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156
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JUNE, 1880.
the level of the water of the pond on the south suddenly from this height, but towards the side of the mound.
edges the descent is gradual. With the exception of the wall (3 feet thick) The more important excavations made were found in the pit nearest the pir's grave, the in the form of a St. Andrew's cross, or two above were all the remains of ancient masonry lines intersecting each other diagonally in the found. In the other excavations there were highest part of the mound. Walls were opened merely loose rough stones.
out everywhere, two cells or chambers being The articles found in the mound were as excavated completely. iollows:
The masonry was much of the same kind as Three copper coins.
that in the Khangah mound, that is, of A small earthen pot (plate, fig. 2).
kankar and sandstone, in courses, often of Some fragments of earthen saucers (fig. 3). square blocks, and laid dry. There was not A fragment of pottery ware (fig. 4).
a fragment of ornament of any kind on the The coins are in diameter and all much walls, and the work altogether was disappointoxidized. One resembles figures 19 and 20 ingly uninteresting in its results. Plate xi. of Wilson's Ariana Antiqua, and If the walls discovered are of the same age possesses on the obverse an indistinct coated as the neighbouring topes, General Cunningfigure facing to the left, with two illegible ham's inference before the excavations were. characters, and on the reverse a mutilated made) that they are the remains of a Buddhist erect figure with the monogram *. It may monastery is almost inevitable, as their therefore 'possibly be of the Indo-Scythian arrangement is not roomy enough for any Prince Kanerki of Kabul, of whom other coins known lay purpose, and it is difficult otherwise have been found at Manikyala. The second to explain the existence of these massive coin has on the obverse a coated figure, and on isolated groups of cells over so many square the reverse Siva and the bull Nandi, but both miles of country, near well known topes. sides are very indistinct, and it would be rash General Cunningham has shown that there to attempt to identify it. The third coin is in- was no town in this neighbourhood (Manikyala distinguishable.
itself, two miles off, having apparently never These articles were found from four to five been much more than a large village affording feet below the surface. The saucers (fig. 3) accommodation to devotees), of which this and and fragment of pottery (fig. 4) were found other isolated ruins might have formed part. in chamber A. The former resemble the The various chambers and other parts of the saucers found in the Sarnath tope near Banaras, excavations are lettered on the sketch-plan many of which were still lying about there in fig. 5, A to P, and the following notes follow December 1877.
the order of these letters :The Chaontra Mound.
(A)-A shallow excavation from one to three This is 1500 feet north of the Khangab mound, feet deep, with a wall at one end. and about the same distance from the impor. (B)-This excavation averaged 7 feet deep. tant stupa known as Court's tope. It has been It was full of small rough stones and human briefly described by General Cunningham (Arch. bones (probably Muhammadan) down to the Reports, Vol. II, pp. 169–70), being figured bottom; some of the skeletons were complete, in the map (p. 153 ibid.) as mound No. 20. being protected at the sides and top by slabs of
The mound is quite bare except for three stone. Some fragments of a metal vessel (like small trees, and a number of Muhammadan a lota); a corroded piece of bar iron; an ornagraves. Gold coins are said to have been found mental brick (shown in fig. 6); and several in it. A plan of the mound is given in fig. 5. shallow saucers (like those found in the Khan
The mound, which is roughly rectangular, gah mound), were found. measures 200 feet from north to south, and 120 (C)-This was a brick-paved cell, without east to west, while it rises from 12 to 14 feet, door, the floor of which was 7 feet from the if not more, above the prevailing level of the original surface of the mound, and, being high surrounding fields. At first it falls rather above all the other masonry work, may have been
* These dimensions differ from General Cunningham's,
