this obscene object of worship is evidently placed upon the heap after it had become a ruin. Near it is lying a long stone of hornblende much carved. It contains four figures sitting, with many others in a posture of adoration. The four figures are in the usual posture of Buddhs, and resemble them in every respect except in having four arms. The third has no images, but it is said that it contained a Linga which has been removed.1

From Pali to Koch' is rather more than 42 miles. From the Morhar to Koch the road has as yet been only marked out by two rows of young trees, and in the rainy season must be impassable as the country there is low. There are several fine wells (Inderas) built by Raja Mitrijit, who seems to be an attentive Landlord. Koch is a very large village, mostly tiled as indeed is the case with a great many houses on the way. A few are neat, being smoothed and painted, and a very little pains might make such houses very pretty, but in general they are very rough and slovenly. From entering the town I went about half a mile north to an old temple of Siva, which is a little beyond the town. The north end of the town stands on some large heaps of bricks and stones, usually said to be the remains of the Kol. Beyond these heaps and a mud fort recently gone to ruin, is a tank, and on the west side of this is a large heap of bricks and granite, among which are some pillars of a curious structure but not exceeding four feet in length.

The whole of these ruins are supposed to have belonged to the temple of Siva, and the vulgar allege that they are the work of the Kol, but the priest says that he knows nothing of the Kol, and that the temple was built by Raja Bairu Indra, but the priest knows nothing of what country he governed, where he dwelt, to what caste he belonged, nor when he lived. I am inclined to think that the temple is of very modern date, as so much of the plaster by which it was encrusted (1)" See Journal from Jehanabad" (Note by Dr. B.). (2) Cowch, R., Couch, B.A.; Koch,

remains entire that it cannot well be above four or five centuries old. It farther seems to me to have been built on the ruins of a former temple. Before it are lying many images carved in relievo on hornblende. These were probably among the ornaments of the former temple. Among them are many of Surja, Vishnu, Devi, Ganesa, Hurgauri, Krishna and Rada, etc.; and two remarkable groups, one representing the Avatars of Vishnu, among which Budh is omitted and Rada put in to supply his place. The other I have nowhere else observed. It represents eight females sitting in a row on an equal number of animals, but it is called Naugraha so that one figure has probably been broken away. Among the others were two of Buddh, the only ones which contained inscriptions. They were broken, and the head of the one and legs of the other have been lost, but the whole figure may be made out from the two. Their hands are in a posture different from the common, but over the head of one is placed a smaller Bouddh in the usual posture. I could hear of no other inscription at the place. I was here met by the Moslem son of Raja Mitterjit, a very obliging young man, who has European instruments for drawing and has made a little progress in the art. He gave me two drawings of waterfowl which I had not before seen, and was employed taking a drawing of the. temple for my use. Had he masters I have no doubt that he would make much proficience.

Sorujugiri, a learned Dasnami of Buddh Gya, says that the account of the actions of Sankara Acharya is contained in the Sankar Dig Vijayi. He established four principal muts-Sringagiri, Jaisi near Rameswor, Sarada in Kashmir and Goverdon at Jugannat. He gives the following account of the origin of the Dosnamis-Sankara came to Kasi destroying the Nastik. The Raja was a Buddh, and in order to make Sankara love his caste, confined all the Brahmans and dressed up some people like them. These people entertained Sankara and he ate their food and drank their liquor, afterwards some of his disciples did the same and scandal

arose. The disciples having been accused of eating and drinking with low people by their master alleged his example in their defence. He reprimanded them severely for their impudence in pretending to imitate him, who had license to do everything, and heating a piece of iron red hot ate it up. As they could not venture to do the same they were degraded. They are now mostly of the Virbhav and Sakti sect, and have deserted the doctrines of the Smart in the South. The Mahants and Chelas take the same Upades. None ought to be admitted as Sannyasis but Brahmans, Kshatriyas and Vaisyas. In this district no Sudras are admitted. Rajputs and Kateri are both admitted to be Kshatriyas. The Kateri are very common in the Punjab, and cannot pronounce the Ksh. The Dosnamis give l'pades to all castes. Those of them who are Saivi or Vaishnavas give Upades only to those of their own sect, but those of the Sakti sect give Upades to any one. When they came to Gya, the whole people had left the place, which was a forest. They consider the image as representing Budh Avatar. The whole of [the] bricks and stones in the present Math of the Sannyasis [were] taken from the temple of Boudh. This contained many images of the ordinary Hindu gods, but a little different from those used by the Astik. On being shown the drawings of Keya Dol he says that they are all Nastik, and that they have taken] vast numbers of such from the old temple and have placed them in the new temple. The Nastik as usual were persecutors, and long stopped the worship of the orthodox at Gya. He says that the Nastik and Astik always existed, but that sometimes the one sometimes the other have prevailed Formerly Vishnu, taking into consideration that mnkind. offered innumerable sacrifices and put many animals to death, took upon himself the form of Budh A vatar and prohibited sacrifices: but afterwards considering that this was contrary to the Vedas he disappeared and sent Sankara and Udayan to destroy the Boudhs. He says that he never heard of Amara Singh having built Bouddh Gya, but such a story is current, and he says that Amara was no doubt a Nastik because in the 2 Res. J.

introduction to the Amarkosh he used none of the invocations which if an orthodox Hindu he certainly would have done.

At a

4th December.-I went to Chakun' to see a place where Soda is found. Passing north not quite a mile, I came to Ramsil, a hill already mentioned, which extends along the bank of the Fulgo for about of a mile. I then went north about seven miles to Chakun, where there is an old mud castle still inhabited by an Amildar of Rajah Mitrijit. Similar castles have been at most of the villages by the way, but they have become ruinous. distance they have had a picturesque effect, but on near approach look very mean. They usually consist of four square towers with pent roofs, joined by lower buildings. Turning west from Chakun about a mile, I found the saline earth scattered among the fields, for the greater part is cultivated. The quantity of soda that I saw was small, but a good deal had been scraped away, and I could find no intelligent man to show me the extent. The people said that it is found where the soil is Rerb, that is, a poor light earth in a thin stratum over sand. When scraped off by the washermen, those alone who take it away, new soda effloresces again in the same place in from 8 to 30 days according to circumstances. It is never found in Kebal or clay, nor in every place where the soil is called Rerh.

7th December.--I went to visit some of the most remarkable places in the town of Gaya. This town is large and built mostly of brick and stone, but the stones are not squared except such as have been taken from ruins, and the whole building whether brick or stone is often covered with plaster. The town stands on a rocky eminence on the bank of the Fulgo, and as many of the houses are large looks tolerably well at a distance, but a near approach fills with disgust. Some with round turrets and open galleries have a very picturesque effect. The streets are narrow (6 to 10 feet) dirty and crooked. The galleries

(1) Chakan,

which serve for shops are mostly very slovenly, and even of those which are neat and gaily painted some corner or other is usually defiled by smoke or dust and cobwebs. The very best houses are rendered slovenly by cakes of cowdung for fuel patched on their walls, and the jealousy of the men prevents any reasonable number or size for the apertures intended to intromit air or light, while the small ones that are tolerated are secured by rude wooden shutters without paint or polish. In walking through the town, precautions are necessary as formerly in Edinburgh. The passenger must call out to prevent inundation from above.

It may be observed of all the buildings about the place except the Vishnupad itself, that in a great measure they are composed evidently of ruins, and consist partly of stone, partly of brick. The pillars of course are of various lengths, thicknesses and form, as found in various buildings, but are all of granite and bear all the marks of a rude antiquity, while many pillars have [been] built into the walls. A vast number of stones of a small-grained black potstone containing images carved in relievo, inscriptions, or the sides and lintels of doors, are built into the walls, and the carvings and writings are often turned outwards as an ornament; but placed without the least regard to symmetry. And unfortunately some of the inscriptions have been half built into the walls or cut half away, in order to suit the stone for the place it now occupies. Some of the inscriptions and carvings are on granite, but potstone is the more usual material. In fact the people say that the Buddhs had destroyed all the old temples, and that the place had lain waste and was unfrequented until about four or five centuries ago, when the Gyalis again began to recover and pilgrims to return, but it is farther acknowledged that the place did not recover any considerable celebrity until about 200 years ago.

None of the Gyalis would have communication with me, each being afraid that bis companions would blame him, but I was accompanied by the most learned Sannyasi of Buddh Gaya, by a learned Pandit from