It is true that the front wall of the inner-room of tyanḍi Sévu makes us think, from its inside at least, of such a relievo vault, but this had been entirely shut off to its outside, and consequently not likely to have ever done duty as a “light-case”[14]. Had Dr. Brandes taken van de Kamer’s objections and my warning into unprejudiced consideration, this meaning of his would not have been possible.
Tyanḍi Mĕndut has the outward appearance of a quadrangle with a somewhat rectangular wing in the centre of each of its four sides.
Consequently an icosahedral resting on an equally polygonal foundation of larger extent. The north-western forebuilding, which reached much farther, and formerly had been separately roofed in, contained the porch to which a broad and fourteen-tread staircase will lead us even now. This staircase is flanked by heavy banisters formed of composed naga and garuḍa heads we are going to know somewhere else.
However, among the sculptures we see on the outer-wall, Mr. M. Foucher recognised not without some reserve the main image on the northeast side as the eight-armed mahâyânistic deity Tyundâ or Tsyundâ, standing between the Bodhisattvas Avalokitésvara and Manjusri; on the wall to the south-east (the hind-part thus) he thought he saw Avalokitésvara himself, four-armed, and between two Taras; and on the south-western side he saw Tsyundâ once more, but now four-handed and standing between the very same two Bodhisattvas we see on the north-easterly outer-wall. On the side-panels of this wall he recognised the Bodhisattva Manjusri, on the south-east side Vajrâpani, the Bodhisattva of the second Dhyâni-Buddha; and on the outer-wall to the south-west he saw Manjusri again, the former with his sword and the latter with his book on a blue lotus. All the small series sculptured on the outsides of these heavy stairs refer to ancient legends.
The king of Siam told us that in the whole of his buddhistic empire there was only one image which, though much more damaged, could be compared to the colossal Buddha image we see here, whilst his brother, prince Damrong, called the Mĕndut Buddha priceless.
In 1896, and afterwards in 1901, H. M. rendered due homage to the Buddha image by a devout sĕmbah (salaam) and by strewing sĕmboja-flowers (Plumeria acutifolia Poir) in its lap; and so did the Queen.
Tyanḍi Pawon.
V.
Leaving the native village of Mĕndut behind us, crossing shortly after the small iron bridge built over the river Elo, and after having been ferried over the Praga, when a mile’s drive farther westward, we arrive at the little dukuh of Bråjånålå (or Bråjånalan) where we see the very small tyanḍi Pawon before our having turned into the broad kĕnari-avenue which leads through the native village of Bårå to the hill of the Båråbudur. Some years ago this tyanḍi had been pulled down and afterwards rebuilt again. Its name which means “kitchen” is clear enough to make us understand how the Javanese would have shown the striking contrast between this small temple and the other more extensive one, as if it were a kitchen compared with a mansion or temple.
Why then was this small ruin pulled down and afterwards rebuilt again?