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/61

Rh records the existence, then, of the lingam now enshrined in this temple, and named "Siddheswara."

The most ancient available records then as to the purpose of the temples here, show that they were Brahmanical; it appears, therefore, that as no other remains of temples exist, the Buddhists at some subsequent period appropriated the temples and were again dispossessed.

Down below on the slope of the hill near the road leading up to it are remains of several statues, both detached and sculptured on the rock, some Hindu, some Buddhist; the Brahmanical ones, however, predominate.

Several natural caverns exist not worth detailed mention. I explored a few, but found nothing; they are now the residences of jogis.

As Hwen Thsang, however, does not describe any Buddhist institutions on the hill he visited, the absence of ancient and Buddhist remains in no way disproves the identification proposed.

But the subsequent route of Hwen Thsang so strongly supports the identification of this hill with the hill of Buddha, that even if Hwen Thsang had described Buddhist temples as existing in his time on the hill whence Buddha contemplated the kingdom of Magadha, their absence now would not invalidate the proposed identification.

 

Following him from this hill, it is found that he went 30 li north-west to the Gunamati monastery, which was situated on the slope of a hill in a pass.

Adopting his bearing and distance, we get to the village of Dharâwat. The road from the Barâbar hill skirts the easten foot of the Barâbar bill, and going round the spurs of Murali hill stretches northwards, dividing into two branches; the eastern one goes to the village of Dharâwat with a detour, the western one goes direct over a pass in the Dharâwat hills, and a branch from this again goes over a pass over Ratani hill. At this pass in the Ratani hill, and on either side of it extending westwards more than half a mile, and eastwards a short way, are ruins of brick structures. These ruins consist of mounds and brick terraces, profusely scattered all along the slope and toe of the hill. At the west