180 Description of the Antiquities at Kdlinjar. [Marcbt, 



rock overhead here and for some distance down there are square holes, 

 evidently for the insertion of stone or wooden pillars to aid in support- 

 ing the weight of rock ; on the right of the descent, as you reach these 

 apertures, is a date of 1540, and opposite to them is a small door 3 feet 

 7 inches by 3 feet, showing a shallow recess or niche, which probably 

 originally contained an image. This door is guarded by a coarsely exe- 

 cuted male figure in alto-relievo, standing on a couple of stools and 

 resting on a staff. He is attended by a cow, apparently standing over a 

 small Ling and Joni ;(31) under the figure is an inscription, dated ^^£» 

 which is given in facsimile No. 8, and on the right door post, another 

 dated \^, (obi.) also in facsimile No. 9.(32) About 30 steps below this 

 point there is another aperture in the screen of rock left by the excava- 

 tion ; it is very small, being only just large enough to admit the passage 

 of the body. (33) 



From this opening a descent of 1 1 or 1 2 steps leads to the level of 

 the water, which is about three feet from the' roof. In order to see the 

 nature of the cavern, I had chiraghs lighted and floated to the further 

 end ; the roof of the cave is rough, as is also as much of the bottom as 

 is visible from the steps. The brahmans would not wade far into it, 

 as they said it is very deep in the centre. I have already stated that 

 the cave is about 40 feet by 20 or 25 ; the roof is entirely unsupported, 

 which makes me think that it is a natural cavity, very little if at all en- 

 larged by art, for it is not probable that any workman would have 

 left nearly 10O0 square feet of rock unsupported by pillars. The water 

 appears to be constantly dripping and trickling from the roof and sides. 



one time been built up in this manner, as the traces of cement are visible all round the 

 openings, so that the places originally must have been well worthy of its gloomy name. 



(31) Vide PI. VIII. 



(32) The surface of the stone on which these are cut being very rough and worn, 

 it was impossible to make a good facsimile. 



(33) About 10 feet below this opening the face of the hill loses its perpendicular 

 direction and slopes down abruptly j there is an overgrown path along the foot of the 

 precipice into which I let myself down, in order to ascertain whether there were any 

 traces of the cave from the outside ; however I could discover none. On the rock here are 

 several Persian inscriptions, one containing the name of Humayun and date of Higera 

 936, which exactly corresponds with the date of the siege of Kalinjar by Humayun given 

 in Dow. 



<jr"> Aa« i^tA.j.+ll t. aa) • JL* *rf)lw 4^3'-^ 8^**^H (£)}£+& *+b?° 

 Mahammud Humayun Padshah Ghazi batarikh salkh Rajab-ul-Murajab, Samvat 936. 



