;:i-CBÀNDI KALI BÉNING.
rcn.m»»^c • Pursuing, the high,road from.tlje spot, at, which; tyou leave it to'visit the
palace .of Kâli Séri, at the.çüstance.’of about three furlongs and a half, a lofty,
-, massy pile is, seen, about one. hundred yards off the' road, toi îth'e. left. .This
-ruin, is, pf .the same. generaLiform and appearance,as thejarger temples at
.Çhândi Séwu and Lcrro Jóngran, but;cm a closér examination is. foiyid to be
superior, td .the. .whole, in the delicate and minute correctness :of execution of
aft its decorative.parts.', ]&is,-a, cross* with ,tlje. mtermêdiatëfmglës-projected
to give space,.to a large central apartment,.which is. entered fromr the east
sideioalyie: The building is:abQuXsetvjêntÿTtwo;feet-.fhceë inqhëslan' length*
and the .same in breadth. The,'walls.are'about thirty-five feet iiighcpiand/the
; roof, which appears to have fallen in- to the .extent ,of fbïeifeet, about thirty
more. Only one. front or,-vestibule is perfect.: cy
On the. south-face is seen a small door,'Ttfiverffebt;sdvetó inches high, and
three feet five.incheS and a halfewide, situated?, in a jdëep miche1,) 'whichhalsó
receives in.theirecess' above the dóór a .smaUCfigurepoftS'to i (asUthei'Sepoy
called it) in a sitting posture. : Beyond .the-door aîsmaffproj'eotiüri contains
probably .more various; elaborate specimens i off the best IsculptiaBeÿ than# were
to be found any where within; a small compass,' and on similac -materials.-1. A
very large and well defined monster’s heath "projects .ovërttbe*ck»ór, surrounded
witb innumerable devices of excellent; workmanship; Icf’kn'Qwdnotiihow to
describe them* nor the niche beneath, containing.ó'i^ . Which.amOngstlother
accompaniments is supported b y, two small pilasters, the capitals of which are
upheld by* the smsfll .naked.figures.hefore;described,-,under theiigeneric term
munnook. The central cómpartmfent-èf this southern limb" (which is formed
by the niche and. door below and the gorgon head above)-terminates at the
top in;a point,: by a gradual elliptical slope up wards,-on bothrsides; ?.-:These
sides of the slope are filled, on-either hand, with a succession of small naked
■ munnook figures, all seated in various postures; pn’. the/steps. formed'.for
their reception, along the edges of this ellipse, and closed.by a similar one
, above.
On either side of the door-way is a small niche, three feet high, and six
inches wide, supported by small pilasters, and filled with relievo, figures of
the fraternity of Gópias and their wives. Jj That ; occupying the niche to /the
right, my Cicerone recognized to be Krésna. He was ' peculiarly, happy to
find Stta seated over the door, which he declared to be a decisive proof of the
sense
sense and'devbtional-'ex^efefe^f the founders of this superb temple, which
b'b vefy "as far Excelling in sculptural1 beauty and decorations
any. thiri&dip had evéfiseëS'QS'hó^dpï^i^ India, of coma! possibly imagine
had) existence anysWhere. S^Ghis sufprisetand! admiration at the superiority of
,thé^'avan'aróhïfeüture,';s"èulp.t'iïre*- and statuary, .over .thosè^ófe India* was
manifest-in le^ery!pSêpriyLWKo’ saw thqm.-iöl^Qiliing‘could equal the, astonish),
hient of the man who-iatterided mer* ftebughout- this survey at .every thing he
daW^ -nóradM the, fajl? tof few ; a verydegrading- arid natural contrast between
ilifciahcient Javdns^as Hindusranif artists/.'and -their degenerate-' sons,’ with
searceraTemnaritJof^rfs, iseipriqb,*; or of-any? religion? a t la l l . ':
Thejarch of^all-tbe niches is surmbupted with óa ,-vèry 'lofty and magnifiv-
.eehtórepi-eséntation, in bas-rëlie voj ? of, a • grand pyramidal temple* on a small
scale, (though superior' invsizejfi'ancL far WioreVso iri'iexeeutibn, r,to those- at
Lónö' Jóngran, or at:S ók'o- JBódo. /Beyond- these? nicKe^ito* tjieaanglest óf the
building are ;a?serie,s'of ipilasters* rising to thé> cörüïcesd which) surmounfe
the)|«fh,ole '.faCeJ of baGh'projectingxveStiBhle.i^i In 'thë .centre, just'At the
pointtof^blTnichei-is/a gorgon'lieadji.ofii.t'he„'fj&^al(.aspect,:jwhich ,is sun*
fopihdedS'hy the lofty.ftemplesjust.rloscrib etL.-,..
n 1 The e-xteriorj sides* of <the? vestibules- occu^y.amextent .of, eleVenv^feeP and
a half,.-ari thé ceritfë of which'is aTiiëhe,', mucHtlërgériapd#deeper than those
ia .the front, -being about ’sixSsfëëfcdïigh and two wide,.: and':'onei deep in the
clear,' supportecL-cn - either- side by a real Hindu; pilaster, already -described,
andrthëJtóp*ofi-thteai$fehe-surmounted with4 he!gbrgbn; head '.and :pyrymidal
tdöpfe/t 'ëqually .-weUokóown by .dèscription. Each of these"« niches was
formerly occupfed'.with solid’ statues,' I imagine,- oiiG'opia. -„-.On either''side
of thesessingle- niches- are; the same series of tërminating, pilasters- (three in
number),1 which ó’ccur felso-on ithebfronl^c-.of the yfestibulgsfi^f which- the
,'centre'bngjis a very magnificent' running, juabésquey-frnipitöpi to bottom jf
the fWo .othéfs ■ are iplain, without any variation.
A very fine cöat'oftètiiafeo*- of excellent quality,' covérs* the whole* exterior-
surface of the temple, and is maidriso io follow the .most minute ,'and laboured
strokes of .skill fori thre-;stone .underneath it, as--- êve'ri jeonsiderably.to'.add' to
their'effect,, particularly iri^.ctHïcealing.r the junction ófintfte ’stones- The
walls axe surmounted with a deep .projecting, dodhtevcarnicq. ;-No principal
image was found ijii the,temple;.or 'vestibules. ’ -
E 2 REMAINS