The Bhilsa topes: or, Buddhist monuments of central India: comprising a brief historical sketch of the rise, progress, and decline of Buddhism; with an account of the opening and examination of the various groups of topes around Bhilsa

501 Pages·1854·10.92 MB·English

by  Sir Alexander Cunningham

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CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
Cornell University Library
BL 1420.C97
The Bhilsa topes or, Buddhist monuments
3 1924 022 980 571

THE
BHILSA TOPES
OB,
BUDDHIST MONUMENTS OF CENTRAL INDIA.

:
THE
BHILSA TOPES;
OR,
BUDDHIST MONUMENTS OF CENTRAL INDIA
COMPRISING
A BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH
03? THE
EISE, PBOGBESS, AND DECLINE OF BUDDHISM;
WITH AN ACCOUNT Off THE
OPENING AND EXAMINATION OF THE VARIOUS GROUPS OF TOPES
AROUND BHILSA.
BY
BREV.-MAJOR ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM,
BENGAL ENGINEERS.
"Youfabrichuge,
Whosedustthesolemnantiquariauturns,
Andthenceinbrokensculptures,castabroad'
LikeSibyl'sleaves,collectsthebuilder'sname,
Rejoiced." Dyes..—RuinsofRome.
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LONDON:
SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL.
BOMBAY SMITH, TAYLOR AND CO.
:
1854.
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PBEFACE.
1. The discoveries made by Lieutenant Maisey and
myself, amongst the numerous Buddhist monuments
that still exist around Bhilsa, in Central India, are
— —
described imperfectly, I fear by myself in the
present work. To the Indian antiquary and his-
torian, these discoveries will be, I am willing to think,
ofvery high importance while to the mere English
,
reader they may not be uninteresting, as the massive
mounds are surrounded by mysterious circles of stone
pillars, recalling attention at every turn to the early
earthworks, or barrows, and the Druidical colonnades
of Britain.
In the Buddhistical worship of trees displayed in
the Sanchi bas-reliefs, others, I hope, will see (as
well as myself) the counterpart of the Druidical and
adopted English reverence for the Oak. In the
horse-shoe temples of Ajanta and Sanchi many will
recognise the form of the inner colonnade at Stone-
henge.* More, I suspect, will learn that there are
Cromlechs in India as well as in Britain f that the
;
Brahmans, Buddhists, and Druids all believed in the
transmigration of the soul that the Celtic language
;
* Plate II. figs. 1, 2, and 3. tPlate II. figs. 4 and 5.
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