1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 63 



" The village of Paindhat in the Mustafabad Pargana of the Main- 

 puri district, is a Hindu tirtha of something more than local repute, 

 since it attracts devotees at the yearly festival from places so far dis- 

 tant as Pilibhit and Kantipur. The principal shrine is of no great 

 antiquity and possesses no architectural merit. The original building 

 is said to have been erected in commemoration of the eponymous hero 

 of the village, Paindhat or Panduvansi, who fell on that spot, fighting 

 in behalf of Prithivi Raj against Jay a Chand the king of Kanauj. In 

 all probability some mention of this warrior and his exploits would be 

 found in the poem of Chand Bardail ; but this is a work of which I 

 have not yet succeeded in procuring a copy. No doubt the Asiatic 

 Society includes many students of early Hindi literature, some one of 

 whom will kindly oblige me with information on the subject. 



On the other side of the village is another shrine, affected chiefly by 

 Bhangis and Dhanuks, who, at the yearly festival, offer sacrifices of 

 young pigs before the presiding deity, who is worshipped under the 

 name of Jagaiya. The temple itself though a neat little building is 

 quite modern. The sculpture, however, which it has been erected to 

 preserve is of considerable interest and antiquity, being a fine large 

 figure of Buddh seated on a singhasan with elephants and other carved 

 accessories. This must at one time have adorned a Buddhist temple 

 of considerable size and pretensions ; and therefore, if the tradition is 

 correct, which derives the present name of the village from a hero 

 in the time of Prithivi Raj, it will be of much archaeological interest 

 to ascertain what is the name by which Chand calls it. Possibly an 

 important historical site may thus be identified. 



Considering the large amount of topographical information which 

 it may reasonably be supposed lies embedded in the Prithivirajras, 

 I think a critical edition of the work, though it is in Hindi and not 

 Sanskrit, would be an undertaking by no means derogatory from the 

 dignity of the Asiatic Socieiy. 



Mainpuri, December 30^, 1867. P. S. Growse. 



Mr. Long observed that he had noticed, some time since, the exis- 

 tence of a copy of Chand's poems in St, John's College, Agra 7 to which 

 it had been presented by the Jyepoor Rajah. He had proposed 

 that it should be applied for, for examination by the Society ; and if 

 thought desirable, published. 



