The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01
~sTONEMAsONs OF INDIA.
The Art of Cutting and Polishing
Highly Developed.
Stone Trades Journal.

ClOHC 4ldueS JOulHdls
Long centuries before the Western world
had awakened at The trumpet call of civili-
~ion-Whe the ancient empires of Greece
and Rome were yet unknown, When the
stones that form the pyramids were still
embedded in the granite hills OF Egypt, the
deft fingers of Indian WOrkmen were heW-
ing with marvellous skill and dexterity mas
sive blocks of Eastern granite. Here, In the
cradle OF the human race, the arts OF gran
lite cutting ana polishing first were mas
tered, AMI even yet human ingenuity has
improved but little the handiwork of those
ancient craftsmen. SO wonderful was their
skill that many centuries afterward, when
the older civilizations had passed away, not
only the native tT1besmen, but visitors from
foreign lands regarded those granite tenn
pies and statues as the handiwork of the
gods. In the early years or the Christian
era Fa Han, a Christian pilgrim, visited
India. In the city" he says, lis the royal
Palace, the different parts of which Asoka
commissioned the genii to construct by pill
ing up the stones. The walls, doorways
and the sculptured designs are no human
work" Another Christian pilgrim of the
same periOd-HOuen Ts-ang-describes. not
without a touch OF awe, the sculptured
stones of the land. and also what can only
have been a pillal OF polished granite. He
saw, he says, "a stone pillar. bright and
shining as a mirror, its surface glisteniEg
and smooth as ice
Oldest of all those ancient buildings are
fortresses and pagodas. The earlier pago-
das, however, were not the "stone-built
towers and mansions with a thousand pill
lars mtnllOUCU III the 0lS NtQd, DuI I'M
foreground temples hewn from the solid
rock, under the shadow of some lofty east
ern mountain. To this period (and perhaps
most ancient of alb belongs the famous pa
coda in the Island of Elephante, near Bonn
bay. Halfway toward the mountain top a
spacious hall. 120 feet square, is hewn out
of the heart of the mountain. Massive pill
lars. finely carved, are left here and there
at regular intervals for the purpose of sup
porting the roof and the weigh of the
great hill above 1.-THE whole forming a
striking picture OF rugged strength and
temples are the famous fortresses Of
Dowletabad and Asseergur, two gigantic
granite s~trongholds situated so advantage
ously tina even in these latter days it
would be no mean feat of arms TO capture
them by force. DR.. Kennedy, who has
given q lifetime study to these matters,
says the only tools the Hindoo artisan
a small chisel and an iron mallet. The
chisel tapered TO a fine round point, and
the face of the mallet had a deep hollow.
lined with lead. With such simple tools"
he adds. they formed. fashioned and
scooped the granite rock which forms the
tremendous fortress of Dowletabad, and
e~xcavated the wonderful caverns of Flora,
for it seems by no means probable tina the
Hindoo stone cutters worked with any
other tools"
Grinte. agates. bookstores and CRYSTALS
were fashioned with such primitive instru-
ments into cups and other hollow articles
as delicately shaped as those OF the most
plastic porcelain. King Solomon, it will be
remembered, received from the East a ruby
Gun containing the elixir OF life" So at
least runs the legend. In forming the cav
ity Of the cup small holes, a quarter of an
inch in depth, were first bored all over the
surface with a diamOnd-shaped drill. The
remaining portions around the holes were
then Clipped away anG the process repeat
ed time after time, until the desired form.
and depth were obtained. Infinite labor be-
slowed on every detail characterized all the
products OF ancient Indian art. With the
tall of the ancient Hindoo kingdoms the
art and craft of masonry died gracefully
away. Whether il will again be resuscitat-
ed one hesitates TO say. yet none the less.
in centuries yet TO come, the architects and
artizans OF the West will turn with wonder
and delight to view those enduring monu-
ments of human industry reared long ages
ago by the builders ana s,ulptors of the
Datient East.