1865.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 81 



" This cave temple is referred to in Mr. Martin's Eastern India, Vol. 

 I. page 66, and a drawing given, but the photograph will show it was 

 not a very correct one. He seems to think that the temple from its state 

 of preservation, is not of a very early date, but I cannot help thinking 

 that it is one of the oldest temples in this district ; it is built on the 

 same plan as the Boodh Gyaone,and the materials and finish correspond ; 

 there is an arched chamber below ; above this is another chamber which 

 gradually decreases to a point at the top of the building : the singular 

 opening or doorway to the upper story is not arched, but tapers to a 

 point, and the wall above this is lightened by a recess in the inside on 

 the same principle, exactly like the temple at Boodh Gya. There is, 

 however, a general want of the usual accompaniments of a Buddhist 

 temple in or immediately round the temple, but there is a vast accumula- 

 tion of rubbish round it, and many may be buried under this accumula- 

 tion. A series of Pillars seems to have surrounded it, but not of the 

 Buddhist type or ' railing.' I am therefore inclined to think that this 

 is one of the oldest Hindoo temples, but built in Buddhist times. I can 

 gather no authentic information regarding its erection, the people in 

 the village adjoining being perfectly ignorant. The Rajah of Deo 

 informed me, it was built by the same prince who built the temple at 

 Oomga and the one at Deo, (I send a photograph of the Oomga 

 temple and the one at Deo is very much the same — ) but this is mere 

 conjecture on his part. I also send a photograph of a singular stone 

 inserted in the Porch of the Koch temple, of the ten avatars mentioned by 

 Dr. Buchanan. To the south of the temple there are extensive mounds of 

 bricks and rubbish, out of which several large statues have been dug. I 

 send photographs of the larger ones ; two of them have inscriptions as you 

 will perceive from the photographs. I have copies of these, and if desir- 

 ' able, could send them. The larger figure is very fine, but unfortunately 

 wants the head, but otherwise it is one of the finest pieces of sculpture 

 I have seen. 



"I also send a photograph of a very singular stone which I found on the 

 borders of a tank at Oomga on the Trunk road. It is of green serpentine 

 ■ and very old, with an almost illegible inscription, which is more distinct 

 I think in the photograph than when looking at the original. Can you 

 ' give me any idea of what it was intended to convey. The centre figure 

 is a Boodh I think, but the hand with a lotus in the palm, and the sun 



