474 Excavations at Sdrndth. [No. 5. 



I now proceed to notice such objects of interest as have been met 

 with during the operations. 



Most prominent among these are the small chaityas depicted as 

 figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6, displays the chaitya as deposited in its com- 

 plete state, its seal inscription of fragile clay encircled by and 

 preserved within the mass of subsequently baked clay, which itself 

 is adapted to a religious form of outline ; fig. 7, shows the offering 

 when subjected to the hammer of the curious antiquary and deve- 

 lopes to us the clay seals, of which 1, 2 and 3, offer varieties. These 

 examples contribute the only three modifications in the style of 

 writing that I have been able to detect, amid the produce of several 

 hundreds of chaityas. I had designed that the engravings should 

 show the precise variations of the form of alphabet and exhibit the 

 style of execution peculiar to each, but I must confess that I cannot 

 pretend to illustrate my theme with such imperfect representations 

 as Calcutta Lithography supplies ; indeed, to own the truth, I myself 

 have been obliged to refer in many instances to nearly identical 

 originals in my own possession in order to discover what letters the 

 artist designed to express ! As the supposed facsimiles will not 

 admit of my readers forming an opinion of the age of this writing, 

 nor for my illustrating its variations, I shall content myself with 

 remarking that Col. Sykes* assigns the Palaeography to any period 

 "between the 7th and 10th centuries," an open proposition enough, 

 and one we need not now contest ! 



The entire number of these diminutive prayer temples seem to 

 have been placed as votive offerings in one and the same position, 

 to the right front of the chief figure of Buddha, on the spot indi- 

 cated on the plan by a double cross within a circle. Whether how- 

 ever this was the appropriate spot, — so far removed from the statue 

 — for the deposit of the pilgrims offering, or whether, when once dedi- 

 cated at the shrine itself, the officiating priests considered this site of 

 sufficient proximity for absent worshippers' leavings, may be a ques- 

 tion ; but the little varying uniformity of the character and execution 

 of the legends contained within the chaityas would seem to indicate 

 that they were manufactured on the premises, or at all events, that 

 the ruling hierarchy had a beneficial interest in the trade, and pos- 

 * Athenseum, 5th February, 1853. 



