1871.J 
The Rock-cut Excavations at Harcho/ca. 
181 
not, I should disregard it altogether. If the characters which 
form the inscriptions I have copied, were compared with Prinsep’s 
Tables, I think they would be found similar to those in use about 
the 9th or 10th centuries of our era. But the inscriptions do not 
necessarily fix the age of the temple, unless the substance of 
what is inscribed, specially points to their being coeval: and it ap¬ 
pears to be as great a fallacy to suppose that the ages of ancient 
inscriptions can be determined from the particular forms of their 
characters. (See Mr. Ottley’s paper in the Archceologia , Vol. XXVI., 
on an ancient MS. of Aratus.) Therefore until all the inscriptions 
I have sent to the Society have been deciphered, it will be impossi¬ 
ble to say whether there exists any reliable evidence as to the age 
of these excavations; but most undoubtedly it may be said that 
they are of great antiquity. 
It will be observed that up to this point, I have been speak¬ 
ing of the excavations as “ a temple,” but this term is probably 
open to objection as not being indicative of their true and original 
character. This may be : but it must be borne in mind that I 
have been speaking of them heretofore as judged by present 
appearances. 
I venture no opinion as to whether it is a Brahmanical or 
Buddhist excavation. The evidence that meets one’s eye now 
in viewing what remains, shows that it has been used, latterly 
at all events, as a Sivite place of worship. If, therefore, any 
portion of it was originally Buddhist, all that was characteristic 
in it of the temples of that religion was no doubt designedly got 
rid of by the usurping sect. In the cells of the lower temple, I 
found no lingams. In the centre of each though, there was a rock- 
cut plinth, on which the lingam might possibly have been placed. 
But of course it might as well have borne any other object of 
adoration, either Sivite or Buddhist, to suit the views of the party in 
possession. I do not remember seeing a single rock-cut plinth in 
the cells surrounding the hall. Each of these cells contained a 
lingam, but the pedestals on which they rested were cut out of 
stone that was foreign to the locality. These cells may therefore 
at one time have been used as dormitories. 
