68CJ Journal of a Tour m Orissa. [Aug. 



I left Jaleswar at 10 p. m. and reached Ealeswar (Anglicc 

 Balasore), the next morning (the 26th) at sunrise, having stopped 

 for half an hour at the Burabalang river to search for fragments of 

 coal. I was unsuccessful. In the night I left again on a trip to the 

 Neilgiri hills at Neilgarh, distant about 12 miles, which place I 

 reached at daybreak. Neilgarh is the capital of the petty state of that 

 name and is the residence of the rajas ; it is an insignificant place with 

 a few pukka buildings belonging to the raja, also some small temples. 



I had been told that there were caves in this hill, but upon inquiry 

 on my arrival I was assured that I had been misinformed, and that the 

 only curiosities were two huge blocks of stone frds of the way up the 

 hill which are venerated and known by the names of Domurra and 

 Domurrani. I accordingly climbed up the hill, and being much fatigued 

 rested on the rock : I had a noble view of the sea and the surrounding 

 country which in some measure repaid me for my trouble. My guide 

 assured me with the gravest face possible that these two shapeless 

 stones were deities in that disguise awaiting the time when the sea 

 will rise above the low lands and wash the foot of the hills, when they 

 (the Thakurs) will sit and enjoy themselves, fishing with a rod and 

 line ; there is no accounting for such an absurd tradition. 



The rock of this lofty hill is a fine close-grained grey granite with 

 large veins of quartz. 



Having taken a cup of tea I retraced my steps to Baleswar where I 

 arrived at 3 p.m. I left the following evening for Jujipur, which place 

 I reached at noon on the 1st. I had expected to meet a native friend of 

 mine, Moonsif Abdul ah ed, with whom I intended to pass a couple 

 of days exploring the antiquities of Jajipur, but to my regret he had 

 left two days' previous for a place twenty miles off. I made every 

 possible inquiry, but was assured that there were no inscriptions or other 

 objects worthy of notice beyond what I had seen in November 1836, 

 already described in my journal, vide page 53 Journal As. Soc. 

 No. 73 for January 1838 ; I examined the huge idols near the shrine : 

 it would upon more mature consideration be an useless expense remov- 

 ing them, as they are much mutilated. 



1 went to the temple where the eight idols are placed, which are said 

 to have been dug out of the bed of the river and drew five of them. 

 There are very faithful representations of the whole (nine idols) in the 

 Mackenzie collection of plates ; also of the three colossal figures above 

 mentioned. Towards the evening I was informed that there was a stone 

 with writing and sculpture upon it situated in the centre of an extensive 

 plain about six miles to the south-westward. I procured bearers and 



