XXV111 



Bejoort of the Archaeological Survey. 



in ruins, although the foundations were still solid. The Chinese 

 Pilgrim describes Srughna as possessing a large Vihdr, and a grand 

 stupa of Asoka's time containing relics of Buddha, besides many other 

 stupas of Sdriputra, Maudgalyayana, and other holy Buddhists. Prom 

 the very exact agreement in the descriptions of the site of the village 

 of Taopar with that of the city described by Hwen Thsang, I feel 

 quite satisfied that the original site of Firuz Shah's Pillar was some- 

 where in the immediate vicinity of the ancient Capital of Srughna, 

 I think it probable also that in the work Suk, which is appended to 

 one of the various readings of the name of the village of Taopar, we 

 still have a fair approximation to Sughan, the popular form of the 

 Sanskrit Srughna. 



52. "When the pillar was removed from its original site, a large 

 square stone was found beneath it, which was also transported to 

 Delhi (a similar large square stone was found along with the Zamaniya 

 Pillar which now stands in the grounds of the Benares College). This 

 stone was again placed beneath the pillar in its new situation on the 

 top of the three-storied building called Firuz Shah's Kotila, where it 

 piay now h§ seen, as a gallery has been pierced through the solid 

 paasonry immediately b@neg.th. the base of the pillar. According to 

 Shams-i-Siraj, the whole length pf the shaft was 32 gaz, of which 8 

 gaz were sunk in the building. As the pillar at present stands, I 

 found the total height to be 42 feet 7 inches, of which the sunken 

 portion is only 4 feet 1 inch. But the lower portion of the exposed 

 shaft to a height of 5 feet is still rough, and I have little doubt, 

 therefore, that the whole of the rough portion, 9 feet in length, must 

 have been sunk in the ground on its original site. But according to 

 Shams-i-Siraj, even more than this, or one-fourth of its whole length, 

 that is, 10 feet 8 inches, was sunk in the masonry of Piruz Shah's 

 Kotila. This I believe was actually the case, for on the west side 

 of the column there still remain in situ the stumps of two short 

 octagonal granite pillars that would appear to have formed part of a 

 cloister or open gallery, around a fourth story, which cannot have 

 been less than 6£ or 7 feet in height. I conclude, therefore, that the 

 statement of .Shams-i-Siraj is quite correct. 



53. When the pillar was at last fixed, the " top was ornamented 

 with black and white stone-work surmounted by a gilt pinnacle, 

 from which no doubt it received its name of Mindr Zarin or ' Golden 



