﻿ECONOMIC 
  GEOLOGY. 
  71 
  

  

  temples 
  of 
  Mandhata 
  having* 
  been 
  mainly 
  built 
  of 
  sandstone 
  got 
  from 
  

   there. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  sandstone 
  is 
  durable 
  and 
  soft 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  carved 
  with 
  faci- 
  

   lity. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  pretty 
  little 
  temple 
  at 
  Chandupara 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  

   an 
  inscription 
  bearing 
  date 
  Sambat 
  1282, 
  i. 
  e., 
  A. 
  D. 
  1255, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   628 
  years 
  old. 
  But 
  it 
  appears 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  recently 
  raised 
  ; 
  and 
  

   the 
  carved 
  figures 
  look 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  fresh 
  from 
  the 
  chisel. 
  The 
  

   ruins 
  on 
  Mandhata 
  hill 
  offer 
  instructive 
  and 
  interesting 
  examples 
  of 
  

   the 
  durability 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  and 
  its 
  capability 
  for 
  elaborate 
  carving. 
  

   Richly 
  carved 
  pillars, 
  some 
  14 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  3 
  feet 
  square 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  

   and 
  carved 
  elephants, 
  between 
  4 
  and 
  5 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  in 
  almost 
  complete 
  

   relief 
  on 
  stone 
  slabs, 
  and 
  " 
  executed 
  with 
  singular 
  correctness 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   cellence 
  of 
  attitude/'' 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  as 
  instances. 
  2 
  Unfortunately 
  the 
  

   exact 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  temples 
  and 
  fort 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  3 
  But 
  they 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   less 
  than 
  900 
  years 
  old. 
  4. 
  

  

  The 
  Ahkund 
  rock 
  was 
  quarried 
  for 
  the 
  fort 
  and 
  temples 
  of 
  Punassa 
  

   and 
  its 
  neighbourhood. 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  partly 
  employed 
  for 
  the 
  viaduct 
  

   on 
  the 
  Narbada. 
  

  

  5. 
  Nimdr 
  sandstone. 
  — 
  The 
  lower 
  massive 
  beds 
  of 
  this 
  formation 
  

   yield 
  good 
  building 
  stone. 
  It 
  has, 
  however, 
  been 
  but 
  little 
  utilised. 
  

  

  6. 
  Coralline 
  limestone. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  building 
  stone 
  of 
  the 
  

   country, 
  whether 
  we 
  take 
  beauty 
  or 
  durability 
  into 
  consideration. 
  It 
  

   takes 
  a 
  fine 
  polish, 
  and 
  the 
  thick 
  clusters 
  of 
  branching 
  Bryozoa, 
  of 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  largely 
  made 
  up, 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  most 
  picturesque 
  appearance. 
  

  

  1 
  1 
  inferred 
  this 
  from 
  the 
  blocks 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  Katkut 
  to 
  Man- 
  

   dhata. 
  But 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  from 
  Rupabaria, 
  which 
  is 
  

   nearer. 
  Captain 
  Forsyth, 
  in 
  an 
  article 
  on 
  Mandhata 
  in 
  the 
  Central 
  Provinces 
  Gazetteer 
  

   (p. 
  259), 
  says 
  : 
  The 
  rock 
  was 
  " 
  brought 
  from 
  a 
  great 
  distance," 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  suggest 
  from 
  

   where. 
  The 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  could 
  not 
  give 
  me 
  any 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  matter. 
  But 
  

   I 
  have 
  very 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  mainly 
  broughtfrom 
  Katkut. 
  

  

  a 
  For 
  a 
  fuller 
  description 
  see 
  the 
  article 
  on 
  Mandhata 
  — 
  Central 
  Provinces 
  Gazetteer, 
  

   pp. 
  259 
  to 
  264. 
  The 
  Jaina 
  temples 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  have 
  also 
  sandstone 
  as 
  the 
  principal 
  

   rock. 
  

  

  ' 
  8 
  In 
  the 
  temple 
  of 
  Siddheswara, 
  the 
  finest 
  now 
  existing, 
  I 
  found 
  an 
  inscription 
  which, 
  

   unfortunately, 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  adequate 
  help, 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  decipher. 
  

  

  4 
  See 
  Forsyth, 
  op. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  258. 
  

  

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