280 Notes on Boodh Gya. [No. 4, 
breadth of the land, which can prove to date before his accession. 
From his time, however, the series of monuments, some monolithic, 
some rock cut, and others built, are tolerably complete during the 10 
or 12 centuries in which Boodhism continued to be a prevalent 
religion in the country of its birth.”’ 
Again p. 129, he says, “ Indian architecture began about 250 B. C., 
with a strong admixture of Grecian, or at least of Western art, as if 
the Indian was then first learning from foreigners an art they had 
not previously practised ; but this extraneous element soon died out, 
and is not again to be traced, except perhaps in Cashmere where it 
seems to have long remained in force.” 
The inscriptions in the sculptured pillars or rather the carving on 
the Boodhist railing posts, which these pillars really are, remind one 
of Bhilsa. They are in fact, identical. 
Genl. Cunningham, in describing them, says—“ A few of them 
have an inscription in the ancient Pali character of Asoka’s pillars 
HLLtEE “j we’, ‘Ayaya Kudrangiye danam’ ie. Gift of the 
venerable Kudrangi.’”’ This is 5 or 6 times repeated. 
Now these pillars are of granite and placed in the quadrangle of the 
Mohunt’s residence, whilst those at the tope itself, discovered by Capt. 
Mead subsequently to Genl. Cunningham’s report, are all of the same 
character, so that his remark to the effect that the first named ‘ can- 
not be of much later date than Asoka’s” will apply equally to those 
last spoken of. They, moreover, appear “in siti’ and if so, argue the 
existence of the tope and of a Bo tree when they were placed around 
them. 
It should also be borne in mind, that within a few miles we have 
the rock cut temples of the Barabur, Nagarjuni Hills, relative to the 
date of the excavation of which, the inscriptions borne by them leave 
no doubt. 
The dates of some of these vary from 250 to 230 B. C., or the time 
of Asoka. 
We might also argue from the bricks used, did I not hold this to be 
a very uncertain test of age. Their bluish tinge remarked upon by 
Fiwen Thsang is very remarkable, as such a tinge is not common, and 
the bricks used in the great tope decidedly possess it. 
I in yain sought for any mason marks; but their non-existence may 

