1865.] Report of the Archeological Survey. 169 
one of which by the mere shifting of the diacritical points might be read 
as Paotar. It is possible also that the word Suk may still preserve a 
trace of the ancient name of Sughan, which is the spoken form of the 
Sanskrit Srughna. I propose to explore this neighbourhood during 
the ensuing cold season. In the meantime I am satisfied with having 
shown that the inscribed rock of Khalsi is situated within 18 or 20 
miles of the site of the ancient Capital of Srughna, in whose great 
monastery the Chinese pilgrim spent upwards of four months, because 
the monks discussed the most difficult questions so ably that all doubts 
were cleared up. By the hands of this learned fraternity were most 
probably engraved the two copies of the edicts of Asoka which are still 
extant, on the Khalsi rock and on the Delhi Pillar of Firuz Shah. 
187. Between Khalsi and the Jumna the land on the western 
bank of the river is formed in two successive ledges or level steppes, 
each about 100 feet in height. Near the foot of the upper steppe 
stands the large quartz boulder which has preserved the edicts of 
Asoka for upwards of 2,000 years. The block is 10 feet high, and 
about 8 feet thick at bottom. The south-eastern face has been smooth- 
—<—-- 
ed, but rather unevenly, as it follows the undulations of the origina, 
surface. he main inscription is engraved on this smoothed surface, 
which measures 5 feet in height with a breadth of 5} feet at top, which 
increases towards the bottom to 7 feet 103 inches, The deeper hollows 
and cracks have been left uninscribed, and the lines of letters are un- 
dulating and uneven, Towards the bottom the letters increase in size 
until they become about thrice as large as those of the upper part. 
Owing either to this enlargement of the letters, or perhaps to the latter 
| part of the inscription being of later date, the prepared surface was 
too small for the whole record, which was therefore compressed on the 
ft hand side of the rock. 
188. On the right hand side an elephant is traced in outline, with 
words Gaja tame inscribed between his legs in the same chayacters 
is those of the inscription. The exact meaning of these words I do 
t know; but as the Junagiri_rock inscription closes with a paragraph 
Bisting that the place is called Sweta Hastz, or the “white elephant,” 
I think jit probable that Gaja tame may mean the “ dark or black 
elephant,” and may therefore be the name of the rock itself. Amongst 
the people, however, the rock is known by the name of Chhatr Sila, 
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