190 Description of the Antiquities at Kdlinjar. [Merch, 



by the hooded snakes(G8). In the small building on the left are 

 several badly executed figures, viz. Rama holding a sceptre ; Sita with 

 a closed lotus flower ; Lakshman with club and bow, an armed male 

 figure discharging an arrow. (6 9) Mahadeo as Nandigan with wor- 

 shippers, (vide note 13); Hanuman with his foot on the demon, who 

 attempted to impede his approach to Lanka(70) ; there is also a small 

 seated figure, with one standing and presenting an offering to it : among 

 the numerous sculptures which line the right of the descent, I have 

 selected 2 for sketches on account of their curiosity ; one is the sacred 

 bull Nandi with Mahadeo in the Ling shape on its back, (vide PI. XI. 

 fig. 14), it is clumsily sculptured in a square niche, as seen in sketch ; 

 near it is Kuver, the Hindu Plutus ; riding on the shoulder of his vahan, 

 a man(71). The sculptures which are built into the wall at the foot of 

 the descent, consist of figures of Ganesh, Mahadeo, Parbati, Fakirs, 

 and a male figure, with a bull's head, called Singha Gerick. "With a former 

 report, I enclosed a drawing in outline of the most curious perfect 

 sculptures among those over the small caves on the left of the descent ; 

 (72) the remaining sculptures are so mutilated as to be quite unadapted 

 for a drawing ; their arrangement is as follows : over the first or highest 

 cave, (73) a figure of Gauri Sankar(74), with male and female wor- 



(68) This sculpture is very well executed : under the principal figure is an inscription 

 of which only the following characters remain, the rest being broken off:— ^^"^Jf; 



(69) Called by the brahmans Bir Badh (Hero slayer) (?) 



(70) I before called this figure Ganesh by mistake, the misnomer however is excu- 

 sable, for the monkey's tail curled over his shoulder looks at first exactly like an elephant's 

 trunk. 



(71) Vide Plate XIV.— Kuver is a brother of Ravan, and also called Paulastya. The 

 extremities of the figure are wanting, but he is usually represented with closed lotus, 

 flowers. The sculpture is 3 feet 6 inches high \ it is let into the wall and has evidently 

 been brought from elsewhere. 



(72) Two figures of Kal-Bhairon and a skeleton form of Kali. 



(73) This cave contains the sculpture given in the pencil outline which accompanied 

 my last report ; 1 then called the principal figure Kali, which is correct, but it is Kali, as 

 Durga, the champion of the gods, and the decapitated animal is not a cow but the demon 

 Mahishur in the shape of a buffaloe, who was slain by Durga. 



(74) Gauri Sankar. The meaning of this word is I believe Mahadeo and Parbati in- 

 corporated, which is in fact the Ling and the Joni personated. This conjoint form of 

 Parbati and Mahadeo is also called arddhanari, from ^j^ half, and #fj^ a female, or 

 arddha Maheswara, half Mahadev ; Siva is said to have thus incorporated himself with 



