The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-11-23
The Cayerns of Ajunta.

Gated about 200 miles from Bombay,
in the Chandor Range, near the an
cient Town of Fardapur. 1t is a re-
tired place, away from the course of
travel. The Government has provided
a bungalow where the traveller may
find shelter and safety, but that is all.
Ajunta is a ghaut or pass in the great
Chandor Range, which separates the
basin of the Toptoo from that of the
Godaveri.
In deep glen away up the noun
tain there is group of cave temples,
which are the most wonderful caverns
ON the earth. 1t is not known at the
present age how many of these exist in
the deep recesses of the mountains, but
twenty-seven of them have been ex-
plored, surveyed, and, to some extent
cleared of rubbish. There are doubt
less many others. 1t is hard to real
iZe with what indefatigable toll these
wonderful caves have been hewn from
the solid rock of amygdaloid. They
are said to have been wholly But dhist
in their origin, and were used for pur-
poses of worship and aSceticism. They
rank very high as works of art. They
extend over 500 feet along a high cliff.
and are carved in the most curious
manner, exhibiting in a wonderful de-
gree the taste, talent and persevering
industry of the Hindoo sculptors.
These cave temples are beautifully
cut and carved on the outside, but in
side they were finished most elabor-
ately, and decorated with vast pro-
fusion of sculptures and paintings.
These long deserted temples have suf-
fered from dampness and neglect, and
the paintings and frescoes are not what
they were hundreds of years ago. But
the colors are still brilliant, and scenes
gay and festive still appear upon the
walls. Some Of the figures cut in the
rock are taken for marriage professions
and scenes in domestic life that are
represented as joyful. The female
figures are beautiful, delicate and fair
as Europeans. Every one of these
representations is artistic, and all of
them are unpolluted by any grossness
or obscenity generally 50 prominent in
Brahminical representations of SIM
liar character.
These caves are visited by a great
number of antiquarians, who are
striving to discipher the hieroglyphics
inscribed on the walls and determine
the age of these curious temples.
The ruins of the ancient City of
Aurungabad are not very far from
these caves. 1t was a walled city of
great repute, but is now deserted.
There are not only broken walls, but
crumbled palaces. They were built of
immense strength, and some of the
walls appear as solid as the everlasting
hills. The tomb of the Kings daugh-
ter is among the ruins. 1t was once
grand tomb, something like the Tai at
Agra. The Kings favorite daughter
was buried here, and this costly tomb
was erected to her memory. For CEN
turtles it has been the fashion and prac-
tice to erect elaborate and costly tombs
in memory of the favorite of the rul-
ing monarch.
There are great many places in this
vicinity where there are Hindoo re-
mains consisting of deep caves and
rock-cut temples. Many of these
temples are surrounded by circular
Enclosure which is often adorned with
statues and columns. The figure of
an elephant is very common, placed
before or beside the opening of the
temple, as sort of sentinel. Hun
dreds and thousands of inches are
beautifully cut in the solid rock, and
when these temples We're thronged
with worshippers each niche had a
statue or image, usually in the florid
style of these Oriental sculptures. 1t
is sad truth that almost every image
here is shamefully defaced and mutt
lated. 1t is often said that no Hindoo
will bow down to an imperfect image,
and that the Mohammedans, knowing
this, purposely mutilated these
images to prevent the Hindoos from
worshiping them. This is regarded
by the Hindoos as sacrilegious and
awakening the keenest
which every Hindoo in
1erits from his father. and which CEN
,uries have not been able to efface.
Before this country was conquered
~ the Mohammedans the Hindoos
gathered at these wonderful cave-tem-
lies for worship. They came from all
'arts of the empire by thousands. and
,erhaps millions, and encamped in
hese hills, and remained for many
lays to worship. These places were
egarded as holy places where, if one
yorshiped, his sins were all washed
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