The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c10.3

v1.c10.3

Bearing in mind the marked success which has attended the labours of Sir Gardner Wilkinson in developing the history of Egypt from her ancient monuments, it is to be hoped that a time will come when it will be possible to deduce a similar social history of India for, at least, a considerable period of her antiquity. Materials for such a work are not altogether wanting. If, owing to the nature of the climate and other causes, there is now in India nothing like the endless series of old paintings which delineate almost every phase of Egyptian life,¹ or the historical bas-reliefs which record with fastidious exactitude the lives of Assyrian Kings, their wars, and hunting scenes, their state ceremonies and religious festivals, their servants and soldiers, their tributaries and captives, there are nevertheless a vast number of sculptures which serve to a great extent the same purpose. The Sāñcī gateways contain representations of several thousands of human figures engaged in various occupations of life, and they date from an early period, certainly not later than the first century of the Christian era. Three centuries subsequently there is in the topes of Amarāvatī,² in Guntoor, another and a most interesting collection. Adverting to the rail round this monument, Mr. Fergusson observes: "There were apparently twenty-four pillars in each quadrant, and eight at least in each gateway, say one hundred and twelve to one hundred and twenty in all. This involves two hundred and thirty to two hundred and forty central discs, all of which were sculptured; and as each of these contains from twenty to thirty figures at least, there must have been in them alone from six thousand to seven thousand figures. If we add to these the continuous frieze above and the sculptures above and below, and the discs on the pillars, there probably were not less than one hundred and twenty to one hundred and forty figures for each intercolumniation, say twelve thousand to fourteen thousand in all. The inner rail contains probably even a greater number of figures than this; but they are so small as more to resemble ivory carving; but except perhaps, the great frieze at Nakhon vat (in Kambodia), there is not, perhaps, even in India, and certainly not in any other part of the world, a storied page of sculpture equal in extent to what this must have been when complete"³. Most of these pillars and discs have no doubt already disappeared, but still enough remains amply to reward to diligent enquirer. Even a careful study of the valuable plates published in Mr. Fergusson's magnificent work would afford by no means a small amount of information to the student of history.