80 Ancient Remains at Saidpur and Bhitart. [No. 2, 






Some Account of Ancient Remains at Saidpix and Bhitdri.—By the 
Rev. M. A. Suzrrine, LL. B., and C. Hornu, Esq., C. S. 
[Received 4th January, 1865.—Read 1st February, 1865.] 
Some account of the remains found at Bhitdri has been already 
inserted at various times in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of 
Bengal. This refers for the most part to the stone pillar standing 
there, and to the inscription upon it, dating from the epoch of Sri_ 
Kumara Gupta. General Cunningham, in his interesting and valuable 
Report, printed in a Supplementary Number of the Society’s Journal 
objects at Bhitéri. Yet there are several very remarkable relics of 
the past which, so far as we have ascertained, neither this indefati-_ 
gable investigator nor any other archeologist has hitherto described, 
It is our purpose to give a succinct description of these relics. 
It is necessary to draw attention to the circumstance that Bhitari 
is usually spoken of in the Society’s Journal as Saidpér-Bhitari 
whereas Bhitéri and Saidpir are distinct places, the one being about | 
41 miles distant from the other. The high road from Benares toy 
Ghazeepore passes close to the large town of Saidpar, while the’ 
village of Bhitdri lies several miles away from this road. Its 
proximity, however, to Saidptr, is no doubt the reason why the two. 
have been associated together; besides which, there is good ground 
for believing that in ancient times both contained large Buddhist 
structures. 
SAIDPUR. 
This is a flourishing town of ten thousand inhabitants, chiefly 
Hindu traders, many of whom, judging from the multitude of well- 
made houses adorning the streets, are living in comfort, if not in 
affluence. Two large Hindu temples have been recently erected im 
the town, which, together with the Government Tahsili school, are 
situated on the left bank of the Ganges. Passing down the main 
street to its extremity and thence diverging to the right, you come 
immediately upon the outer wall of an enclosure, on entering which 
you observe three separate buildings appropriated by the Mahomedans | 
for sacred purposes. One of these is a modern structure ; the remain-} 
