The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c18.39

c18.39

If the Brahmâ image might have been created by the chisel of Praxiteles, it seems as if a reincarnation of Pheidias, inspired by the profound philosophy of the Upanishads instead of by the child-like conceptions of the Homeric Olympus, had been born again to carve this masterpiece of Indo-Aryan genius at Elephanta. There are other great sculptures at Elephanta; but the art of the unknown sculptors of the Brahmâ shrine and of the Trimûrti stands out from the rest, as Valmiki and Kalidâs shine pre-eminently in Indian poetry and drama.