Manasara Series (I. A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture; II. Indian Architecture according to Manasara-Shilpashastra; III. Manasara on Architecture and Sculpture: Sanskrit Text; IV. Architecture of Manasara: Translation; V. Architecture of Manasara: Illustrations; VI. Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad; VII. An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture) v1.c7.212

v1.c7.212

"Some believe that in the dark all fell over a precipice into some vast chasm in the limestone, others that all lost their way in the intricate maze of endless galleries, and others again that all were suffocated by poisonous gases. Whatever their fate, the possibility of coming suddenly at any turn upon groups of rag clad skeletons shrouded in the impalpable dust of ages does not detract from the eerie feeling induced by traversing these vast catacombs, where silence is almost palpable. One's feet make no noise on the soft cave earth, and one is almost afraid to raise one's voice, which reverberates round the Great Stone chambers and is thrown back in a thousand mocking echoes from the rocky walls. Upon the walls of the lighted chamber many crude drawings have been left by the former inhabitants, and in one case is inscribed a late Maya date A. D. 1379."