1870.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 295 



^ ^ftr^r — or ^iftn 



" The highly venerated, the great king, the king of kings Sri 

 Ugrabhoirava -j- dedicated this." 



The second inscription was from a modem temple on the Mondar 

 Hill, built about 270 years ago, by a zemindar of Subbalpur. It 

 was written in the old Bengali character of the Tirhut type and in 

 the Sanskrit language. The temple was intended to supply the place 

 of an older one, dedicated by a Chola Raja, which, according to the 

 local legend, had been demolished by Kalapahar, and the remains 

 of which are still visible. The following are its transcript and 

 translation : — 



^^Hrefa: ^i^rwrfcr: ^ti^tst^: h 



"The well-disposed, and auspicious Chhatrapati, son of the 

 auspicious Vaisudeva, dedicated this pure and noble place of victory 

 on earth for S'ri Madhusddana, in the S'aka year 1521, when the 

 noble Brahmana Duhs asana was the officiating priest. S'aka 1521. — 

 [A. D., 1597.] 



The following papers were read — 



I. — On the Funeral Ceremonies of the Ancient Hindus. — By Babu 

 Ra'jendkala'la Mitea. (Abstract.) 



The paper opens by adverting to two articles which have already 

 been published on the subject, one by H. T. Colebrooke on the 

 modern ritual, and the other by Max Miiller on the ancient 

 ritual ; and then notices in detail the cremationary and sepul- 

 chral ceremonies described in the Aranyaka of the Black Yajur 

 Veda. Some of the rites noticed are remarkable. The first 

 ceremony was the removal of the dead from the house to the 

 burning ground, and this was done on a cart drawn by two 

 bullocks, or by aged slaves. The procession was headed by 

 the eldest of the party, and included an old black cow. This 



