselves the ftrictest uniformity of common, principle, undoubtedly prove the arts to have been far advanced at the early period of their conftruction.

To the right, and within the large cave, extending the fquare of four pillars, which form its angles, is a fmall temple or chapel, having on the ground a large altar, oblong, fomewhat raised, and coarsely cut; on the top of which is a cone, refembling the pivots of the rocking ftones in Cornwall, or at StoneHenge, the tops of the uprights for receiving their tranfems, and, per

haps,

haps, in its defign, for fome fuch purpofe. In each of the leffer caves, here are feveral chapels.

On the fides of the porticoes, and in compartments at the further end, are, in baffo relievo, pieces of fculpture, moft of their figures being Coloffian, and all reprefenting parts of the Gentoo mythology; the centre is an image of the quadruple-faced Brimha, the god of the Bedas. These ftatues, fuch as we fee them, grotefque and fanciful, are to us the

objects of eaftern adoration, and in their present mutilated ftate, prove the artift neither unfkilful, or unacquainted with animal proportions, which are well preserved, even in those which extend the height of the excavation, or which the hieroglyphic doctrines of the Bramins reprefent most whimsically; for, indeed, the acquaintance with nature and fymmetry may as well be displayed in the fatues of a Silenus or Medea, as in those of an Apollo or Venus."

MISCELLANEOUS

better fort of people is elegantly stained of a red and blue colour, and the feat covered with bear fkins, or other furs. It is fupported by four legs, about two feet high, which reft on two long flat p eces of wood, five or fix inches broad, extending a foot at each end beyond the body of the fledge. These are turned up before, in the manner of a fkate, and fhod with the bone of fome fea animal. The fore part of the carriage is ornamented with thongs of leather and taffels of coloured cloth; and from the cross bar, to which the harness is joined, are hung links of iron, or fmall bells, the jingling of which they conceive to be encouraging to the dogs. They are feldom used to carry more than one perfon at a time, who fits aside, refting his feet on the lower part of the fledge, and carrying his provifions and other neceffaries, wrapped up in a bundle, behind him. The dogs are usually five in number, yoked two and two, with a leader. The reins not being fastened to the head of the dogs, but to the collar, have little power over them, and are therefore generally hung upon

Lever.

the

the fledge, whilft the driver depends entirely on their obedience to his voice for the direction of them. With this view, the leader is always trained up with a particular degree of care and attention; fome of them rifing to a moft extra. ordinary value on account of their docility and fteadiness; infomuch, that for one of thefe, I am well affured, forty roubles (or ten pounds) was no unufual price. The driver is alfo provided with a crooked stick, which answers the purpose both of whip and reins; as by ftriking it into the fnow, he is enabled to moderate the speed of the dogs, or even to ftop them entirely; and when they are lazy, or otherwife inattentive to his voice, he chaftifes them by throwing it at them. Upon these occafions, their dexterity in picking it up again is very remarkable, and forms the principal difficulty of their art. But it is indeed not furprising, that they fhould labour to be fkilful in a practice upon which their safety so materially depends. For they fay, that if the driver should happen to lofe his ftick, the dogs will inftantly perceive it; and unless their leader be of the most fober and refolute kind, they will immediately run a-head full speed, and never ftop till they are quite fpent. But as that will not be the cafe foon, it

generally happens, that either the carriage is overturned, and dashed to pieces against the trees, or they hurry down fome precipice, and are all buried in the fnow. The accounts that were given us of the fpeed of these dogs, and of their extraordinary patience of hunger and fatigue, were fcarcely credible, if they had not been fupported by the beft authority. We were indeed ourselves witneffes of the great expedition with which the meffengers, who had been dispatched to Bolcheretfk with the news of our arrival, returned to the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, though the fnow was, at that time, exceedingly foft. But I was informed, by the Commander of Kamtfchatka, that this journey was generally performed in two days and a half; and that he had once received an exprefs from the latter place in twentythree hours.

The dogs are fed during the winter, on the offals of dried and ftinking fish; but are always deprived of this miferable food, a day before they fet out on a journey, and never fuffered to eat before they reach the end of it. We were also told, that it was not unufual for them to continue thus fafting two entire days, in which time they would perform a journey of one hundred and twenty miles*. Thefe dogs

are,