The Bossier banner., 1890-02-20

crouching lions, sits the large figure of
Buddha, before which thousands upon
thousands of poor deluded creatures
bowed near 800 years ago. The floors
OF these temples have been worn as
smooth as glass by the many and fire.
quent kneeling and prostrating of the
worshipers.
The second which rightly claims a
place in this article is called the Kailos
pronounced Kylos,) and is a colossal
monollthic temple, standing in an open
courtyard, cut out of the mountain side.
This courtyard, in which the temple
stands, is 27O feet long and $50 feet wide.
In your imagination, stand before gran
ite mountain 1000 feet high; so feet up
from the valley cut trench directly into
the mountain 270 feet long, % feet wide,
and when the trench is completed it will
be 10Y feet deep at the deepest place; turn
now at right angles another trench 11S
feet long, % feet wide and 1O7 feet deep,
then turn at right angles again and cut
| your way out of the mountain then you
Will have two trenches 270 feet long and
lis feet long, % feet wide and 1O7 feet
deep in the deepest place. This will
leave in the center huge block of stone
freed from the mountain by the trenches
164 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 1O7 feet
high in the highest place., Out of this
monolith of stone, these wonderful men
of the ancient days carved this, the
most unparalleled temple for heather
worship that the eye of mankind ever
beheld. The temple is two stories high,
and its basement is supported upon a
frieze of life size elephants
At the entrance of the courtyard, from
wall to wall, is a panelled fence, or
stone partition, 11S feet long, Is feet
high, and two feet thick. We enter the
courtyard through an eIaborately dec
GRATED arched gateway, passing between
| two life-size stone elephants, facing each
other, that seem to stand as guards. We
go into the temple by passing under
meath huge acknowledgements, enter
ing room filed with richest carving of
almost every conceivable thing. Pass
ing out of the place under carved
gallery of solid stone, we ascend the
broad stairway to the second story, or
upper temple, and going on from room
to room, each one surprising the other
if possible, we reach the main hall of
worship.
This hall is 81 feet square, and 80 feet
high, sculptured far beyond my powers
of description or understanding.
On the outside of the main hall is an
uncovered veranda 26 feet wide, upon
which is built five beautiful shrines or
miniature temples containing an altar
for the burning of sacrifices and pools
for the catching of the blood. This un-
paralleled temple with it's forest of pill
lars and pilasters, its balconied porches
and double pavilions, are all carved
with different details of sculpture,
every thing from the dome to the floor
of the courtyard going to prove that this
temple was the grandest attempt to
rival all others before it, and perhaps
will till the end of time.
We will now go down out of ''Kailos"
into the courtyard again, and, on the
right hand side of the court, we pass
under great balcony of overhanging
rock, caused by an excavation having
been made in the perpendicular side of
the mountain wall or scarp. This pro-
jecting balcony was made by the noun
tain wall having being cut away 80 feet
high from the floor of the courtyard, and
25 feet back under the mountain. The
projection extends all the way around
the court without any support. When
yon go back under the 25 feet of project
ing rock you will come to fight of five
steps which brings you on to veranda
which is still farther sunk back under
the mountain rock some 1S feet. This
veranda is supported by many carved
pillars and the sides and ceiling are very
richly decorated, being sunk back under
the mountain 43 feet, 25 of them
without support, IS feet supported by
pillars. Two of these verandas are 11s
feet long, and one 210 feet long, forming
three sides of the courtya ard.
Go back to the courtyard again, but
over to the left hand side, ascend a few
steps and we stand in rock cut yesti-
bule 80 feet long, 90 feet wide, IL to Is
feet high. This, like all the other cave
rooms, is decorated with idols. From this
vestibule we ascend bya spiral stairway
to cave temple called Lank-es-bara.
This cave is one of marvellous beauty,
123 feet long, by 60 feet wide The cell
ing is supported by 21 massive pillars
and corresponding pilasters, all richly
carved; the floor of the central hall is
raised above the surrounding aisles
three steps high; the ceiling above is
similarly elevated by double archi-
trave surrounding it; the pillars stand
ing on the outer edge of the elevation
and each having bold capitals and
brackets beautifully carved upon them.
In one end of this cave temple is very
large idol of Brahma seated upon a
throne, and at the other end in con-
cave vestibule is a sacred bull. There
was once bridge of stone connecting
this cave with the great Kailos which
stands % feet away, but it has ages ago
fallen. From Is, 900 to 20, 900 worshipers
might assemble in the temple caves,
corridors and courts of tue Kailos at one
time, and every one of them could find
from where they stood something of
alteration for their darkened minds.
C+raprar ttIo-o~s4 -.