Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/275

 CHAP. VIII. ANURADHAPURA. 239 gradually fell into decay even before the seat of government was removed to Polonnaruwa. Since that time it has been com- pletely deserted, and all that now remains are the 1600 pillars which once supported it. These generally consist of unhewn blocks of granite about 12 ft. high; some of the central ones are sculptured, and many have been split into two, apparently at the time of the great rebuilding after its destruction by Mahasena ; as it is, they stand about 6 ft. apart from centre to centre in a compact phalanx, forty on each face, and covering a space of 250 ft. or 260 ft. each way. Upon the pillars must have been placed a strong wooden framing from which the remaining eight storeys rose, as in the modern Burmese monasteries. There is only one difficulty in understanding the arrange- ment of the superstructure of this building, and that is the assertion of the ' Mahawansa ' that it consisted of nine storeys afterwards of five each containing 100 apartments. For myself I have no hesitation in rejecting this statement as impossible, not only from the difficulty of constructing and roofing such a building, but because its form is so utterly opposed to all the traditions of Eastern art. If we turn back to Fah Hian or Hiuen Tsiang's description of the great Dakhani monastery (page 171) or to the great rath at Mamalla- puram (Woodcut No. 89), or, indeed, to any of the 1001 temples of Southern India, all of which simulate three, five, or nine- storied residences, we get a distinct idea of what such a build- ing may have been if erected in the Indian style. It would, too, be convenient and appropriate to the climate, each storey having its terrace for walking or sleeping in the open air, and the whole easily constructed and kept in order. All this will be clearer in the sequel, but in the meanwhile it hardly appears doubtful that the Loha Mahapaya was originally of nine, and subsequently of five storeys, each less in dimension than the one below it. The top one was surmounted as at Mamallapuram by a dome, but in this instance composed of bronze whence its name ; and, gilt and ornamented as it no doubt was, it must have been one of the most splendid buildings of the East. It was as high as the dagabas, and, though not covering quite so much ground, was equal, in cubical contents, to the largest of our English cathedrals, and the body of the building was higher than any of them, omitting of course the spires, which are mere ornaments. Besides these there are scattered about the ruins of Anura- dhapura many groups of pillars and basements that evidently belonged to viharas, monasteries and halls for various