75 
1887.] Kavi Raj Shyamal Das —Antiquities at Kagan. 
Its walls are composed of large slabs of a greyish limestone, admirably 
put together in five successive layers. The height of the wall is 9 ft. 4 
in., and it is 3 ft. 2 in. thick at bottom, and 1 ft. 4 in. at top. The 
breadth of the slabs of the lowest layer is 2 ft. 9 in., of the 2nd, 1 ft. 
8 in., of the 3rd, 2 ft. 7 in., of the 4th, 1 ft. 3 in., and of the 5th, 1 ft. 
4 in. Their length varies from 7 ft. to 14 from the top to the bottom. 
The outer measurement of the enclosure is 300 ft. 4 in. by 154 ft. 
4 in., and the inner is 291 ft. by 148 ft. 6 in. The entrance is at the 
southern side; the northern side is in a state of dilapidation, owing, 
according to the villagers, to the Thakur of Bassi’s having taken away 
the stones to erect other buildings with. 
TJ'btidiwal, or Alibar's Lamp. 
About a mile north-east of Nagari there stands a pyramidal tower 
(Plate V), built of the same kind of stone, and constructed in the same 
way as the Hathiom ka bara. It is 14 ft. 1 in. sq. at the outside base, and 
3 ft. 3 in.sq. at the apex. Its height is 36 ft. 7 in., and it is composed of 
21 layers of large blocks piled one on the other. The tower is solid for 
4 ft., then hollow for 20 ft., and solid again up to the top. The floor of 
the cavity, or chamber, is 4 ft. sq., and it has 7 openings to admit light. 
The window facing the east is 2 feet, by 1, 3 in.; of the two on the west 
one is 3 ft. 3 in. by 3 ft., and the other 2 ft. by 1, 9 in.; one window on 
the north is 2 ft. by 1, and the other is 2 ft. 3 in. by 2 ft., and so also 
are the windows on the south.* 
* These measurements were reported to the author by Thakur Jagannath Singh 
the Hakim, or Raj-official at Chitor. Tod has two references to Akbar’s lamp. At 
vol. I, p. 325, he says “ the site of the Royal (Akbar’s) Oordoo or camp, is still 
pointed out. It extended from the village of Pandowly along the high road to 
Bussie, a distance of ten miles. The head-quarters of Akbar are yet marked by a 
pyramidal column of marble, to which tradition has assigned the title of Akbar ka 
dewa, or Akbar’s lamp.” He adds in a note. “ It is as perfect as when constructed, 
being of immense blocks of compact white limestone, closely fitted to each other, 
its height thirty feet, the base a square of twelve, and summit four feet, to which a 
staircase conducts. A huge concave vessel was then filled with fire, which served as 
a night beacon to this ambulatory city, where all nations and tongues were assem¬ 
bled, or to guide the foragers.” The other reference is at vol. II, p. 755. There he 
expresses his regret that, owing to the results of an accident, he was unable to climb 
the staircase “ trodden no doubt by Akbar’s feet.” But in fact there is no inner 
staircase. Kaviraj Shyamal Das writes as follows : “ There is no flight of steps to 
reach even the highest part of the hollow chamber, though there are projecting por¬ 
tions of the blocks composing the pyramid on which the feet can be rested. If 
any one wants to get to the very top, he must get out at the highost window and 
then somehow or other scramble up.” The Kaviraj observes that the fact of there 
being no interior staircase corroborates his view that the tower has not been built by 
Akbar, though he may have used it as a beacon. There is no tradition about its 
