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/18

xviii stood several brick buildings, among which stood a small tope of nearly 8 feet diameter crowning the highest spot. I found enough of regularly cut and wedge-shaped bricks to determine the size with tolerable accuracy; the tope was adorned with mouldings, as I found several curved wedge-shaped bricks with their outer edge cut into simple mouldings, both straight-lined and curved. I could not find a single entire brick to measure; but whatever the lengths may have been, the breadth was 10½ to 11 inches, and the thickness varied from 2¼ to 3½ inches.

One curious brick that I found deserves mention; its underside was hollowed into a gentle cup-shaped cavity, while the top side had a square socket hole cut into it, 2 inches square, immediately over the lower cup-shaped hollow.

Descending the ridge on the side opposite to the cave,—i. e., on the east side, to the natural terrace on which the caves before mentioned are,—are the ruins of some sort of building of brick. Proceeding now in a northerly direction along the foot of the rocky crags; at a short distance, on a tolerably level rocky terrace above the lower terrace, are some remains of brick structures, among which I found curved bricks similar to those on the high peak noticed, and from these I ascertained that the diameter of the tope which must have stood here, and to which no doubt they belonged, was also about 8 feet.

These two small topes are accordingly situated to the right and left of a low pass in the craggy ridge through which people coming up the hillside direct must pass to get to the caves which are situated on the other side of the ridge.

This craggy ridge, which crops up along the centre of a spur from the great peak Sailagiri, runs north-east and south-west; it culminates into a distinct high peak at its extreme south-west end, on which, as noticed, one of the topes stood, and at the foot of which is what I call Buddha's meditation cave; about 100 feet off is a lower crag, close to