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FEB. 2, 1872.)
MANDARA HILL.
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studies and pursuits suited to his age, began to The three caves above mentioned are situated pray to Vishnu night and day. The king be on the left of the Shankha kunda and on came highly incensed, and finding it impossible the eastern bank of the Siták und a, while to shake his son's belief, or make him forsake the way to the summit lies just over the right his devotion, ordered him to be put to death. margin of these two springs. Beyond ShanBut though Prahláda, (for so the son was kha kunda, it runs for a considerable distance named) was successively hurled to the earth over a slightly inclined plane till it reaches the from the summit of a high hill, put upon a flam- base of a conical ridge of rock which leads to ing pile, thrown into the sea with weights fas the summit. By the side of this road, about tened round his neck, and trampled under the ten feet above the Shankhakunda, there is feet of an elephant, yet he escaped uninjured ? an empty temple, now the abode of bats and The monarch then asked his son how he had mice, in which Shiva is said to have resided survived such fearful perils, to which Prahláda during his self-imposed exile from Banares. answered that Vişhnu had preserved his life. Probably the original image having been reduc" But where is your Vishnu ?," demanded the ed to dust by Káláp a hár, was not replaced king in a rage. “He is," replied the son, "pre- by another, owing at first to the frequent incursent everywhere." "Is he present in that im- sions of the Muhammadans, and afterwards
pervious and solid body," asked Hiranyaka to the removal of Madhu súd ana's image • ship a, pointing with his finger to a large crys- to B&usi.
tal globe that stood before him. “Yes, father" Far to the right, separated by & waterway replied Prahlada. “He must be there, since through which the rains falling on the summit He is omnipresent and nothing can exist with- find their way to the foot of the hill, is the out Him." Scarcely were these words uttered temple of the Jains already mentioned. From when Hiranya kasi pa's scimitar descended Shiva's temple up to the base of the conical like a thunderbolt and broke the crystal into a ridge, there is nothing else to arrest the attenthousand fragments; but at the same instant, a tion. Thence to the summit, the ascent is very terrific figure, with the head and fore-claws of a difficult owing to the rugged and uneven rock, lion and under part of a man, issued out of the loose and disjointed stones, abrupt precipices, and broken crystal, and throwing Hirunya k&- thick jungle that obstruct the way. On the sipa over his thigh, tore him into pieces. This highest summit of the hill, stands a very old took place at the twilight. He was killed in this temple of stone, said to have been built by Rám. manner, because by the blessing of Shiva, he was It contains only the footprints of Vishnu, not to die by the hands of god or demigod, of thereby indicating that he still holds the hill man or beast, in the water or in the sky, during over the headless giant, with the weight of the the glare of day or during the shades of night. I universe embodied in his divine frane.
COL. FRANCKLIN'S ACCOUNT OF MANDARA HILL. (From his " Inquiry concerning the site of Ancient Palibothra," Part II., pp. 13-26 and 72-78.) (November 22, 1814.) Moved at 20 minutes past approach to it a singular appearance, it consisting 7, quitted the Chandan, and proceeded on into of a range of five distinct hills rising one above the the interior, to visit Mandara hill E. by N., Chan- other, till they are terminated by the summit of dan river W.......... Passed the village of Beliya, Mandara, which is of an oval forn, and very inuch which stands on elevated ground, the surrounding resembles the Golu at Patna; the sumtuit is surscenery beautiful and fertile, the cottages of the mounted by a stone muth whither the idols that inhabitants very neatly and compactly built, in are seen in the plain below, at a math of the patches detached from each other : Mandara hill same name, are carried at the annual pujas, two N., passed several talávs (or large tanks of water): in cach year, to be worshipped in the temple. Masulan Math, a Hindu place of worship, N. At 5 At the south foot of the hill is a spacions taláv, minutes past 9, reached the village of Bausi near called by the natives Pouphur [l'apharni), the Mandara, at a spacious taláv with high banks. descent to which is by a stone staircase of seven Mandara hill N. Berbari hill s., Malido SE. Dis- steps, each step being 14 feet in length ly 1 in tance 8 miles 5 furlongs.
breadth. Near this flight of steps are great qnanti(Xoveinber 23.) Halted and visited Mandara ties of broken stones of different dimensions, mutihill. The south side of tihs will presents on the lated idols, fragments of pillars, and other ir
