1865.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 37 



on the architraves, and crowned by a flat stone ornamented with the 

 lotus ; and the great strength of the supports, with other indications' 

 makes it probable that there were one or two additional stories. These 

 buildings were probably separate Ghaityas attached to a Vihar or 

 monastery. 



Bhitari is a long and nearly rectangular mound, on which are many 

 smaller ones, giving it the appearance of a fort with towers. There 

 is a spur on which an Imambara has been erected and excavations 

 show that the mound on which it stands contains the foundations of 

 an ancient edifice consisting of singularly large bricks. 



Mr. Home was commissioned by the North Western Government 

 to make excavations in Bhitari, but his work being on a small scale, 

 has not revealed any ancient relics. General Cunningham maintains 

 that Bhitari belongs to the Gupta period, and is among the oldest 

 Brahmanical remains known, but there are evident traces of Buddhist 

 work. The Mussulman bridge over the Gangi is built with cut stones 

 from edifices, which, from mason's marks &c, can be shown to belong 

 to the Gupta period. The most noticeable relic in the enclosure is 

 the column with the Gupta inscription, which is somewhat out of the 

 perpendicular. Probably the Mussulmans endeavoured to throw it 

 down, as they undoubtedly defaced the capital. In one mosque are 

 30 stone pillars taken from ancient and probably Buddhist erections. 

 In a brick enclosure the authors discovered a rude statue of Buddha 

 surrounded by his attendants, and with the usual corona embellished 

 with Indian corn and leaves. Other sculptured stones are described 

 by the authors, both Hindu and Buddhist ; and portions of cloister 

 pillars were found, rounded by the Hindus to serve as Lingas and 

 afterwards used by the Mussulmans as head stones for their graves. 

 There is another stone described by General Cunningham, to whose 

 description the authors add some additional particulars of the sculpture 

 confirming the date of the Gupta period given by him, but showing 

 the workmanship to be of Buddhist and not Hindu origin. The 

 inscription on the pillar shows that Skanda Gupta who erected it 

 was a Tantric or Shaivite ; but his father Kumara Gupta is described 

 on brick inscription at Bhitari as a worshipper of " the Supreme 

 Bhagavat," who is probably Buddha, especially as Kumara was a 

 recorded benefactor of the great tope at Sanchi. Buddha Gupta the 



