220 Beport of (he Archceblogical Survey. [No. 4, 



principal room of the temple there was a large tree with wide-spread- 

 ing branches, which was said to be the dwelling of an anthropopha- 

 gous demon. The tree was surrounded with human bones, the remains 

 of pilgrims who had sacrificed their lives before the temple, — a custom 

 which had been observed from time immemorial. 



276. I think there can be little doubt that the famous tree here 

 described by the Chinese pilgrim is the well-known Akshdy Bat, or 

 " shadowless Banian tree," which is still an object of worship at 

 Allahabad. This tree is now situated underground at one side of a 

 pillared court, which would appear to have been open formerly, and 

 which is, I believe, the remains of the temple described by Hwen 

 Thsang. The temple is situated inside the fort of Allahabad, to the 

 east of the Ellenborough Barracks, and due north from the stone pillar 

 of Asoka and Samudra Glupta. Originally both tree and temple must 

 have been on the natural ground level, but from the constant accu- 

 mulation of rubbish they have bean gradually earthed up, until the 

 whole of the lower portion of the temple has disappeared underground. 

 The upper portion has long ago been removed, and the only access to 

 the Altshay Bat now available is by a flight of steps which leads down 

 to a square pillared court-yard. This court has apparently once been 

 open to the sky, but it is now closed in, to secure darkness and mystery 

 for the holy Fig tree. 



277. The Akshay Bat is next mentioned by B.ashid-ud-din in the 

 Jdmiut-tawdrikh, in which he states that the " tree of Brag" is situat- 

 ed at the confluence of the Jumna and Ganges. As most of his 

 information was derived from Abu Bihdn, the date of this notice may 

 with great probability be referred to the time of Mahmud of Grhazni. 

 In the 7th century a great sandy plain, 2 miles in circuit, lay between 

 the city and the confluence of the rivers, and as the tree was in the 

 midst of the city, it must have been at least one mile from the con- 

 fluence. But nine centuries later, in the beginning of Akbar's reign, 

 Abdul Kaclir speaks of the " tree from which people cast themselves 

 into the rivers." From this statement, I infer that, during the long 

 period that intervened between the time of Hwen Thsang and that 

 of Akbar, the two rivers had gradually carried away the whole of the 

 great sandy plain, and had so far encroached upon the city as to place 

 the holy tree on the very brink of the water. Long before this time 

 the old city had no doubt been deserted, for we know that the fort of 



