Even the beautiful banisters rising from above, out of a monster’s mule, and ending in a nâga-head with trunk curled up, are no more to be seen[24].
Eight high steps lead us to the first gallery.
The very first thing we see is that the two walls are hewn with two series of imageries richly framed, and placed above each other, whilst it is clear to be seen that this must have been done after that these walls had been run up from their combination of stone-blocks, and that an uninterrupted band of exquisite festoons has been affixed above these sculptures under the cornice of the back-wall.
Because of their having been modelled in relief style all these sculptures are therefore no basso but alto-relievoes.
The upper series of the front wall covers the somewhat declining back parts of the mentioned niche- and dagob temples.
On the back wall we see similar temple-groups, but all of them, even the small niche-temples, are crowned with dagobs and cones.
The three following and higher walls also carry such temple-groups, and beneath the cornices of the outer-walls we see a band modified for each wall, but always beautifully thought, and formed of elegant rosettes and guirlandes with birds.
On the five encircling walls of the Båråbudur we see no less than 432 niches provided with Buddha-images we are going to speak about afterwards[25].
We now turn to the left in order to begin our walk along the sculptures of the upper series of the back-wall.
This wall is the only one that has remained almost wholly preserved, showing us a comparatively well explained row of following events which give us an idea about the life of the Buddha Siddhârta Gautama, the Shâkyamuni, from beginning to end[26].