Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/235

 UPON THE ARCHITECTURE OF WESTERN INDIA. 179 Again the balustrade order appears only in that part of the great temple whieh nuist have been the subject of the excava- tors' most recent labours. The manner in which the monks commenced and proceeded with their excavating operations for a temple may be learnt from the unfinished work to which the column (fig. 9) belongs. First, an outer court was cleared ; then the vestibule was excavated, the walls being left bare to be cut hereafter, as might be convenient ; next several adits were simidtaneously commenced ; one at the top to form the roof for the nave, and to fashion the opening for light ; and others below into the aisles and body of the building, under the upper adit. Thus all expedition was made to complete the essentials ; but the ornament was left for after work. As many workmen, indeed, could not have been simultaneously employed on the adits, some might be engaged on the next im])ortant parts of the vestibule and outer court. The image niches, however, would have been last attended to. And since the great temple has the parabolic form only in these niches, and its essential parts are all Early Buddhist, it follows that these are earlier than those which have traces of the para- bola. The nature and purpose of these excavations cannot be satisfiictorily known until the Buddhist history has been more fully investigated. Enough, however, has been already ascer- tained to bear upon the relative antiquity of these two orders. Buddhism originated in the north-eastern provinces of India, aud was propagated thence by missions composed of large bodies of monks. The numerous excavations in western India bear internal evidence how the operations of the mis- sionaries were then carried on. Throughout the Concan are found single caves, or small clusters of caves, consisting each of a room and verandah, adapted for the habitation of a single person. If the cluster is large a chaitya will be found ; and if the cluster is yet larger a large chaitya temple is added. The arrangement of the clusters of cells shews that they be- longed to a coenobitic, and not to an eremitic body. The ground-plan of the chaitya temple proves that it was used for congregational devotion, not for isolated worship by indi- viduals. These circumstances combine with history to prove that the Buddhist monks were associates in a mission, and formed a body corporate. In AVestern India there is no ex-