1864] 



On tie Buddhist Bemains of Sultanganj. 



361 



There is only one place at the foot of the rock at which a boat can 

 be put in where there is a landing-place, and thence a very steep and 

 winding path leads to the summit. 



According to Montgomery Martin, at the three sacred Ml moons, 

 in October, January and April, (Bengali Kartika, Magna and Vaisakha,) 

 from twenty to thirty thousand persons attend to bathe at this 

 place ; " but the great emolument of the priests arises from about 

 50,000 pilgrims who at various times come to carry away a load of 

 water which they intend to pour on the head of various celebrated 

 images in distant parts. In the south of India I have met pilgrims 

 carrying their load from this place ; but by far the greater part goes 

 to Devaghar in Virabhum where it is poured on the Priapus or Lin- 

 ga called Baidyanatha, to whom this water, taken from a scene of former 

 pleasure, is considered as peculiarly acceptable. " # 



To the east of this rock on the river bank there is another mass of 

 granite having a few carvings on its western face, and a brick-built 

 mosque on the top of it called the Dargah of JBaisliharan. 



The village of Sultanganj stretches westward to the extent of about 

 a mile from the foot of this rock. In a line with Jangirah the posi- 

 tion of the village is Lat. 25° 19' 20" N. ; Long. 86° 48' 25" E. At 

 the time of Mr. Martin's survey, forty years ago, it contained about 

 250 houses, of which only two were brick-built and three tiled. The 

 number of houses has now quintupled, and the main road in front of 

 the mart which gives name to this place, is lined by a good many 

 pucka go downs. 



The railway station of Sultanganj stands behind this mart and at 

 a distance of about half a mile to the south of it. 



The space between the mart and the railway station forms a quad- 

 rangle of 1,200 feet by 800. It seems never to have been under 

 much cultivation, and is covered by the debris of old buildings, the 

 foundations of which have lately been excavated for ballast for the 

 railway. The trenches opened along the line of the foundations are 

 not continuous, and in several places have been filled up, but from 

 what remains I am disposed to believe that the place was at one time 

 divided into courtyards having lines of small cells or cloisters on all 

 four sides. This idea has been strengthened by the discovery of a 

 series of six chambers in a line at the south-western corner of the 

 * Martin's Eastern India, Vol.11, p. 38, 



3 A 



