Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/158

 128 NORTHERN OR INDO-ARYAN STYLE. BOOK VI. 3 2 9- Dhumar Lena Cave at Elura. (From Daniell's ' Views in Hindostan.') Scale 100 ft. to i in. plan, and also somewhat smaller, measuring only 130 ft. by 129 ft. It is easy to see that if these temples stood in the open they would only be porches, like that at Belur (Woodcut No. 257), and numberless other examples, which are found everywhere ; but the necessities of rock - cut architecture required generally that the cella should be placed inside the man- dapa, or porch, instead of externally to it, as was always the case in structural examples. This, perhaps, was hardly to be regretted; but it shows how little the practice of cutting temples in the rock was suited to the temple- forms of the Hindus, and we need not, there- fore, feel surprised how readily they abandoned it when any idea of rivalling the Buddhists had ceased to prompt their efforts in this direction. In the capitals of the pillars in these caves, as represented in the accompanying woodcut (No. 331) from the Elephanta cave, we find the perfected form of those ribbed cushion-capitals that are found at Badami and in so many other caves, dating from at least as early as the 6th century ; but in these excavations it seems to have reached its fullest develop- ment and beauty of form. From its frequent recurrence of 1 Daniell's plan is not quite accurate, but sufficiently so for our purpose. See 'Cave Temples of India,' plate 79, and 'Archaeological Survey of Western India,' vol. v. plate 37. 330- Elephanta Cave. (From a Plan by J. Burgess.) Scale 100 ft. to i in.