Page:The Rock-cut Temples of India.djvu/25

Introduction. them, on the whole, much more impressive than structural temples of even greatly increased dimensions.

The Jaina temples are so few as hardly to require classification, and have no architectural peculiarities by which they can be distinguished. Their arrangements partake principally of that of the Brahmanical caves; indeed, it is only by their sculpture that they can be distinguished from them. They are interesting, however, from the circumstance of their belonging to the most florid period of Hindoo art; and they were also fortunate in being excavated at a time when even the Brahmans had become so familiar with monolithic architecture as to have abandoned most of the faults inherent in direct imitation of structural edifices.

It is in vain now to speculate on what may first have induced the inhabitants of Behar to excavate temples in the hard granite rocks of their country, or those of Cuttack in the coarse sandstone of Khandagiri. It may have been a familiarity with those of Egypt, as we know from his inscriptions, that Asoka had formed alliances with Ptolemy of Egypt, and Megas, probably of Cyrene; and to a people wholly without permanent monuments as the Hindoos then were, the temptation to imitate the rock-cut monuments of these countries was great. What, however, really led to their ultimate extension was the singularly favourable nature of the rocks in Western India for the purpose.

From the valley of the Nerbudda to that of the Kistnah, the whole country consists of horizontally stratified trap rocks perfectly homogeneous in character. Occasionally, however, strata intervene of harder texture than the rest, giving that curious steplike character which distinguishes the hill forts of India. Whether harder or softer, it is free from faults and cracks, and so uniform in character, that the architect feels the most perfect confidence in finding a suitable material, however deeply he may penetrate.

The Tapty is one of the few streams which have cut through the upper crust of this formation, and opened for itself a deep and wide valley through it, pursuing a western course. On either side of this great valley numerous ravines or cracks extend for some miles into the plateau. xix