Archeological Survey Report. lv 
therefore, as the fair is held beside the ruined stupa, connect the fes- 
tival with some celebration in honour of Buddha or of one of his 
disciples. Two ornamental stone pillars of medizval date were found 
a short time ago in excavation near the foot of the mound. 
136, To the westward of the fort, there is a large sheet of water 
with an island on the east side, on which is situated a small temple 
dedicated to Mahadeva. Inside the temple all the sculptures found 
in the ruins of Besarh have been collected. The principal sculpture 
is a group of Mahadeva seated on his bull Nandi and caressing Dur- 
ga, or Gauri, who is seated on a lion. There is also astanding figure 
of the four-armed Vishnu with a radiated halo round his head. In 
his hands he holds a club, a ball, a quoit, and a shell. A third sculp- 
ture represents the Ashta S’akti, or eight female energies seated on 
their respective vdhans or vehicles. The remaining sculptures are 
Buddhistical. One is of Buddha the ascetic, two represent the 
Dhyani Buddha, Amitibha, while a fourth is a seated figure of the 
famous Bodhisatwa Avalokiteswara. 
137. There are several small sheets of water to the north and 
north-west of the fort, but when I saw them they were irregular in 
shape and seemed to me mostly natural hollows filled with the rain 
which had recently fallen. The natives however say that formerly 
there were 52 tanks (Bdwan Pokhar) around Besarh, two of which 
still exist in the neighbourhood of Bakhra. 
138. The remains at Bakhra are all situated on a low mound just 
~ one mile to the south-east of the village, and two miles to the north 
north-west of the fort of Besirh. The greater portion of this mound 
is now cultivated, but the whole surface is covered with small frag- 
ments of bricks. The edge of the mound is best defined on the 
western side, where it has an elevation of four feet. The remains 
consist of—I1st, a stone pillar surmounted by a lion; 2nd, a ruined 
stupa of solid brick ; 8rd, a tank; 4th, four small eminences which 
mark the sites of ancient buildings; and Sth, a very fine life-size 
statue of Buddha the ascetic, which was discovered only eight years 
ago. The pillar and the ruined stupa have already been described 
by Mr. Stephenson, and the site has already been identified by M. 
Vivien St. Martin, as well as by myself with the Vaisali of the 
Buddhists. 
139. The lion pillar of Bakhra is situated in the middle of a small 
