The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1890-01-25

come face to face with the great roc
Daulatabad. Daulatabad is surrounde
by moat cut down into the solid .rocl
30 feet deep and 40 feet wide. Nov
comes what was to ne the most wonder
full OF all, and that is, this rock noun
tain has smooth perpendicular cut side
all around it, which measures from tn,
top OF the scarp to the water in the moa
$50 feet. After passing over this rock
cut moat, we enter the perpendicular
side of the rock into narrow, dark and
winding tunnel, which is the only posi-
Bile entrance up to the palace of the
king, which stands within a hundred
| feet OF the top Of the rock. Our guide
walked before us carrying a burning
hambeau made of cotton saturated with
oil. The tunnel is very steep and we
assembled by climbing the rock cut stairs
Near the top of the tunnel we enter a
gallery which is about - feet square,
cut out of the solid rock. In this gallery
stands massive iron brazier, so shaped
that when it was laid down it perfectly
covered the entrance from below. In
times of war this brazier was fastened
down and great fire built upon it, MAX
ing the air in the tunnel SO hot that no
one could enter it and live, and by this
means every possible entrance to the
rock was effectually stopped. When at
last the Mohammedans captured Daula-
tabad from the Hindoos it was at the end
OF twelve years seige and then only
by starvation.
From this gallery we came out into
the light to behold most lovely sight
in the plains below, such a landscape
being seldom ever seen. Ascending 100
feet higher we enter the old Hindoo
palace of the king, now home for owls,
bats and swallows. Above the palace
100 feet is large circular bastion cover
ing the entire top of the rock and on the
top of this bastion is an enormous bronze
cannon 20 feet in length resting upon
an old decayed gun carriage which
has served that old cannon for hun
dreds of years. All the work of this
fort, fortress and fortified rock, costing
infinite labor and expense, was Just
simply to protect one man, the King.
We wind our way back through this i'm
way to our tonga, where we
take our breakfast under the shade of a
large pepul tree, tree sacred to the
dindoos- After breakfast we start on
our journey of z miles to the Ellora
;ayes, which placewe reach at one D. m.
The travellers bungalow, where we
we're to tarry for the night, stood on the !
brink OF a mountain range nearly one !
thousand feet high. The range is in the |
orm of crescent and the bungalow
stands in the very center Back of the |
is a beautiful plateau of green |
ields; before us a thousand feet below
the most lovely valley ever saw, ex-
ending 20 miles. In the base of the |
mountain, 50feet above the valley and for I
mile and half along this crescent, are
he rock cut caves and temples of Ellora.
lop must remember these temples are
lot built up of rock by the hand of work.
nen, but caves, pillars, capitals and i'm
ges are cut out of the solid rock, each
ne being fixture. They are of three
nominations, consisting of Buddhists.
aims, and the Brahmins. The Buddhists
ave, one after another, 1a temple caves,
ne Brahmins, coming next in order
long. the crescent, have IL, and the
aims have 8.
OF these 80 temple caves limited space
Ill admit of descriptions of but two of
he largest and most gorgeous, the first
which is described as follows:
The Buddhists chose as site for their
rst temple or cave place underneath
I'D back of WATERFALL They cut away ,
10 rock underneath the waterfall which
rmed covered corridor or roadway a s
amber of feet wide and perhaps Is feet I
gh, the back of this corridor forming :
e front OF the cave temple and the en- G
ance to it. Passing through the en- I
ance door and climbing a number of I
ok cut steps, we enter an immense cave q
rived out of the solid rock of the noun
in, and as beautifully cnt and carved
the finest polished stone work sculp-
ring you ever saw. The sides of this A
eat cave are covered from floor to cell
g with every conceivable design of
athen art, such as idols, men, women, Il
ildren, cattle, elephants, lions, tigers, 9
'NAo, eAcOS, uhu AOOuS uOWerS, all OF lie
q and standing out from the heavy II
III boldly as though statuary had been g
iced there Every little way round II
Is spacious hall will be found dark. r
eerless cells about IL feet square. Il
lese cells were the homes or holy 81
ices for the holy men {fakirs), who :.
ant all their lives in the cave. a.
The ceiling Of this temple cave, which =
decorated with many religious designs =, y
the ancient Buddhists, is supported :. -
massive but very richly-carved pill - =,
8 with beautiful sculptured capitals. a.
e space between the walls of the cave "
! the pillars form hall about is feet "
lie all around the temple, which is so !" y,
t square. The space inside the pill "
forms the great auditorium or wor- ~
ping hall. At the farther end of the "
l, resting upon throne supported by az
uching lions, sits the large figure Of
ddha, before which thousands upon y.
usands of poor deluded creatures ~
we'd near 1850 wears ago. The floors Al