246 Report of the Archeological Survey. [No. 4, 
three hundred of the original temples of Vikramaditya had already 
disappeared, and we may therefore reasonably infer that the city had 
been gradually declining for some time previously. The Buddhist 
monuments, however, would appear to have been in good order, and 
the monks were just as numerous as in the eminently Buddhist city 
of Benares. 
319. The first monument described by Hwen Thsang is a great 
monastery without name, but as it was the only notable monastery, it 
was most probably either the Kdlakdrdma of Saketa, or the Purvvd- 
vdma, both of which are mentioned in the Ceylonese Mahawanso. 
The monks were of the school of the Sammateyas, and their monastery 
was famous for having produced three of the most eminent Buddhist 
controversialists. This monastery I would identify with the Sugrzb 
Parbat, which I have already described as being about 500 feet long by 
800 feet broad. The great size and rectangular form of this ruin are 
sufficient to show that it must have been a monastery,. but this is 
placed beyond all doubt by the existence of an interior well and by the 
remains of cloistered rooms forming the four sides of the enclosure. 
Its position to the south of the city, and to the east or left of the road, 
has already been specially noticed as agreeing with the recorded posi- 
tion of the monastery. 
820. Beside the monastery there was a stwpa of Asoka, 200 feet 
in height, built on the spot where Buddha preached the law during 
his six years’ residence at Siketa. This monument I would identify 
with the Mani-Parbat, which is still 65 feet in height, and which 
with its masonry facing must once have been at least as high again, 
and with the usual lofty pinnacle of metal may easily have reached a 
height of 200 feet. wen Thsang ascribes the erection of this monu- 
ment to Asoka, and I see no reason to question the accuracy of his 
statement, as the mixed structure of half earth and half masonry must 
undoubtedly be very ancient. The earliest stwpas, or topes, were 
simple earthen mounds or barrows, similar to those that still exist in 
England. There are many of these barrows still standing at Lawriya- 
Navandgarh to the north of Bettiya, but this is the only place where 
T have yet seen them. They are undoubtedly the most ancient monu- 
ments of the Indian population, and I firmly believe that even the 
very latest of them cannot be assigned to a lower date than the fifth 

