26 Annual Address. [Jan. & Feb. 



bably constructed by that sovereign, whose reign terminated in 1397. 

 Repairs have been done to the walls, the floor and the tombs, those 

 which it may be advisable to effect in the dome remaining. The tombs 

 of the saints Mir Kutb A lam and Makdum Shah are also interesting 

 objects at Pandua. 



In addition to the repairs, I should mention that in all cases, at 

 both Gaur and Pandua, debris and jungle have been cleared from the 

 interiors of the monuments and the ground outside, and that it is pro- 

 posed to surround each ruin with a green sward. A constant struggle 

 must, indeed, be maintained against the growth of jungle on the ruins 

 themselves and in their immediate neighbourhood. A considerable sum 

 has been, and will still be, spent on the work of saving these ruins from 

 further dilapidation which has been so earnestly taken up by the Govern- 

 ment of Bengal. When all that is requisite and possible has been done, 

 a new illustrated and descriptive account of them would, I doubt not, 

 be very acceptable to the public. 



Sir John Woodburn visited Gaur thrice and Pandua twice. Both 

 places were also visited by His Excellency the Viceroy in February last. 

 Those of us who were present will recall the pleasure with which we 

 listened to the paper on Ancient Monuments in India which His Ex- 

 cellency, as Patron of this Society, did us the honour of reading at the 

 Annual Meeting three years ago. His Excellency's profound and prac- 

 tical interest in the historical monuments and antiquities of India has 

 since been demonstrated by inspections of them throughout the country; 

 and at Gaur and Pandua his instructions and suggestions have guided, 

 and will guide, much of the work of restoration and conservation, the 

 essential principle in the restorations being, as I understand, that only 

 such should be undertaken as are necessary to prevent further dilapi- 

 dation. 



While Gaur and Pandua demanded his first care, Sir John Wood- 

 burn also saw the need of action at Bhubaneshwar in the Puri Dis- 

 trict, and, under his orders, repairs have been undertaken on several 

 of the numerous temples which have made the fame of that place with 

 the antiquarian. The great Lingaraj Temple, especially, has received 

 much attention, and repairs have been carried out on the principal of 

 the sacred tanks. Some petty restorations have also been effected in 

 the exceedingly interesting Khandagiri and Udaigiri caves of the same 

 neighbourhood, some of which date back to the second century B.C. 

 His Excellency the Viceroy also saw Bhubaneshwar. 



I have myself, gentlemen, had the opportunity of visiting Gaur, 

 Pandua and Bhubaneshwar, and to those who take an interest in anti- 

 quities I commend visits to them when the chance offers. Gaur and 



