Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/105

 CHAP. III. TOPES AT SARNATH AND IN BIHAR. 73 consequently, when desecrated and deserted, formed such convenient quarries for the villagers, that nearly all have been utilised for building huts and houses of the Hindus, or the mosques of the Musalmans. Their rails, being composed of larger stones and not so easily removed, have in some instances remained, and some will no doubt be recovered when looked for ; and as these, in the earlier ages at least, were the iconostasis of the shrine, their recovery will largely compensate for the loss of the topes which they surrounded. The best known, as well as the best preserved of the Bengal topes, is that called Dhamek, at Sarnath, near Benares (Wood- cut No. 16). It was explored by General Cunningham in 1835-36, and found to be a stupa or chaitya not containing relics, but erected to mark some spot sanctified by the presence of Buddha, or by some act of his during his long residence there. In 1904-05 further excavations were made under Mr. Oertel, but the results have not yet been made public. It is situated in the Deer Park, where Buddha took up his residence with his five disciples when he first removed from Gaya on claiming to have attained Buddhahood, and commenced his mission as a teacher. That it commemorates this event, is exceedingly probable, since that stupa, of all others, would be religiously preserved and restored. There are several mounds in the neighbourhood, but the descriptions of the Chinese Pilgrims are not sufficiently precise to enable us always to discriminate between them. The building consists of a stone basement, 93 ft. in diameter, and solidly built, the stones being clamped together with iron to the height of 43 ft. Above that it is in brickwork, rising to a height of no ft. above the surrounding ruins, and 128 ft. above the plain. 1 Externally the lower part is relieved by eight projecting faces, each 21 ft. 6 in. wide, and 15 ft. apart. In each is a small niche, intended apparently to contain a seated figure of Buddha, and below them, encircling the monument, is a band of sculptured ornament of the most exquisite beauty. The central part consists as will be seen by the cut (No. 17) on the next page of geometric patterns of great intricacy, but combined with singular skill ; and, above and below, foliage equally well designed, and so much resembling that carved by Hindu artists on the earliest Muhammadan mosques at Ajmir and Delhi, as at first sight might suggest that they may not be very distant in date. 1 These dimensions and details are taken from Gen. Cunningham's 'Archaeo- logical Reports,' vol. i. pp. 107 et seqq. ; for his account of the exploration, see 'Journal Bengal Asiatic Society,' vol. xxxii. ; Sherring's ' Sacred City of the Hindus,' pp. 236-243.