Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/33

 CHAP. II. ORISSA CAVES. fronts of the chaitya halls, and which we are now so familiar with from the Bharaut sculptures, and from the openings common to all wooden buildings of that age. The compartments between the doors of the cells contain figure sculptures one of them seemingly almost a replica of a scene on the frieze of the upper storey of the Rani-gumpha. The centre panel is occupied by a roof carved in low relief with three pinnacles, and a rail-pattern frieze over it. The other cave is very much larger, being two storeys in height, both of which were originally adorned by verandahs : the upper 63 ft. long, opening into four cells, the lower 43 ft, opening into three (Woodcuts No. 268 and 269). All the doors leading into these cells have jambs sloping slightly inwards, which is itself a sufficient indication that the cave is long anterior to the 2 7 ' Christian Era. Of the nine pillars of the upper verandah only two remain standing, and these much 268. Upper storey, Rani-gumpha. Seal 269. Lower storey, Rani-gumpha. (From Plans by H. H. Locke.) lie 50 ft. to i in. mutilated, while all the six of the lower storey have perished. 1 It seems as if from inexperience the excavators had not left sufficient 1 The pillars in both storeys were restored a few years ago by slender shafts, described by the Collector of Puri as " shoddy work of the most gim-crack description." ' Report to Government of Bengal,' i6th May 1902.