Forbes, James, 1749-1819, James Forbes letter, Salsette, 1774 January 10, copied between 1794 and 1800
- CallNumber:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Salsette, 1774 January 10
- Date:
- copied between 1794 and 1800
- Classification:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Series:
- Series I: A voyage from England to Bombay with descriptions in Asia, Africa, and South America
- ContainerGrouping:
- volume 6, page 191-195
- Provenance:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- AccessRestrict:
- The materials are open for research.
- UseRestrict:
- The collection is the physical property of the Yale Center for British Art. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts.
- ScopeContent:
- Some time after returning to Bombay from Anjengo, Forbes and several companions set off to the island of Salsette (now subsumed by the city of Mumbai) to see several temples carved into the mountains. The island is at this time under the control of the Marathas, so Forbes secures a passport from the ruler of the island, promising safe passage through the territory. After a short stay in a Portuguese church, the group reaches the first of the ancient caves, high in the mountains. Forbes describes the layout of the cave in detail—he identifies it as a temple—and compares it to “the ancient Basilics, adjacent to the royal palaces, where the Roman emperors, and other sovereigns administered justice.” Forbes goes as far to suggest that the caves are constructed on precisely the same plan as those other ancient structures, though he sees them as entirely devoted to worship. There is an “altar” and a “spire,” and while there are “no images in this temple,” a few carvings adorn the tops of pillars, as well as the entranceway. Among the latter carvings are inscriptions: “I copied a few lines that were most perfect, which are annexed; but I can obtain no explanation of them.” The script is likely Brahmi, one of the oldest scripts used in South Asia and associated with, among other things, the Buddhist ruler Asoka. The group then proceeds higher into the mountains, passing many smaller caves en route. Forbes allows himself some admittedly groundless speculation, and wonders if the complex was “a city cut in the mountain, where some thousand persons might reside: the large cave appears to have been their grand place of worship…” The area surrounding the caves is pleasant: Forbes notes the view, and the Portuguese structures, now fallen into decay under Maratha rule. Despite this, the caves are not altogether welcoming, and Forbes writes that “the number of their savage inhabitants are an alloy to their pleasures.” He refers not to any humans, but to the monkeys, bats, bees, and so on that now call the caves home. He recounts a brief encounter with a woman who, having set down her child to gather fuel, could only watch as a tiger dragged the infant into the woods. Forbes closes the letter with the dimensions of the large cave, and what he describes as a lingam within. This latter identification is incorrect; the caves are now associated with Buddhist iconography and construction. The structure at the center of the cave, then, is likely a stupa, or a mound-shaped structure often containing relics, found throughout areas of Buddhist presence and influence. Portions of this text appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>, volume 1, pp. 423-426.
- PhysicalDescription:
- 5 pages
- Genre:
- Correspondence , Botanical illustrations, Ornithological illustrations, Travel sketches, Maps, Watercolors (paintings), Drawings (visual works), Engravings (prints), and Portraits
- Subject Terms:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819. Descriptive letters and drawingsForbes, James, 1749-1819. Oriental memoirs
- Associated Places:
- EnglandItalyScotlandWales
- Associated People/Groups:
- East India CompanyForbes, James, 1749-1819
- FindingAidTitle:
- James Forbes archive
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199643
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199643?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1