220 Report of the Archeological Survey. [No. 4, 
principal room of the temple there was a large tree with wide-spread- 
ing branches, which was said to be the dwelling of an anthropopha- 
gousdemon. The tree was surrounded with human bones, the remains 
of pilgrims who had sacrificed their lives before the temple,—a custom 
which had been observed from time immemorial. 
276. I think there can be little doubt that the famous tree here 
described by the Chinese pilgrim is the well-known Akshay Bat, or 
“shadowless Banian tree,” which is still an object of worship at 
Allahabad. This tree is now situated underground at one side of a 
pillared court, which would appear to have been open formerly, and 
which is, I believe, the remains of the temple described by Hwen 
Thsang. The temple is situated inside the fort of Allahabad, to the 
east of the Ellenborough Barracks, and due north from the stone pillar 
of Asoka and Samudra Gupta. Originally both tree and temple must 
have been on the natural ground level, but from the constant accu- 
mulation of rubbish they have bean gradually earthed up, until the 
whole of the lower portion of the temple has disappeared underground. 
The upper portion has long ago been removed, and the only access to 
the Akshay Bat now available is by a flight of steps which leads down 
to a square pillared court-yard. This court has apparently once been 
open to the sky, but it is now closed in, to secure darkness and mystery 
for the holy Fig tree. 
277. The Akshay Bat is next mentioned by Rashid-ud-din in the 
Jdmiut-tawdrikh, in which he states that the “ tree of Prag” is situat- 
ed at the confluence of the Jumna and Ganges. As most of his 
information was derived from Abu Rihdn, the date of this notice may 
with great probability be referred to the time of Mahmud of Ghazni. 
In the 7th century a great sandy plain, 2 miles in circuit, lay between 
the city and the confluence of the rivers, and as the tree was in the 
midst of the city, it must have been at least one mile from the con- 
fluence. But nine centuries later, in the beginning of Akbar’s reign, 
Abdul Kadir speaks of the “tree from which people cast themselves 
into the rivers.” From this statement, I infer that, during the long 
period that intervened between the time of Hwen Thsang and that 
of Akbar, the two rivers had gradually carried away the whole of the 
great sandy plain, and had so far encroached upon the city as to place $ ‘ 
the holy tree on the very brink of the water. Long before this time = 
the old city had no doubt been deserted, for we know that the fort of | 

