190 Description of Ancient Temples and [April, 



After this event, Siva visited Krishna's army with fever ; but the 

 latter not to be outdone in modes of annovanee created another fever to 

 contend with that of his adversary, and came off victorious. The 

 raja now advanced a second time to give battle, holding 1 a variety 

 of weapons in his thousand hands, which he hurled at Krishna, who 

 broke them with his discus and hewed off the prince's arms like branches 

 from a giant tree; seeing the peril in which he stood, Mahade'va 

 advanced and besought his brother deity to save the life of his favour- 

 ite. Krishna made answer, that he was bound to gratify Mahade'va, 

 and that he intended to spare the prince because he was the son of 

 Bali and grand-son of Prahlad, whose race he had promised never 

 to destroy — ' What I have done,' continued the god, ' was to subvert 

 his pride, I have lopped off his superfluous arms, and the four which 

 remain are quite sufficient to enable him to enjoy eternal life.' Thus 

 assured Banh fell at Krishna's feet, and brought forth Anirud and 

 his daughter, seated in a car richly apparelled and ornamented, and 

 surrounded by countless armies ; Krishna was content, and returned 

 to his kingdom of Dvvarika. 



The next account, which has less admixture of the fabulous and 

 appears the most deserving of attention, is taken from ancient records 

 in MS. of the Assam kings, which speak of a place called Pratappur, 

 the splendid city, the capital of Ramachandra, usually known under 

 the name of the Pratappiiriya raja, and which can, I think, be no 

 other than Pora. This town is stated in the MS. to have been 

 placed on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, a little below Bishnath ; 

 and as the entire country bordering the river from Pora eastward to 

 Bishnath, with the exception of a range of hills three miles above the 

 former, where the Bhairavi enters the great stream, is covered with 

 swamp to the extent of several miles inland j there are strong grounds 

 for supposing that Pratappur and Pora are the same. The present 

 path from Pora to Bishnath, which is only practicable in the dry 

 months, often runs so far as six miles from the river, and the travelling 

 distance does not exceed twentv-six or twentv-eiffht miles ; while to 

 the eastward of the Pora chain, extensive morasses skirt the Brahma- 

 putra, without interruption, as far as Chuteah, from twenty-five to 

 thirty miles distant. No ruins have been discovered nearer to Bish- 

 nath than the spot indicated, and though it is possible the site of 

 Pratappur may have disappeared in the lapse of ages, it must not be 

 forgotten that it was always usual with the kings of Assam to found 

 their capitals on the bank of the Brahmaputra or other navigable 

 streams, and to choose a situation removed alike beyond the reach of 

 inundation, and the chance of being swept away by the floods — advan- 

 tages which are possessed by Pora in an admirable degree. 



