366 Journal of a trip through the [April* 



1 1 . The fort of Kangra is built on a piece of land between two 

 mountain streams* which unite shortly after flowing past it. It con- 

 sists of bastion upon bastion and wall within wall, and has been built 

 after no particular plan or model, but at various times. The outer 

 wall is two miles or more in circumference. The summit of the citadel 

 must be fully 500 feet above the level of the stream which flows under- 

 neath. It is sadly out of repair and must soon fall to pieces. The an- 

 cient portions of this stronghold are built with sandstone, compact and 

 fine grained, but the modern additions have been made with burnt 

 bricks. With a stout-hearted garrison inside it would be almost im- 

 possible to take the place by storm, but as the whole of the interior is 

 commanded by the surrounding heights, the garrison could be shelled 

 out. By order of Lord Hardinge a single eighteen pounder has been 

 left there, to which the silly mountaineers make propitiatory offerings. 

 The fort is garrisoned by the 2d or Hill regiment of Sikh Local In- 

 fantry, under the command of three European Officers and a noncom- 

 missioned officer ; there is also an European Apothecary attached. The 

 Regiment is 800 strong, divided into 10 Companies of 80 men each. 

 The officers are selected from the Regiments of the line, and consist of 

 a commandant, a 2d in command, an Adjutant and Quarter-Master, and 

 a Serjeant Major. Within the fort are the remains of Hindu temples 

 which are covered with elegant sculptures. One of them is much cele- 

 brated and is annually visited by hundreds of pilgrims. Both the town 

 and the fort of Kangra are built upon an indurated calcareous conglo- 

 merate. The former contains between five and six thousand inhabi- 

 tants. A short mile from this town is the still more populous one of 

 Bhawun, built on the north-western slope of a hill called Mulkera. 

 Between the latter and the base of the Chumba range, distant about 

 six miles in a direct line, lies the picturesque and fertile Pergunnah of 

 Kangra ; most of the houses in the towns have roofs slated with slabs of 

 micaceous clay-slate. The streets are narrow, and generally dirty, and 

 are seldom anything better than flights of steps paved with boulders 

 which have become so polished by constant friction as greatly to in- 

 crease the difficulties of walking, but this very circumstance makes 

 them the more agreeable to persons without shoes. In the centre of 

 Bhawun is a neat Hindu temple with a gilded dome, which enhances 

 the pleasant appearance of the town from a distance. The two modem 

 * The principal one is called the Ban Gunga, which flows on the south-east. 



