1848.] Journal of a trip through Kulu and Ldhul, fyc. 207 



hot spring, called Parbati Kund, and the others have carried away all 

 the bridges on the lower part of their course. Even small dribbling 

 threads of water, as they appear now, were (about the 1st, when the 

 floods happened) large enough to move blocks of stone about 10 feet 

 cube from 100 to 150 yards along a very gentle slope, and to cover the 

 fields 10 feet deep with clay and sand. 



These floods fully account for the unprecedented rise of the Byas 

 river, which the people of Mundi say has been higher this season, than 

 for the last one hundred years. All the small streams which feed the 

 Byas, have this year swept down large trees and enormous blocks of 

 stone, along with clay, sand, boulders, and mud ; and have deposited a 

 mass of rubbish on the alluvial and cultivated flat on the banks of the 

 Byas. A similar flood must have occurred at least once before within 

 the last 250 years ; for at the village of Hath, opposite Bajaora, there 

 are two stone temples which were built by Syama Sen, Raja of Mundi, 

 just 250 years ago, one of which is on high level ground, but the other 

 is more than half buried in rubbish, about 10 feet deep, which tradition 

 says was brought down by the Bajaora nullah more than a hundred 

 years ago, on account of the negligent government of a certain Bhosul 

 Raja. His extreme carelessness regarding the affairs of government 

 has passed into a proverb, which is in the mouth of every one. 



Barah petub, atharah dani, 

 Bhosul Raja, khabar na jani. 



Which may be translated — 



One of twelve gourds took each exciser 

 And Bhosul Raja none the wiser. 



The town of Sultanpiir is surrounded with dry stone walls ; only 200 

 of the houses are now inhabited, and the place appears to be nearly 

 deserted. In 1839 about 400 houses were inhabited, but even in 

 Moorcroft's time, A. D. 1820, the town bore marks of decay. He says, 

 " Kulu is of no great population or extent." There were formerly be- 

 tween 600 and 700 inhabited houses. The town is also sometimes 

 called Raghunathpur, from a temple dedicated to Raghunath. 



Wednesday 19 th August. Marched to Dwara, 10 miles. Road 

 along the right bank of the Byas, paved with large stones from 10 to 

 50 feet above the river for the first 3 miles. It then descended to the 



