Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/232

178 THE INFLUENCE OF A PARABOLIC MOULDING cushion capital is wider than usual. The neck is intermediate in character, between fig. 9 and fig. 10. A polygonal band of sixteen sides is substituted for the circular band G of fig. 2. There is no base. The pedestal is eight feet high, and is quite plain, with the exception of a band seventeen inches broad at the top, and the corners at A being cut off to receive a little image of Ganesh.

Thus it appears that the excavations of Salsette and Elephanta exhibit two distinct orders of architecture, which are essentially distinguished from one another by the absence and presence of something resulting from the parabolic moulding. Figures 2, 3, 4, belong to the one, and 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, to the other. The latter has been called the balustrade; the former I will call the Early Buddhist, without intending to assume that it is earlier than the balustrade. The lowest member of the Early Buddhist order is a base; its shaft is octagonal, and has vertical lines straight; its cushion capital is plain, and its abacus is a vira-kantha. The lowest member of the balustrade order is a very high pedestal; its shaft has 16, 32, or 64 flutes, or is round, and vertical lines curved; its cushion capital is encircled with a band, and its abacus is a phul-band.

The respective peculiarities of these two orders seem to indicate that the balustrade is chronologically subsequent to the Early Buddhist. For, first, the band round the cushion capital looks like a modern addition. Secondly, the flutes appear to be a result of the simple octagonal form. Thirdly, the pedestal seems to be a recent idea arising from the elevation of columns upon screens or basements, which is very frequent, and has been quite necessary for comfort in the construction of cells; the wall forming the basement being afterwards all removed, except that which, being under the pillar, was necessarily left, a cell would thus have a front of columns upon pedestals. Fourthly, although the neck exists in the balustrade order, the architects seem to have been puzzled in attempting to adapt it to the essential characters of this order; since they have made it of every possible variety, as though they wished to retain it from old custom, notwithstanding its incongruity. Lastly, the presence of every architectural idea belonging to the Early Buddhist, with the addition of another idea (the parabolic) in the balustrade order, seems a reason why the more modern date should be assigned to the latter.