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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1888.
to see. This unique gate, tottering to complete closed by a band 87 feet in height, and 800 feet ruin, 'ought to be carried away to a place of thick at the base, or even more; the greater, by safety, together with the finely sculptured and one in places 40 feet high, and about 100 feet
chly carved life-size basso relievo of the mother broad on the top; and, though the first-mentioned of Buddha and her infant. The temple is in band is now a complete wreck, the latter is intact Sindhi's dominions, and there would be no and still continues to turn the river KAliasot difficulty in obtaining permission for the removal into the Bêtwa, and from its top the old bed of of the gate. There are many Jain temples the stream is recognisable. The lesser but higher scattered about, some dating from the seventh band was broken by Shah Hussain, the greatest century.
of the Mandu kings, for the purpose of utilizing Twenty miles north-east are the remains of the the bed of the lake; and, though tradition relates Eran temples, so famed for their graceful columns that he never personally benefited by this act, and valuable inscriptions. On a high bank of the the fact of the present fertility of the valley, Binå river, the beauty of the situation adds a still growing the best wheat in the country, charm to these beautiful and romantic ruins. proves his practical statesmanship, however much
Returning towards Bhopal, twenty miles south we may regret the loss of a water storage of of the city are the remains of the city of Bhoj- such rare size and beauty for India. The Gônds pur, not far from which is situated the ruined or who live in the thick jungle still surrounding this uncompleted temple of Bhojpur, famed far and valley, tell us that it took an army of labourers wide on account of its gigantic linga. This three months to destroy the dam, while three temple is remarkable on account of being pro- years elapsed before the lake was emptied, and bably the only one in India which, remaining thirty before its bed was fit for human habitation. unfinished. presents the earthen ramp up the I do not know that the story of the con. easy slope of which were rolled, after the manner struction of this lake by Raja Bhoj of of the most ancient builders (as pourtrayed on Dhard has ever been written. It is an interesting Egyptian and Assyrian sculpture) the immense tradition. It runs that Raja Bhôj was stricken stone blocks for the walls and roofs. This fact, with a severe illness, some say leprosy, which the apart from its grand internal proportions, attaches court physicians failed to remedy. He therefore great interest to this temple, which, though in a had recourse to a holy recluse, who lived at a ruined condition, is still used for worship, and distunce, but was widely famed for his miraculous owing to its gigantic polished quartzite linga, has cures. The monk, after considering the case and wide local fame. I do not think the inscription performing many incantations and examinations on the lintel of the door has ever been carefully of signs and omens, gave the following oracu. copied and translated. The temple evidently lar decree :--that the king would die of the was built some little time subsequently to the disease, unless he was able to construct a lake so formation of the lake on the shore of which it great as to be the largest in India and fed by 365 stands, and most likely after the city of Bhojpur streams, or a stream for every day in the year. had become a place of importance. The ruins of By bathing in such a lake, on a certain day, at a this large town stand close by. It seems to have certain hour, he would be cleansed, not otherwise. fallen into decay in the fifteenth century, on the The king, it is related, gathered together men destruction of the dam and subsidence of the learned in all the sciences, and settled in his waters of the lake.
capital by reason of his liberal patronage, and The great Bhojpur lake, just alluded to, consulted them. They recommended that skilled was without doubt the largest and most beautiful engineers should be sent along the valleys east sheet of fresh water in India; indeed, the only one and west of the Vindhyan range, which lie near worthy of the name of lake as we understand it. Dhår, to explore the country and report upon It covered a valley which presents the most the feasibility of such a lake being constructed. remarkable feature that, though it is so extensive, And it is said that, after a long and weary only two breaks occur in its wall of hills,-one a investigation and many hopeless failures and little more than one hundred, the other about five | immense expenditure, they discovered the valley, hundred yards wide. Both of them were spanned subsequently enclosed, in which there happened to by very remarkable dams, consisting of an be the head waters of the holy river B&tw. But, earthen central band faced on both sides, outer alas! only 359 springs and streams fed the waters and inner, with immense blocks of stone laid one flowing through the valley. The difficulty was on the other without mortar, but fitting so truly however, eventually overcome by Kalia, & Gônd as to be watertight, the two faces sloping in- chief, pointing out the missing river, which with wards from the base. The lesser opening was its tributaries, made up the number, and was
