124 E. T. Atkinson — TtiUns at GarJiwa. [June, 



to those elaborately carved all over in panels, shown in plate 2. Others 

 resemble the Buddhist railings found at Gya and other places in Bengal. 

 The capitals shown in the same plate and in the view of the colonnade in 

 plate 12, are ornamented with four-armed figures or animals such as an 

 alligator, elephant, or tortoise. The figures of the avatars of Vishnu show^n 

 in plates 4, 13 and 14 were first discovered by Mr. G. Knox, C S. and are 

 in wonderful preservation. The most interesting, however, is " the bearded 

 Bhar figure" shown in plate 9. This is universally called a Bhar figure, 

 and is in all respects the same as those figured by Sh erring in his ' Castes of 

 Benares' except that it has three heads and also wears the janav or sacred 

 thread. It would appear to me to represent some Hindu deity, and not to 

 be necessarily coimected with the Bhars. They undoubtedly inhabited this 

 neighbourhood in early times, and it is to this fact must be attributed the 

 assignment to them of all buildings of which the history has been lost. 

 The inscriptions on the pillars of the temple mention a Kayastha family as 

 the persons who dedicated a statue of Narayana in 1199 Samvat (1142 

 A. D.), but beyond this we know little of the history of the place. There 

 is no local tradition current respecting it, and all I can suggest is, that it nmst 

 have been one of the forts in the country of Malaki wa Dulaki destroyed by 

 Ulugh Khan in 1248 A. D. The tract ruled over by this prince lay between 

 Kana and Kalinjar, and Garhwa would lie on the easiest road between those 

 places (Dowson's Elliot, II., p. 348). The mutilation of the figures shows 

 that the destruction of the fort and the overthrow of the statues was due 

 to Musalmans. Since then it has fallen into several hands and been tem- 

 porarily repaired in places. The position of the hands in the seated figures 

 in the centre of the group in plate 6 and the form of the head-dress of the 

 figure, of which a back view is given in the same plate, and a front view in 

 plate 9, would point to a much earlier date than the twelfth century, to which 

 all the colossal figures must belong. 



Since writing the above, I have seen General Cunningham's account of 

 the fort and its sculptures in vol. III., p. 53 of the Archaeological Eeports. 

 He is in error in supposing that Eajah Siva Prasada was the first to discover 

 these remains. Garhwa has always been a favourite encamping ground of 

 district officers, and as early as 1863, I myself copied the inscriptions. The 

 greater number of the colossal figures now photographed were for the first 

 time brought to light in 1873. It is intended to have them brought in 

 and deposited in the Allahabad Museum. 



E. T. Atkinson. 



Naini Tdl, 21st May, 1874. 



3. From the author, a copy of Report of the Electrical Superintend- 

 ent, Government Telegraph Department, for 1872-73, by L. Schwendler, 

 Esq. 



I 



