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Notice of a Visit to the Cavern Temples ofAdjunta in the East-Indies. — Com- 

 mufiicated by Lieutenant James Edw. Alexander, l6th Lancers, of the 

 order oftJie Lion and Su7i, M.R.A.S., Cor. Mem. S.A.E., S^c. 



Read February 7, 1829. 



It was in the month of February 1824- that, while on leave from my 

 regiment, and travelling about the province of Berar, I visited the extraor- 

 dinary excavations of Adjunta, situated in lat. 20° 25' N. and Ion. 76° 12' 

 E. These, though I believe hitherto undescribed, are as much deserving of 

 a separate publication as the far-famed temples of Ellora ; and though I 

 spent only a few hours in their gloomy recesses, yet I saw enough to con- 

 vince me that they are well worthy of a more minute investigation, and 

 a lengthened sojourn amongst them. 



After passing the niglit in a well built caravanserai in the town of Ad- 

 junta,* situated at the head of the pass of the same name through one of the 

 Berar ranges of mountains, I mounted early in the morning, arrayed in my 

 Muselmani costume, and accompanied by a couple of servants and a 

 guide, all of us well armed with sabres, pistols, and hunting spears. We 

 rode through a crowd of camels with their tinkling bells, and Bunjari 

 bullocks, reposing beside their loads of grain and salt. In passing a small 

 party of the Nizam's horse, the DufFadar (an inferior officer) saluted us with 

 the customary compliment of " Salam alicum" (Peace be with you); and 

 enquired where we were going. I told him we proposed visiting the caves: 

 to which he replied, " La illah illilah ! (There is but one God) you will 

 never return : for if you escape the tigers, these stony-hearted robbers, the 

 Bheels, will destroy you." To this I answered, "Inshallah (please God) we'll 

 have the pleasure of smoking a pipe with you in the evening." He replied, 

 «' Khodd hqfiz " (may the Lord preserve you) : and taking leave of him, 

 we rode out of the gate which led to the head of the pass, down which our 

 road lay. 



* From the Sanscrit word Ajayanli, meaning tlie difficult or impregnable pass. 



