ISO Notes on a Tour in MaunWwom. [No. 3, 



Notes on a Tour in Maunbhoom in 1864-65. — By Lieutenant-Colonel 

 E. T. DaltoNj Commissioner of Chota-Nagpore. 



[Received 16th October, 1865.] 



In the district of Maunbhoom, we find two distinct types of archi- 

 tectural remains. Those that appear most ancient, and are said by 

 the people to be so, are ascribed, traditionally and no doubt correctly, 

 to a race called variously Serap, Serab, Serak, Srawaka, who were 

 probably the earliest Aryan colonists in this part of India ; as even 

 the Bhumij, who of the existing population claim to be the oldest 

 settlers and whose ancestors had not the skill to construct such monu- 

 ments, declare that the first settlers of their race found these ruins in 

 the forests that they cleared. We have the same tradition of early 

 settlements of the Srawuks in the eastern parts of Singhbhoom, which 

 were broken up by the warlike Hos or Lurka Coles. The Srawuks 

 appear to have colonized along the banks of rivers, and we find their 

 temple ruins on the banks of the Damodur, the Cossai and other 

 streams. The Cossai is rich in architectural remains. Within a few 

 miles of the station of Poorulia and near that river, are the ruins of an 

 did settlement called Palma. This I have not seen, but Lieutenant 

 Pi. C. Money has favoured me with a brief account of it. The principal 

 temple is on a mound covered with stone and brick, the debris of 

 buildings, through which many fine old pepul trees have pierced, and 

 umlcr their spreading branches the gods of the fallen temple have 

 found shelter. In different places are sculptures of perfectly nude 

 male figures, standing on pedestals and under canopies, with Egyptian 

 looking head dresses, the arms hanging down straight by the sides, 

 the bands turned in and touching the body near the knees. One of 

 these images is larger than life. It is broken away from the slab on 

 which it was cut, and the head, separated from the body, lies near. At 

 the feet of each idol are two smaller figures with chowries in their 

 hands, looking up at the principal figure, and on the pediment of each 

 is an animal, differing. I have now seen several of these figures, and 

 there can, I think, be no doubt that they are images of the " Tirthan- 

 caras" of the Jains, who are always thus figured naked or ' sky-clad,' 

 each with its representative animal or symbol. Lieutenant Money 



