National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

6

In front of Ambiká's temple there is an ancient stone figure buried in the ground up to the shoulders.

The Kőthi is a large building of the hill type, with stags' and antelopes' horns fixed over the door. Old sculptures are inserted in the walls, for instance, a head on a stand adored by two kneeling figures (Plate I, b). This may have been suggested by the well-known Buddhist sculptures of relics with two worshippers. The head is probably that of Siva, as we find it on so many temples at Nirmand, carved above the entrance. On the right corner of the house, there is a very rude figure of Hanumá,n riding on a rather diminutive horse. Inside, there are stone figures of Káli, and a bronze figure of ParaSuráma. The latter is exhibited only every twelfth year when two naked men have to carry it out of its prison. When the image is brought back to the temple, a glass, filled with water, is placed in front of it. This is not removed until twelve years have elapsed, and the water is found as fresh as it was originally. In front of the Kőthi is a large round stone seat with sculptures on its circumference, for instance, makccras swallowing men (?) . An apparently modern cave is in the vicinity.

The Dharmascild we were not allowed to enter. It is a court formed by houses of the ordinary hill type situated in the middle of the village. On a rock in front there is an inscription in a late type of Sáradá characters much obliterated.

The Temple of Chancy D vi is close to the wells from which the people fetch their drinking water. There are several small water tanks of dressed stones below it, and a great number of sculptured slabs are inserted in the masonry of the tank ( Plate II, b). Stone figures of Nandi are also conspicuous. One of the sculptures, a head with three faces, is said to look like Parasuráma in the Kőthi.

The temple of Siva situated above the village, is said to contain a li; gam. Over the door is a sculptured head and a figure of Ganésa. In front of it, there are water tanks with stone reliefs and a figure of Nandi.

The temple of Siva and the Pándavas is situated in the middle of the village. It was shown only to Pindi Lal who says that it contains many images in little

niches.

The Thákur's temple found in the middle of the village is small and neat, but in baci preservation. The interior was shown to Pindi Lai only, in whose opinion the image

was the finest sculpture in the place. Unfortunately he could not

(

are distinguished. by well-carved

photograph it. It

represents a man and a woman seated, and another woman lying on the ground. There

is an elaborate halo round the three figures.

Tha doors of all the houses of the goldsmiths

door-posts of stone with the figure of Ganésa in the centre.

In conclusion I may say that we did not find any traces of Buddhism at Nirmand.

From Nirmand we marched to RÎmpur, the capital of the Bashahr State, beautifully situated on the left bank of the Satluj. The descent was steep, but the road well shaded by luxuriant vegetation. The Hindu temples of the city with their very primitive, though not ancient, sculptures did not appear of any interest. Rámpur is the first place on the road up the Satluj valley where Lamaist buildings may be seen. The