1824.] [ 521 ] REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. THE incidental notices which Travellers have given of the many wonderful monuments of antient art in the East Indies, and particularly of those in the Isle of Salsette and neighbourhood, have been so scanty and imperfect, that the caverned Temples of Elora were known but to a very few, previous to the production of Captain Seely's volume. This arises partly from their being noticed in large expensive works solely devoted to Oriental Literature, unknown by name even to many readers, and out of the reach of the majority. Another cause arises from India not having received that due portion of attention from Travellers, sufficient to place her on a level with countries infinitely less attractive. Innumerable are the works which have been published, in all languages, on the antiquities of Greece, Rome, and Egypt; but with the exception of two or three imperfect, and in many respects inaccurate notices, the noble temples at Elora, which yield not the palm to the far-famed pyramids of Egypt, were scarcely ever brought to our view. Two works have been written of late years, professedly on the antiquities of India, and although both the authors were within 150 miles of Elora, with every facility at their command, neither of them proceeded thither, notwithstanding Indian antiquities and researches occupied their time at the very moment. To the eternal honour of Captain Seely be it recorded, that unpatronized and unaided, he undertook a journey of near 300 miles, at considerable expense and hazard, for the express purpose of investigating the interesting remains of Elora. He was then young in the service, holding the rank of an Ensign only. While at Elora, where GENT. MAG. June, 1824. he remained for fourteen days, Captain Seely spared no pains in acquiring the information which he has communicated to the publick in the present volume. The author has not confined himself to the Temples of Elora alone; for the work is interspersed with some interesting notices of the country, and state of society in India. It contains also many valuable hints to gentlemen educating for the East. Captain Seely visited India when very young, and (he justly observes), an active life in that country is not very favourable to study, or the cultivation of science;" his remarks, however, are written in an easy and agreeable style. He had resided long at Bombay, in friendly intercourse with his fellow officers, when he obtained leave of absence to visit Elora. On arriving at Butcher's Island, he saw some memorials to British seamen ; two of which, in p. 19, are transcribed for their simplicity," and being the honest effusions of a brave and noble class of men." One of these may be met with in almost every country church-yard. On quitting Butcher's Island, not far up the bay, is Elephanta, a "mountain isle, with a double top wooded to the summit;" and celebrated for its magnificent caves, which are considerably injured by time. These caves are very much injured by the action of the sea-breeze, and from not having drains cut on the top of the mountain to carry off the rain water; nor has any care been taken to have trenches made at the foundation; so that in the periodical rains they are often inundated, and abound with reptiles, particularly snakes. From their vicinity to Bombay they are frequently visited by parties of pleasure; and to preserve them from wilful injury by casual visitors, a wall with a gate has been lately erected in front, and left in charge of an invalid serjeant, with a few invalid siphauees, to protect them. The old man has a good house adjoining, and has a comfortable sinecure of it, as most visitors do not forget his long stories and the accommodation for refreshment which his house affords. The view from the caves is very fine, as they are situated about 350 feet above the level of the sea. Here is the famous colossal figure 522 REVIEW.-Captain Seely's Wonders of Elora. of the Trimurti, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, the creating, preserving, and destroying powers of the Hindoo mythology. The cave is large, but by no means equal to the large temples of Karli, or the far-famed ones at Elora. "The guard and wall alluded to were placed for the protection of these caves; for Europeans (shall I say gentlemen?) were found not only sufficiently vicious to try to injure the figures and ornaments, but were actually so depraved as to indecently disfigure the deities with a variety of disgusting ornaments and appendages, so that a respectable female could not, without having her feelings outraged, visit these wonderful caverns. It is seldom that men of education are mischievous without cause, and still less frequently do they assimilate vice with mischief; it is to be hoped these debasing acts did not originate with pe sons designated by the appellation of gentlemen; if they did, these observations will convey to their minds that the whole result of their wit and mischief excited the contempt and disgust of the better part of society." In the seventh volume of the Archæologia are descriptions of these caves by William Hunter, Esq. and Governor Pyke; and in vol. VIII. a further description by Mr. Hector Macneil. In 1785 the late R. Gough, Esq. F.S. A. published a collection of descriptions of them by different travellers; (the earliest of which is in Linschoten's Voyage, ed. 1598,) accompanied with ten engravings illustrative of their antiquities and situations. Mrs. Graham, in her Journal of a Residence in India, gives a very interesting account of her visit to Elephanta, to which she has prefixed a brief but very good sketch of the Hindoo mythology, and enters very minutely into its antiquities. It is reviewed in vol. p. 348. LXXXIII. ii. After passing Elephanta and the fort of Billapore, Captain Seely arrived at Panwell, where is a large mosque and a Hindoo temple dedicated to Siva. At their next stage, the small rural village of Chokee, they found the best lodgings that are to be met with between it and Aurungabad. It is a Hindoo pagoda built of stone, standing on a terrace. At Ekverah stands the great arched temple of Karli, with its noble vestibule and entrance, and the sitting figure of Budha. "On looking into the temple, an object of wonder presents itself a ponderous arched roof of solid stone, supported by two rows of pillars; the capitals of each sur [June, mounted by a well-sculptured male and female figure, seated, with their arms encircling each other, on the back of elephants, crouching, as it were, under the weight they sustain. At the further end of the temple an immense hemispherical altar, of stone, with a kind of wooden umbrella spreading over the top." "To show the degeneracy of the present race of Hindoos, and their indifference to the glorious works of their forefathers, it will scarcely be credited, that in this fine and wonderful temple, suspended from the pillars right across, were wet clothes hanging up to dry!" Poona is a crowded city, consisting of large heavy houses built of stone, and many of them painted with representations of peacocks, figures of Ganesa and Hanuman. The following extract will show the superstition of the Peishwa at this place. "He intended having a palace built under the direction of a British engineer officer : it was to cost 150,000l. The iron rail-work was contracted for, the ground was marked out and consecrated by being profusely plastered with cow-dung, and some of the stones for the edifice had actually arrived, when, in a conclave of Brahmans, an English-built palace was objected to; the reason urged being that their gods could not reside in it. To effectually carry their point, it was firmly asserted that the English meant to sacrifice some children, and bury their bones under the foundation of the principal pillars. This was believed by the Peishwa; and several children having been made to disappear by the wily and interested Brahmans, a loud outcry was raised against us by the people, and the palace scheme was at once given up by the fanatical and timid Peishwa." After passing Poona, Captain Seely arrived at Corygaum, where they crossed the river Bhema in boats, "made of split bamboos formed like wickerwork, of a circular form and flat-bottomed, covered with tanned hides." Many of our readers will recognize in this a great resemblance to the Coracle, which, according to Mr. Shaw, in his History of Staffordshire, were in gene *There is an anecdote of a Mussulman of rank and affluence, who, having had a room particularly embellished, found that 'the English brush, with which the paint had been laid on, was made of hogs' bristles; consequently, in his eyes, it was impure; and this so incensed the pious Mooslim, that he had the building razed to the ground. Many of these ridiculous notions are fast wearing away." ral 1824.] REVIEW. Captain Seely's Wonders of Elora. ral use among the Celtic nations, and were the boats used by the ancient Irish. Mr. Huet assures us that the Persians traded up the Euphrates_in such kind of vessels, as high as Babylon. They were used by the Britons, as they are now by fishermen in Wales, and at Over Areley, co. Stafford. Captain Seely having arrived at Seroor in the morning, proceeded in the evening to Caross, intending to arrive at Ahmed-Nuggur the following day. Passing Chin-Choora (the abode of thieves), he arrived at Toka, only 33 miles off the grand object of his fatiguing journey: here is a very handsome pagoda. At length our adventurous traveller reached the place of his destination, but not without emotion." It is a little rural village, embosomed in a grove of trees; inhabited by Brahmans; and on account of the holiness of the spot, the troops stationed there were Rajpoots. Captain Seely thus describes the entrance to Keylas temple: "Conceive the burst of surprise at suddenly coming upon a stupendous temple, within a large open court, hewn out of the solid rock, with all its parts perfect and beautiful, standing proudly alone upon its native bed, and detached from the neighbouring mountain by a spacious area all round, nearly 250 feet deep, and 150 feet broad: this unrivalled fane rearing its rocky head to a height of nearly 100 feet-its length about 145 feet, by 62 broad-having well-formed door-ways, windows, staircases to its upper floor, containing fine large rooms of a smooth and polished surface, regularly divided by rows of pillars: the whole bulk of this immense block of isolated ex 'cavation being upwards of 500 feet in circumference, and, extraordinary as it may 'appear, having beyond its areas three handsome figure galleries, or virandas, supported by regular pillars, with compartments hewn out of the boundary scarp, containing 42 curious gigantic figures of the Hindoo my thology-the whole three galleries in continuity, enclosing the areas, and occupying the almost incredible space of nearly 420 feet of excavated rock; being, upon the average, about 13 feet 2 inches broad all round, and in height 14 feet and a half; while, positively, above these again are excavated fine large rooms. Within the court, and opposite these galleries, or virandas, stands Keylas the Proud, wonderfully towering in hoary majesty-a mighty fabric of rock, surpassed by no relic of antiquity in the known world.' 523 "I think the caverned temples of Elora* far surpass, in labour, design, &c. any of the ancient buildings that have impressed our minds with admiration; nor do I think they yield the palm of superiority to any thing we are told of in Egypt; but that is a point I leave to better judges, antiquaries, and critics." At this temple are two beautiful obelisks larger at the base than Cleopatra's needle in Egypt. They alone would excite curiosity were there no other objects near. Here they are merely an ornament to the front area. cc Originally the representation of some animal has been placed on their top, most probably a lion, at least so my attendants supposed. We had much difficulty in ascertaining the height of these obelisks; but I believe, within a few inches either way, they are forty-one feet high." Captain Seely proceeds to notice the sculptures minutely. Though so interesting and curious, they have been subject to constant injury. The bigotry of the Portuguese was intolerable. They wantonly destroyed the gods and temples of India. Many of these injuries have been attributed to the musselmen under Aurengzebe, while others are occasioned by the impiety of the modern Brahmans, who light their fires within the sacred walls. On entering the great hall, which was the residence of Captain Seely while he remained here, a magnificent scene presents itself," that for some seconds and elegantly sculptured pillars, placed rivets the beholder to the spot; massive in equi-distant ranges, supporting a well-cut and smooth roof of solid rock, having their bases in the primitive bed of rock, which forms the floor of the room, equally well wrought with the other parts, and having a much finer polish; every part faithfully and acccurately finished, and all cut into this form out of its native granite. These are the objects that arrest the ravished sight. To give an additional grandeur to the scene, the entrance is guarded by two gigantic figures, Chûb "It must be recollected that Keylas is but one out of about a dozen that are hewn out of this mountain. A range of distinct habitations and temples extend along the line, to the right and left, for more than a mile and a quarter, in a direction nearly North and South." dars, 1 |