190 W. King — Cruciform Monoliths near Mungapet. [AuorsT, 



and northwards into the proper country of the Kolarians who now in Chu- 

 tia Nagpur still build and use tombs of a like kind ; and the more improved 

 style of the Rakshasgudium tombs is attributed to the highest phase in 

 civilization of the pre-Aryan people, who possibly dwelt here and were 

 absorbed by or amalgamated with the Aryan conquerors. 



The supposition of a possibly early Christian origin is met by the non- 

 occurrence of other traces of the cross in the outlying country. 



The Chaieman remarked that it was usual to associate with pre-Christian 

 and non- Christian crosses a religious signification. Most writers took them 

 to be mystic symbols, and Mr. Inman and others believed them to be of 

 phallic origin. That in some cases there were religious, or mystic, ideas 

 associated with the cross could not be denied, but he thought it would be 

 unwarrantable to suppose that all crosses were connected with religion. 

 Rude stone crosses of other than Christian origin were met with mostly 

 near cairns, cromlechs and other memorials of the dead, and their object 

 was to attract attention to the grave near which they were placed. For 

 this purpose a rough-hewn shaft, such as could be most easily prepared, 

 would scarcely be distinctive enough ; it would be somewhat better than an 

 amorphous one, but it would often pass quite unnoticed. An upright post 

 with a cross bar, or, what would be the same thing, a cross-shaped block, on 

 the other hand, though requiring no great effort of ingenuity to execute, 

 could not fail to attract the attention of the rude primitive people for 

 whom, and by whom, they were set up. Such a sign-post in course of time 

 and frequent usage, would become the usual symbol for a grave. It was 

 the simplest and at the same time the most effective, and so it got a wide 

 currency without any religious or mystic idea being associated with it. 



Mr. Ball said that on one occasion, eleven years ago, when in com- 

 pany with Dr. Oldham and Mr. Hughes he remembered to have seen an 

 ancient stone cross in the Hazan^ibagh district. The precise locality was at 

 Basatpur near Leiyo in the valley of the Bokaro river. He regretted that 

 he possessed no record of the character of the cross ; but he had a note to 

 the effect that there were at the same place a number of dressed memorial 

 stones, with a truncate-pyramidal shape, which were marked with series of 

 graves that may possibly have had some signification. All of these, like 

 the rude slabs which are put up in parts of Chutia Nagpur even to the 

 present day, were said to have been the work of Kols. 



He hoped this record might be the means of having these remains re- 

 visited and properly described. At the time he saw them, he did not attach 

 a proper degree of importance to them, though he remembered that they 

 reminded him of some Celtic remains with which he was familiar. 



Mr. W. T. Blanpoed said, he greatly regretted that when in the 

 country to which Mr. King's notes refer, he did not take the opportunity 



