Page:Picturesque Nepal.djvu/222

 of slavishly copying it, adapted it slightly to their own ideas, and thus produced this typical architectural feature with a special character of its own. There are numerous buildings of this type in various parts of the Valley, all fundamentally Buddhist in origin, and all of an early, or comparatively early, date. They comprise what may be referred to as the "Chaitya" style of Nepalese architecture. Side by side with these solid stone structures will be observed buildings of an entirely different nature and of a less antique appearance, but dedicated to somewhat the same religious purposes. An entire contrast to the severe form of the stupa, in design, construction, and general character, these temples present what may be termed the "Pagoda" style of architecture in the Nepal Valley. A glance at these buildings will at once reveal their origin, which is obviously Chinese in almost every particular. The explanation of the introduction of this very distinctive style, from an entirely opposite source to the "Chaitya," may be found by observing the