J 839.] March between Mhow and Saugor, 1838. 805 



Art. II. — March between Mhow and Saugor, 1838. 



Many of the places visited in this journey, were unavoidably visit- 

 ed (it may be almost said) at a gallop; the descriptions are not 

 therefore offered as minute and faultless details, but rather as sketches 

 claiming every indulgence; whose aim is to stimulate the curiosity of 

 future travellers over the same ground, who may have more leisure 

 to pursue the inquiry. Some apology seems also necessary for the 

 digressive nature of the notes. Their best excuse will be their prov- 

 ing either interesting or instructive. Nothing was observed worth 

 noticing till the fourth march, — unless we except a warm spring* be- 

 tween Duttoda and Oouchade, known by the name of the " Kiaura 

 Koond" from a few of the so-called trees, whose flowers perfume its 

 banks, and which give a title to a Ling temple near it, "Kioureswar." 



Some time after leaving Akberpoor, the road crosses a range of low 

 wooded hills, issuing from which the small village of Kurnawud 

 is seen, half-hidden in foliage on the right. It boasts itself to derive its 

 name and origin from one who plays a conspicuous part in the 

 *'■ Bharut," the ear-born son of Kunti — the 6th Pandoo — the gallant and 

 generous Kurun. Not content with the wonderful adventures of 

 which he is the hero in "the great war," the inhabitants of the vici- 

 nity possess a goodly store of silly local cheritras regarding him, which 

 they eagerly recite, and believe with perhaps a more lively faith, than 

 will elicit from them the more orthodox, but less familiar, fables of 

 Vyasu. One of the legends they told us, was that which is found in 

 Conolly's overland journey,t and the others were of a like stamp. A 

 Ling temple close to the village, honored by the name of the hero, ap- 

 pears — the lower part of it at least — to be of considerable antiquity ; 

 though a plastered roof now covers the Subha, and a modern brick 

 dome supplies the place of the doubtless once pyramidal Sikra; the 



* Springs of this kind are not uncommon in the offsets of the Vindhya. They rarely 

 are of higher temperature than 8U°, and have no remarkable chemical properties. 



f Vol. ii. page 286. The story is however not in the Bhagavvut. It may possibly 

 be found in the " Kurun Upakian." A Basha poem, the " Gurb Chintamani" des- 

 cribing the inconstancy of human glory, thus speaks of Kurun's charity, and his end, 

 in popular doggrel — 



Raja Kurun bihoto Death has seized as his prey 



Kunchun khatma deto Kurun, who lavished gold ; 



He nur murgya chun mc Like a spark he passed away; 



Dera kuryya bun me. His grave is in the world, 



