1838.] Notes of a journey to Girndr, 869 



The neighbourhood of Pattern is esteemed especially sacred by 

 Hindus, as the scene of Krishna's death and apotheosis. After the 

 erection of the great temple at Dwarka> it is related that he came to this 

 part of the Saraustra, where, according to the fable, he lost his life from 

 the arrow of his brother Vali. A small river, known to Hindu devo- 

 tees as the Raunakshi, empties itself into the sea, at the distance of 

 about a mile to the eastward of Pattan. At a particular spot on this 

 river, sacred as that of Krishna's death, are a ghat and a few 

 temples. Pilgrims after a visit to Dwarka^ come to this stream, 

 where they bathe, and shave the hair from the head and face, in 

 token of mourning. They then proceed to Prachee where are some 

 temples (about eight miles up this river) : a visit to these concludes 

 a pilgrimage to Dwarkanath. In the neighbourhood of the ghat 

 above mentioned, and interspersed through a space of three or four 

 hundred yards in extent, are some excavations, which have all the 

 appearance of Buddhist viharas. They consist of a long low and 

 narrow entrance, from which a short flight of steps descends to a 

 small apartment; from this proceeds a gallery leading to another 

 chamber ; a succession of three or four chambers and galleries closes 

 the excavation. There are several of these caves, differing little from 

 each other, except that in one or two the galleries continually descend, 

 instead of being on the same level ; the last chamber is consequently 

 at a great depth from the entrance. They are all so low and narrow, as 

 to be traversed only in a stooping posture, and in none could I discover 

 the slightest trace of either ornament or idol. The attendant Brah- 

 mans at the ghat appear to attach some sanctity to these excavations, 

 and have kept many of them in good repair, with a facing of chunam. 

 Confirmatory of my opinion, that these were originally viharas, belong- 

 ing to some Buddhist establishment in the vicinity, I was fortunate 

 enough to discover near one of them a figure of Bu'dh. The face and 

 arms are destroyed, but the sitting posture, crossed legs, and remains of 

 pendants from the ears upon the shoulder, at once decide its character. 

 I subjoin a sketch of this statue*. It is small, the figure, together with 

 a pedestal on which it is sitting, being only four feet high. The pedes- 

 tal is ornamented with female figures, and the figure itself is support- 

 ed by a slender pillar, which is broken off just above the head. The 

 whole is framed from one block of a hard description of red stone. There 

 are in the disfigured appearance of this statue, undoubted marks of its 

 antiquity. I questioned the Brahmans on the spot, concerning it and 



* The sketch so exactly corresponds with other statues of Budh, that it has not 

 been deemed necessary to have it engraved. 



