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/157

Rh of its curiosity. It appears to me to represent nothing less than the triumph of Brahmanism over Buddhism, for the prostrate figure with a canopy of what I conceive was meant to represent the Bo tree, is most probably intended for either Buddha, or as a type of Buddhism; it is a singular piece of sculpture.

Close to it is a figure of Ganeça sculptured on the rock, and close to these are two rude rock-inscriptions, close to, and almost touching, the steps on their right side; the inscriptions appear to be in modern Nâgari characters, but are so rough as to be illegible.

Continuing to ascend, there stands to the left the remains of a small temple, and to the right, but on another spur separated from this by a ravine, the remains of two others. This spur is the eastmost of the southern spurs of the hill; from that spur to this extends a shallow double line cut on the rock; it appears to have been meant to mark out an intended line of wall, as on the other spur near its ridge, the line is interrupted to form a chamber or gateway; the line of walls was, however, never built. On this spur the line meets a line of walls of brick (now in ruins) which ran down along the left or west side of the ridge on which the steps of the main ascent are cut.

A little distance further up are the remains of two small and one larger temple. Among the ruins of the larger temple lie the fragments of a three-headed figure similar to the rock-sculpture already described. The mouldings of this temple were remarkably bold but perfectly plain. Just beyond the large temple are the remains of two other small temples. The small temples mentioned are not of any particular interest. No portion of any of the temples noticed is now standing. The smaller ones may or may not be old; there is no means of judging with certainty; but the larger temple just mentioned, to judge from its bold mouldings, belongs to the better days of Indian art, and before the Muhammadan conquest; and although the sculpture, both here and that described before, is very rude, this may rather be due to the refractory nature of the material of the rock than to a degeneracy of art; I would ascribe this temple to the period when Brahmanism finally prevailed over Buddhism.

Beyond this, the ridge up which the ascent is carried divides into two; one higher, and the main one leading up to the peak of the main hill; the other, a lower and