1837.] Udayagiri and Khandgiri in Cuttaclc. 1089 



Should this interpretation of the first line be admitted, though we shall 

 be disappointed in finding the true mundane origin of these singular 

 monuments, we shall nevertheless have abundant reason to admire the 

 antiquity of the Indian mythos, when we thus find in a monument un- 

 doubtedly prior by some centuries to the Christian era, the selfsame 

 story which is now repeated by the faqirs who shew visitors over the 

 similar Stupendous relics of ancient grandeur on the west of India. 

 In this point of view alone the restoration of the Khandgiri inscription, 

 thanks to Mr. Kittoe, must be set down as a grand point gained to 

 confute the arguments of the modernists, as they may be called, who 

 would bring every thing Indian within the space of ten or twelve cen- 

 turies. — Thus we find Sir C. Malet wavering between the following 

 accounts of Ellora derived from opposite sources : — 



14 The Mahomedan says, * the town of Ellora was built by raja Eel, who also 

 excavated the temples, ami being pleased with them, formed the fortress of 

 Deogiri (Danlat6bad) which is a curious compound of excavation, scarping and 

 building, by which the mountain was converted into a fort resembling as some 

 say the insulated temple in the area of the Indur Subha. Eel raja was contem- 

 porary with Sra'h Momin Arif who lived 900 years ago.' 



" The Brahman on the other hand says — ' that the excavations of Ellora 

 are 7894 years old, formed by Eeloo raja, the son of Peshpont of Ellichpore 

 when 3000 years of the Dwa'par yug were accomplished. Eeloo raja's body 

 was afflicted with maggots, and in quest of cure he came to the purifying water 

 named Sewa lye or as it is commonly called Sewalla, that had been curtailed 

 by Vishnu to the size of a cow's hoof. He built a Kund for it and bathing 

 therein was purified*.' " 



In these conflicting stories we can trace' the selfsame tradition of 

 Ila extracted by Wilson from the Mackenzie records. 



It would be well worth while to re-examine the particular manuscript 

 (the number of which is not, however, mentioned), to ascertain what 

 further is said of him, and whether it be possible to consider him in 

 the light of a real monarch of Deogiri, whose son could by possibility 

 have imitated his father's propensity for forming impregnable mountain 

 fortresses in the rocks of Kalinga : or whether the name is not rather 

 Aila than Ila, which will make the same personage at both places, my- 

 thological or real, the originator of the excavations. Should an actual 

 monarch, named after this demigod, have ruled in central India in the 

 fourth century before Christ, his synonyme Pururavas would bring 

 him satisfactorily into the conditions required for the Grecian Porus ! 



image of that god in it. Other caves are called wassa ' chamber ;' as Jun wassa, 

 Cum&ra warra (wassa ?), &c. this is the vaai of the inscription. 

 * Asiatic Researches, VI. 385. 



