1865.] Ancient Remains at Saidjmr and Bhitari. 83 



A mound rises at each corner, and another half way along each 

 face, and many more are within the enclosure itself. There is also 

 a spur running from the south-west angle. The general aspect of the 

 site is that of a fort with projecting towers at the corners, connected 

 together hy a low embankment or wall ; whilst the debris scattered 

 about in every direction and the numerous mounds, would seem to 

 indicate that formerly extensive buildings existed upon it. 



On the spur is a recently erected Imambara, under the foundations 

 of which a hole has been made into the mound on which it stands, 

 revealing the original foundations of a very ancient edifice lying in 

 situ. The bricks are of exceedingly large dimensions, some being 19 

 inches long, about 1 foot in width, and 3 inches in thickness. It 

 would be interesting to lay bare the whole of these remains, and to 

 trace as far as practicable, without injury to the Imambara, the extent 

 and nature of the earlier structure. 



In the year 1863, Mr. Home was requested by the Government 

 of the North- Western Provinces, at the suggestion of Major-General 

 Cunningham, to make excavations into some of the mounds at Bhitari. 

 . Strange to say, although trenches were made into several mounds, yet 

 nothing of importance was discovered. It by no means follows, how- 

 ever, that because no ancient relics were brought to light in those 

 tumuli which were then laid open, that a further and more complete 

 investigation would be fruitless. It is only natural that the changes 

 which have taken place through many generations among the build- 

 ings which the successive inhabitants of Bhitari have erected, having 

 recourse to the ancient structures for their materials from century to 

 century, rather than to materials of their own manufacture, should 

 have occasioned the formation of some, perhaps of many, of the exist- 

 ing mounds ; and therefore it is no matter for astonishment that Mr. 

 Home should have found only vast masses of earth, pottery, brick, 

 and other rubbish, especially as his excavations were mostly carried 

 on in the immediate neighbourhood of the inhabited portion of 

 Bhitari, His decided conviction is, that if excavations were conducted 

 on a more extensive scale, and embraced not only the larger tumuli 

 in the interior of the enclosure, but likewise those lying at various 

 distances in the outskirts, it is highly probable that discoveries of 

 great interest to the archaeologist, shedding light on the antiquity of 



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