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It is as unlikely that they should ‘adopt such an_ ill-balanced arrangement as to add the Western Gateway next, but more probable that the ~ Northern one should have been erected as a pendant to the Southern, and also because it faced one of the principal ascents to the terrace. . If this is so the Eastern followed next, and the. Western was the last added. - Its eee capitals being exceptional, also favours this idea. In an artistic, point of view, the question is not very important, as all four _ probably were erected within the limit of 100 years; but as this is the Gateway _ that bears the Satakarni inscription,* and is consequently the one on which the age ~ of the whole mainly hinges, it is important that its relative position in the series. should be correctly determined, if it is possible to do so. . One of the pillars of this Gateway, with its lion capital, is seen photographed in Plate. XVI. A lithograph of the principal bas-relief in front of one of the pillars— a of * This inscription is is seen on a Dagoba in the centre of the architrave in the foreground of Plate XVII. 02 108 THE TOPE AT SANCHI. the only one accessible as it lies on ‘the ground—will be found in Plate XXX., and its lion capital is represented in Plate XX XIX. The principal historical bas- relief, representing a siege, is lithographed i in Plate XX XVIII. Fig. 2. Each of these will be described in its. proper place further on, and will suffice to convey a tolerable _ idea of the sculpture of this Gateway. The fragments represanted in the foment, of Plate XVI. seem i be among the sharpest and clearest of the whole series. ‘Those to the right hand and further off are portions of Fig. 1. Plate XXXVIIL., but we have unfortunately no drawing of the bas-relief in front of it—part apparently of the intermediate architrave. On it are seen a group of men and women among trees, the two men with five-headed snakes, and the five women with single snakes, The continuation of the bas-relief will be observed in Plate XVII. behind the principal one, where two more men and several female figures will be observed with the same Naga accompaniments. In the centre.of the architrave is a Dagoba with flying figures worshipping, and beyond, the right-hand ‘portion is filled with sacred trees. In front of this all across the picture (Plate XVII.)-is the upper architrave, divided as usual between Tree and Dagoba Worship, three Dagobas and four Trees occupying the central portion. On the projection on either end is the sacred horse, caparisoned, and with: the royal Chatta borne over him. On the blocks over the pillars are mer riding on oxen, bearing offerings in their uplifted hands. In addition to these sculptures, another is described by Colonel Maisey, but unfortunately neither drawn nor photographed. “It represents the worship or perhaps “ consecration of a Chatta-shaded Tope of two terraces with hovering Kinnaras. “ On the Tope is an inscription.* To the left are numerous male and female figures, * standing as on the folds of snakes, whose heads canopy their heads. The costume ° “ is Indian (Hindu). The group seems to represent some person of distinction, | “ attended by male and female followers, some’ of whom worship the Tope, while others bring offerings, &c. On the right a processgen approaches, consisting of some — “ person of rank, shaded by a Chatta, in a two-horsed chariot, preceded by musi- “ cians and horsemen, one of whom carries the curious spouted teapot-looking utensil ** which occurs so pe in the sculptures. Three elephants, with standard bearers, “ bring up the rear.”. -This curious basgelief, Colonel Maisey says he was deterred from drawing, in consequence of its btext, much corroded by exposure, and refers to a native drawing published.in the J. A. 8. B., vol. III., p. 481, which, however, ; is so incorrect that but for his testimony it would be- a to recognize it as representing the subject. he describes. * Cunningham, Bhilsa Topes, p. 266 (Ins. 191). PLATE XIX. “2 ie yyy AA Ae ANC 5 HITTIN Y ‘Yr PRAKAAK MR A & G 5 WYYYXKY AAS AAN +yY WitMyy Mrynyyaryxy oy LYY Avy AX MALE NGS LOMASICO ME LO SNIOg re ee - ~ ag 3 fa! A KK aS XX 3d : ‘TONY S WY ENVY, YYYY Wy vivcx YW UN RY Yt oO kha Aa Ik iS AX Aa RAD DESCRIPTION OF PLATES. 109 PLATES XIX., XX., anp XXI. WESTERN GaTEWAY AND Gare OF sMALL ToPE. Tur Western Gateway fell only a few years ago, in consequence apparently of the clumsy digging into the Tope of some nameless amateurs, who overwhelmed it with the rubbish they threw down from the Tope itself. Only one of the pillars is now standing, but the other, though on the ground, is accessible, and all. their sculptures have been drawn, and will be found among the lithographs in - this work, and will be described further on as they occur. The architraves are occupied apparently with the same class of subjects as those represented on the other Gateways, with only such variation as the taste or skill of the sculptor might suggest. There are also as usual two historical scenes. One of these, representing the triumphal return of the -army bringing back the relics, is engraved on Plate XXXVIII. The other seems either the commencement or a continuation of the same subject. All this is in perfect accordance with the sequence ‘just pointed out; and the triumph is thus the concluding historical scene on the Gateway last erected. If this is so, however, it assumes a preconcerted design for the whole of the sculptures, which would bring them more nearly together than I would feel inclined to do from the other indications available. There are no inscriptions or any marks on the Gateway of No. 8 Tope, repre- sented on Plate XXI.,-which could assist us in ascertaining its age; and as Colonel Maisey has not drawn any of the more important sculptures, we are left almost wholly to the photographs for what knowledge we may gather regarding it. The fact of the Tope, containing relics of the two principal disciples of Buddha—Sari- putra and Mah’ Mogalana—is, as before. mentioned, no test of its age. These may have been preserved in some chapel or shrine connected with the great Tope from the time of Asoka till the Christian era, and been accessible to the public, as relics frequently were in early times, and this Tope may have been erected to contain them when the fashion of concealing them came into vogue. Even, however, if it was as old as the great Tope, its age is no test of the age of its Gateways. The style of their decorations is therefore the only evidence we have, and so far as can be judged from the photographs—we have only one drawing of this Gateway, Plate XLII., Fig. 8.—there is no difference between the sculptures of the Gateway and those of the great Tope. A careful examination on the spot might reveal peculiarities which we cannot see in our illustrations. _I have placed it in juxtaposition with the Western Gateway, because the one possesses the same dwarf capitals as the other does, and in so far as this feature is concerned this would indicate that it was of the same age. Lion capitals we know are as old as the time of ASoka, and this might readily suggest their employ- 110 THE TOPE AT SANCHLI ment, as was done in the Southern Gateway, as already pointed out. Elephants ure also found surmounting the capitals of pills as early as Aéoka’s time ;* so that these two forms had long been familiar to the architects of the Sanchi Tope. The dwarf capital, however, is new, so far as: we now know, and is so ugly that we cannot help wondering at its introduction after the other beautiful forms, but its - symbolism may have been more attractive to the eye of the devotee than its want of gyace is repulsive to our artistic taste, so we must not judge too hastily. The sculpture on the front of the only lintel’ still “in situ” is of ‘considerable interest for our purposes, and is thus described by Colonel Maisey :—‘‘ The front “ face of the lintel is curious; the volutes are formed of snakes, and the portion “ over the pillars are men slaying monsters half elephant half snake.” (This does not occur elsewhere, so far as I know.) “The centre portion has several groups ‘apparently on the banks of a river. On the extreme right and left are snake- ‘“‘ canopied mén seated with one arm encircling the neck of a woman. In the centre ‘is a pavilion, on the roof of which are six spectators, and under it a male per- * sonage seated on a throne. Like the figures right and left, he is attended by “ several women, one of whom is seated, and talking to him. Kinnaras (flying _ figures) hover near the pavilion, marking it and the person’ under it as sacred. “ Between the groups are rocks, among which various figures may be detected.” ‘The photograph is unfortunately on too small a scale to enable us to add anything to this description. This is to be regretted, as the serpent volutes are a curious architectural fact, and as these spirals occur on all the Gateways it would he very interesting if we could trace back.the form to a Serpent origin. It may, -however, .be only a caprice in the present instance. The monster, half elephant half serpent, is also news but cannot be distinguished in. the photograph. The groups in the foreground of the photograph (Plate XXI.) seem to represent the same objects as are found in the other Gateways, but. seem better done, and the whole seems so much more to resemble what is found at Amravati, that on this ground’ alone I would feel inclined to place it as the most modern of the panel Gateways. It certainly is the most essentially Ophite of the group. If the ruins of the Tope itself were searched, it is probable that some of the pillars of ‘the Rail might be recovered.