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/63

Rh The stream just mentioned feeds this tank, and the surplus water passes out at the south-west corner. The tank is bounded on all sides by high earthen embankments. On the western embankment is a Muhammadan brick dargah, and near it a brick mound like a tope.

To the east of the tank is a large piece of high ground, and behind it a smaller tank; the high ground is roughly rectangular, and is known as the “kot,”or fortress. Near it are several large mounds containing bricks, fragments of stones, and pottery. An annual fair is held on this spot. The pottery is clearly due to this, but the fragments of bricks and pieces of squared stone and statues which sometimes occur, are ancient. A small stone, much resembling a sati pillar, now stands near the south-east end of the high ground where the fair is held, and is pelted with stones by the village boys and passers-by.

The ancient name of the village is traditionally stated to have been Dharmmapura. The legend of its foundation is. that on a certain occasion Raja Chandra Sen came on a hunting excursion to this place, which was then a small village with a good deal of jungal round about. While here, he had occasion to go out to the field with a lota of water, but as he set the lota down a thirsty cow came and drank up the water. The Raja seeing this, reflected on the great hardship men and animals must be suffering for want of water here, as there were no tanks then, and only a single well; he accordingly ordered his ministers to dig a tank as large as the ground his horse when let loose would circle round. The ministers, apprehensive of the horse making a longer circuit than convenient, selected the north-east corner of the tank (where now a small dilapidated brick temple stands) as the starting point for the horse, turning his head southwards, so that the hills on the south would be the limit of the size of the tank in that direction. The horse, when let loose, went near the hill, up to the nala which, issuing from it, feeds the tank, kept along the nala some distance, then turned north and round to where it started from. The ground thus marked was formed into the Chandokar Tal; numerous costly buildings were soon constructed, and Dharawat become a great place.

General Cunningham has described Dharâwat, but it is strange that while describing it, the close coincidence between the remains here and Hwen Thsang’s account of the Gunamati monastery did not strike him.