327 
1872.] F. S. Growse — The Tirthas of Vrindd-vana and GoJcula. 
to enjoy the benefit of sanctuary ; and on one occasion when a party of 
soldiers from the Mathurk cantonments attempted to shoot some of them, 
the towns people rose en masse for their protection. 
Maha-ban, the true Gokul, is by legend closely connected with Mathura ; 
for Krishna was bom at the one and cradled at the other. Both, too, make 
their first appearance in history together and under most unfortunate circum- 
stances as sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in the year 1017, A.D. From the 
effects of this catastrophe, it would seem that Maha-ban was never able to 
recover itself. It is casually mentioned in connection with the year 1234 
A. I)., by Minhaj i Siraj, a contemporary writer, as one of the gathering- 
places for the imperial army sent by Shams ud-din against Kalinjar ; and 
the' Emperor Babar, in his Memoirs, incidentally refers to it, as if it were 
a place of some importance still, in the year 1526, A. D. ; but the name 
occurs in the pages of no other chronicle ; and at the present day, though 
it is the seat of a Tahsili, it can scarcely be called more than a consider- 
able village. Within the last few years one or two large and hand- 
some private residences have been built with fronts of carved stone in 
the Mathura style ; but the temples are all exceedingly mean and of no 
antiquity. The largest and also the most sacred is that dedicated to 
Mathura-nath, which boasts of a pyramidal tower, or sikhara, of some height 
and bulk, but constructed only of brick and plaster. The Brahman in 
charge used to enjoy an endowment of Rs. 2 a day, the gift of Sindhia, but 
this has long lapsed. There are two other small shrines of some interest : 
in the one the demon Trinavart is represented as a pair of enormous wings 
overhanging the infant god ; the other bears the dedication of Maha Mall 
Rae, the great champion Prince, a title given to Krishna after his discomfi- 
ture of the various evil spirits sent against him by Kansa. 
Great part of the town is occupied by a high hill, partly natural 
and partly artificial, extending over more than 100 bighas of land, 
where stood the old fort. Upon its most elevated point is shewn a small 
cell, called Syam Lala, believed to mark the spot where J asoda gave birth 
to Maya, or Joga-nidra, substituted by Yasudeva for the infant Krish- 
na. But by far the most interesting building is a covered court called 
Nandas Palace, or more commonly the Assi Khamba, i. e. the Eighty Pillars. 
It is divided by five rows of sixteen pillars each into four aisles, or rather 
into a centre and two narrower side aisles with one broad outer cloister. 
The external pillars of this outer cloister are each of one massive shaft, cut 
into many narrow facets, with two horizontal bands of carving : the capitals 
are decorated either with grotesque heads or the usual four squat figures. 
The pillars of the inner aisles vary much in design, some being exceedingly 
plain and others as richly ornamented with profuse and often graceful 
arabesques. Three of the more elaborate are called respectively the Satya, 
