Forbes, James, 1749–1819, James Forbes letter, Isle of Elephanta, 1774 February 1, copied between 1794 and 1800
- Call Number:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Holdings:
- [Request]
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749–1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Isle of Elephanta, 1774 February 1
- 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
- Part of Collection:
- volume 6, page 229-243
- Provenance:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Conditions Governing Access:
- The materials are open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use:
- 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.
- Scope and Content:
- From the caves on the island of Salsette, Forbes moves to the caves of Elephanta. He mentions multiple visits to the caves—this letter, unlike those before it, does not recount a single journey, but rather spends its time musing on the nature and origins of the caves at Elephanta as a whole. Forbes begins with the ground plan, providing details of the layout and construction of the caves. He includes precise dimensions, while also explaining the iconography of the sculptures: “on each side are several figures at full length, the height of the temple, with small aerial beings, like angels, hovering around them.” Forbes has some less-than-positive comments about the carvings. The figures are in high relief, though “a sameness pervades the whole” and many of the figures have a “sleepy appearance.” Likewise, the proportions of the columns do not compare to those achieved in Greek architecture. Nevertheless, Forbes writes, “I am lost in thought on considering the time this work must have taken to compleat it; the thousands of artificers employed, and the extraordinary genius of its first projector.” He laments that he cannot adequately express the caves brilliance, and compares them favorably to the pyramids of Egypt. Forbes spends a considerable amount of time throughout the letter establishing the intellectual and artisanal provenance of the caves. He notes that many date them to “the reign of Solomon, King of Israel; and allege that he, or his friend Hiram, sent fleets to India to procure ornaments for the Temple at Jerusalem.” Forbes rejects this, however, as the sculpture often cited as representing Solomon, to his mind, can be viewed “in no other light than the image of some deity in the Hindoo Mythology.” Others suggest that Alexander the Great was responsible for the caves, “but Alexander made no great progress to the southern provinces of Hindostan, after crossing the Indus,” and therefore could not have constructed them. Forbes concludes: “I do not hesitate to attribute these extraordinary caverns to the ancient Hindoos.” Forbes includes the caves at Salsette in this conclusion, again missing the diversity of religious figures and traditions in the caves (Buddhist, Hindu, etc.). He sees a similarity between modern Hindu iconography and that found in the temples, and asserts a highly advanced stage of Hindu antiquity must have existed for the creation of these caves. After this conclusion, Forbes adds that, “on transcribing this letter in 1796 I have an opportunity of adding a passage from a periodical” relevant to the caves. He quotes at length from an unsourced account, which provides a synopsis of parts of the Mahabharata and an assertion that the inscriptions at the caves are in Sanskrit, though in a distorted script. Forbes then copies another article, this time ascribed to a Mr. Goldingham writing in Asiatic Researches, journal of the Asiatic Society, founded by William Jones in Calcutta. This article provides details on the various deities depicted in the caves, including Siva, Kama, Krishna, Ganesha, and others. Forbes ends the letter with a brief mention of the similarities between grottos in Egypt and those described in his letter, noting that most scholars believe the Egyptians copied the art of the Indians. Portions of this text appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>, volume 1, pp. 429-454.
- Physical Description:
- 15 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
- Finding Aid Title:
- James Forbes archive
- Collection PDF:
- https://ead-pdfs.library.yale.edu/11734.pdf
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199652
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199652?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1