not only from its natural fituation, but from the houfes being
all built of freeftone^as tyelLas from the narrownefs of the
ftreets, which produce double and^treble refledfcioms of the
fun’s rays : from the month of March, therefore, to the ufual
fetting in of the rains in the latter end of June, its heat muft
be intolerable.
Su r r o u n d in g the city are many ruins of buildings, the
effedts -'of Mahomedan intolerance. One is a large circular
edifice, having evidently been a Hindoo temple, or partuof
one; there are ftill veftiges of fome of the ornaments ; and
on one part I found the Grecian fcroll.
D uring my ftudies at,Benares, when I was making drawings
of fame Bramins, and'federal other perfons who were entering
and departing from - a : temple named Vifs Vislha, my
attention was called to thg^uilding itfelf,. and the more I regarded
il» the more I was -furprized to difcover ornaments
upon it which were familiar to my eyes. I then determined
to make a {ketch of the whole, which I executed, as well as
a more complete drawing of one ofv the columns; for on accurately
obferving the building in all its parts, I found each
column to contain the different ornaments which were found
in the other parts of the building.
. F or the fatisfa&ipn of my readers a very careful engraving
A C O L U M N t a k e n f r o m th e T EM P L E o f V IS V IS HA a t B E N A R E S .