History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c25.s8.35

v2.c25.s8.35

Sometimes the Hindûs successfully conquered one of the main difficulties of cave architecture by excavating them on the spur of a hill, as in the Dhumar Lenâ at Elûrâ, and by surrounding them by courts, as there and at Elephanta and at Jogeswar; so that light was introduced on three sides instead of only one, as was too often the case both with Buddhist and Hindû excavations. These, though probably among the last, are certainly the finest Hindû excavations existing, if looked at from an architectural point of view. The Elûrâ example is the larger and finer, measuring 149 ft. by 148 (Woodcut No. 329). That at Elephanta, though extremely similar in general arrangement (No. 330), is less regular in plan, and also somewhat smaller, measuring only 130 ft. by 129 ft. It is easy to see that if these temples stood in the open they would only be porches, like that at Belûr (Woodcut No. 257), and numberless other examples, which are found everywhere; but the necessities of rock-cut architecture required generally that the cella should be placed inside the mandapa, or porch, instead of externally to it, as was always the case in structural examples. This, perhaps, was hardly to be regretted; but it shows how little the practice of cutting temples in the rock was suited to the templeforms of the Hindûs, and we need not, therefore, feel surprised how readily they abandoned it when any idea of rivalling the Buddhists had ceased to prompt their efforts in this direction.