j 
, 
Vol. II, No. 4.] An account of the Gurpa Hiil. 83 
[N.S.] 
opened for himself. “ Ascending the north side of the mountain 
he proceeded along the winding path and came to the south-west 
. oan ee crags and precipices a him from further 
adva Forcing his way through the tangled ahi he 
eterna ihe otic with staff and thus opened a way.” This is the 
first tunnel in the accompanying plan which branches at a pt 
distance from the entrance and goes downwards. “He th 
passed on having divided the rock and ascended till he was 
eading 
the stairway and the other is vox tunnel which contains the 
stairway described above. We learn from "Fa Hian that the entire 
body of Kasyapa was preserved in a side chasm on the hi 
asyapa. Fa Hian als 
is the place where Kasyapa when site washed his hands. This 
shrine. It is interesting to note that the place is still an object 
of local worship. Both Hiuen Thsang and Fa Hian agree to the 
fact that the approach to the hill lay through a dense forest 
inhabited by wild beasts. This is still so. The whole of the 
eae is covered with dense forest. On our way from the Railway 
the base of the hill we found marks of enormous paws on the 
sassy ground. According to our guide, a local man, the forest 
is inhabited by large numbers of bears and tigers, ome of whom 
looking from a distance see ules a stn li then as it were 
of a torch, but if they ascend the mountain there is nothing-to be 
observed.” Iheard from Dayal Babu that on dark nights lights 
are visible on the top of the mountain. The villagers attribute 
the of these lights to apitred which wos say are on the 
mounta: Some Europeans ised a search party, but 
on aching the top they of course eid nothing This also is 
a curious survival of the tradition which recorded b 
the Chinese master of law thirteen centuries a The tleman 
from whom I received these pieces of information know very little 
either of the Chinese pilgrims or o the femeatle Maha Kéasyapa. 
The mountain-side is covered with caverns which justifies Raa 
Thsang’s epithet “Cavernous.” It is imposible to photograph the 
three s, because the place whence the only distinct view is 
obtainable is too small for working a camera, 
