Page:Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India Vol 5.pdf/182

170 make show of at the pagod of Calamac proceeds from this, that they look upon it as a great miracle, that the water of the town, which is very cold, springs out of a rock of Calamac, is of the mountain of Balagnate (Balaghat), and the Brahmans who govern the pagod make great profit of it.”

I have given these two descriptions of the English and French travellers in detail for the purpose of comparing them with an account of the journey of a Chinese envoy who was deputed by the emperor in A. D. 650 to travel through India in search of “the philosopher's stone and the drug of immortality.” The account of his journey is very brief, but also very curious: “ He travelled over all the kingdoms of the Po-lo-man (Brahmans) in the country called the ‘ waters of Pancha-fa (Panjab), which come from the midst of calcareous rocks, where are elephants and men of stoné to guard them. The ss are of seven different species,—one is hot, another very cold.

On comparing this account of the hot and cold waters inging from the rocks with the cold springs and burning ames of the descriptions of Coryat and ‘Theva I think that the Chinese envoy must have heard the popular account of Jw&la-Mukhi, which looks upon the issue eold springs and burning flames from the same rock asa miracle, The Chinese writer naively adds that “the drug of immortality could not be found or verified by this envoy,” and he was recalled. If my suggestion be correct, the flame of Jwila- Mukhi must have been in existence as early as A. D. 650.

The present temple of Jwila-Mukhi is built against the side of the ravine, just over the cleft from which the escapes. It is plain outside in the modern Mnhnstisaitars style of plaster and paint, with a gilt dome and gilt pinnacles. The roof is also aie inside, but the gilding is obscured hy smoke, By far the finest part of the building is the splendid folding door of silver plates, which was presented by Kharak cing and which so struck Lord Hardinge that he hada model made of it.

The interior of the temple consists of a square pit about 3 feet — with a pathway all round. In the middle the rock is slightly hollowed out about the principal fissure, and on applying a light the gas burst into a flame. The gas escapes

' Chinese account of India in Journal of Benga! Asiatic Society, VI, 70, and Journal Asistique, 1689, p. 402. The French translator omits the elephants. sis