46 Dr. Hjmilton's Description of the Ruins of Buddlia Gciya. 



believe, buried ; and I know tliat those of the priests, at least, are pre- 

 served in monuments : and the custom seems to have prevailed among the 

 Buddhists of India, for the late Mr, Duncan informs us,* that in digging 

 into extensive ruins about four miles north from Bandras, an inscription 

 was found, along with some bones, in an urn, and an image of a Buddha ,- 

 and Mr. Duncan rationally conjectured that these bones belong to some 

 votary of Buddha, which indeed is confirmed by the inscription ; it ter- 

 minates with the sentence usual as a form of dedication on tlie images of 

 this district, and mentions that St'hira Pal, and his elder brother Basanta 

 Pal, king of Gour, in tlie year 1083 of Sambat ( A.D. 1062), came to Kdsi, 

 performed worship, enriched the city, and ordered all those who did not 

 follow the Buddhas to embrace that sect. The chamber, therefore, now 

 opened in the ruins of Mahdbuddha, was in all probability a tomb. 



South fram the terrace, and separated from it by a road, which is said to 

 have been covered by an arch, and to have extended all the way to the 

 river, has been a large range of buildings ; but the greater part of the 

 materials has been removed, and there only remain some heaps of broken 

 bricks and images, one of whicht is very large and curious. It seems to 

 me to represent a prince who has lost his wife, and she is figured lying 

 above his head, and attended by two mourners. The inscription contains 

 merely the usual form of dedication. It is possible that this may have 

 been the royal sepulclire, or at least the place where the monuments of the 

 princes were placed. South from thence has been a small tank. 



The arched road above-mentioned led between the two masses now des- 

 cribed, into the area of the great Mandir, or shrine ; the only part of the 

 building that remains at all entire. On the right, as you enter the area, 

 is a small chamber of brick, which contivins an image, and has every 

 appearance of being modern ; which is also the case with two small cham- 

 bers on the left ; but one of them is evidently alluded to in the inscription 

 given in the first volume of the Asiatic Researches, lately quoted. This, 

 which is nearest the entrance, contains several large images, said to have 

 been collected from various parts of the ruins, and built into the wall : 

 five of them, representing an equal number of Buddhas, sitting in the usual 

 manner, are commonly said to represent the five supposed sons of Pdndu. 



* As. Res. vol. V. p. 131. 



f East-India Company's Museum, No. 98. 



