ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM, C.S.I., C.I.E.,

MAJOR-GENERAL, ROYAL ENGINEERS [BENGAL RETIRED],
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA,

VOLUME XI.

"What is aimed at is an accurate description, illustrated by plans, measurements, drawings, or photographs, and
by copies of inscriptions, of such remains as most deserve notice, with the history of them so far as it may be
traceable, and a record of the traditions that are preserved regarding them."-LORD CANNING,

"What the learned would demand of us in India is to be quite certain of our data, to place the monumental record
before them exactly as it now exists, and to interpret it faithfully and literally."-JAMES PRINSEP

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OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING.

1880.

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INTRODUCTION.

THE present volume contains the results of a tour in the Gangetic Provinces in 1877-78. In this report I have described many curious and interesting remains of Hindu architecture and sculpture of all ages. Of the old. Buddhistic times, there are the ancient mounds of Panch Pahâri, or the "Five hills," close to Patna, from whence Akbar viewed the city when he was besieging Dâud Shah, the last king of Bengal. Of the same age are the old temples and stûpas of Srâvasti and Tandwâ. Of the Indo-Scythian period, there is a very curious group of sculpture from Tusâran Bihâr, near Allahabad. Of the Gupta age, there are the two inscribed stone pillars at Bilsar, in the Doâb, recording the name of Kumara Gupta, with the early date of Sambat 96 of the Gupta era. Of a later period, there are some very curious. and interesting illustrations in the brick temples of Bhitargaon, Paraoli, and Râr, near Cawnpore, with their vaulted roofs and terra-cotta bas-reliefs.

The period of Muhammadan rule is well represented by the grand old masjid at Badaun, with its overlapping arched gateway, of the time of Iltimish, A. H. 620, or A. D. 1223; and also by the magnificent masjids at Jaunpur, built by the Sharki kings in the fifteenth century A. D. Of somewhat later date are the tombs of Sher Shah and his family at Sahsarâm. The tomb of Sher Shah himself, which possesses the largest dome in Northern India, is a very striking and picturesque building, placed, after the Hindu fashion, in the middle of a sheet of water.

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During this tour I made two identifications of ancient sites, one of which is of very great historical interest, as it belongs to the early career of Buddha. This is the famous Uruvilwa forest, which gave its name to Uruvilwa Kasyapa, the fire-worshipping opponent of Buddha. It was to this forest of vilwa, or bel, trees that Sakya Sinha retired for contemplation; and it was there that he finally attained to Buddhahood. Uruvilwa, or, in Pâli, uruwela, means simply

many vilwa trees," or the "bel forest." The place is now represented by the small hamlet of Urel, which is only a simple contraction of the Pâli name of Urawel. The whole neighbourhood still abounds with bel trees.

The other identification is that of Newal, near Bângarmau, as the Nava-deva-kula of Hwen Thsang, who describes it as situated 20 miles from Kanauj, on the north bank of the Ganges. I thought that Bângarmau might be the place; but I found that it was only an outlying portion of the ancient town of Newal, with its numerous ruins of old brick temples. The present name, it will be observed, still preserves a portion of each of the three distinct words of the ancient name. At the time of the Muhammadan conquest Newal had a raja of its own.

A. CUNNINGHAM.