Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/226

 192 BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE. BOOK 1. however, in their frescoes, which represent Buddhist legends on a scale and with a distinctness found nowhere India. else in The sculp- tures of Amaravati which must be considerably earlier are what most nearly approach them; but, as in most cases, painting admits of greater freedom and greater variety of incident than sculpture ever does, and certainly in this instance vindicates its claim to greater phonetic power. Many of the frets and architec - tural details painted on the roofs and pillars of these viharas are also of great elegance and appropriateness, 1 and, when combined with the architec- ture, make up a whole unrivalled in India for its ethno- graphic as well as for its architectural beauty. Fortunately the age of these two caves is not altoge- ther doubtful ; there is a long inscription on each, much muti- lated, it must be con- fessed, but of which Pillar in Vihara No, 17, at Ajanta. (From a Sketch by the Author.) 1 For excellent illustrations of these, mostly in colour, see Mr. Grimths's ' Paintings in the Buddhist Cave Temples at Ajanta,' vol. ii.