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204
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JULY, 1908.
walls. About two miles away at the eastern end of the hill, there is a cave dedicated to Nagarjuna. Down the hill the most notable places are the temple of Chandikû Devi built of massive blocks of hewn stone; the Kapûr Baoli, which is a small square tank embanked on all sides with rows of temples, in one of which there is a slab containing mutilated figures of the eight Siddhis (likely to be now sabmerged in the new irrigation tank to be constructed by Government at a cost of about Rs, 18 lakhs); the Ambâlâ tank with several temples on its banks, of which that dedicated to the San is noticeable; and other tanks and wells, such as Chakorda Talao, RÂm Talai and Daskívamedha Baoli. There is also a group of Jaina temples and images which are all modern, oxcept the huge image of Şantinátha, about 18 feet high, which is very old. The local Jainas say that Rama was of one of their parsuasion, and that when he visited Ramtek, he first worshipped SantinAtha, since when that image has been in existence.
The Inscription, which has been incidentally referred to before, is affixed to the temple of
Laksmana on the wall of the sanctum. The rough stone of the The Inscription.
building is plastered with a black shining cement, which has the appearance of a real polished black marble. There used to be about 80 long lines engraved on it, but many are gone on account of the cement having fallen off. The major portion of the inscription is devoted to the description and religions efficacy of the tirthas at Râmtêk and the surrounding places included in the pañch krosi or 5 kose area, which is recorded in the Ramtek Mahatmya as baing protected from the influence of the Kali Age. The whole composition is in Sanskrit veraes written in beautiful characters, exactly resembling those in which the Kalacburi inscriptions of Ratanpar are found engraved. Indeed, when I saw it the resemblance was so strong that a mere look suggested that it might be a Haihaya vam record, which it finally turned out to be. The top portion, which is much mutilated, contained some historical data about the family of the reigning dynasty, of which the only suggestive phrases which remain are : 'Yadavovarban, Sri Sithana Kshonipater, and Sri Ramachandran. The last two names occur in the Raipur and Khalârf Inscriptions of the Haihayavanst king, Brahmadova, from which it appears that Brahmadêva's father was Ramachandra, whose father was Simhaņa. The mention of Yadavevaba further confirms their identity as Haihayas belonged to that race. Brahmadêva's inscriptions are dated 10 1402 and 1415 A. D. So his father must have lived about the end of the 14th century. This establishes the fact that the temples of this group are at least 800 years old. The tenor of the inscription shows that it was engraved when the temples were repaired rather than built, which would place their construction a century or two earlier. The Haihayas ruled over Maha Kobals now identified with Chhattisgash, but it once included all the country up to the confines of Berar, as would appear from Hiuen Tsiang's record. In fact it seems that in the 7th century A. D., the capital of Maha Kokala was somewhere in this part of the country, very probably, at Bhandak, which the Chinese traveller apparently visited. Latterly, it would appear that it was transferred to Raipur in Chhattisgarh, and the western portion must have remained in their possession, while the original house long established at Tummanall and subsequently at Ratanpur kept the eastern portion under their sway.
• The orthodox way of calonlating this area is kos in each of the four directions and one towards the aky. • Cunningham's Reports, Vol. XVII, p. 71. 10 Epigraphia Indica, Vol. II, p. 229, and Indian Antiquary, Vol. XIII, p. 83.
A village of this name with ancient remainsanknown to arohmologista, still exists in the Bildspar district. It is 45 miles north-east of Ratanpar. It is from this place that one of the kings removed his capital to Ratanpur. (Epigraphia Indica, Vol. I, p. 82.) Since I wrote the above, I visited Tummaps on 2nd May 1908, and dug out a saperb temple-door boautifully carved in the medieval Brahmanio tylo. I propose to give an aopount of this place in a separate article.
