94 
H. Beveridge —The Antiquities of Bagura. 
[No. 1, 
I could find nothing Buddhist at Mahasthan, and my impression is 
that Messrs. Westmacott and O’Donnell have been somewhat too ready to 
believe that Buddhism once prevailed in Bagura. Bardankuti is a com¬ 
paratively recent place, and has nothing to do, I think, with the Pandra 
Varddhana of the Chinese pilgrim. There are two statues at Mahasthan. 
One appears to be Basudeb (Krishna), and the other is simply a mermaid. 
It has no theological signification at all, I think, and is just a fantastic 
figure such as are common in Hindu palaces. The “ right hand clenched,” 
referred to by Mr. O’Donnell is, I think, a foot. 
One curious remain at Mahasthan is a large brick well with rude stone 
■steps leading down it. The steps are simply large stones jutting out from 
the brick work and look very awkward things to descend by. However I 
was told that many persons go down by them at the time of the fair. The 
well is called the Jiyat-kund, or well of life, and the tradition is, that Parasu- 
ram for a long time got the better of Shah Sultan, because when any Hindu 
soldier was killed, Parasuram revived him by sprinkling water from this 
well over him. The sweeper Harpal told Shah Sultan of this, and then he 
destroyed the efficacy of the water by throwing pieces of beef into it. The 
fortification of Mahasthan is quadrangular in shape,and is popularly said to be 
two miles square. There are four openings in it, and these are pointed out 
as the gates. One is called the Tamar Darwazah, because it is said to have 
been sheathed with copper. Outside the rampart there is on one side a 
large lake, called the Kalidoha Sagar. There are islands in it, and a promon¬ 
tory on its banks is called Bish-Mathan, because it is said that on it the 
goddesses Lutta and Padya mixed the poison which destroyed Chand 
Saudagar’s family. Chand Saudagar is, as is well known, the impious 
merchant who would not worship Manesha, or the Lady of the Snakes. He 
is said to have lived at Chandmoa, i. e., Chandmukh, near Mahasthan, and 
the foundations of the house he built for his son are still pointed out. 
Another antiquity in Bagura, the importance of which, however, is a 
good deal exaggerated by the people, is Jogir Bhaban, or the Ascetic’s house. 
It lies some seven miles west of Bagura. It appears to have been an early 
settlement of the Gosains, or followers of Siva. The remains consist of 
some temples with elaborately carved wooden doors. One temple has the 
Bengali date 1089, and the name Meher Nath Sadak. One of the doors 
has the date 1119, and the name of Shukhal Nath Gosain. There is one 
curious tomb with three monuments of different sizes. The largest is the 
guru’s, the second is the disciple’s, and the third and smallest is said to be 
that of the guru’s dog (“his faithful dog shall bear him company”). 
There is a well of life here, too, but it is quadrangular in shape. The 
jogi in charge of the temples gave me a curious instance of faith. There 
are several images inside one temple, and the jogi candidly said that he 
