Xcvill Archeological Survey Report. 
Chaukandi mound on the south. To the south-west of the great 
tower the Jains have erected a modern temple of Pérswandth. The 
temple is white-washed and surrounded by a wall enclosing an area 
167 feet square. Since I first surveyed these ruins in 1835, a second 
or outer enclosure has been added on the east side, the walls of 
which run right up to the great tower, and cause much inconvenience 
to visitors, by obstructing their free passage round the building, 
231. The most remarkable of the Sarnath Monuments is the 
great tower called Dhamek. In his hand-book of architecture (Vol. 
I. p. 15) Mr. Fergusson has stated that “ this building was opened by 
Major Cunningham, wader Mr. Prinsep’s auspices ;” but this state- 
ment is incorrect, as the operations were begun by myself before any 
communication was made to James Prinsep, and were afterwards 
continued entirely under my own guidance. The cost of opening the 
tower was shared between James Prinsep, Captain Thoresby, Major 
Grant, and myself, but the work had been commenced “ under my 
own auspices,” and was not suggested to me by James Prinsep. The 
excavation was begun in December 1834, and closed in January 1836, 
at a cost of Rs. 517-3-10. But before detailing these operations I 
will describe the tower itself. 
232. The Buddhist stupa called Dhamek is a solid round tower, 
93 feet in diameter at base, and 110 feet in height above the surround- 
ing ruins, but 128 feet above the general level of the country. The 
foundation or basement, which is made of very large bricks, has a 
depth of 28 feet below the level of the ruins, but is sunk only 10 feet 
below the surface of the country. The lower part of the tower, to a 
height of 43 feet, is built entirely of stone from one of the Chunar 
quarries, and with the exception oftthe upper five courses, the whole of 
this part of the building is a solid mass of stone, and each stone, even 
in the very heart of the mass,is secured to its neighbours by iron cramps, 
The upper part of the tower is built entirely of large bricks, but as the 
outer facing has long ago disappeared, there is nothing now left to 
show whether it was formerly cased with stone, or only plastered 
over and coloured to imitate the stone-work of the lower portion. I 
infer, however, that it was plastered, because the existing stone-work 
terminates with the same course all round the building, a length of 
292 feet. Had the upper part been cased with stone, it is scarcely 
possible that the whole should have disappeared so completely that 
