1866.] Notes on a Tour in Maunbhoom. 191 



is on the estate of the gentleman claiming such ancient lineage and 

 noble ancestry that we find, on the banks of the Sobanrika river, near 

 its confluence with the Kurkari, the remains of the ancient city of 

 Dulmi. I was in hopes I should here find family annals that would 

 have given some account of the ruins, but the rajah has none, and 

 appears to have no reverence for the place. This makes one sceptical 

 of his royal descent, and the probability is, that he is nothing more 

 than a Hinduized Bhoomij. He calls himself a Kshetriya — an honour 

 to which all the Jungle Mehal chiefs aspire, declaring either that they 

 conquered the country from the ' Dasyas,' or were elected by them, or 

 were miraculously produced amongst them. In regard to subjugation, 

 the difficulty is, that their ancestor must, in each case, have done it 

 single handed, as the chief is the only representative of the force used ; 

 but this difficulty the rajah of Patkoine gets over by declaring that 

 his race were specially created to rule, the Dasyas to be ruled. 



The antiquities of Dulmi comprise the remains of an old fort, 

 several large tanks, and the ruins of numerous temples dedicated to 

 the worship of Siva and Parbutee, to the adoration of the Linga and 

 other objects of Brahminical idolatry. Crossing to the left bank of 

 the river, the first object that strikes you, is a colossal figure of Grunesh 

 amidst a confused heap of cut stones. The poor fellow has tumbled 

 off his pedestal and lost his legs in the fall. If he had had fair 

 proportions, he would have stood 12 feet high, as his body measures 

 six feet ; but with such ridiculously short and thick legs as were assign- 

 ed to him, he only stood 9 feet. His place was that of Janitor, and 

 the heaps of stones near him, the remains of the river gate of the old 

 city ; and you can trace from it the remains of masonry walls that 

 must have embraced a considerable area. A little hill overlooking 

 the river near this place is covered with cut and carved stones, and 

 occupying the place of honour in the foundation of what appears to 

 have been the principal temples just here, is a Linga, 18 inches in 

 diameter, protruding a foot and a half from the ' Argah' in which it is 

 embedded. The Argah is circular and three feet in diameter. In a 

 brick temple, near this shrine of Siva, there is a stand for an idol, but 

 the idol, which it is said was an image of Vishnoo, has been removed. 

 There were formerly, I am told, a great variety of sculptures at this 

 place, but they are now scattered all over the country. The brick 



