1892.] 
W. Hoey —Set Mahet. 
3 
39. Plans of two Jain temples. 
20. Plan of the Hindu, temple. 
The text falls naturally under five heads : 
1. An historical sketch, a compilation of whatever data we have 
to go upon, whether history or legend. It will be found to contain 
something readable, if not very valuable, in the passages referring to 
Saiyad Salar’s invasion and the translation of the popular ballad relat¬ 
ing to the episode at Bahraich, containing references to Set-Mahet. 
2. A general review of places outside Set and Mahet and an ex¬ 
planation of the General Map. 
3. An account of the explorations at Set, 
4. An account of those at Mahet. 
5. A stone inscription from Set. 
Part I. 
General Historical Note. 
The ruins of Set Mahet stand on the west bank of the Rapti, 
where that river crosses the boundary between the modern districts of 
Bahraich and Gonda in the province of Oudh. Local tradition connects 
with it Suhel Deo, one of the opponents of Saiyad Salar, and this would 
bring it into touch with one of the earliest episodes of Moslem invasion 
and aggression during the period of Muhammadan supremacy, but the 
place has, as far as we know, played no part in later history. Y"et it had 
associations, political and religious, for Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist more 
than a thousand years before the founder of the Muhammadan faith was 
born. Over the history of this long period of religious, social, and poli¬ 
tical revolutions a vail is spread, lifted at but a few and long intervals, 
when we see the city the centre of political life and religious movement. 
At other times we seem to penetrate the vail, but not until we have a 
broader and more intimate knowledge of Sanscrit and Pali literature, 
and of the peoples lying north of Oudh, shall we be able to fill in the 
outlines of its history. 
Before stating anything as to the result of recent explorations, I 
have thought it both advisable and regular, to bring together in a con¬ 
nected form all that I have been able to gather of historical fact, and 
perhaps of legend, as a basis of operation. This will show both the data 
we have to guide and the matter we have to illustrate. 
The name Set Mahet has been, as it seems to me, erroneously, 
supposed to be a rhyming word formed according to common usage, on 
the analogy of ‘ ulta-pulta ’ and similar words. The Set alone is then 
taken to be a corruption of Sawatthi. Some people finding the word 
