fters, and deities feemed as if ftarting from the bowels of the earth to open day. From the appellation of cave, I was previously led to con, ceive that I fhould be obliged to explore my way through dark and fubterraneous paffages cut in the rock; judge then my furprife when, instead of thefe, I found myself in a kind of street, where, on one hand, a range of lofty domes, ornamented with porticos, pillars, arches, and human figures, burft upon the eye at one view, and prefented a fcene more like enchantment than reality. It would be an endless task to me, and I am afraid a tirefome one to you, were I to defcribe the different caves through which we paffed, and which almoft entirely furround the mountain. I fhall therefore confine myfelf to a defcription of the Grand Cave, or Temple, which indeed furpaffes all the others, as much in extent as in beauty and ornament.

The entrance to this wonderful excavation is by two princely gateways, highly ornamented with a variety of figures, now almoft quite effaced by the hand of time. The firft of thefe leads to an open court, of about twenty feet fquare, with two pillars, on which are reprefented, in baffo relievo, a lion and a tiger. To the right are two urns, executed in a very neat manner, and perfectly fresh. At the oppofite end of this court is an apartment cut out of the rock, in which are five human figures in alto relievo; two of which are much larger than the life, with a number of fmall figures, like angels, hovering over them; a variety of other figures, in the attitude of devotion, furround the pedestal on which the two large ones already mentioned ftand. The other gate leads to what in this country is called a veranda, or feranda, which is a kind of piazza, or landing-place, before you enter the

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hall or inner apartments. This generally furrounds the whole houfe; and, from its being open at the fides, affords the cooleft, and confequently the most pleasant place to fit or to walk in during the heats of the day. Thefe verandas are both above and below, according to the construction of the house. The one we have juft now mentioned extended no farther than the breadth of the cave, or great hall, and might be about twenty-eight feet in length, and fifteen in breadth. You enter it by two pillars, ornamented with a vast number of female figures nearly effaced. Two large windows perforate the outer wall of this veranda, which, with the entrance, give light and chearfulness to the whole. At each end, in a kind of nich, ftand two immenfe male figures in alto relievo, nearly of the fame dimenfions, and in fimilar attitudes and drefs. The height of thefe gigantic ftatues, as nearly as I could judge by the meafurement of a long pole, was about twenty-two or twenty-three feet, and (except the fhoulders, which appeared to me rather too broad) the whole figure is very well proportioned. The little finger meafured exactly fifteen inches; the length of the foot from the heel thirty-five inches, the extended hand from the wrift thirty-feven inches, the leg from the foot four feet three inches and a half, the thigh five feet, and from the pedeftal to the upper part of the knee-pan five feet nine inches. The attitude of these figures is erect: the right arm extended nearly parallel to the fide; the hand open, with the palm uppermost ; the left arm raifed in an eafy elegant pofition to the top of the fhoulder, where the hand holds the end of a garment, which defcends from the left breaft almoft to the feet in loofe folds, whence it feems to be brought round the back to the left fhoulder,

shoulder, where it is fecured as already defcribed. The countenances of both these figures are placid and grave; and, except the nofe, which is handfome, approaching fomething to the Cafres, particularly in the under lip, which, like that of all the other figures, is thick and prominent; the eye downcaft, the forehead low, the face broad, and the whole colour refembling much more the English than the Gentoo. The heads of both were ornamented with an infinite number of fmall curls, but whether intended as a representation of natural hair, or as a crown or cap, I could not positively determine the ears were large, in which were ear-rings of a monstrous fize, pendent to and apparently refting on the fhoulders. Round the head of each a variety of fmall figures, in an incumbent pofture, hold fomething in their hands resembling flowers and feftoons, many of which are elegantly executed.

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On each side of the door leading to the great hall (which, like the others, faces the Eaft) two groups of male and female figures principally occupy the oppofite fide of the veranda which fronts you on your firft entrance. Thefe groups confift each of two males and two females; whigh, from their attitudes, and the different inftruments in their hands, I fhould fuppofe to be dancers. The firft group on the left, or S. W. end of the veranda, reprefents a female holding fomething, which I could not make out, in her right hand above her fhoulder; her left arm extended round the back of the male, whose right elbow refts on the curve of the woman's arm. The man holds in his right hand an inftrument similar to that held by the woman, and raised in the fame manner above the fhoulder. To the left of the man another woman holds in her

right hand, pendent to her fide, fomething refembling a bell or cymbal; her left arm, like the other, round the back of the man on her left, who is nearly in the fame po fition with the other. The dress of the female confifts of a kind of cap, flat to the head, with very large ear-rings refting on the fhoul-" der. They are naked to the middle, round which is a cloth or garment tied, which defcends behind about the middle of the thigh: the ends of the garment tied fold over the parts of generation; the legs remain bare; the ankles and wrifts ornamented with large rings, or bangles, fingle and double, the only part of drefs that is fimilar to the prefent fashion of the inhabitants of India. The breafts of thefe, like all the other female figures are remarkably large and globular, the belly prominent, and the lower part of the waift unnaturally small. The men are likewife naked to the hips, with a garment or cloth fimilar to that of the females, tied in a knot at the left hip, the ends of which hang near half down the thigh; the parts of generation feemingly expofed, but from the ravages of time I could not be pofitive. The heads of each are highly ornamented with a kind of bonnet or cap, on the right fide of which an additional ornament is affixed refembling a bunch of flowers. The fecond group confifts of the fame number of figures male and female, and in much the fame attitude and drefs; with this difference, that' from the places being reverfed, the left arm of the man embraces the woman with the hand refting ou her left fhoulder; the position of the man's legs likewife differs in this refpect, that, instead of the left foot being turned out in a ho- ' rizontal direction, both feet remain parallel to each other. The countenances of the figures in thefe

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with men and women riding on their backs, very well executed, but much decayed; the eighth pillar has a tree, with an open book at the root. On the right of the hall there are only fix pillars with capitals and bafes; they are likewife highly ornamented, but the figures almost entirely effaced: the firft pillar, however, furnishes us with the reprefentation of a tiger, a horse, and two men, executed in fo mafterly a manner, that we cannot help afcribing particular excellence to the reft. The tiger is couchant, and juft ready to feize on his prey; but the terror and attitude of the horse is equal to any thing of the kind I ever faw: one of the men feems as if rufhing in between the horse and danger, his countenance and attitude highly expreffive of fortitude. The other pillars, thirteen in number, are plain octagons, and furround the circular extremity of the hall, where a large folid mafs of ftone, in form of a pagoda, or mausoleum, ftands immediately in the center. All round this pagoda, like those now found in the country, are holes cut to contain lamps ufed during particular ceremonies. The length of the hall, from each end of the colonade, is above fixty feet, and a bout twenty in breadth; the full dimenfions of the whole, including the paffage before mentioned, mult therefore be fixty-eight by twenty eight. The height, from the ground to the highest part of the roof (which is arched in a moft master ly ftyle) cannot be less than forty feet. Quite round the walls, where the roof commences, there are places cut out of the rock as if to fupport the ends of beams or rafters; and from the regular marks all over the roof, it is pretty evi. dent it was formerly covered with wood, perhaps curiously carved like the pagodas every where found in

India. Immediately under thefe are two rows of fquare holes, that likewife extend quite round, exactly parallel to each other, in which the ends of pieces of timber still remain.

It is impoffible to speak decifively on thefe appearances. From what has been just mentioned, it is clear that fome wooden work muft have projected from the walls all round the apartment; and this fuppofition is ftill ftrengthened by the formation of the whole excavation. From the large femicircular window, or door in front, being exactly in a line with the holes, it is natu ral to conclude that there must have been a communication between this place and the upper veranda; nor can I help thinking that a cominunication likewise took place between the under and upper ftories, though not the smallest traces of it are any where to be found. To fuppofe that the upper part of this hall was floored, would, I think, be a bad compliment to those who have furnifhed us with fuch inftances of taste and genius, as it must have entirely deftroyed the grandeur of the whole, and wrapt the under part, with all its beauties, in utter darknefs. I am therefore rather inclined to think that a wooden gal. lery extended quite round, and that the communication between the under and upper stories must have been by a wooden stair-cafe, either from without, or from fome part of the hall. Be this as it may, the grand cave of Cannara must ever be confidered by the man of tafte as an object of beauty and fublimity, and by the antiquary and philofopher as one of the most valuable monuments of antiquity.

Having partly quenched my thirft of curiofity at this inexhaustible fountain, and examined the three adjoining caves (which are likewife curious relics of genius and devo

tion) we repaired to the other parts of the mountain, through an aftonishing number of excavations of various forms and dimenfions. Many of these are between fifty and fixty feet fquare, decorated with pillars and verandas; but all different from the four other caves, being low in the roof, with few or no ftatues. They are almost all furnished with a well of excellent water each, cut into the rock generally at the end of the verandas, or fome inner apartment fecured from the rays of the fun, which renders it delightfully cool and grateful in a country like India. Thefe excavations, as I before remarked, have communications to each other by steps cut in the fides of the rock, and extend to, the oppofite fide of the stream that partly furrounds the base of the mountain, and which, during the rainy feafon, I fhould fuppofe, is fwelled into a confiderable and rapid river. Moft of these caves confift of one large apartment, with a number of fmall ones of different dimensions adjoining; which circumftance, together with many others, convinces me that this could not have been a place of mere worship, as is generally fuppofed, but the regular and fixed habitation of a fet of people who perhaps lived here for ages. The different caves through which we paffed (and these were far from conftituting the whole number) might contain fome thousands of inhabitants without any inconvenience, if occupied in the fame manner as the present habitations of the people in this country. That fuch an immense number of excavations, divided into a variety of different apartments, and carefully fupplied with fuch plenty of water, were executed merely for the purpose of religious worship, is, I must confefs, to me incredible. Befides, few of thefe caves, except the four

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already mentioned, bear the most diftant marks of devotion; those indeed give evident proofs of it, particularly the three which, with the grand cave, form a ftreet or row on your first entrance, and which greatly excell all the others in magnificence, ornament, and beauty. They have each a pagoda (the invariable mark of worship in this country,) round which vaft number of male and female figures either kneel or ftand in a fuppliant posture; their eyes downcaft, their countenances melancholy, with hands folded to their breafts, or counting a ftring of beads. All thefe figures occupy the front or the veranda of the cave, and strike the eye forcibly on the firft approach. They are extremely well worth the attention of the curious; but, as my time was limited, and the grand cave becoming an object of more importance, I contented myself with a particular infpection of that only.

After exploring the different caverns of this wonderful rock, and viewing from the fummit the beauties of the furrounding country, we returned to the grand cave, where we were happy to find our fervants arrived with the provender. The cloth was inftantly laid in the fouth window of the veranda, which furnifhed a table, if not the most polifhed, perhaps the most ancient in the world. Exercile, good spirits, keen appetites, and novelty of fituation, gave new charms to the feaft; the cold fowls, ham, and fal lad, feemed better than any thing of the kind we had met with before; while good wine, excellent water, and focial mirth, crowned the, moft delicious banquet I ever enjoyed. After dinner, fome of the company went to fleep, and others to the woods for fport. I fnatched the opportunity to make the few remarks which I now fend you, and 2

which