XXVI Archaological Survey Report. 
account. He had sunk a shaft 3 feet in diameter at 74 feet from 
the little temple. The shaft was then 17 feet deep. I examined 
the bricks which had been taken out, and on finding some with 
bevelled and rounded edges, and others thickly coated with plaster, 
I guessed at once that the original structure had been covered with 
an outer wall, and that the shaft had been sunk just outside the 
original work. ‘To ascertain whether this conclusion was correct, 
I laid bare the top of the mound, and soon discovered that the well 
was surrounded by a wall only 6 feet in thickness. This would give 
the original stupa a diameter of 22 feet. The Punjab Sepoy continued 
his shaft down to the stone foundation without finding any thing, 
and then gave up the work. 
64. Having observed that the slope of the mound on the north 
side was very gentle, I thought it probable that the building must 
have been approached on this side by a flight of steps. I therefore 
made an excavation in a line due north from the centre of the mound, 
and within a couple of hours I found a doorway. Continuing the 
excavation to the east and west as well as to the north, I found a 
small room with brick walls and granite pillars containing two middle 
sized sculptured slabs of middle age. Outside the doorway a flight 
of steps led downwards towards the north; I therefore turned to the 
south and continued my exeavation until I reached the main building, 
On examining the wall I found three recesses, the middle one being 
roofed by overlapping bricks. On clearing out the rubbish, this 
opening proved to be a carefully built passage only 2 feet 2 inches 
wide, and 3 feet 43 inches in height, right through the outer wall 
of the building. Behind it, but a few inches out of line, there was a 
similar passage through the original wall, only 2 feet in width. At 
the end of the passage I found the well filled with the same rubbish 
as on the south side. 
65. The discovery of this passage shows that the Buddhist Monks 
had easy aceess to the interior of the building. I conclude therefore 
that it must originally have contained some relic that was occasionally 
shown to visitors and to the public generally on certain fixed days. 
J cannot, however, discover in the accounts of Fa-Hian and Hwen 
Thsang any mention of a stupa inside the walls of old Rajagriha. 
66. The hot springs of Rajagriha are found on both banks of the 
Sarsuti rivulet; one-half of them at the eastern foot of Mount 
