268 



MARTUND. 



Sun " Martund " l lonely and grand ; whilst far beyond it, 

 and all smiling in the mellow evening sunlight, stretched the 

 broad green vale away towards the distant mountains rising blue 



Ruins of the Temple of tlie Sun " Martund." 



and snow-capped on either side, its tortuous streams winding 

 along like shimmering threads of gold until lost in the gauzy 

 haze. ..." Grr5-o-6-o-a-oo-ooa," nasally, with variations and 

 cadenza ad libitum, goes a stag in the forest behind us, rudely 

 interrupting our reveries. He is not very far off either, 

 and Eamzan says there is just a chance of the animal's 

 coming to have an evening roll in a small muddy pool, or 

 " trag " as it is here called, that he (Eamzan) knows of in the 

 vicinity. 



We soon reach the pool, which is situated near the border 

 of an undulating grassy glade immediately above the forest 

 where the stag was heard. At the edge of an opposite 

 wood, and about a hundred yards from the pool, Ramzan 



1 This noble old structure by the natives called " Pandoo lurrie " (Pandoo 

 house) is, I believe like the ancient ruins I have mentioned as situated be- 

 tween Uri and Baramoola, which, on a larger scale, it somewhat resembles 

 of doubtful origin. From the symbolical figures it contains it is, however, 

 pretty certain that it was at one period dedicated to the worship of the Hindu 

 triad Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. A noteworthy feature of its architecture is 

 the keystone of the arches, which is formed of a solid T-shaped block, such as 

 I have endeavoured to depict in my little sketch of this ruin. 



