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THE

CALCUTTA CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.

May, 1833.

I.-Brief Observations on the Ruins at Mavalipooram.

[With two illustrative Drawings.]

AMONG the many relicks of antiquity for which the south of India is famous, none perhaps are more wonderful than those found at Mavalipooram, a place on the Coromandel coast, more generally known by the appellation of "The seven Pagodas." It is situated about 35 miles south of Madras.

In one of my journies lately, I stopped at this place to view its ruins, and to take a few sketches of such objects as appeared to me the most interesting. I am not aware that any drawings of this singular place have ever been given to the public. There are however some interesting notices of it in the Asiatic Researches, but they lose much of their interest for want of engravings to which the reader might be referred. I much wished to take continuous sketches of the entire scenery, with an intention of presenting them to the Editors of the "Calcutta Christian Observer;" but my time would not admit of it. However, I have much pleasure in placing two sketches at the disposal of the Editors, which I hope may afford some gratification to the readers of that widely circulated periodical.

I might with propriety have given the sketches to the public, as illustrative of the papers in the Asiatic Researches already referred to; but as a brief notice may serve the purpose of confirming some of the statements of others, and also of correcting a ew of their errors, I shall accompany the attempt to exhibit the scenery with a few brief observations on the ruins of this remarkable place. The English name by which the place is known naturally leads to the supposition, that there are seven temples still in existence, or at least that the hills have something of that appearance; but neither supposition is true. The hills, viewed from an eastern or western aspect, present to the beholder a long irregular chain, as seen in plate 3. It is not, however, very unlikely that at some remote period, there was the number specified in the appellation; and the presumption is favoured both by the existence of one large temple

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yet standing on the border of the sea, and the traditional testimony of the Natives resident there. It is generally believed that there was once a very magnificent city here, which has been destroyed by the encroachment of the ocean; and it is asserted that the gilded top of the palaces and temples were visible only a few years ago, and glittered in the beams of the setting sun. How far this tradition is founded on fact is difficult to say, but that large buildings of some kind have been submerged and destroyed, is quite evident to the most casual observer; for at the base of the remaining pagoda there lies exposed to the constant action of the waves, a vast number of very large sculptured stones, to whose existence alone the present building owes its preservation. In order to satisfy myself respecting these scattered remains, I went a short distance into the sea, and by scrambling about from stone to stone, I had an opportunity of ascertaining that the stones thus submerged were actually the sculptured remains of some dilapidated edifice. It may also be observed that the sea is evidently encroaching on this part of the coast, and that breakers may be seen two miles from the shore; and hence we may suppose, that formerly there was a greater number of temples and probably a city.

But the most curious and stupendous specimens of art and labour are five temples situated inland, about two miles south-west of the abovementioned pagoda. Mr. Chambers in his account, (Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 150,) referring to these says, there are "two pagodas of about thirty feet long by twenty feet wide, and about as many in height, cut out of the solid rock, and each consisting originally of one single stone." As he wrote his account several years after he had visited the place, he might easily have made a mistake: instead of two pagodas such as he has described, there are five; three, and part of the fourth, are represented in the annexed sketch, No. 2. together with an elephant and a lion. These temples and animals are not composed of stones cemented together, but every one is a sculp tured single stone or point of rock. The tusk of the elephant has been broken off, and within the fractured part, a square hole has been cut, either by the original artist or by some later hand, evidently with a design to supply the broken member :-a design, however, which remains unaccomplished. The elephant is quite natural, but the lion is not; he is out of proportion, and instead of a mane he has something about his neck like little curls of hair, from which I should infer that the sculptor was not well acquainted with the figure of the lion, though the writer in the Asiatic Researches already referred to says, that "the lion in this group of sculptures, as well as that upon the stone couch, are perfectly just representations of the true lion:" and again he says, "it is plain that that animal was well known to the author of these works." Mr. Goldingham in his account, (Asiatic Researches, vol. v. page 69,) speak

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