The Great Temples Of India Ceylon And Burma

Mostly on Hindu temples in India, and Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka and Burma.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1904 edition. Excerpt: ...their heads rising about ten feet above the pedestal. The aspect of these and of all the images is peculiar. Frequently on the brow and middle of the breast there is a diamond-set in silver or gold, and almost always the breasts are mounted with one of the precious metals, whilst there are occasionally gold plates on the shoulders, elbow and knee-joints, and a crown on the head. But the peculiar feature is the eyes, which seem to peer at you like so many cats. They seem to be made of silver, overlaid with pieces of glass, very clumsily cemented on, and in every case projecting so far and of such a form, as to give one the idea of their wearing spectacles over eyes in diseased sockets. I The Jains build temples as a work of merit without any reference to their use. On the Satrunjaya Hill a few Yatis or priests sleep in the temples, and perform the daily services, and a few attendants are constantly there to keep the place clean or to feed the sacred pigeons, but there are no human habitations properly so called. The pilgrim ascends in the morning, and returns when he has performed his d8VAlilAls-He must not eat, or at least he must not cook his food, on the sacred hill, and he must not sleep there. It is a city of the gods, and meant for them only. Most of the temples are modern. GIRNAR, next in sanctity to Satrunjaya, lies to the westward in Kathiawar, ten miles east of J unagarh town. The hill rises about 3,500 feet above sea-level. A rock at the foot of the hill outside the town is covered with Asoka's inscriptions, 250 B.C. There are six rest houses on the ascent to the temple of Neminath. The temple of Ambamata, which crowns the first peak of the hill, is much resorted to by newly married couples of the different sub-divisions...