The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v2.c16.13

v2.c16.13

The earliest specimens of fine art of which the dates can be fixed on palaeographical grounds are Buddhist antiquities, representing painting, sculpture, and architectural themes. But these do not date back earlier than the second century B.C., although the art which they exhibit is of a well-developed type and must have taken one or two or more millenniums to reach that stage. To expand and justify this view it may be observed that the representations of four-storied buildings in the façades of the caves at Koṇḍāṇe and Beḍsā, with projecting balconies supported by curved brackets and deeply recessed windows fitted with latticed screens of elegant design, show a long tradition and continuous progress in the art of architecture, and could not have sprung up all of a sudden in the second century B.C., to which date the monuments have been assigned on the basis of the inscriptions carved on them (Plate II *a*).² This opinion is further confirmed by the arrangement of the small and large rafters and cross-beams carved in the rock-ceiling of the *vihāra* at Koṇḍāṇe. The arrangement suggests engineering principles ensuring the strength of the building on the one hand and economy of cost on the other by a judicious use of beams of suitable dimensions (Plate II *b*).