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/155

Rh smaller ones in the vicinity. The temples were Saivic, judging from a fragment of Nandi; the temple, or at least the principal one, was of the style of the brick temples of Mânbhum, to be described further on, and appear certainly older than the Muhammadan conquest; the temple was evidently richly sculptured, I found a corner stone carved into statues on two faces, each being a female in the usual attitude; the hair of each is represented as tied into a knot on the left side of her head.

Besides this old temple, there stood more recent temples also, about the middle of the north bank, and on the rocky spur; these appear to have been of the style of the Barâkar temples, but with far shallower lines and of coarser execution. These temples I ascribe to a post-Muhammadan period, and, for reasons to be detailed subsequently, to the time of Akbar and his general Mân Singh. These temples were also Saivic, and several coarsely executed lingams lie to attest their purpose.

At the north-west corner are the ruins of a temple which appears to have been similar to that on the north-east corner.

There are some ruins on the west banks also, and these appear to be the remains of a single small group of temples. These temples appear from their carvings to belong to an older period than those described on the north-east and north-west corners and in the middle of the north bank, and to belong to the same age as the single large temple which stood on the north bank as noticed above.

To the north-east of this tank is another, now dry; on its west banks stood an old temple with numerous statues, and ornamented with deep mouldings.

At the eastern foot of the hill is a tank, on the southern banks of which stands a large irregular stone structure with numerous rooms enclosed within a courtyard. The pillars employed are plain, but with elegant octagonal shafts; they are used to support the verandahs in front. The stones employed in building this structure are of various sizes and various workmanship, and are set in mortar; they were clearly obtained from older structures. There are several small windows secured by stone lattices of plain and heavy patterns, which let in just light enough into the obscure interior chambers to render "darkness visible." The enclosure wall is in keeping with the building inside, having, however, in addition to stones of various sizes and qualities, bricks also. The structure belongs to the Srâwaks or Jains, and one of the rooms contains