202 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Dec. 



which stood behind the inscribed boulder. From there he wonld 

 rccross the Jumna and proceed round the skirts of Budraj and along 

 the foot of the hills, on the line of communication above indicated, 

 until he came to the point where the Ganges enters the valley, and 

 where the temples of Rikhekase now stand. From there he would go 

 down the river to Myapoor. I make these conjectures for the follow- 

 ing reasons. As I have before said, I was told of some ruins which 

 lay opposite to the site of the inscribed boulder and on the other side 

 of the river ; I was told of other ruins ten miles to the east of these ; 

 not far from Rajpore, twenty miles more to the east, are what look 

 like the remains of Buddhist temples ; and twenty miles beyond this, 

 and about ten miles from Rikhekase, are some extensive mounds and 

 ruins. These may all belong to some later era. But the conjecture 

 of the line of communication within the Doon itself in the time of the 

 Buddhist supremacy seems probable enough, and it would have run 

 along here. It would be of great interest if any Buddhists remains 

 could be discovered at these points. A very ancient civilization did 

 exist in this beautiful valley ; in the very depths of the forests I have 

 come across artificial mounds and groves of mango trees, which must 

 have been planted by the hand of man. 



" The ruins ten miles to the west of Rikhekase are near the village of* 

 Bhagpore. Here, on a spur not far from the village, are the remains of 

 an ancient fort. A fortress stood here in comparatively modern times : 

 for when Zabitha Khan, the Rohilla chief, invaded the Boon, he sat 

 down before it. (He did not take it.) But this was said to have been 

 erected on the ruins, and out of the materials of a much older fort or 

 city. And I was told of another boulder with an inscription on it, but I 

 could never find it. The people said that the writing on it was such 

 that even the most learned pundits could not read it. 



" With regard to the inscribed boulder at Khalsi, I may mention that 

 the tradition with regard to it was that it had been placed above a pit 

 full of treasure, so as to close up its month in fact ! Some ten or 

 twelve years ago a goldsmith of Dchra determined to unearth this 

 treasure. He accordingly sank a pit in front of the boulder and tried 

 to get under it. He is said to have dug out various articles, a brass 

 Ump being one. But of course the tradition runs that, whilst he was 

 *%S in & his wife and children died, and that just as he was about to 



