The Bossier banner., 1890-02-20

| t. =, VIC 0hUrdnce. Immediately go
ing through each gateway was a sbarn
'urn into strongly-fortifed COURTYARD.
"hlch could not contain more than ion
armed men at one time, We went nm
untli we had passed through four sim
llarly fortified gateways and courtyards.
AIVef passing through the fourth gate
we entered long narrow street built
upon either side with most curiousIv-
SNAPPED buildings, that are said to have
Deen the fronts of fortified palaces of
0he MOBILES. We pass along this narrow
roadway for nearly a quarter of a mile
until we reach another strong gate
RAISING through this we make the
usual short turn into fortified court
yaro' and SO on, until we pass through
6hfee more of the same kind and
come face to face with the great rock
Daulatabad. Daulatabad is surrounded
by moat cut down into the solid rock
W feet deep and 140 feet wide. Now
comes what was to me the most wonder
ful OF all, and that is, this rock noun
tain has smooth perpendicular cut sides
all around 1t, which measures from the
top of the scarp to the water in the moat
lo0 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 possi-
bic entrance up to the palace of the
king, which stands within hundred
feet of the top of the rock. Our guide
walked before US carrying a burning
| f1ambeau 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
gallery which is about 12 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 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
pregnable way to our tonga, where we
take our breakfast under the shade of a
large pepul tree, tree sacred to the
Hindoos After breakfast we start on
our journey of miles to the Ellora
caves, which place reach at one p. m.
The travellers bungalow, where we
were to tarry for the night, stood on the
brink of a mountain range nearly one
thousand feet high. The range is in the
form of a crescent and the bungalow
stands in the very center. Back of the
bungalow is beautiful plateau of green
fields; before us thousand feet below
is the most lovely valley ever saw, ex-
tending 20 miles. In the base of the
mountain, 50feet above the valley and for
mile and half along this crescent, are
the rock cut caves and temples of Ellora
You must remember these temples are
not built up of rock by the hand of work
men, but caves, pillars, capitals and i'm
ages are cut out of the solid rock, each
one being fixture. They are of three
denominations, consisting of Buddhists,
Jains, and the Brahmins. The Buddhists
have, one after another, II temple caves,
the Brahmins, coming next in order
along the crescent, have II, and the
Jains have 3.
Of these 80 temple caves limited space
will admit of descriptions of but two of
the largest and most gorgeous, the first
of which is described as follows:
The Buddhists chose as site for their
first temple or cave place underneath
and back of a waterfall. They cut away
the rock underneath the waterfall which
formed a covered corridor or roadway a
number of feet wide and perhaps Is feet
high, the back of this corridor forming
the front of the cave temple and the en-
trance to it. Passing through the en-
trance door and climbing number of
rock cut steps, we enter an immense cave
carved out of the solid rock of the noun
tain, and as beautifully cut and carved
as the finest polished stone work sculp-
turing you ever saw. The sides of this
great cave are covered from floor to cell
ing with every conceivable design of
heathen art, such as idols, men, women,
children, cattle, elephants, lions, tigers,
birds, trees, and lotus flowers, all of life
size and standing out from the heavy
wall boldly as though statuAry had been
placed there. Every little way round
this spacious hall will be found dark,
cheerless cells about IL feet square.
These cells were the homes or holy
places for the holy men (akirs), who
spent all their lives in the cave.
The ceiling of this temple cave, which
is decorated with many religious designs