1883.] Rajendralala Mitra— On the Temples of Deoghar. 197 
and the moon (1, making together 1684, and corresponding to the Chris¬ 
tian year 1762) the chief of Brahmanas, Tikarama, erected this beautiful 
temple (matha). In the pure year, numbering the S'rutis (4), the Vasus($>), 
the Hasas (6), and the moon (1, corresponding as above) the noble Brahmana 
and sage, named Tikarama, whose abode is pure, and who is always engaged 
in good works, erected this lofty matha, beautiful as the moon and re¬ 
splendent as the lightning, for the abode of the son of Hara.” 
For a proper understanding of the dates of the different temples above 
described, it is necessary here to notice the history of the several 
persons who have been named as their dedicators. They all belong 
to one family—that of the present High Priest or Sarddr Panda, as he is 
generally called. He says he has a Jcursindmah or genealogical table pre¬ 
served in the archives of the temple, and has furnished me with extracts 
from it, from which I work out the following notes. I must add, however, 
that I have not seen the table in question, and can say nothing about its 
authenticity. 
The tradition is that the lingam of Vaidyanatha was in charge of her¬ 
mits who had worshipped it for ages, hut that in the 16th century, twelve 
Brahmanas, all householders, came from Mithila and took part in the wor¬ 
ship, and officiated as priests for pilgrims who could not themselves conse¬ 
crate their offerings. This was but natural. Indian hermits are mostly 
illiterate men, and in a contest for supremacy in religious ministrations it 
is hopeless for them to get the better of clever Brahman householders and 
men of the world. In time one of the twelve was so far successful as to 
become the leader of the band, and to wheedle Mukunda, the Sannyasi 
who had then charge of the lingam, out of that charge, and make himself 
the owner and master of the sacred shrine. His name as given me by the 
Head Priest, was Judan Ojha ; but Babu Bholanath Chunder, in his article 
in the Mookerjee Magazine calls him Chandra Muni, and the party from 
whom he got the lingam, Chiku, a disciple of Mukunda; but according to 
my information Chiku was the grandson of Judan Ojha, unless we assume 
two Chikus. The surname Ojha, is a corruption of Upadhyaya, and that 
would suggest the idea that the Brahman was a professor of Sanskrit learning. 
When he came to Deoghar is not known, but from what follows it will be 
seen that he must have come in the second half of the sixteenth century. 
(n). His son Raghunatha succeeded him, and, according to the inscrip¬ 
tion No. 1, requested Purana Malla to erect the great temple in 1596 A. D., 
or, as the second inscription would have it, himself erected the shrine. In 
either case he must have become the Chief Priest a few years before 1596 
A. D., and his father may be fairly presumed to have had a ministry of 20 
to 25 years. 
(in). Raghunatha was followed by his son Chiku Ojha, who seems to 
have done nothing to commemorate his name. His son was 
