Page:Report of a Tour Through the Bengal Provinces of Patna, Gaya, Mongir and Bhagalpur; The Santal Parganas, Manbhum, Singhbhum and Birbhum; Bankura, Raniganj, Bardwan and Hughli in 1872-73.djvu/112

88 Giriyak along the crest of the long range of hills. On the summit of Udayagiri the wall on ascending also divides into two; one descending westwards to the Báwan Gangá defile, the other stretching away towards Giriyak, and said to extend, or to have originally extended, unbroken till it met the branch which, as already noticed, runs in the same direction from the summit of Ratnagiri. The two ranges of walls thus extended along the converging crests of the two ranges of hills which enclose on the north and the south the eastern Báwan Gangá defile; the spot where the walls cross the defile to complete the circuit being just above the Gidhadwar cave, where Nature has so disposed the spurs of the two ranges that they meet, and the stream rushes down the steep barrier in cascades and rapids to join the Pamchana. Art has taken advantage of the natural features to construct a dam or rather to carry the wall across here, forming, as it were, a dam. (Plates 41, 44, Vol. III, Archæological Report.)

The branch that descends the western spur of the Udayagiri is taken up across the defile by a similar line of walls running up the spur up the Sonar to its nearest peak; here it divides into two, one running down northwards, and merging into the west ramparts of the inner city; the other stretching away towards Tapoban. I have been told by the people that it stretches away right up to Tapoban, where it descends the hill, but cannot speak of it from personal observation.

From the summit or peak stretch out three long arms;——the one west carries the main chain of hills onwards to the west; the south or south-east one slopes down to the south gate or Báwan Gangá defile; the eastern one, however, juts out into the interior of the outer fort, and divides the southern portion of the space between it and the inner ramparts into two portions. The valley between this spur and the south-east one is watered by a rivulet with broad sandy bed. This rivulet, before its junction with the Báwan Gangá stream, receives a tributary from the north; near the point where the tributary joins it, the two main spurs spoken of send out minor spurs toward each other, and the space between was once shut in by a massive wall, through which the river has burst its way. Within this little triangular space are the ruins of two temples, one of which appears to have been Brahmanical; they are of brick. Besides these there are remains of a third, larger than either of the others, but they do not appear to be of any special interest. One of the small ones