Fergusson, James: History of Indian and Eastern architecture (Band 1) (London, 1910)

164

BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE.

Book I.

In front of this cave is a dwarf rail (Woodcut No. 84);
unfortunately it is so weather-worn that it is difficult to make
out all its details ; but comparing it with the Gautamiputra

rail (Woodcut No. 37) and
the Amaravati rail (Wood-
cut No. 41), it will be seen
that it contains all those
complications that were in-
troduced in the ist and 2nd
centuries, but which were
discontinued in the 4th and
5th, when the rail in any
shape fell into disuse as an
architectural ornament.

If again we compare the
annexed woodcut No. 85,
representing one of the capi-
tals in this cave, with those
in the Karle chaitya, we
find the same degradation
of style as is exhibited in
woodcuts Nos. 103 and 104
(p. 185) illustrating the styles
of the Nahapana and Gauta-
miputra viharas at Nasik.

The evidence in fact
seems complete that this
cave was excavated in the
last years of the 2nd century;
but, admitting this, it re-
mains an anomaly, the like
of which only occurs once
again so far as I know in the
history of Indian architecture, and that in a vihara at Nasik of
the same age, to be described hereafter.1

Capital of a Pillar from the Chaitya Cave
at Kanheri.

Dhamnar.

Near the village of Chandwas, about half-way between Kota
and Ujjain, and 48 miles south-west from Jhalrapathan, in
Rajputana, there exists a series of caves at a place called Dhamnar
which are of considerable extent, but the interest that might

1 For further particulars regarding tliis
cave the reader is referred to Fergusson’s
‘ Rock-cut Temples, of India,’ plates n
and 12 ; to ‘Cave Temples of India,’ pp.

35°'353> and plate 53 ; and to ‘ Archteo-
logical Survey of Western India,’ vol. iv.
pp. 6if.