Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/198

 164 BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE. BOOK I. In front of this cave is a dwarf rail (Woodcut No. 84) ; unfortunately it is so weather-worn that it is difficult to make out all its details ; but comparing it with the Gautamiputra rail (Woodcut No. 37) and the Amaravati rail (Wood- cut No. 41), it will be seen that it contains all those complications that were in- troduced in the ist and 2nd centuries, but which were discontinued in the 4th and 5th, when the rail in any shape fell into disuse as an architectural ornament. If again we compare the annexed woodcut No. 85, representing one of the capi- tals in this cave, with those in the Karle chaitya, we find the same degradation of style as is exhibited in woodcuts Nos. 103 and 104 (p. 1 85) illustrating the styles of the Nahapana and Gauta- miputra viharas at Nasik. The evidence in fact seems complete that this cave was excavated in the last years of the 2nd century; but, admitting this, it re- Capital of a Pillar from the Chaitya Cave at Kanheri. mains an anomaly, the like of which only occurs once again so far as I know in the history of Indian architecture, and that in a vihara at Nasik of the same age, to be described hereafter. 1 DHAMNAR. Near the village of Chandwas, about half-way between Kota and Ujjain, and 48 miles south-west from Jhalrapathan, in Rajputana, there exists a series of caves at a place called Dhamnar which are of considerable extent, but the interest that might 1 For further particulars regarding this cave the reader is referred to Fergusson's ' Rock-cut Temples, of India,' plates n and 12 ; to 'Cave Temples of India,' pp. 350-353, and plate 53 ; and to ' Archaeo- logical Survey of Western India,' vol. iv. pp. 6 if.