1837.] condition of Oujein or Ujjayani. 817. 



to quench his torment, he made the tanks of the water-palace, one 

 or other of which he is always occupying, still invisible and ever on 

 fire, and when his burning body has heated one pool, the miserable 

 immortal seeks refuge in another. It would appear from ancient 

 tradition that instead of the river flowing in two channels at Kaliya- 

 deh, the bed of the present left stream was formerly occupied by a pool 

 only. The Bramha kund, which is mentioned in the Avanti-khand and 

 now converted into a square tank, forms in the eyes of the Hindu 

 the principal attraction of the place. This was perhaps the well 

 Kalba-deh spoken of by Abul Fazl, " The water of which flows in- 

 cessantly into a cistern which is continually running over and yet 

 remains full." 



The innovations complained of are of later date. 



I have before mentioned that a broad central path bisects the works. 

 Two tall carved purdahs stood originally on this path leaning like 

 buttresses against the front of the outer arcade, one on the left, the 

 other on the right. The water of two artificially supplied reservoirs 

 sunk in the terrace above the arcade fell down these purdahs and fed 

 two fountains in tanks one on each side of the path. The one to the 

 left is the Bramha kund*. 



When the emperor Akber was on his way to the Deccan in 1599, he 

 substituted for the right purdah a new open archway, which stands out 

 at right angles to the old arcadef. This (if it may be so called) portico 

 is handsome, for the arches are well proportioned, and the whole is built 

 of the red-stone, Spec. 4. Sed non erat hie locus — the new projection 

 having nothing to balance it on the left looks unfinished and awk- 

 ward. While the one purdah on the opposite side wears a similarly 

 deserted appearance, and seems to complain of the absence of its 

 fellow. The "wonderful buildings" two circular- domed gumbaz (domes) 

 with arches opening outside, are agreeable summer-houses, but 

 detract I suspect, from the simplicity of the original design of the 

 works. They stand on the central path, and were the gift of J^hangib 

 in 1620 as recorded in the subjoined inscription. 



* There is no trace of the fountain of the right kund, but that there were 

 originally two fountains the plan of the building and the two reservoirs above 

 plainly indicate. 



f It is on this portico that Akber's two inscriptions are found. The second 

 seems to have been written after the successes in the Deccan, but it is much 

 defaced and the letters do not appear to contain a date. 



