Archeological Survey Report. lvii 
at the ground level. I attribute the sinking of the pillar partly to 
the insufficiency of the basement, and partly to the want of stiffness 
in the sub-soil, which is a loose wet sand. In such a soil the base- 
ment should have been well spread out, with its foundation resting 
on wells, so as to offer an effectual resistance to the thrust of the 
heavy pillar, which with its capital must weigh nearly 50 tons. The 
shaft alone above the water level weighs 37 tons. 
141. The upper diameter of the pillar is 38.7 inches, and the lower 
diameter at the water level is 49.8 inches, the mean diameter being 
44.2 inches, as the slope of the shaft is quite straight. The pillar is 
is surmounted by a bell-shaped capital, 2 feet 10 inches in height, 
with an oblong abacus of 12 inches, making the whole height of 
capital 3 feet 10 inches. This forms the pedestal of a lion statue of 
life-size. The animal is seated facing the north, with his hind legs 
ander him, with his mouth open as if snarling, and his tongue slightly 
protruded. The attitude is rather stiff, and the fore legs of the 
animal seem to be both too short and too thick, but the hair of the 
mane is boldly and cleverly treated, and the general appearance of 
the statue is certainly striking. 
142. ‘There is no inscription on the pillar to declare the object for 
which it was erected. It is possible that a short inscription may 
once have existed, for the surface of the pillar has suffered consider- 
ably, and in one part, 25 feet above the present ground level, the 
polished surface has peeled off allround. Numerous names of visitors 
have been cut on the pillar. Some few are of Musalmans, several of 
Hindus, but the most of Christians. The visitors, I was told, wrote 
their names in charcoal, and a village blacksmith afterwards traced 
them roughly with a chisel. The whole surface of the pillar within 
reach is disfigured with these rude scrawls, of which the neatest and 
smallest is that of “ Reuben Burrow, 1792.” Some of the Nagari 
inscriptions consist of two short lines, but none of them, as far as 
could judge, are more than 200 or 3800 years old. he pillar is 
known by the people as Bhim-Sen-ka-lat and Bhim-Sen-ka-danda. 
143. Immediately to the south of the pillar there is a small tank, 
200 feet from east to west, and 150 feet from north to south. It 
has no name, but is simply called Kund or Pokhar. To the south, 
at a distance of 35 feet, there is a low mound of broken bricks, which 
must have been the site of some ancient building. At short distances 
oi 
