The ancient and medieval architecture of India: a study of Indo-Aryan civilisation

xxii INTRODUCTION

useless. Theforestshould becutdown, so thatthe

soil may-

beploughed and used forgrowing thingsthatare

useful and

good forfood."

And the King

whoruledoverall those lands, wishingto

know the truth, for he

was buildinga

new

city

and

wanted

good timberforit, sentsomeofhis servantswho

werelearned

in forestloretoinquireintothematter. Andtheycamebackto

the Kingand said:

"

It is true,OKing, thatthesetreesareof

thesame

kindasthosewe havealwaysused forbuildinginour

country: theyare

very old, but sound and fit for use. The

forestshouldnotbe

cutdown,forif

theparasites,

creepersand

undergrowth

which are spoiling the trees are

removed,

the

forestwillbe ofgreat

value

to

the

Stateandgivegoodtimber

for building

many cities." What the

King did belongs to

anotherstory

;

butas hewasagood and wise King, I do not

thinkhehadtheforestcut downas the Botanistadvised.

Imustleavetheinterpretationoftheparable

tomyreaders.

The present work only deals with city building

incidentally,

aspartofamuch greatersubject—thehistory
ofthecivilisation

introduced into India

by the Aryan race and

its relation

to

empire-building.

It does not profess to

give more than

an outline of its
fundamental ideas. The
materials dealt

withare

mainly

those furnished by the ancient and

medieval

monuments of India

—an open book for those

who canread

it, but onewhich has remained

closely sealed for

Europeans

€ven to

the present day.

Fergusson, in his

great pioneer

work, "The History of Indian

and Eastern

Architecture,"

made an attempt to interpret it

at a time when

the diffi-

culties ofthesubjectwereimmeasurably
greater
than theyare

now. It saysmuchforhisgeniusas

ahistorianthat

heseized

at once the great cardinal truth stated
so admirably
in his

introduction—one thatcannot be

repeated too

often:

"

Archi-

tecturein Indiais stillalivingart,

practised on

the principles