Page:The Buddhist Antiquities Of Nagarjunakonda MASI 54 Longhurst A. H..djvu/20

Rh great place of pilgrimage and a seat of learning, as the inscriptions inform us that pilgrims and visitors came from all parts of India, Ceylon and even China.

One naturally wonders what kind of people were living in this district before the advent of Buddhism and with the object of trying to solve this query I kept a sharp look out for any remains belonging to the pre-Buddhist period and at last discovered an ancient tomb which I venture to think may be safely consigned to that early period (Plate II (c) and (d)). It is situated on the eastern side of the rocky hillock named Naharallabodu mentioned above. As this hill like all others at Nagarjunakonda is covered with boulders of all shapes and sizes and thorny bushes, the tomb was not easy to discover and I had passed the spot on several occasions without noticing it, but one day I observed that some of the boulders were arranged in a circle enclosing a space about 20 feet in diameter, obviously the work of man, The circular space inside the ring of boulders was full of small stones and rank vegetation and did not appear as clearly as it does in the photograph (Plate II (c)). The boulders were planted securely in the ground close together in a circle so as to enclose the holy spot and also to keep the cairn of small stones and earth which originally occupied the central space in position, A few feet below the ground level we came upon two big heavy slabs of stone measuring about 8 feet in length, 2 feet in width and 1 foot in thickness, the ends of which pointed north and south respectively. Fixed in the ground at the northern end was a smaller slab in an upright position. The stones were carefully removed, the earth dug out to a depth of 10 feet when rock bottom was reached and although the earth was sifted no human or other remains were found and I feel sure the tomb had not been tampered with by treasure-seekers. However, the nature and construction of the monument clearly shows it is a tomb and that the large blocks of stone were apparently placed on top of the remains of the dead with the object of preventing the spirit or ghost of the departed from returning to earth and causing. harm to the living. Similar stone circles have been reported from other places in the Krishna valley and it is possible that there may have been plenty at Nagarjunakonda at one time but now no longer traceable owing to the villagers having removed the stone circles to make room for cultivation. lt would indeed be interesting to know who the people were who set up these quaint memorials to their dead and when they lived, but there is not much hope of these questions being answered now, but I think we may feel certain they lived in pre-Buddhist times.

The ruined buildings discovered at Nagarjunakonda represent the remains of stupas or tombs, viharas or monasteries, apsidal temples, pavilions or mandapas, a palace site, and a stone-built wharf on the banks of the Krishna. The stupas, monasteries and temples were built of large bricks like those already mentioned, the bricks being laid in mud mortar and the walls covered with plaster. The mouldings and other ornamentation of these brick structures were usually executed in stucco and the buildings were whitewashed from top to bottom, not only to protect the plaster but also as a suitable ground for colour-work and gilding. The pillars, floors and important sculptures were of white or grey limestone resembling marble and easy to work. No other stone was used and it was brought