2 


1865.] Report of the Archeological Survey. 165 
entrances not less than 160 feet. This might have been disposed 
either as a square enclosure of 40 feet side, or as a circular enclosure 
of upwards of 50 feet diameter. The last would have been sufficient for 
the circular railing of a Stupa 40 feet in diameter. 
181. No inscriptions or numbers have been found on any of the 
large sized pillars, but there can be no doubt that they must have formed 
parts of the surrounding railings either of Stwpas or of holy trees, such as 
are represented in the Sanchi bas-reliefs, or as wesee them in still existing 
examples at Sanchi and Sonéri, Of the middle-sized railing I founda 
single broken rail, and also a single specimen of the architraves or 
coping stones. In the Sanchi and Son4ri examples the coping is quite 
plain, but this Mathura specimen is ornamented on both faces with 
semi-circular panels or niches containing figures and flowers. 
182. The sculptures on the Mathura pillars are of two kinds; 
namely, large single figures on the front, and on the back either small 
bas-reliefs in compartments one above the other, or else full-blown 
flowers at regular intervals. Both in the single figures and in the 
bas-reliefs we find the same mixture of religious and social subjects as 
in the sculptures of Sanchiand Buddha Gaya, Qn one pillar we have 
a standing figure of Buddha, the Teacher, with a halo and umbrella 
canopy, and on the back four small bas-reliefs representing, 1st, a holy 
tree with suspended garlands, surrounded by a Buddhist railing ; 2nd, 
a pair of figures, male and female ; 3rd, a kneeling figure presenting 
an offering to a standing figure ; and 4th, an elephant with rider. One 
of the other single figures is a female holding a water vessel to her 
lips, and no less than four of the others are representations of Maya 
Devi standing under the Sd/ tree, and holding one of its branches, in 
which position she is described as having given birth to Buddha. A 
specimen one of the large sized Mathura pillars may be seen in the 
Asiatic Society’s Museum in Calcutta, where it was deposited by 
Colonel Stacy. 
183. But perhaps the most curious of all the Mathura sculptures 
is that which was figured and described by James Prinsep in 1836 
as a Statue of Silenus. The block is 3 feet 10 inches in height, 3 feet 
‘broad, and 1 foot 4 inches thick. On the top there is a circular 
bason 16 inches in diameter and 8 inchts deep. On the front there is 
a group of three figures about three-fourths of life-size, with two 
