154 KOTA GLANGGI. 
what these fabled ruins would turn out to be. Nevertheless, my 
curiosity was excited, as that of other Europeans has been, regard- 
ing this place, and I resolved to see it if I possibly could. 
Circumstances favoured this resolve without any effort on my 
part, for, as we were making our way up the river Pahang, we were 
detained for two days at Pulau Tawar, from which Kota Glangei is 
distant only about three or four miles, and the Sultan having given 
me a carte blanche to visit whatever place I chose, Lavailed myself of 
this opportunity to settle the question as to these ancient ruins. 
The wonderful ruins are, after all, only limestone caves, with 
no trace of man’s handiwork about them, and no evidence what- 
ever of having ever been even occupied by man. Still, as caves 
they are wonderful and well deserve a visit. Before proceeding to 
deseribe them, I think it will not be out of place to make a brief 
reference to what L had previously seen of the same kind on the 
Patini river. I was detained on one occasion in a similar manner 
at a place called Biserah in the Province of Jalor, where there 
are some isolated limestone ranges of the same character as those 
at Kota Glangei, and was told of a wonderful cave in one of them, 
but no mention was made of man having had anything to do 
with it, or of any wonders similar to those alleged of Kota Glanggi. 
I went to see this cave, and found it situated about a hundred 
feet above the base of a precipitous cliff; a long flight of steps 
broad and regular, partly built and partly cut in the solid rock, 
led up to the entrance. 
On entering I found, after penetrating a small cavern, a cou- 
ple of large doors closing up the approach to what was apparently 
the cave we were secking. On opening these doors, I was startled 
at the sight of what appeared, in the dim light, to be arow of giant 
men guarding the entrance; a closer investigation proved them to be 
statues, and, as I afterwards found, Siamese idols. Passing this 
euard, we made our way along a lofty natural corridor or 
vestibule, and found ourselves in an immense cavern about sixty 
feet in height, two hundred feet wide, and about five hundred feet 
long. From its roof hung masses of stalactites resembling the 
groins of an arched roof, and stretched in a recumbent position, 
lengthways of the cave, and facing a large opening in the cliff, which 
