32 S. J. Cockburn —Sit as Window or Buddha s Shadow Cave. [No. 1, 
and 28th to copying the inscription. This I did letter by letter revising 
the work 8 times. 
Description .—The cave has one main entrance, a window about 3 f x 2' 
with a stone jamb of a lighter coloured sandstone let in. From this 
evidently swung a wooden door. The top of the window is about 4 feet 
from the top edge of the precipice. To the west of the window, at a dis¬ 
tance of 4 or 5 feet are two small windows of irregular form, evidently 
intended to let in light, and thus produce a shadow within the cave. 
The thickness of the outer wall here seems to be 7 inches. Owing to 
its inaccessible position I was unable to enter the cave, or make accurate 
measurements. The presence of numerous swarms of the Bhaurci* or 
wild bee added much to the danger of the undertaking. It was possible 
that a swarm had possession of the cave itself, and I had not sufficient 
confidence in the native boatmen, or in their tackle, to have myself let 
over the face of the precipice by a rope. A platform might, however, 
easily be constructed, by which both inscription and cave could be clearly 
examined. 
I succeeded in feeling the whole of the inscriptionfi with my hand 
by lying down and having my legs held, while I hung my arm and 
shoulder over the precipice. I was thus enabled to darken the letters 
with a lead pencil and pass a wetted towel over the inscribed surface which 
I polished briskly with my hand, thus improving the lights and shadows. 
It occurred to me that a large looking-glass, tied to poles and 
hung vertically a few feet in front of the inscription, should reflect the 
letters truly if held square. I accordingly put the idea into practice, 
but of course got the image reversed. I, however, found that I could get 
a better view of the letters with the large telescope than I could from 
the reflected image. The inscription might easily be photographed 
thus. 
The accompanying sketch will give an idea of the position of 
the cave. The interior is of course unknown to me. It will bo observed 
that there is a rock shelter above the cave. The floor of the rock shelter 
forms a ledge a yard wido. On this ledge a long flat shallow groove has 
been cut in the rock evidently for the reception of a metal bar. 
Within the groove and also without it are sundry small deep holes 
cut in the rock for the insertion of metal pins and staples which 
were probably fixed with lead. From tho metal bar, I would suppose, 
depended a chain ladder with a. small platform below, to gain ocoess 
* More than onco an angry awarm swung past tho face of tho cliff, when our 
voicoH worn rained, and it would ho nearly certain death, were they to attack men 
in thin poHition. 
t Thorn uro also sundry lottora carved on tho lintel apparently of later date. 
