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| 0299 |
Ancient Khotan : vol.1 |
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Paris. This accounts for the hardness of almost all the pieces from D. 1 and the relatively
good preservation of their surface, including the colouring. The stucco of the walls, on the
other hand, being soft in comparison and friable, proves to consist of loess containing a con-
siderable proportion of true clay. A special distemper was probably applied to prepare its
surface for frescoes. The fact that the stucco of the large reliefs and images at Dandān-Uiliq,
as well as at the other sites, was invariably made up of loess like that of the walls, explains
why, of the large image or images which the shrine D. 1 must be supposed to have once
contained, nothing turned up in the débris but a life-size finger in red clay (D. 1. 14). It is
probable, however, that the colossal hand grasping a billet (D. T. 012), made of the same
friable stucco, which Turdi had brought from his previous visit, was also obtained in this ruin.
Turning to individual pieces recovered from the wall decorations of D. 1. we may specially Description
notice the small relief figure D. 1. 11 (Plate LV), represented in a series of replicas, of a Buddha of stucco
standing with the R. hand raised in the Abhaya-mudrā attitude, but brought across the centre reliefs.
of the breast. D. 1. 99 (see Plate LV), one of several replicas, shows a small Bodhisattva seated
on a lotus and surrounded by an elaborate vesica, and D. T. 05 on the same plate a more
carefully modelled head of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The graceful figure of a garland-holding
woman rising from a lotus (D. T. 02, D. 1. 110, D. 1. 014) which Plate LVI illustrates, is probably
meant for a Gandharvi, and must have been a favourite decorative theme with the local artists;
for her figure reappears in a variety of poses and sizes among the stucco reliefs from the walls
of other shrines (see Plate LVI). The female head reproduced in Plate LIV from D. 1. 90,
one of several fragmentary specimens (comp. D. 1. 18, 43, 89) must also, in view of the curious
hairdress, be attributed to a Gandharvi, though of a somewhat different type.
Among the fragments of relief ornaments, D. 1. 42 (Plate LIV) serves to illustrate the frequently
recurring half-round border of a vesica, showing rows of overlapping lotus-petals originally in
alternate colours (comp. D. 11. 34 in same Plate). D. 1. 87 (Plate LVII) is a specimen of a curious
ornament representing tongues of flames in varied colours, which seems to have regularly adjoined
the border just noticed (comp. D. 11. 55, 89, Plate LV). Peculiar to D. 1, and distinctly graceful
in design, are the floral ornaments (see Plate LVII) showing vine scrolls and grapes (D. 1. 114; also
D. 1. 53 in Plate LIV), lotus leaves springing from a moulding of beads (D. 1. 60, 74), lotus petals
(D. T. 011) or conventional chrysanthemum leaves (D. 1. 012). Jewel-shaped ornaments are
illustrated by D. 1. 10 (Plate LVII), D. 1. 44 (Plate LV).
The clearing of this single small ruin not only yielded a large number of sculptural fragments Southern
showing unmistakable affinity to the Buddhist art of Gandhāra, but supplied me with the indica- group of
tions needed in order to start the systematic excavation of structures more deeply buried in ruins.
the sand. So when on the next day I proceeded to the group of ruins situated half a mile to
the south of my camp, where on my first rapid survey I had noticed a number of small buildings
well covered by the sand and thus giving promise of better preservation, I was able with some
assurance to gauge their construction and character, though only the broken and bleached ends
of posts were visible above the sand. The arrangement of these, in the case of the easternmost
structure D. 11, is shown by the accompanying photograph, Fig. 28, as it appeared before
excavation. Together with a bit of fresco-covered wall laid bare by some recent burrowing
of Turdi's party, it suggested two small temple cellas. The excavations commenced here soon
proved the surmise to be true, and in addition revealed unexpectedly rich relics of the sculptures
and frescoes which had once adorned the cellas. Their constructive features and adornment
proved typical of those observed in other shrines subsequently excavated at this site, and may
therefore be described in some detail.
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724
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