Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/216

i 7 6 CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. BOOK VL I527. 1 His successor, Vikrama Shahi, added another palace, of even greater extent, to this one in I5i8; 2 and Jahangir and Shah Jahan added palaces to these two, the whole making up a group of edifices unequalled for picturesqueness and interest by anything of their class that exists in Central India (Plate XXVIII.). 3 Among the apartments in the palace was one called the Baradari, supported on twelve columns, and 45 ft. square, with a stone roof, which was one of the most beautiful apartments of its class anywhere to be found. It was, besides, singularly interesting from the expedients to which the Hindu architect was forced to resort to imitate the vaults of the Moslims. They had not then learned to copy them, as they did at the end of that century, at Brindaban and elsewhere, under the guidance of the tolerant Akbar. Of these buildings, which so excited the admiration of the Emperor Babar, probably little now remains. The Moslims added to the palaces of the Hindus and spared the temples and the statues of the Jains ; we have ruthlessly set to work to destroy whatever interferes with our convenience, and during the few years we occupied the fort, probably did more to disfigure its beauties, and obliterate its memories, than was caused by the Moslims during the centuries they possessed or occupied it. Better things were at one time hoped for, but the fact seems to be that subordinates and contractors are allowed to do as they please, and if they can save them- selves trouble, there is nothing in India that can escape the effect of their unsympathising ignorance. AMBER. The palace at Amber, the original capital of the Jaypur State, ranks next after that of Gwaliar as an architectural 384- Erskine's ' Memoirs of Baber,' p. 2 Cunningham's ' Archseological Re- ports, ' vol. ii. pp. 346 et seqq. , plates 87 and 88. 3 We occupied the fort during the mutiny, and retained it long after. The first thing done was to occupy the Baradari as a mess-room ; to fit up portions of the palace for military occupa- tion ; then to build a range of barracks, and clear away a lot of antiquarian remains to make a parade ground. What all this means is only too easily under- stood. M. Rousselet no unfriendly critic observes : " Les Anglais sont tres-activement occupes a simplifier la besogne de 1'archeologue, et a faire disparaitre ce precieux document de 1'histoire de 1'Inde. Deja toutes les con- structions a la gauche de. la porte de Test sont livrees a^ la pioche, et le meme sort est reserve au reste " (' L'Inde des Rajahs,' p. 362). And, again: "Mais, helas ! 1'Ourwaha'i lui aussi a vecu. Quand j'y revins en decembre, 1867, les arbres etaient coupes, les statues volaient en eclats, sous les pics des travailleurs, et le ravin se remplissait des talus d'une nouvelle route construite par les Anglais : talus dans lesquels dorment les palais des Chandelas et des Touars, les idoles des Bouddhistes et des Jainas." Loc. cit. p. 366.