1874.] H. H. Godwin-Austen—On the Ruins of Dimdpur. 
3 
occur within the walls, now for the most part silted up and overgrown 
with tall grasses. To explore the place thoroughly would take several 
days, and would no doubt bring to light other pillars and remains besides 
those we saw. Broken bricks were observed by me near tank No. 2 (vide 
plan), and it was said that the eastern wall is to be traced south of the river, 
but statements regarding this differed, and I do not think it does so. But it 
is a point worth clearing up by any one who may have the time and opport¬ 
unity. 
Dimapur now stands in a country one might well call uninhabited. 
The nearest villages in the low country are Mohungdijua, 18 miles N. W., 
and Borpathar, 28 miles north ; the Naga village of Samaguting on 
the first low range is 11 miles distant. To what it owed its former size and 
importance is difficult to say, excepting we suppose that relations with 
the hill people on the south were of a different nature in those days. It is 
quite possible that the hills were then in the occupation of the Kachhari race. 
If such were the case, Dimapur would have been an important place, up to 
which the Dunsiri is navigable nearly all the year round, connecting it with 
the large walled town, the remains of which are to be seen at Numaligarh 
on the same river. 
The entrance gateway is a fine solid mass of masonry, with a pointed 
arch ; the stones which are pierced to receive the hinges of double heavy doors, 
are still in perfect preservation. It is flanked on both sides by octagonal turrets 
of solid brick work, and the intervening distance to the central archway is 
relieved by false windows of ornamental moulded brick work. It is curious 
that no advantage has been taken of the thickness of the walls to construct 
chambers in it. The building is still in good preservation, but has evidently 
been shaken on occasion by earthquakes. There is an appearance about the 
architecture as if Muhammadan artisans had been employed on its con¬ 
struction. All the ornamentation is simple scroll, not a single representation 
of any bird or beast. Neither is there anything in keeping with the sculp¬ 
tured stones of the ruin adjacent, some on either side of the archway, where 
the circular rose pattern occurs, of which I have given a drawing. The 
wall of the places adjacent to the gateway on either side appears to have been 
higher than the other portion, but its average height now is not more than 
6 to 8 feet, having fallen everywhere, and in some places shews only as a bank, 
the bricks being buried in the vegetable mould of years. The bricks are of all 
sizes and of flat form, common to all the old brick work that I have met with 
in A'sam and Bhutan Duars. However, at Dimapur, no brick is exactly 
of the same size. They appear to have been made by pressing the clay be¬ 
tween boards to about 1^ inches in thickness, and then cutting it in squares, 
no two sides of which were truly parallel. The courses were very neatly laid, 
and the mortar was very white and good. Some of the bricks had been very 
