INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUKVEY$. 335 



The season of 1880-81 was devoted by General Cunningham to a 

 tour in North and South Behar.* Part of the season was spent in 

 clearing- the Buddha Gaya temple, in the course of which the 

 sites of many of the holy places described by the Chinese pilgrims 

 and some traces of the original temple of Asoka were identified. 

 The raised promenade or cloistered walk along which Buddha took 

 exercise was identified, as well as the vajrdsan, or famous " diamond 

 throne," on which Buddha was said to have sat under the Bodhi tree. 

 The result of the researches at Buddha Gaya, made in November 

 1880, and again in February 1881, were fully described in a special 

 joint work by General Cunningham and Mr. Beglar. The following 

 season (1881-82) found General Cunningham in the Central 

 Provinces, exploring the old cities of Rajim, Arang, and Sirpur, the 

 last of which he believes to have been the ancient capital of the 

 country of Maha-Kosala, or Chattisgarh, as it now called, and 

 obtaining copies of their ancient inscriptions. The remains of these 

 three ancient sites differ from other temples in Northern India, not 

 only in their plans, but in their decorations. They present no grand 

 entrance to the front, which is quite open to the full breadth of the 

 nave or hall, the only access being by small flights of steps from 

 the sides. Their spires also are not so lofty as those of the mediaeval 

 temples, and their external ornamentation bears a strong resemblance 

 to that of the great Buddhist temple at Buddha Gaya. But the 

 sculptures on the pilasters are all of Brahmanical subjects. From the 

 inscriptions from these old cities General Cunningham was enabled to 

 frame an outline of the history of Maha-Kosala, from the 3rd or 4th 

 Century of the Christain era down to the conquest of the country by 

 the Marathas. He also paid a visit to the great temple of Boram 

 Deo, which is one of the finest buildings in the Central Provinces, 

 both in size and in richness of ornament, but which turned out to 

 be much more recent than previously supposed. The tour finished 

 at Mathura, where General Cunningham was fortunate enough to 

 find a half life-size alto-relievo statue of Herakles strangling the 

 Nemsean lion. It appears to have been copied from some Greek 

 original, and has apparently formed one side of an altar. f The 

 group is now safe in the Calcutta Museum, after having been used 

 as a cattle trough for years. 



* Volume XVI., Archaeological Survey of India. 



t Vol. XVII. of General Cunningham's Keports, dealing with the above tour is 

 accompanied by a note on the aboriginal race of the Sauras or Savaras, and another 

 note on Demon worship, which is intimately connected with the history of the same 

 race. 



