Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/365

 CHAP. II. DOMES. exquisite specimens of elaborate roofing that can anywhere be seen. Another consequence of this mode of construction was the employment of pendants from the centres of the domes, which are used to an extent that would have surprised even the Tudor architects of our own country. With them, however, the pendant was an architectural tour de force, requiring great constructive ingenuity and large masses to counterbalance it, and is always tending to destroy the building it ornaments ; while the Indian pendant, on the contrary, only adds its own weight to that of the dome, and has no other prejudicial tendency. Its forms, too, generally have a lightness and elegance never even imagined in Gothic art ; it hangs from the centre of a dome more like a lustre of crystal drops than a solid mass of marble or of stone. As before remarked, the eight pillars that support the dome are almost never left by themselves, the base being made square by the addition of four others at the angles. There are many small buildings so constructed with only twelve pillars, as shown in the annexed diagram (No. I77)> but two more are oftener added on each face, making twenty altogether, as shown on the upper side of the annexed diagram (No 178) ; or four on each face, mak- 177. ing twenty-eight ; Diagram of the arrange- or again, two in JSa Dome" * front of these four, Diagram Plau'of Jaina Porch. or six on each face, so as to make thirty-six ; and the same system of aggregation is carried on till the number of pillars reaches fifty-six (Wood- cut No. 179), which is the largest number I ever saw surrounding one dome ; but any number of these domes may surround one temple, or central dome, and the number consequently be multi- plied almost ad infinitum. When so great a number of pillars is introduced as in the last instance, it is usual to make the outmost compartment on each face square, and surmount it with a smaller dome. This is occasionally though rarely done even with the smallest number. The first result of this arrangement is, that the Hindus obtained singularly varied outline in plan, producing the happiest effects of light and shade with every change in the sun's position. Another result was, that by the accentuation of the salient and re-entering angles, they produced those strongly-