es of a spectator standing at the entrance, the whole
daghopa shines with light, and behind it is nothing but impenetrable
darkness, where no profane footsteps were permitted to tread. A figure
on the dag-hopa, from the summit of which "Raja priests" used to
pronounce verdicts to the people, is called Dharma-Raja, from Dharma,
the Hindu Minos. Above the temple are two stories of caves, in each of
which are wide open galleries formed by huge carved pillars, and from
these galleries an opening leads to roomy cells and corridors, sometimes
very long, but quite useless, as they invariably come to an abrupt
termination at solid walls, without the trace of an issue of any kind.
The guardians of the temple have either lost the secret of further
caves, or conceal them jealously from Europeans.

Besides the Viharas already described, there are many others, scattered
over the slope of the mountain. These temple-monasteries are all smaller
than the first, but, according to the opinion of some archeologists,
they are much older. To what century or epoch they belong is not known
except to a few Brahmans, who keep silence. Generally speaking, the
position of a European archaeologist in India is very sad. The masses,
drowned in superstition, are utterly unable to be of any use to him, and
the learned Brahmans, initiated into the mysteries of secret libraries
in pagodas, do all they can to prevent archeological research. However,
after all that has happened, it would be unjust to blame the conduct of
the Brahmans in these matters. The bitter experience of many centuries
has taught them that their only weapons are distrust and circumspection,
without these their national history and the most sacred of their
treasures would be irrevocably lost. Political coups d'etat which have
shaken their country to its foundation, Mussulman invasions that proved
so fatal to its welfare, the all-destructive fanaticism of Mussulman
vandals and of Catholic padres, who are ready for anything in order to
secure manuscripts and destroy them--all these form a good excuse
for the action of the Brahmans. However in spite of these manifold
destructive tendencies, there exist in many places in India vast
libraries capable of pouring a bright and new light, not only on the
history of India itself, but also on the darkest problems of universal
history. Some of these libraries, filled with the most precious
manuscripts, are in the possession of native princes and of