362 FOOTE : SOUTH MAHRATTA COUNTRY. 



on the top. Nothing of the history of this fine monolith seemed to he 

 known to the villagers^ so it is probably of some antiquity ; but if this be 

 the case^ it is very remarkable, seeing how very exposed the position in 

 which it stands^ that it should not have been struck and destroyed by 

 lightning. 



Of modern buildings constructed of sandstones belonging to the 



Kaladgi series, only two need be named, — the can- 

 Modem buildings. 



tonment church at Belgaum, and the bridge over 



the Ghatprabha at Sutgatti (Sootguttee) on the Belgaum-Poona road. 

 The stone used for the church was unfortunately not well chosen, being 

 too gritty and porous to answer well in so wet a climate as that of Bel- 

 gaum during the south-west monsoon. 



Small stone articles, such as hand-mills, curry-stones and small 

 troughs, are largely manufactured by the Waddras (Wudders), a roving 

 tribe of stone-cutters at various places, — e. g., to the west of Bilgi, to 

 the south of Kotchi, in Bam Durg State, and at Ramapur, eight miles 

 east of Badami. 



Some of the very thick-bedded sandstones to be seen at Gudur, at 

 Parvati, near Guledgudd, and elsewhere, appear to be thoroughly suitable 

 for large millstones, such as are employed in first-class mills in Europe. 

 An experiment with these beautiful sandstones might be well worth 

 trying. 



Fine flagstones may be procured at Halikeri (Allehgeeree, fourteen 

 miles south of Kaladgi) , where they are largely raised by the natives. 



Among the higher members of the series are the dark-greyish, black, 

 gritty clay rock occurring at Sillikeri (Shoolehgeeree of Sheet 41), south of 

 Kaladgi, which was being quarried to some extent for small flag- 

 stones to be used in some palace building at Kolhapur. Close by are 

 the quarries whence a considerable quantity of hard thin shale was 

 quarried in former years for the purpose of being used as roofing 

 slates on public buildings at Belgaum. They do not seem to have 



( 263 ) 



