Indian Antiquary Vol 02

SR No.: 032494
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 428
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

Page 35

JANUARY, 1873.)
CORRESPONDENCE, &c.
29
discover the existence of an architecture wholly in ing so old as Chandragupta. The quarriers, masons, wood-above the foundation-infinitely more gor- and architects whom Alexander brought with him geous and more artistic than the pukka palaces of must, consequently, all have been over a bundred Calcutta, to which his knowledge of the art seems years old before they commenced to impart their to be confined. The truth of the matter is, that ex
knowledge to the Hindus. Perhaps they may at cept for its one great defect-want of durability- that advanced age have been too feeble to inpart wood is a better building material, especially in their knowledge, or perhaps they had forgotten their hot climates, than stone. It admits of far greater
native arts. I must leave to the Bábu to explain spaces being roofed, with far fewer points of sup- how this may be ; but certain it is they left no trace port. It admits of framing, and consequently of of their art on anything now known to exist in India. immense economy of material, and it allows of cary- The truth of the matter is, the Babu bas read my ing, gilding, and painting to an extent with difficul
| works in a hazy, lazy, oriental kind of way, and has ty attainable in stone. If the Mauryan kings
hastily drawn from them conclusions much more
in accordance with his own personal feelings than thought only of their own splendour and comfort, without any hankering after brick and mortar im
with anything he found in any writings of mine. mortality, they were right to use wood instead of
If he follows the same course in future, and does stone, as the kings of Burmah and Siam now do.
not read bis Sanskrit works with more care, and quote The Mughul emperors thought of posterity, and we
from these with more accuracy than he has done
from my works, we may safely predict that anything are grateful to them for so doing, but I would like to see a wooden palace that had been built by Akbar.
he may write about the ancient architecture of the
Hindus won't be worth much more than the value Fattelipur Sikri would have been & dwarf and
of the paper on which it is written. mean in comparison. "The question, however, is not one for argument
Langham Place, Nov. 1872. JAS FERGUSSON. but of fact. I have before me some hundreds of photographs of caves in Western India and Bibar
Query. of Buddhist rails and gateways—such for instance as I HAVE been lately so fortunate as to discover a those of Sanchi, and of other buildings erected be- | MS. of a Prakrita Grammar, by Subha Chandra, tween 250 B. c. and the Christian era. All these, entitled Sabdå Chîntâmani. The concluding lines without a single exception, are literal copies in stone a re : iti .... sri S'abhachandra virachitâyâm of the foring of wooden carpentry, and such as nosvopajnas'abda-chintamanivrittau dvitiyasya adhyapeople could have used who had ever seen or been yasya chaturthah pâdah; samapto 'yam vrittih. familiar with stone architecture. Besides this, all From this it would seen that the MS. is complete. the bas-reliefs at Sanchi, in the first century of the It consists of two adyâyas each containing four Christian era, tell the same tale. The basement of pådas. Subha Chandra follows Hemachandra's arthe houses, as of our modern wooden bungalow, the rangement of the Pråkrita sátras, not that of Varssolid parts of the town walls all in fact that can be
ruchi, Bhanaba, and others. But he gives Hemacalled engineering are in stone or brick ; all the
chandra's stras here and there in a slightly differsuperstructure is even then in wood, like the ribs in ent order, and adds a few sttras of his own ; thus the roof of the caves. These are such patent facts
in the beginning of the work, which commences that I do not believe that any one, who will take the
with a series of samjnå stras (on technical terms); trouble to examine the evidence, can arrive at any
a feature which, I believe, is unique in this work other conclusion than I have done.
on Prakrita Grammar. It is clearly later than In his haste to find fault, it does not seem to have
Hemachandra's Grammar, and appears also to take occurred to the Bábu that he was accusing me of notice of later Prakrit formations. saying that " Alexander brought quarriers, masons,
I shall feel much obliged to any one who can and architects to teach the Hindus"-Greek archi
give me further information on this work; especitecture, I presume-which I never did say; and then
ally who Subhachandra was, and when he lived ; and that I stated that the Hindus, during the two centu
whether there are any other MSS. of his work ries and a half that elapsed before the Christian era,
known to exist, and where. were employed in elaborating a perfectly original style of their own, without any trace of foreign
Benares, Nov. 18, 1872. A. F. RUDOLF HOERNLE. influence, except perlaps ornainent here and there which may be Assyrian or Persian. I'am at a loss
HULLE MAKKA.U.' to guess how the Bábu can reconcile these contra
(See Ind. Antiquary, vol. I. p. 380.) dictory staternents, unless it be thus. From the first The head-quarters of this sub-division of a caste tiine I wrote on Indian architecture to the present is a village in one of the talukas of the Bangalor day, I have always asserted that Indian stone archi- district. Single families are to be found scattered tecture commenced with Asoka, 250 B. c. I do throughout the province, the members of which once not know, and never pretended to know, of any build- & year go round their beat collecting their dues.
J. R. A. 8. VIIT., P. 38. Picturesque Illustrations of of Architectura, vol. I, p. 5. History of Architecture, vol. Ancient Architecture in Ilindoalan, Intro, p. 2. Llandbook'IL, p. 450 ; and io lectures and papers passim.