Identifier: ruinsofdesertcat01stei (find matches)
Title: Ruins of desert Cathay : personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Stein, Aurel, Sir, 1862-1943 Archaeological Survey of India
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Macmillan
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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I40. REMAINS OF COLOSSAL FIGURES OF SEATED BUDDHAS IN NORTH-EAST PASSAGEOF RUINED SHRINE M. II., MIRAN SITE.
Text Appearing After Image:
141. STUCCO HEAD OF COLOSSAL BUDDHA FIGURE, AS DISCOVERED BETWEEN STATUEBASES IN RUINED SHRINE M. 11., MIRAN SITE.

CH. XL HEADS OF COLOSSAL BUDDHAS 455

from classical models. Even the wavy edges of the festoon-like plaits hanging from the arms were reproduced with exactness. It was impossible to doubt that the construction of this ruined temple dated back to a period long anterior to the Tibetan occupation. But that even its abandonment must have taken place centuries earlier became highly probable when I discovered in front of and close to the base of one statue a fragment about six inches long of a palm-leaf manuscript written in Sanskrit with Brahmi characters of an early Gupta type.The material showed that the Pothi-shaped manuscript, containing apparently a Buddhist metaphysical text, had been written in India; and, judging from the palaeo-graphical features of certain characters, it was safe toc onclude that it could not have been written later than the fourth century of our era, and pos

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