tering with gold and gems, enlivened by the song, the dance, and the society of beautiful damsels. Some ardent devotees aspire to a still loftier destiny: they hope to be absorbed into the essence of Bram, or the Supreme Mind, where they shall repose for ever on an unruffled sea of bliss. Hell is in like manner composed of many compartments, corresponding to the various iniquities on account of which erring mortals may be doomed to enter its dismal precincts. The unmerciful are to be tormented by snakes; the drunkard is to be thrown into pans of liquid fire; the despiser of a Bramin is to stick fast in the mud with his head downwards; the inhospitable to have his eyes torn out by vultures; the seducer to be embraced by an image of red-hot iron. Some of these abodes are covered with darkness, others filled with boiling oil or burning copper; one is crowded with animals and reptiles, another planted thick with thorns. The ground is here composed of deep mire, there it bristles with needles. Thus it is manifest the Hindoo system, though in a somewhat fanciful manner, affords a certain sanction to all the various branches of moral duty. Still, the bestowing of gifts upon Bramins, the observance of certain ceremonies, the performance of a long and difficult penance, are believed to constitute the higher degrees of merit; atoning even of themselves for the most enormous sins, and ensuring an endless enjoyment of felicity.

The temples erected for the celebration of Hindoo worship appear to have been in ancient times of the most costly and magnificent description. Their early structures bear also a peculiar form, so dissimilar to those of modern date that they would seem to be the monuments of some mighty people who no longer exist. The most remarkable are those found in different parts of the Deccan, not consisting of masonry, but excavated in the sides of mountains, which, in many instances, have been entirely cut out into columns, temples, and images. The most celebrated, perhaps from having first attracted observation, is Elephanta, termed by Mr. Maurice "the wonder of Asia." It is situated about half-way up the declivity of a hill, in a small wooded island near Bombay. Three entrances are afforded between four rows of massive columns, and the principal pne is 220 feet long by 150 broad. The most conspicuous

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object, placed in the centre, is a triple head of colossal dimensions, being six feet from the chin to the crown. was long supposed to represent the Hindoo triad; but is now believed to be simply a figure of Siva, to whom this temple is dedicated, and with whose images it is filled. On the neighbouring and larger island are the cave-temples of Kenneri, less spacious, but more lofty, and equally rich in sculptures. A whole hill was here formed into an excavated city, with tanks, stairs, and every accommodation for a large population; but all is now deserted and silent. The great cave of Carli on the opposite coast is similar to those of Kenneri, but still more spacious and elegant. Again, near the ancient city of Deoghir and the modern Dowlatabad are the wondrous structures of Ellora. Here a lofty hill is completely cut out into a range of temples, and its surface covered with varied sculpture and ornaments. "The first view," says Mr. Erskine, "of this desolate religious city is grand and striking, but melancholy. The number and magnificence of the subterraneous temples, the extent and loftiness of some, the endless diversity of sculpture in others, the variety of curious foliage, of minute tracery, highly-wrought pillars, rich mythological designs, sacred shrines, and colossal statues, astonish but distract the mind. The empire whose pride they must have been has passed away, and left not a memorial behind it."

We may likewise notice Mahabalipoor, known also by the name of the Seven Pagodas, situated about thirty-five miles south of Madras. The term signifies the city of the Great Bali, and the sculptures refer chiefly to the exploits of that deified hero, as well as to those of Krishna, Arjoona, and other actors in the war celebrated in the Mahabarat. While the structures in the west of India are dedicated almost exclusively to Siva, this is sacred to Vishnu, of whom, in the principal temple, there appears a colossal image sleeping on an enormous hooded snake. These monuments are not on the same gigantic scale as those at Elephanta and Kenneri; but many of them are said to be very beautifully executed. Tradition and some remains attest the existence of a great capital near this site; but at present it is inhabited only by a few Bramins living in huts, who obtain a subsistence by exhibiting the ruins.

The pyramidal temples called pagodas are numerous in

the south of India; but in grandeur and beauty they are all eclipsed by that of Tanjore, a city long celebrated as the most learned and opulent in that part of the peninsula. It is 200 feet high, and the interior contains the figure of a bull in black granite, the dignified object in whose honour it appears to have been constructed. Lord Valentia was not allowed to enter the precincts of the temple; but from the door he obtained a view of this revered animal, which appeared to him to present rather a favourable specimen of Hindoo sculpture.

The Jains have ancient temples in Rajpootana, which may vie with the most splendid of those erected by the disciples of Brama or Boodh. One of these, built within the fortress of Kumulner, is marked by a fine style of simple and classical elegance, its form bearing even a close analogy to the temple of Theseus at Athens. Hence Colonel Tod has been induced to entertain the conjecture, that it may have been designed by Grecian architects, at an era when the kingdom of Bactriana, under Greek sovereigns, held sway over a great part of India. Another temple, of a style decidedly oriental, in the fortress of Ajmere, is one of the most perfect as well as most ancient monuments of Hindoo architecture. The façade is covered with Arabic inscriptions; but Colonel Tod thought he discovered under these the traces of Sanscrit characters, and conceives the design to have been originally Hindoo, but worked over by the less skilful hand of a Mussulman architect.

In the vicinity of Kotah, a Rajpoot territory bordering on Malwa, Colonel Tod discovered, and has described, in his second volume, some very splendid structures. The temple at Barolli is remarkable, not for its dimensions, for it does not exceed fifty-eight feet in height, but for the profusion of sculpture with which its surface is covered; so that every stone is considered as forming a miniature building. Notwithstanding a very high antiquity, it is still in wonderful preservation, owing to the close-grained quartzrock of which it is constructed, and to a fine marble cement spread over it. The colonel considers the sculptured figures as completely redeeming the character of ancient Hindoo art; being marked by a peculiarly easy and flowing style, and presenting some heads that would not disgrace Čanova. The temple is dedicated entirely to Siva, of whom, and of

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his warlike consort, the gateway presents two remarkably fine statues.

In the same territory occur the temples of Chandravati, the remains of the ancient city of Patun, the position of which is now occupied by the recently erected and flourishing town of Jhalra-patun. Patun, in the days of its glory, was adorned by 108 shrines, of which only two or three imperfect specimens remain. These are covered with the same profusion of chiselled and sculptured ornaments as those at Barolli. But the statuary is far inferior, and, being more modern, marks a gradual decay in the art. It is, however, much superior to the works executed in the present day, when it is made a reproach that the Hindoo chisel can produce nothing but deformity. The rich and varied architectural ornaments, carved upon the gateways, columns, ceilings, and every part of the edifices, appear to be such as no artist in Europe could surpass. These structures have suffered much dilapidation by being used as quarries for the construction of the modern town, into whose walls thousands of sculptured divinities have been inserted,

The temples of Ganga-bheva, not far distant from Barolli, display similar art and beauty, though inferior and more modern, since a date corresponding to 955 A. D. is found on the pavement. They are chiefly distinguished by the deep forest with which they are now surrounded, and the disappearance of every trace of human habitation. "The tiger and wild boar are the only inhabitants that visit the groves of Ganga-bheva." Several gigantic trees have penetrated and rent the walls; one of them has large slabs encased in its wood, and its bark covers a whole regiment of petty gods. The cave-temples of Dhoomnar, though extensive, do not equal those of Elephanta and Carli. They are chiefly remarkable for the mixture of the Jain worship with that of Siva. Mynal in Mewar presents a most striking scene, both from its architectural beauty and the peculiarity of its situation, which is on the brink of a precipice overhanging the river, and at the entrance of a huge chasm or dell, 400 feet in depth, "within which it would be death to enter," crowded with luxuriant foliage, and peopled with all the tribes of the Indian forest.

The Hindoo temples of the present day, we have already remarked, do not display a grandeur in any degree commen

surate with those of former times. Many contain only a single apartment, and may be built for about twenty-five pounds; few have more than three or four rooms. The grand ceremonies to which multitudes crowd are all cele brated in an open area fronting the gates; so that nothing is wanted within but space for the images, and accommodation for one or two attendants. These idols are composed of every possible material, and of a great variety of dimensions, from gold downwards to wood and clay, and from a height of twenty-one cubits to figures weighing one or two ounces. In their form no display is made of the art of the sculptor; they are fashioned by the smith, the potter, or any other tradesman who works in the substance out of which the god is to be fabricated. Before acquiring, however, the character of sacred objects, various offerings, mysterious touches, and incantations must be performed by a Bramin, through whose operation they are at last supposed to receive eyes and a soul, and to become the living abode of the deity whom they represent. Those of clay are usually modelled by the worshippers themselves, merely to serve the purposes of a particular festival; the ceremonies of which are closed by casting them into the rivers.

The worship and services paid to the Hindoo deities are, generally speaking, irrational, unmeaning, and often immoral. They include no provision for instructing the body of the people in the duties of life, or even in what is supposed to be divine truth; but consist merely in acts of blind and senseless adulation to popular divinities. Every image, when lodged in its temple, has a mechanical round of daily homage performed before it, and is furnished with a regular allowance of food, which, after remaining a certain time, is removed and applied to the use of the attendants. On the great annual festivals these offerings are profusely lavished; while the multitudes assembled in front of the temples indulge in indecent songs and extravagant motions. Mr. Ward enumerates the various articles of maintenance bestowed upon Kalee, in her temple at Kaleeghata, among which are 12,000 goats, 240 tons of rice, 48 cwt. of sugar, 264 cwt. of sweetmeats, and considers them as worth 90001 annually. Besides the public solemnities the devotee has a daily service to perform, explained at great length by Mr. Colebrooke and Mr. Ward, but of which we cannot under