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8 any day at the present time, as the ground is thickly covered with the thorns of both bâbul and ber trees. The difficulty is to avoid feeling them.

About 2 miles to the south-west of Râma and to the west of the road there is another larger mound called Balesar Pind, or the Balesar mound. It is close to the village of Panjgrâm, but as the land belongs to the Balesar zamindar the mound is called after its owner. The whole surface is covered with broken pottery, and a few superficial excavations yielded large bricks in great numbers, with quantities of burnt wood. The people say that charcoal is found everywhere at a depth of from 2½ to 3 feet. I got two silver coins in my excavations, both of which had been burned in the fire which destroyed the town. One of the coins was quite obliterated; but the other belonged to Syâlapati Deva, who reigned in the beginning of the tenth century. It may be guessed therefore that the place was destroyed during one of the campaigns of Mahmud of Ghazni.

A curious fact was brought to my notice by the people, that all the charcoal and burnt wood was of the bor tree, that is, of the banian or bor. Old men say that they had heard that in former days there was a large forest of bor trees in the neighbouring hollow below Râma. There are no banians there now, but that the tree will grow well in this part of the country is certain, as I saw some fine young trees at Suku, only 11 miles to the north-east, and there is one large banian in the village of Panjgrâm itself. I conclude, therefore, that the houses in the old town, which stood on the Balesar mound, must have been roofed with timbers of the banian tree.

3. – SHÂH-DHERI, OR TAXILA.

Since my last report for 1872-73, I have again visited Shâh-dheri, which is now generally accepted as the site of the ancient Taxila. This identification I proposed in my report for 1863-64, and every fresh discovery only makes it more certain. I will now add a few words regarding its name.

The principal remains at Shâh-dheri are the two ruined cities of Sir-Kap and Sir-Sukh. All the people agree in stating that Sir-kap is only a slight alteration of Sir-kat, or the "cut-head." Now this is the exact meaning of Taksha-Sira,