1871.] Proceedings of the Asiatie Society. 237 
a plain frieze and cornice along its whole frontage, the former 
bearing in its centre sculptured figures in relief of Siva and Bha- 
wani with a cobra’s hooded head rising above them. The height 
of the frieze is 2/6”. The shape of the grotto is rectangular, 
except that at one end the side wall forms an obtuse angle with 
the back wall from whence the spring of water issues. It was on 
this side wall that I found the inscription marked R. 
‘I was for some time puzzled to think what the singular device 
which is seen on the right was intended to represent, till it 
struck me that something similar to it might be got by twist- 
ing two blades of the long broad jungle grass in a particu- 
lar way. I therefore cut two strips of paper to be used as a 
substitute for the grass and put a coloured line along the centre of 
each to represent the mid rib, and coloured the edges also to mark 
the lines which would indicate the breadth of the grass when cut 
in stone. In an envelope attached to the copy of this inscription 
you will find the paper figure I allude to, and on examining it, you 
will observe how exactly the directions of the coloured lines on the 
paper correspond with those shown in the copy of the inscribed 
device. This may be a mere coincidence, but still it is natural to 
suppose that the carver of the inscription had something in his 
mind’s eye that suggested to him the device I am alluding to; 
and, that it was something of the nature suggested by me is, I 
think, more than probable. 
‘This grotto, as I have termed it, appears to me to bear some 
resemblance to the primitive wells of Thrace which are described 
as consisting of arched excavations in the sides of rocks where the 
water was directly obtainable from springs; with this difference 
only, that the Mara “well” or grotto, whichever is the more cor- 
rect expression, has a flat roof instead of an arched one.’ 
Babu Pratapa Chandra Ghoshe said— 
‘The inscriptions are in old Nagari characters, but are so rude, 
that the characters are identified with much difficulty, The in- 
scriptions, so far as I have read them, are names of perhaps the 
donors of particular portions of the temple. They bearno date. I 
suppose they are Buddhistic, but I must not be certain before I 
read all the impressions sent by Capt. Samuells.” 
