Many of them belong to the age of Asoka, the great Buddhist emperor, who ruled all India B.C.250, and in whose reign Buddhism became the religion of the state, and held its third Oecumenical Council.
The ancient Buddhist architecture is very singular, and often very beautiful.

It consists of topes, rock-cut temples, and monasteries.

Some of the topes are monolithic columns, more than forty feet high, with ornamented capitals.

Some are immense domes of brick and stone, containing sacred relics.

The tooth of Buddha was once preserved in a magnificent shrine in India, but was conveyed to Ceyion A.D.311, where it still remains an object of universal reverence.