1874.] A. Cmminglmm— The ArcJiceoIoffical Sttrve^ of 187S-74i. 109 



Adil Shah Faruki with a Sanskrit translation, and also a record of Akbar 

 mentioning his conquest of Khandes and the Dakhin. From Asirgarh I 

 got a second similar record of Akbar, with an inscription of his son Daniya], 

 and others of Shah Jahan and Aur^ngzib. 



To the south I explored the Buddhist caves and Brahmanical temples 

 at Bhandak, to which place I am now able to restore a long and valuable 

 inscription of the sixth or seventh century, the fine spot of which was 

 unknown. I visited also the colossal sculptures at Lalpet, outside the walls 

 of Chiinda, of which the largest measures no less thM\ 26^ feet in length by 

 IS feet in breadth and 3 in thickness at the base. I calculate its weight at 

 upwards of 80 tons. The sculpture represents the goddess Durga, with ten 

 heads, ten arms, and ten legs. On the pedestal there is a bas-relief of Siva 

 performing tajpas^a, or ascetic penance. 



Fifty miles to the eastward of Chanda and about 120 miles to the 

 south of Nagpur I visited the famous group of temples at Markanda, on 

 the Wen-Granga river. The principal temple of Markanda Rishi is of the 

 same type as the great temples at Khajuraho in Bundelkhand, the outside 

 being decorated with three rows of statues below and four rows above. 

 Unfortunately this temple was struck by lightning about 200 years ago, 

 which destroyed the upper half of the tower and the roofs of the mdhaman- 

 dapa, or main hall, and its side porches. The temple was dedicated to Siva. 

 It is surrounded by about a dozen other temples of the same god under 

 different titles, with a long cloister temple in the back wall of the enclosure, 

 which is dedicated to the ten Avatars of Vishnu. The sculptures are of 

 the same style as those of Khajuraho, but without their indecency. The 

 temples may be assigned to the ninth and tenth century, but there are 

 remains of former buildings, as well as a broken pillar with an inscription af 

 an earlier date. 



On the northern frontier of the Central Provinces I explored the small 

 States of Mahiyar (Myhere) and Nagod. In the former State there is an 

 old temple dedicated to Saraswati, on the top of a lofty conical hill, three 

 miles to the west of the town. The enshrined figure of the goddess has an 

 inscription of four lines on the pedestal, and outside there is a long inscrip- 

 tion of 39 lines which is unfortunately much worn by the weather. It 

 opens with an invocation to Saraswati. 



In the State of Nagod, which was formerly called JJclialiara, there are 

 several ancient sites, one of which, named Dhaniya-Majgowa, has yielded a 

 number of copper-plate inscriptions, of which eight are now in the possession 

 of tlie Raja of Nagod. These records belong to two different families of 

 petty chiefs, of whom the principal representatives are Raja Hastina and 

 his sons Sakshabhana and Sarvvanatha in one line, and Raja Jayanatha and 

 his son Sarvvanatha in the other line. At Bhuhhara^ twelve miles to the 



