1865.] Report of the Archaeological Survey. 169 



one of which by the mere shifting of the diacritical points might be read 

 as Paotar. It is possible also that the word Suk may still preserve a 

 trace of the ancient name of Sughan, which is the spoken form of the 

 Sanskrit Srughna. I propose to explore this neighbourhood during 

 the ensuing cold season. In the meantime I am satisfied with having 

 shown that the inscribed rock of Khalsi is situated within 18 or 20 

 miles of the site of the ancient Capital of Srughna, in whose great 

 monastery the Chinese pilgrim spent upwards of four months, because 

 the monks discussed the most difficult questions so ably that all doubts 

 were cleared up. By the hands of this learned fraternity were most 

 probably engraved the two copies of the edicts of Asoka which are still 

 extant, on the Khalsi rock and on the Delhi Pillar of Firuz Shah. 



187. Between Khalsi and the Jumna the land on the western 

 bank of the river is formed in two successive ledges or level steppes, 

 each about 100 feet in height. Near the foot of the upper steppe 

 stands the large quartz boulder which has preserved the edicts of 

 Asoka for upwards of 2,000 years. The block is 10 feet high, and 

 about 8 feet thick at bottom. The south-eastern face has been smooth- 

 ed, but rather unevenly, as it follows the undulations of the original 

 surface. The main inscription is engraved on this smoothed surface, 

 which measures 5 feet in height with a breadth of 5^ feet at top, which 

 increases towards the bottom to 7 feet 10 J inches. The deeper hollows 

 and cracks have been left uninscribed, and the lines of letters are un- 

 dulating and uneven. Towards the bottom the letters increase in size 

 until they become about thrice as large as those of the upper part. 

 Owing either to this enlargement of the letters, or perhaps to the latter 

 part of the inscription being of later date, the prepared surface was 

 too small for the whole record, which was therefore compressed on the 

 left hand side of the rock. 



188. On the right hand side an elephant is traced in outline, with 

 the words Gaja tame inscribed between his legs in the same characters 

 as those of the inscription. The exact meaning of these words I do 

 not know ; but as the Junagiri rock inscription closes with a paragraph 

 stating that the place is called Sweta Hasti, or the " white elephant,". 

 I think it probable that Gaja tame may mean the " dark or black 

 elephant," and may therefore be the name of the rock itself. Amongst 

 the people, however, the rock is known by the name of Chhatr 8ild } 



