Fergusson, James: The illustrated handbook of architecture: being a concise and popular account of the different styles of architecture preveiling in all ages and all countries (London, 1859)

BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE.

Book I.

38

executed with taste is particularly effective, for intemal arcMtecture
at least.

Another circnmstance which gives considerahle richness to the style

is, that the pillars in
a huilding are never
exactly alike, hut va-
ried in design accord-
ing to their position,
or, as often happens,
for the mere sake of
variety. In some of
the older and simpler
caves, where there is
little or no carving
on the pillars, the va-
riety is in the paint-
ing, and that only;
hut when they are
carved, the varia-
tions are much more
striking.

In a 20-pillared
vihara, for instance,
the two pillars on
eacli side of the en-
trance are generally
alike; so are those
immediately heyond
on the right and left;
and so again are the
next pair further re-
moved on each side
from the centre. The
range on the right
and left generally
take their character
from the last two,
and those on the
fourth side again in-
crease in richness to-
wards the centre, tlie
two most elahorately
adorned heing the
central pair opposite
29. Pillar in ViharaNo. n, at Ajmita. From a skelch by tbeAuthor. the altai'. When

done symmetrically

in this manner, the effect is singularly pleasing, though the practice
cannot he defended when mere caprice seems to guide the hand of

tlie designer. It then requires that the variation should he so slight