1837.] Facsimiles of Ancient Inscriptions. 881 



view being borne out, — of similarity to the Ceylon topes. The square 

 central building seems to me to be built regularly for the sake of 

 forming the chambers of deposit, the vaults outside of this rubbish is 

 filled in for economy's sake ; and an outer crust of masonry in form of 

 a cupola completes the pile. There is no such outward mark of Buddhism 

 I believe on any of the Bactrian topes as on those of Sdrndth*, and 

 Bhilsa, where niches on the four sides were provided with chatur 

 buddha shrines. Whether of Buddhist sovereigns or of others, these 

 tumuli were evidently the depositories of bones and ashes to which the 

 coins and trinkets were merely accessary. Professor Wilson has now 

 before him in London the contents of many more topes than we have 

 had the pleasure of seeing, and ere this I dare say he has satisfied the 

 eager curiosity of my learned correspondent and of his numerous 

 countrymen now interested in the development of this train of 

 research. 



Inscription on a stone slab in the museum, Plate XLVIII. 



While endeavouring to keep pace with the influx of inscriptions 

 from abroad, I must not forget the task I had set myself, of rendering 

 an account of those deposited in our museum, a task which my readers 

 will doubtless be happy to find is now rapidly drawing to a close. 



The subject now to be explained is inscribed on an oblong slab of 

 sandstone, 4| feet by 2J, which I conjecture to be one of those presented 

 by General Stewart, and inserted in the catalogue of vol. XV. of the 

 Asiatic Researches, as " a stone slab from Ajaya-garh in Bundelkhand 

 with a Sanskrit inscription, or " a stone bull from Kalinjar, with a 

 Sanskrit inscription." Should the bull be unconnected with the inscrip- 

 tion I should incline to locate the present inscription at Kalinjar 

 because of the exact similarity of its alphabet to that of Lieut. Sale's 

 inscription from the same place, inserted in my August No. page 665, 

 Plate XXXII. and further the name of Malik a occurs in both, but 

 the inscription itself tells us it was set up in the fort of Jayanagara 

 along with an image of Hari, and a temple and image of Keshava in 

 the same place. Jayanagara is nearly identical with Ajaya-garh in 

 signification : it may have been substituted to suit the metre. None 

 or only one of the long list of names has a regal title ; on the contrary 

 the family is expressly said in the 1 4th verse to be of the Kdyas- 

 tha tribe, and their highest genealogical claim seems to have been that 



* A most careful and elaborate elucidation by drawings and measurements of 

 the Sdrndth tope, by Captain Cunningham, is now under publication in the 

 Asiatic Researches : but the plates will take a long time for their proper 

 execution. 



