A Journey to Katmandu (the Capital of Napaul), with the Camp of Jung Bahadoor: Including a Sketch of the Nepaulese Ambassador at HomeOliphant, Laurence
History
A Journey to Katmandu (the Capital of Napaul), with the Camp of Jung Bahadoor: Including a Sketch of the Nepaulese Ambassador at Home
Oliphant, Laurence
Nepal -- Description and travel
So much has already been written on the interesting subject of the caves
of Ajunta, that they are more or less familiar to every one, or, if not
already familiar, are destined soon to become so, thanks to the skill and
energy of Captain Gill, who is at present engaged in making copies of all
the paintings. These will form a splendid collection, and some of them
have already been sent to England, and placed in the collection at the
East India House. It was doubly delightful to us, who had just
previously examined the originals, to look over the portfolios of this
talented draftsman.
Ere we left the village of Ajunta we visited its neat whitewashed mosque:
the association connected with it must be replete with interest to the
Englishman, when he calls to mind that in it the Duke of Wellington--then
Sir Arthur Wellesley--wrote his despatches immediately previous and
subsequent to the victory of Assaye.
The caves of Ellora are two days' journey from those of Ajunta, and are
much more cheerfully situated on the face of a hill commanding an
extensive view over a more smiling country than is usually to be met with
in the Deccan.
It is difficult to say which set of caves are most worth seeing;
differing in many respects, they may be said to afford equal attraction
to the traveller. Ellora can boast of the wonderful "Kylas;" Ajunta of
those most interesting frescoes which carry the art of painting back to
an unknown period, but which at Ellora have been almost totally
obliterated by the ruthless and fanatical zeal of Aurungzebe.
A few miles from the caves of Ellora frowns the rock fortress of
Doulatabad, a conspicuous object from every side, and we soon discovered
its interior to be as singularly interesting as its exterior was
formidable and imposing. The rock itself is a pyramid rising abruptly to
a height of 700 feet above the village which nestles at its base, while
it is scarped all round to the broad moat by which it is encircled,
forming a sheer precipice of 100 or 150 feet in depth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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