1875.] J. Beames — The Alti Hills in Cuttack. 21 



rudely shaped clay model of a human face, covered with red paint and drap- 

 ed in coarse dhoties. The images of Buddha are all exactly alike and are 

 fine pieces of sculpture. I give a sketch of one of them (plate VI). I had 

 no time to explore the other recesses of this hill, but hope to do so on a 

 future occasion. 



The mosque of Takht i Sulaiman stands on the southern face of the 

 Alti hill, 2500 feet up. Its white walls form a conspicuous mark on the 

 hill side which can be seen for many miles to the south. The ascent is 

 from the east and consists of a steep road paved with rough stones, which 

 still retain some semblance of steps. The mosque of which I made a sketch 

 (plate IV) is a plain stone building standing on a small platform, and on 

 its southern side on the edge of the precipice is the sacred tank, a small 

 shallow hole about 10 feet by 8 and 3 deep, cut in the rock. It is now dry, 

 but the legend is, that it was formerly a spring of water formed by Sulai- 

 man's striking the rock with his staff. The tank was full of water till 

 Shuja' uddin's time, so said my informant, when a soldier of his army having 

 outraged a female pilgrim to the shrine, the ' lympha pudica ' dried up and 

 has never flowed since. The soldier and his unchaste companion, or his 

 victim, for it is not clear whether the lady consented or not to the act, were 

 buried at the foot of the hill, and every passer-by throws a stone on the 

 grave, which has thus become a huge mound or cairn by the road side. 



The following is the inscription on three slabs of chlorite, one over each 

 door of the mosque— 



uijl crJ'ir* &&j »_ftjU oAf * j.& j &^=*. j*» j\ j\dji <u~*b 



' When Shuja' -uddin Muhammad made this shrine, that from it might 

 shine the bight of religion, 



' I sought from my heart the year of its tarikh, that the building of it 

 might be made evident. 



' " Cease from the endeavour, and say," quoth the inspiration, " [It is] 

 the envy of the highest Paradise." ' 



Date A. H. 1132, as given by the Babu. A. D. 1719-20. 



The hill on which this mosque stands is called by the Hindus Boro dihi, 

 "&S Wtf$, or ' great site,' and was according to local tradition the seat of the 

 palace of some great king ; but who he was or when he lived, authorities are 

 not agreed. The Birupa flows past the southern foot of the hill, and on its 

 banks are two huge stones weighing several tons. My informant, an old 

 Hindu of some respectability, mentioned that he had heard in his youth 



