164 Inscribed Slab found near Chhatarpur. [March, 



inner roofs of the temples, which were circular, and carved in a most 

 elaborate, style. 



I told one of the bearers to try and find out whether there were 

 any passage or steps leading to the roof inside or outside the building : 

 as if there were, I intended to pay a visit to it. After searching about 

 for some time, he reported that there was a way ,• so I went to 

 look at it, and found that the only means which presented itself of 

 access to the upper story, existed on the inside, and from one of the 

 side passages ( dark as Erebus), and that it was requisite to ascend 

 by climbing up the sacred images. 



From the side wall, which was perpendicular, I first sent up one of 

 the bearers, and then by laying hold of the leg of one god, and the 

 arm of another, the head of a third, and so on, I was luckily enabled, 

 not however without inconvenience, to attain the top of the wall ; 

 where, on the roof, I found an aperture, just large enough forme to creep 

 in at. On entering upon the roof, I found that my sole predecessors there 

 for several years before had been evidently the bat and the monkey, 

 and the place was not for that reason the most odoriferous of all 

 places in the world. However, it was necessary that I should see and 

 inspect the nature and formation of these upper stories. The circular 

 roofs, before referred to, were formed by the overlapping of huge 

 long blocks of stone, which stretched from the capital of one pillar to 

 that of another, and upon both of which they are supported. The 

 others are placed so as to fill up the corners of the square (or other an- 

 gular figure of which the plan of the roof was formed) by other huge 

 long blocks laid across these interstices diagonally, from the centre of 

 one face to centre of another. The same occurred above them, smaller 

 blocks being used as the circle contracted, and as the roof tended towards 

 a point. Here a square stone was laid on, resting upon the superincum- 

 bent ones. There was no masonry, I mean no plaster of any kind, used 

 for the purpose of cementing these slabs to one another, their own weight 

 and position alone being sufficient to give them permanence — a per- 

 manence which has lasted forages, and which would, unless disturbed 

 by the growing of trees or other disturbing cause, sempiternally exist. 

 I saw nothing else worthy of notice, only here and there, immense 

 parallelopipedons of stone, in some of which, the presence of holes ap- 

 parently drilled for the intrusion of the lever for raising them was 

 indicated. There appeared to be no way of returning excepting that 

 by which I had effected my ascent, so I set about my descent as well 

 as I could, for this was more difficult than the ascent ; but after 

 resting first one foot, then another, upon any projection I could meet 

 with, I managed to effect, without loss of limb my perilous descent. I 



