566 Notes upon a tour through the R&jmahal Hills, [No. 7. 



Pachwara pass and now entirely occupied by Sonthals, in former days 

 connected the parent Pergunnah with its now detached bantling. 



Katicund is situated upon high ground a few hundred yards from 

 the Iru Naddie ; several Bengali grain-dealers live in the village, 

 who buy mustard seed and rice from the Sonthals, but for a price far 

 below its true value ; the grain is exported to Sury. 



Near Mr. Pontet's bungalow at Katicund are several heaps of 

 carved stones the remains of an ancient temple ; the stones have been 

 brought from the neighbouring northern hills distant about three miles 

 and are of a coarse red sandstone embedding masses of glossy quartz. 

 The sculptures represent what I imagine to be the naked priests or 

 Digambar of the Jains ; the carvings are of the rudest workmanship 

 and are very numerous. The carved stones are arranged so as to form 

 two hollow squares of about twelve feet square, and a few feet apart, 

 both of which are covered with thatched roofs and surmounted by 

 Shiva's trident. The Bengalis have established a Brahman to take 

 charge of these groups which together with several Lingams have 

 been dedicated to Shiva and are well smeared with ghee and vermilion. 

 The stones have been originally held together with metal clamps ; as 

 the mortises at their angles show, but no trace of the metal appears. 



The stone kallas or series of circles for the summit of the temple 

 are well carved, resembling huge cog-wheels, and are of the same style 

 as those found amongst the rude and ancient ruins on the Mundar Hill 

 in Bhaugalpur ; on the Kowa Dhole of Behar and that are so plen- 

 tifully distributed throughout all the hills of that zillah. 



The remains of this temple is the only piece of antiquity in this 

 neighbourhood, and the natives of these parts affirm that in former 

 days this was a populous and well-cultivated country, that it then 

 became overrun with jungle and was deserted, and that it was only 

 beginning to be again populated, cleared and cultivated. 



Of the truth or probability of such a change having taken place we 

 have no reason to doubt, for every one who has travelled in India 

 must have seen temples, caves and forts which must have cost much 

 time, labor and expense in their construction, and which in their ar- 

 rangement and high finish show an amount of intelligence and indus- 

 try quite wonderful, now given up to the wild hill tribes, or buried in 

 deep jungles. 



