1849.] discovered on a Spur of the Satpoorah Range. 937 



of the wall are cut out in bold relief the colossal figures of men sitting 

 bare-headed under canopies on each side of a throne or temple, and in 

 another place the colossal figure of a man standing naked and facing 

 outward, which I took to be that of Buddha." Of the colossal figure of 

 Mata Koonar in the district of Gorakpore, Mr. Prinsep has not thought 

 necessary to give the height or a sketch. His opinion of its being a 

 figure of Buddha is sufficient to authorize its reception as such, but the 

 omission is unfortunate for comparison sake. He states, it is sur- 

 rounded with smaller compartments, descriptive of various acts of Bud- 

 dha's life, surmounted also above by angels and gods, and below sup- 

 ported by the Sinha and elephant, and is probably connected with the 

 Mathia Lat, described by Mr. Hodgson, Asiatic Society's Journal, Vol. 

 3. Mathia being evidently the patronymic of Mata and Koonar or Kun- 

 war, a corruption of Kumara, the youthful, or god of war. Mr. Lis- 

 ton's description however shews several points in which it is dissimilar 

 to the Bawangaj rock image, which is either essentially Jaina or of the 

 esoteric Buddha creed. Mata Koonar is associated with devatas and 

 attendant figures on each side, with flames around their heads, and their 

 hands on goats, and the lotus over the shoulder, whereas every thing 

 about the Bawangaj is particularly plain. The only other hill figures 

 an account of which has been published, are the 3 Bhuts at Bamiyan, 

 the largest of which is 120 feet high ; these, though traditionally said 

 to have been inhabited by Abraham, and to have been excavated before 

 the flood (Colonel Wilford, Asiatic Researches, 6, Vol.) are considered 

 by every traveller to be Buddhistical. Mr. Masson, the latest visitor, 

 says, they are in the same attitude as the figure at Kanari, that of 

 preaching, and the paintings are similar all over the caves. Sir A. 

 Burnes is the only author who makes allusion to their Jain extrac- 

 tion, and thinks the paintings over the idol to have a close resem- 

 blance to the images of the Jain temples in western India, as Mount 

 Abu at Girnar, and Palitana in Kattywar, and can trace no resemblance 

 to the figures in the caves of Salsette. Notwithstanding such high 

 authority, they can scarcely be said to belong to the Jain faith, as 

 we know it. Their figures are never in such a posture, and the clothing 

 is thrown loosely over, exposing the right shoulder; the Bamiyan 

 figures besides were in existence at a time when the Jain religion 

 was certainly not in the ascendant, while Buddhism as certainly was. 



