When I afterwards communicated this explanation of the royal Buddhist to the members of the _Mission archéologique de l’Indo-Chine_, this mission’s director (who afterwards became the first director of the _École française d’Extrême Orient_), Mr. _Louis Finot_, the great indo-archaeologist, (even according to professor _Kern_) thought this monster-head didn’t represent _Rahu_ but _Garuḍa_, the destroyer of the _nâgas_. And when I argued I had always seen this _wâhana_, god _Vishnu_’s riding animal or eagle, represented as a bird or as man-bird provided with wings and claws or at least with the beak of a bird of prey, the French-Indian scholar assured me he did know _Vishnu_’s representations seated on such a monster-head only[23]. It was _I_ who afterwards found such _garuḍa_-heads with claws of a bird of prey (with 3 or sometimes 4 front-toes). As for the rest _Garuḍa_ is the deity’s faithful servant, and, according to the Buddhists of the northern church, Vishnu must have revealed himself in their _Buddha_ for the ninth time. He is also the natural defender of this church, and the destroyer of its subterranean enemy. In the form of the Javanese _kĕris_ (creese) I found, for about seven years ago, the _nâga_ mostly adorned with a proboscis and an elephant’s lip which may be taken as an indisputable proof of the truth of our idea about this nâga-symbol. But we are standing, in front of the eastern staircase, or before that which has remained of it. [Illustration: Northern staircase of the ruin of the _Båråbudur_, with the gate leading from the fourth polygonal and surrounding terrace to the round ones and the high middle-_dagob_. The only gate which has remained intact, with the _Garuḍa-Nâga_ ornament on its frontside.] Even the beautiful banisters rising from above, out of a monster’s mule, and ending in a nâga-head with trunk curled up, are no more to be seen[24]. Eight high steps lead us to the _first_ gallery. The very first thing we see is that the two walls are hewn with two series of imageries richly framed, and placed above each other, whilst it is clear to be seen that this must have been done after that these walls had been run up from their combination of stone-blocks, and that an uninterrupted band of exquisite festoons has been affixed above these sculptures under the cornice of the _back_-wall. Because of their having been modelled in relief style all these sculptures are therefore no _basso_ but _alto-relievoes_. The upper series of the front wall covers the somewhat declining back parts of the mentioned niche- and dagob temples. On the back wall we see similar temple-groups, but _all of them_, even the small niche-temples, are crowned with dagobs and cones. The three following and higher walls also carry such temple-groups, and beneath the cornices of the outer-walls we see a band modified for each wall, but always beautifully thought, and formed of elegant rosettes and guirlandes with birds.