33 
1904.] P. Doyal —An ancient Gave. 
to the later Buddhistic faith, though it is now an object of worship for 
the Hindus of the neighbourhood, passing under the name of Dhon- 
gresvari or Dhongra Devi. 
Below this cave, on the same side of the hill, is a large level terrace 
about 225 feet square, which contains marks of foundations of buildings. 
On the same side of the hill, to the north and south of the terrace, 
are traces of some other ruins. 
Ascending the hill from the cave for some distance, in a north-easter¬ 
ly direction, along a passage difficult of ascent, and then turning south¬ 
wards, the top of the range is reached, on which are situated seven 
stupas. No. 1 is situated on the top of the precipice exactly above the 
cave or stone chamber. It is an octagonal mound about 26 feet in diamet¬ 
er, built of brick. Further south, 135 feet from this stupa is stupa No. 2. 
It is also built of brick, about 26 feet square, but is much mutilated. 
No. 3 is about 250 feet north-east of No. 1. It is octagonal, about 29 
feet in diameter, built of brick with stones in the base. No. 4 is about 
610 feet north of No. 3. It is round, 40 feet in diameter and in good 
preservation. No. 5 is of the same size, situated at about 505 feet north 
of No. 4. No. 6 is about 110 feet north of No. 5 and is 20 feet in 
diameter. It is made of brick, and is also in a state of good preserva¬ 
tion. No. 7 is about 50 feet north of No. 6. It is a small mound about 
18 feet in diameter, built of rough pieces of stone. 
These mounds are now called by the villagers of the neighbourhood 
Dhuni, a word which means the place where the sacred fire of some 
Rishis or saints was burnt. This idea has probably preserved the 
mounds from destruction by the villagers ; but as the present generation, 
partly from the growth of materialistic ideas, and partly from the force 
of necessity, is losing the reverence previously felt towards what tradi¬ 
tion held sacred, there is much danger of the the mounds being opened 
by some inquisitive villager in the hope of finding treasure. 
I am inclined to think that these mounds are the stupas erected by 
Asoka as related by Hwen Thsang, to signalise the spots up and 
down the hill, sacred to Buddha. As to the position of the stone 
chamber, Hwen Thsang says, “then Bodhisattva descended,” (from some 
place on the summit of this range signalised by any one of the mounds 
mentioned above) “ and half-way down the south-west slope he halted. 
There backed by the crag, and facing a torrent is a great stone chamber. 
Here he sat down cross-legged.” Now, as the range lies extended from 
south-west to north-east, strictly speaking the range has no south¬ 
western slope. The stone chamber, however, lies in a south-westerly 
direction, from many of the stupas now extant, and when Hwen Thsang 
visited the place, probably some path from stupas Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 
J. i. 5 
