XII.
A few remarks about the sculptures of the original foot of the outer-wall we didn’t discover before 1886. In 1890 I proposed them to be uncovered and photographed, afterwards they were covered again in the ancient manner, and hidden from sight.
They have been hewed on a projecting wall-foot which goes tolerably deep beneath the heavy ogive, now resting as a socle again on the surrounding outer-terrace that has been afterwards built all round the 36-angled basis of the temple, but only on 24 of the 40 panels. The two sides of each of the double fore-buildings of the four temple-fronts built towards the different zones of heaven, haven’t been adorned with any sculpture, but the staircases divide the four middle fore-buildings into two panels.
Each of the 24 hewed panels contains six or eight imageries one metre long by about 80 inches high. A system of flat frames might have separated the whole series from the mentioned ogive, so to say, a regular combination interrupted by the staircases only.
If the 160 scenes which form this combination are to represent a series of following events or legends we then must try to find the beginning (like on nearly all other hindu temples) to the south of the eastern staircase following it from there through the South, West and North till the starting-point in the East.
This didn’t happen and could not have happened when they were photographed because the temporary uncovering began and was continued at more than one place at the same time without knowing how many sculptures there would be found. They have been marked on the clichés with capital letters for the different panels, and with figures for the scenes of each panel (from 1 till 6 or 1 till 8), but these numbers have been occasionally noticed in a just direction, and from time to time in a reversed successive number. On a few copies we don’t see any letter and number; they may have been cut off with the margin of papier.
Fortunately, the figures in lead pencil on the back-side could assist me, though they sometimes started from quite a wrong point.
The Dutch Government ordered 15 pair of photos to be taken from these clichés, and presented them to special musea or societies. I, the schemer of the plan, do not belong to the favoured. But the afterwards wrecked Archaeological Society did, notwithstanding I, her president, sent this plan to the Government for about 25 years ago[82].
Those who desire to examine these photos will find here the letters and figures in the just successive number of the sculptures to begin with C 1 south of the eastern staircase.
C, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
B, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8;
A, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
U, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
T, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
S¹, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
S, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
R, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8;
Q, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
P, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
O, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
N¹, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
N, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
M, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8;
L, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
K, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
I, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
H¹, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
H, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
G, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8;
F, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
E, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
D, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
C¹, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
Six of these 160 sculptures are badly damaged whilst one of them is wholly lost. (R. 5). Seven have less suffered. Twenty representations remained partially unfinished (C 3 and 4, B 7, A 2, U 4, S 1, O 7, N 5, M 2, K 4 and 3, H¹ 2, H 1, G 4 and 8, F 2, 4 and 6, D 3 and C¹ 4). Partly finished but for the rest not yet drawn in the rough are 3 scenes (H¹ 1, F¹, and D 4) whereas one (I 1) has been scarcely sketched.
On the flat frame above the series we see a few short indications engraved in ancient-javanese characters—dating, according to professor Kern, from about the year 800 of the Syaka-era,—roughly hewed and in a perfunctory manner, as if it were scratched in stone with a knife or a chisel, that is, above H 1, 2, 3 and 4 (twice); 5 (bis) and 6 (bis); F 1, 4, and 5; E 6 and 5; D 8, 6 (bis), 5 (bis), 4, 3 and 1 (bis)[83].
Some of these legends are no more or hardly to be read but the other ones read by Dr. J. Brandes don’t teach us any more than that which we may understand by closely examining the representations themselves, for instance, that the sĕmbah of the persons seated around a tomb or sanctuary refers to a reverence to a tyaitya[84].
Some inscriptions may contain the name of the person to be hewed, and to assist the sculptor.
The unfinished and scarcely sketched sculptures prove us that they, such as on other tyanḍis at Parambanan, have been hardly hewed here on the walls of the finished temples.
In these sculptures I could not have recognised any continuous series. Among many a domestic and some rural scenes I saw two or three fowlings with a pea-shooter or bow and arrow (M 5 and 3), and one fishing (I 6); one war-dance (C 5) and some other dancings on the occasion of which a wind-instrument provided with a bagpipe (S 2 and R. 17) was played on. Further there are offerings of food or flowers to Bodhisattvas or other venerable personalities, and once to the Dhyâni-Buddha Amitâbha, the Redeemer of this world (K 3), by six crowned men and to be distinguished by their glories (Bodhisattvas perhaps?)
On one sculpture (K 2) Amitâbha (?) has been four times represented as an ascetic in the wilderness. Sometimes there are hewed demons or raksyasas, most often attacking or killing other people (M 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8); tyaityas are to be seen more than once (U 3, T 6, 4 and 3, K 4, G 6, F 6, E 6, D 8, 6 and 3, and C¹ 6). Bodhi-trees covered by payongs and some gandharvas under their shade, such as to be found more than once in the Parambanan ruins and speaking of Buddhism even there, have been hewed five times (K 6, G 4, F 3 (bis) E 4 and C¹ 6), and once with a payong only (D 1). Vishnu’s tyakra has been once represented on a lotus-cushion in the sky (C 2).