Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/266

 232 BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE. BOOK I. dagaba are flights of steps by which access was had from the first to the second pasada or terrace. The first was reached from the pavement by a stair on the east side of the south chapel ; whilst behind this chapel there is only one stair from the second to the third terrace. A somewhat similar arrange- 128. Part Elevation (restored) of front of the south chapel, Ruwanveli Dagaba. Scale i-85th. ment of stairs also existed at the Abhayagiri and Mirisavetiya dagabas ; and it is very probable also at the Jetawanarama dagaba, though the published results of the surveys do not show. The facade of the chapels consists first of a plain base, above which is a row of kneeling elephants with paterae between them, 1 very like those used in the metopes of the Roman Doric order ; above this are three plain faces divided by ornamental string- courses ; then a bracket cornice with paterae again, and above this two more plain faces and string-courses. Over this there was probably a frieze of animals and a band simulating a Buddhist rail, with a blocking course over it, as at the Mirisa- vetiya dagaba. At each end of this projecting arrangement were two stelae the inner covered by foliaged and other patterns, the outer in one instance, at the Ruwanveli, by a seven-headed serpent, as will be observed in the Woodcut No. 127 ; at the Abhayagiri, there are serpent figures at all the chapels each on a separate stone and here the inner stele is adorned with a pattern so nearly identical with that on the pillars of the western gateway at Sanchi, 2 that we may recognise them as belonging to about 1 At the Mirisaveti these are lotus flowers. 2 ' Tree and Serpent Worship,' plate 19. In some respects it resembles the Wood- cuts Nos. 39 and 40. Similar stelse were also found at Amaravati. 'Archceolog. Survey of Southern India : Amaravati and Jaggayyapeta Stupas,' plate 33, fig. 2 ; plate 38, fig. 7 ; plate 40, fig. 3 ; plate 44, fig. i ; and plate 54, fig. T.