138 



The Antiquities of the 



[No. 



2. I have recently found some inscriptions on a rock, one of which 

 is in a character resembling as nearly as possible the inscriptions at 

 Junagarah which are but one remove from the Buddhist alphabet at 

 Girnar. It also resembles the Buddhist inscriptions in the caves of 

 Western India. The rocks on which the inscriptions occur on the 

 Neilgherries are at Bellike. The Rev. Mr. Weigle has also taken a 

 copy of these inscriptions. I shall presently make further mention 

 of them. 



3. A gentleman long resident on the Hills has informed me that 

 formerly when exploring the jungles of the Neilgherries for game, he 

 often used to find upright stones, some bearing mixed inscriptions of 

 Jain and Canarese. He states also he believes these upright stones 

 in many cases were the boundary marks of villages when the Hills 

 were much more peopled than at present ; and adds the remains of 

 old wells have been found, and an iron pukotta bucket similar to 

 those used at this day on the plains. 



4. At the foot of this chapter I shall present a list of some of the 

 Buddhist or Jain images found by me in the cairns, and point out 

 how strongly they resemble those occurring in the Buddhist caves. 

 The contents of the caves and topes of the Buddhists in AfFghanistan 

 consist of vases, crystal beads, &c. which it will be recollected I have 

 described as being some of the things found in the Neilgherry cairns. 



5. The images in pottery of warriors on horseback and on foot de- 

 posited by the Lingayets at their Saumy houses on the Hills, in obe- 

 dience to a vow made during sickness ; have been fashioned in adher- 

 ence to the costume and arms of the former great rulers who lived 

 here. The busts and heads of these images strongly resemble the 

 heads on the coins of the Saurashtra dynasty, of whom king Rudra 

 was in part a Buddhist. In both cases the heads are surmounted by 

 an iron morion or scull-cap with a broad rim, the neck ornaments too 

 are identical ; indeed the resemblance extends to the cast of features. 

 It is difficult to account for this fact, unless we suppose that amongst 

 the natives are preserved drawings of the costumes of the former in- 

 habitants, or that the potter from generation to generation has copied 

 the clay figures deposited at the Saumy houses, by which process the 

 same character has been preserved from immemorial times. 



In directing the attention of the curious visitor to the antiquities 

 in the neighbourhood of Kotagherry, I must not overlook the'caves of 



