Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/31

 CHAP. II. ORISSA CAVES. ii fullest translation of it, 1 we learn that a king Kharavela of Kalinga constructed rock-dwellings and bestowed abundant gifts on Jaina devotees, and that he assisted the Andhra king Satakarni ; also that the thirteenth year of his reign coincided with the i65th of the Maurya Era, that is, about 155 B.C. 2 Palaeographically also, the forms of the letters used in this and some other inscriptions here are almost identical with those used by Asoka in the copy of his edicts on the Dhauli rock close by, and in that found at Jaugada, near the southern corner of the Chilkya lake. The first presumption, therefore, is that they may be within a century of the same date, which is supported by this inscription. The inscription, as well as another in the Svargapuri or Vaikuntha cave, also commences with a distinctively Jaina formula a very important point that had previously been overlooked. This supports the conclusion stated above as to the origin of these caves. 3 This Hathi-gumpha cave, probably the oldest here, looks as if it might have been a great natural cavern, the brow of which had been smoothed to admit of the inscription. There are indications, however, that it had at least been improved by art ; but the rock is of loose and friable texture, and the present state of the cave is largely due to decay ; besides, so important a record would hardly be placed over an excavation of no consideration. The whole style of the architecture and sculpture in the older caves here points to a period quite as early as that of the Sanchi gateways and the small vihara at Bhaja, and we cannot be far wrong in ascribing most of them at least to the 2nd century before our era. Nor is any trace of Buddhism found among them : the figures of Gaja Lakshmi or Sri, of snakes, sacred trees, the Svastika and other symbols are all as much Jaina as Buddhist, and in several of the caves 1 This inscription first attracted the attention of Stirling, and a plate, repre- senting it very imperfectly, is given in the I5th volume of the ' Asiatic Researches. ' It was afterwards copied by Kittoe, and a translation, as far as its imperfection admitted, made by Prinsep ('Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,' vol. vi. pp. io8off.) In 1866 Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji, Ph. D. ,made a careful copy of it on the spot, and Mr. Locke in 187 1-1872 took a plaster cast of it : from these the Pandit studied the record afresh, and published his version in the ' Actes du sixieme Congres internat. des Orientalistes ' (Leiden, 1884), vol. iii. pt. 2, pp. 135-149. This gave quite a new point in Indian Chronology. 'Epigraphia Indica,' vol. ii. pp. 88, 89. 2 Even as late as 1 880, Babu Rajen- dralal Mitra, who had the most ample opportunities of examining every detail of the Orissa caves, had no suspicion of their being of other than Buddhist origin ; and his reading of the Hathi-gumpha inscrip- tion like the whole of his work is simply worthless. ' Antiq uities of Orissa,' vol. ii. pp. I7ff. 3 Hiuen Tsiang, in the 7th century stated that Kalinga was then one of the chief seats of the Jains. Beal, ' Buddhist Records,' vol. ii. p. 208.