184 Report of the Archeological Survey. [No. 3, 
217. If I am right in my identification of this Stupa with 
that which was built near the Serpent Tank, its original construc- 
tion must be referred to the reign of Asoka, or about 2505. C. 
A strong argument in favour of this date is the similarity of its 
shape to that of the Bhilsa Topes, which are undoudtedly of Asoka’s 
age. The date of the enlargement of the Stwpa can only be 
fixed approximately by inferring from Hwen Thsang’s silence that 
it must have been in good order at the time of his visit. Admitting © 
this to have been the case, the date of the enlargement cannot 
be placed earlier than about A. D. 400 to 500. 
218. The great Stupa attracted the attention of some British 
Officer, about 30 years ago, who dug a gallery into it, 21 feet in 
length, and then sunk a well for some unknown depth, which I found 
filled with rubbish. I made use of this old gallery, and continued it 
to the centre of the Stwpa, where it met a shaft which I had sunk 
fromthe top. From this point I carried the shaft downwards, making 
use of the gallery for the removal of the bricks. At a depth of 27 
feet from the present top, or at 7 feet below the centre of the older 
hemisphere, I found a low pyramidal topped vessel of common red un- — 
glazed earthenware, 8 inches in diameter. Inside this vessel there was a 
small steatite box, containing many minute fragments of seed pearls, 
several pieces of blue glass, one large bead of red amber, and about a tea 
spoonful of little bits of rock crystal. Mixed with these were ten small 
cylindrical pierced beads of a dirty white colour like old chalk. They 
consist chiefly of carbonate of lime with a trace of some other sub- 
stance, and are most probably only the remains of some artificial beads. 
The little steatite box is a sphere of 2 inches diameter, but rather 
pointed at the top and bottom. Its general colour is white with a few 
purple blotches. The whole is rudely ornamented, the top with flowers, 
and the bottom with animals of school-boy design. The inside also” 
is rudely ornamented, but with simple lines il There is no trace 
of any inscription. 
219. At 62 feet below the deposit just described, or at 1332 feet 
below the centre of the hemisphere, a second deposit was found — 
imbedded in the ground immediately under the last course of a globular _ 
shaped mottled steatite vase, 84 inches in diameter and 6 inches in— 
height. This vase has a neck 3 inches in diameter inside and 2¢ 

