The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c13.31

c13.31

Hiuen Tsang gives the following descriptions of the appearance of such structures at the celebrated Bengali University of Nâlanda, the modern Barâgâon, seven miles north of Râjagriha and not far from Pâtaliputra, Asoka's imperial city—the modern Patna. "The houses of the monks," he says, "were each four storeys in height. The pavilions [halls of the Sangha?] had pillars ornamented with dragons, and had beams resplendent with all the colours of the rainbow—rafters richly carved, columns ornamented with jade, painted red and richly chiselled, and balustrades [Vedic rails?] of carved openwork. The lintels of the doors were decorated with elegance and the roofs with glazed tiles of brilliant colours, which multiplied themselves by reflection and varied the effect at every moment in a thousand manners."