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/154

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On the west bank of the Chándan river, the ancient Champavati, and about 20 miles south of Bhâgalpur, is a hill with a small temple; here was found a single line of inscription on what was called the Charana of Narayana, dated Samvat 1053. The place, therefore, must have been of some importance as early as the tenth century of our era, the place and hill are named Jethur.  

The famous hill of Mandár stands about 1½ miles off the present road from Bhâgalpur to Seuri, near the village of Oureya; the antiquities here have been noticed by several writers, the last of whom is Babu Rashvihâri Bose, whose paper is to be found in the first volume, Indian Antiquary.

At the foot of the hill on the south side, near the south-east end, is a tank named the Pâpaharani, which, as its name implies, purifies from sin. This tank is used to throw in the dead, and for this purpose corpses are brought from several miles distance all round. The bodies before being thrown in are supposed to have been burnt, but this operation is only nominally performed in many cases, and I saw numerous entire bodies, which could have been but slightly scorched by fire, lying and floating on the tank waters.

This tank once had temples on its banks; there lie numerous moulded or cut-bricks and stone, and several statues, or rather fragments, on its eastern banks; among these is a mutilated figure of Garud, which was once surmounted by Vishnu, but which is now broken off, leaving the legs across Garud's neck alone visible. At the north-east corner of the tank are the ruins of a small temple, which appears to have been Saivic, judging from a fragment of Nandi. Judging from the style of sculpture, and from the shallowness of the mouldings of the temple shewn by the loose carved stones, I should ascribe it to a post-Muhammadan period.

On the north banks of the tank the rock shelves down to the water; it is covered with fragments of stones—cut, rough, and sculptured; the carvings are more elaborate and carved stones are more numerous; the ruins are of more than one temple; one large temple certainly occupied a wide, flat space on the spur, but there must have been others and 