Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/534

 440 FURTHER INDIA. BOOK VIII. say after the loth century that could have influenced the arts of the Americans ; or, if it had taken place, that the Javans would not have taught them the use of alphabetical writing, and of many arts they cultivated, but of which the Americans were ignorant when discovered by the Spaniards. It seems equally improbable or impossible that any colonists from America could have planted themselves in Java so as to influence the arts of the people. But there is a third supposition that may be possible, and, if so, may account for the observed facts. It is possible that the building races of Central America were of the same family as the native inhabitants of Java. Many circum- stances lead to the belief that the inhabitants of Easter Island belong to the same stock, and, if this is so, it is evident that distance is no bar to the connection. If this hypothesis may be admitted, the history of the connection would be this : The Javans were first taught to build monumental edifices by immigrants from India, and we know that their first were their finest, and also the most purely Indian. During the next five centuries (A.D. 650-1150) we can watch the Indian influence dying out; and during the next three (A.D. 1150-1450) a native local style developing itself, which resulted at last in the quasi- American examples at Suku. It may have been that it was the blood and the old faith and feelings of these two long dissevered branches of one original race that came again to the surface, and produced like effects in far distant lands. If this or something like it were not the cause of the similarity, it must have been accidental, and, if so, is almost the only instance of its class known to exist anywhere ; and, strangely enough, the only other example that occurs is in respect to the likeness that is unmistakable between certain Peruvian buildings and the Pelasgic remains of Italy and Greece. These, however, are even more remote in date and locality, so the subject must remain in its present uncertainty till some fresh discovery throws new light upon it. Passing now towards the east end of the island beyond Kediri : in the neighbourhood of Melang, are three or four temples, two of which, Chandi Jago near Tumpang and Chandi Singa- sari are well illustrated in the Dutch survey. The plans of the platforms of these temples differ from those in the centre of the island ; the staircases leading to the platforms are at one end only. In the case of Chandi Jago (Woodcut No. 487), at the west end are two flights between stone curbs on each side of a portion of the lower platform which projects 8 ft. in front of the main platform, and is 17 ft. wide. There is a similar projection to the second platform, 7 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep, with a