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/183

Rh south-west also, but I noticed no ruins in those parts; possibly they have been quite removed.

The temple to the north appears to have been larger than the others; among its ruins is a slab, the spandrel apparently of a false arch representing a horse or a donkey saddled; this is probably meant to represent the Kâlkiavatâr; the existence of an arched spandrel does not bring down the age of the temple to post-Muhammadan times, as the temples at Khajurâha and at Pathari and elsewhere have false arch-ribs to give apparent support to the centre of the great entrance architrave. The mouldings of this temple were particularly old, judging from the fragments; for there is literally in the whole place not one single stone left standing on another in situ, and most of the squared blocks have got carried off long ago.

About 200 feet east of the great temple are the ruins of the second largest temple in the place. All the temples here appear to have been profusely ornamented with sculpture, and the number of amalakas and half-amalakas lying about, with their variety of sizes, shews that each tower rose up majestically out of a cluster of attached fiat towers, as at Khajurâha and elsewhere; the large temple had also mahamandapas and antaralas and porticos; in short, were complete temples, as at Khajurâha. There were altogether 16 mounds, large and small, all within a space of about quarter of a mile wide by half-mile in length.

To the east and west of the great collection of temples, and half a mile off on either side, on the banks of the river, are other mounds of ruins of temples; further east, are some few more; further west, immediately on the edge of the river, a long line of bare rocks juts out; on these are sculptured numerous arghas, lingams, and figures. The river eddies have cut the rocks here into curious holes.

Near to, and east of, the largest temple on the vertical face of a ledge of rock on the west bank of the little rivulet that murmurs down, are cut two lines of inscription, mediæval nagiri; in the first line mention is made of Chichitagara, which I take to be the original of modern Chechgaongarh, or Chichinga, and in the second line is mention of Srayaki Rachhabansidra, shewing clearly that there were Jain or Srâwaki temples here; the carved architrave representing seated a figure with the halo is therefore probably a relic of the Jain temple. On the flat rock alone are cut numerous arghas, lingams, charanas, and figures, male, female, &c., all rather rudely.