The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c9.183.4

v1.c9.183.4

Westmacott came to the conclusion that, “the conquests of Alexander the Great do not appear to have exercised any important influence on the art of India, by introducing new forms or improved principles of beauty.” Professor Lübke, who is a strong advocate of the Alexandrine theory as regards Indian architecture, and supposes that “the Aśoka columns point most remarkably to the influence of Western Asia,—that is, the Babylonic Assyrian,—which might certainly have resulted from Alexander’s march of conquest”, admits “that if this be the case, still in the earlier Indian civilization of which we certainly have but few traces, distinct national forms of art must have been already developed and these Buddhism immediately transformed into monumental importance”⁷⁸ Mr. Auckland, in his *Manners and Customs of India* (p. 121), after adverting to the Greek character of the Hātigumphā inscription of Udayagiri, explains how the Greek record came to the country by asking himself, “whether it is possible, that when Alexander was stopped by the Afghans, any of his people ventured still further into the country, and after various wanderings, founded Cundaguree, as conquerors of the district”? He also states that he had seen some Roman emblems on the sculptures there.