Page:Report of a Tour Through the Bengal Provinces of Patna, Gaya, Mongir and Bhagalpur; The Santal Parganas, Manbhum, Singhbhum and Birbhum; Bankura, Raniganj, Bardwan and Hughli in 1872-73.djvu/92

68 has arrived at, that the vault is a subsequent addition, appears unassailable.

It now remains to determine the period of the addition of the vault. To do this satisfactorily, it is necessary I should refer cursorily to some of the laws which governed the construction of Hindu temples.

On à priori grounds, we should naturally suppose that the first datum in the construction of a temple was the size of the sanctum.

The size of the sanctum here is, or rather was originally, a square of 20 feet 4 inches (General Cunningham’s measurements); from this, the entire temple has to be deduced according to fixed laws.

Following a law which holds good in numerous temples within very narrow variations, the proportion of width of sanctum to thickness of walls is very nearly as 1⋅5 to 1 (the actual limits vary from 1⋅4 to 1⋅5). We have therefore for the thickness of the walls of the Buddha Gaya temple 20’ 4" ÷ 1⋅5, or 13 feet 4 inches; the actual thickness of the back wall is 13 feet 5 inches at this day.

From this law, therefore, it is seen at once that the original temple had walls 13 feet 6 inches thick, and therefore the extra thickness of the side walls is due to subsequent addition.

We have next to determine the width of entrance and its height.

The widths of entrances in various temples are much more various than the thickness of walls. When referred to the sanctum as a datum, they range from 2⋅0 to 2⋅9. Taking the average, 2⋅5 nearly, we find that the width of opening ought to be 8 feet 2 inches. The actual width of opening is, however, only 6 feet 6 inches. We must, however, remember that the opening is vaulted over like the sanctum, and a thickness of at least 10 inches must have been cut off from either side by building up walls to carry the vault. Adding then twice 10 inches or 1 feet 8 inches to the present width of opening between the jambs, we get 8 feet 2 inches as we should.

The width being now found, the height has to be deduced.

There are two classes of temples—one consisting simply of a cell, the other of a cell with other chambers in front. The Buddha Gaya temple clearly belonged to the latter class, and therefore the opening in the front wall of the sanctum