Introduction.
consisting of three series:—First, a Buddhist group, which may probably be as old as the seventh, but more probably belongs to the eighth, or ninth, century. After these comes a Hindoo series, lasting through the next two or three centuries, and closing with a Jaina group of the eleventh or twelfth. They form thus a singular contrast with those at Ajunta, where all belong to one religion; though it may be a question whether the variety of the one series is not as interesting as the uniformity of the other.
Besides this, there is a very important and interesting series of caves at Kennari in the island of Salsette, in Bombay Harbour—wholly Buddhist, and of various ages—and the well-known Hindoo cave of Elephanta, of the eighth or ninth century.
In the Ghats above Bombay there is another important series, at Juneer; a Buddhist group at Baug, in Malwa; and one partly Buddhist and partly Brahmanical at Dhumnar, and several others less known, and which yet remain to be examined and described.
Only one important group is known to exist in the Madras Presidency, that at Mahavellipore, on the coast, south of Madras.
They are comparatively modern, and may be as late as the thirteenth century of our era. They present a curious mixture of Brahmanical and Buddhist forms of architecture, but cannot bear comparison either in extent or interest with those existing in the Bengal or Bombay Presidencies.
Altogether, it has been calculated there may be in India 1,00 excavations of this class—nine-tenths of which are Buddhist, and the remaining 100 divided between the Brahmanical and Jaina religions. They thus form not only the most numerous, but the most interesting series of architectural remains existing in India before the Mahomedan Conquest. In fact, they are the only ones that serve to illustrate the Arts or History of the period to which they belong. The structural monuments erected during the early centuries of our era are scarce and widely scattered over the whole area of the country, and few even of these are in the state in which they were originally erected; whereas one of the great merits of cave architecture is that it remains unchanged and unchangeable during the whole period of its existence.
In order to understand what has just been said and a great deal of what is to follow, it is necessary to bear in mind that three
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