Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 2.djvu/215

I ANCIENT RELIGION, kd 1Q3 vestige is found of any architectural remains con- structed for purposes of convenience or utility. I shall offer a brief and general sketch of the leading relics of antiquity, referring the curious reader for a more particular and detailed descrip- tion to an essay on the subject, in the Transactions of the Asiatic Society, and to another, in those of the Literary Society of Bombay. The antiquities of Java consist — of temples, — of images, and — of inscriptions, which I shall describe in succession ; and, from the inferences to be de- duced from the whole, endeavour to render a ra- tional account of the ancient religion of the Javan- ese, and of its history. To begin with the architectural remains, these are spread over the whole of the best portion of the island, from Cheribon to the eastern extremity, and are most abundant in spots distinguished by beauty and fertility, such as the mountain Prahu, the districts of Mataram, of Pajang, and of Ma- lang. They are of four descriptions ; 1st, Large groups of small temples, of hewn stone, each occu- pied by a statue. 2d, Single temples of great size, of hewn stone, consisting of a series of inclo- sures, the whole occupying the summit of a hill, and without any concavity or excavation. 3d, Sin- gle temples, constructed of brick and mortar, with an excavation similar to the individual temples of the first class. And, 4th, Rude temples of hewn stone,