Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/215

 CHAP. VI. WESTERN VIHARA CAVES. 181 3. Cave n at Ajanta. Scale 50 ft. to i in. room for it and thus it may be of much later date than the cave ; the sculptures in the verandah also are not of an early age. A small cell is excavated high up in the side wall of the shrine an arrangement not found in any other of the caves here. The hall is 37 ft. by 28, and 10 ft. high ; the four octagonal columns are of unusually clumsy style, from which it has been inferred that this was one of the earliest examples of the introduction of pillars into viharas ; and the close proximity to the early chaitya No. 10 was thought to countenance this. On further consideration, however, it appears that this cave, in its present form, must be placed considerably later than caves 12 and 13, and dating after the Christian Era. The next step after the introduction of four pillars to support the roof, 1 as in cave No. 1 1 at Ajanta (Woodcut No. 98), was to introduce twelve pillars for this purpose, there being no intermediate number which would divide by four, and admit of an opening in the centre of every side. This arrangement is shown in the Woodcut (No. 99), repre- senting the plan of the cave No. 2 at Ajanta. Before this stage of cave architecture had been reached, the worship had degenerated con- siderably from its original form ; and these larger caves always possess a sanctuary containing an image of Buddha. There are sometimes, besides this, as in the instance under consideration, two side chapels, like those in Catholic churches, containing images of subordinate saints, or probably of donors or benefactors. The next and most extensive arrangement of these square monastery-caves is that in which twenty pillars are placed in the floor, so as to support the roof, six on each side, counting the corner pillars twice. There are several of these large caves at 99. Cave 2 at Ajanta. (From a Plan by the Author.) Scale 50 ft. to i in. 1 Among the very early caves (prob- ably Jaina) at Junagadh are examples of a cave with four, and of another with one pillar supporting the roof. ' Archaeo- logical Survey of Western India,' vol. ii. pp. 139-140, and plate 17.