Captain James Low on Buvp ma and the Phrabat. 121 
Surs, and the Exnuerrar, which occupied the middle of the hill. Above these 
abodes were twelve others, surmounted by Himinsbjong, or ‘ heaven’s castle,” where 
Hermpat (the presiding god of fanes and temples) sat quaffing at his ease the mead 
of the gods, the counterpart of the bright Buddhist Loxz, who, in shape of a lumi- 
nous spheroid, rests in a state of ineffable bliss on the summit of the heavenly 
pyramid. The Asers, or Surs, fought with the Vaner, or Air Spirits. Beneath 
Asgad is an airy region inhabited by. bright spirits. 
In Mr. Hodgson’s Sketch of Buddhism, we find the following account of Merw. 
The mansions, or Agnishtha Bhawana are :— 
Ist. That of Apr Bupp,ua, the Creator: i. e. Light, before all. Corresponding with 
the spheroid above alluded to. 
2d. Ten to fifteen mansions. 
3d. Eighteen Bhawana, or Rupa Vachara, subject to BrauMa. 
Ath. Six other mansions subject to Visunu, or Kama Vachara. 
4th. Three Bhawana of Mana Deva. 
5th. Inpra’s Bhawana. 
6th. Yama’s ditto 
7th. Surya’s Bhawana. 
8th. CHanpra’s ditto 
9th. Fixed stars and planets down to Agni. 
10th. Agni Bhawana. 
llth. Vayu Kund (wind). 
12th. Prithvi, the earth; then Ja/a Kund, or the world of water. 
13th. Seven Dwipas. 
14th. Seven seas. 
15th. Eight Parvatas. 
16th. Seven Patala: the seventh being hell, or Naraka, divided into eight abodes. 
Captain Sykes notices,+ that “in the Zin Lokh, or cave, at Ellora, dedicated to 
Bupp,Ma, are three stones, typical of hell, earth, and heaven; and that in Buddhist 
temples in India there are enormous hemispherical masses of stone, which may be 
compared with the Ling.” But may they not rather be compared with the spheroid 
just described, or with the mundane egg ?{ The Ellora caves he presumes to be ante- 
rior to the Brahminical faith. They contain inscriptions in an unknown character. 
Mr. Crawfurd saw inscriptions on slabs of sand-stone found in Buddhist temples in 
Ava, which he considers to be in unknown characters. A comparison between the 
two might be useful. 
* Inthe Bali writings air is represented as contending with air. The Siamese say that Rama- 
Sun (they cannot pronounce the r final in Sur) fights, or fought with Pura Een, or InDRA; 1. €. 
the Assurs contend with the god of the firmament. 
+ Bombay Literary Transactions, vol. iii. 
{ Burkhardt describes an oval sacred stone as existing at Mecca, which pilgrims kiss. 
Vox. III. R 
