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

suddenly stop one and demand a turn to the right or left, or even prohibit one's
further advance. In spite of all its sanctity, Nirmaṇḍ is poor in inscriptions and other
written records. People showed me the copper plate grant of the 7th century by king
Samudra-sena which has been published by Dr. Fleet,¹ and a very obliterated inscription
on a rock in front of the Dharmśālā. We took an impression, but were not quite
successful. The script seems to be a late type of Śāradā. As the names of Samudra-
sena's father, grandfather and great-grandfather, which occur on the copper plate, have not
yet been discovered in the Bansaulis of Kulū or Bashahr, I hoped to find them among
the ancestors of the present Ṭhākur of Nirmaṇḍ. This man, however, did not possess
a family record of any kind.

Proof of the great age of Nirmaṇḍ is the fact that all the principal temples are of
the hill type. They are built of layers of rubble masonry, alternating with beams
of cedar wood. The roofs are sloping and slightly concave on either side of the central
beam and laid with slates or wooden shingles. None of these buildings seem to be of
a very great age. But, as they were always repaired in the same style, the temples
of Nirmaṇḍ of two or three thousand years ago probably did not look different from
these extant.

This refers only to the chief temples. By the side of most of them, we find numerous
stone temples of the śikkara type. (Plate III). They are, however, never in prominent
positions. This style of architecture has been fully described by Fergusson.² It was
introduced into Nirmaṇḍ probably between the 7th and 11th century and many speci-
mens may go back to those times, although there are no written records. The many
tablets with religious sculptures which are scattered all over the place in great num-
bers, may also date from those times. It appears that the original cult of Nirmaṇḍ was
entirely Śivaist. Most of the temples are dedicated to Śiva or Kālī, or to deities of
a similar type. Perhaps about the same time when Vishnuism became powerful in
Chambā (tenth or eleventh century), this form of worship was also introduced in
Nirmaṇḍ, without, however, doing much harm to Śivaism.

Originally the town consisted, it is said, of five main streets with a great temple
in each of them. Cholera and small-pox have decimated the population, and the town
has become very much reduced in size. Its situation is sublime, on a high practically
level plateau with a magnificent view of apparently endless mountain ridges.

I made the following notes on the principal buildings. The Ambikā temple (Plate
II, a) is below the village, and a flight of 184 steps leads up towards it, and continues
from the back of the temple towards the village. This temple is said to be the oldest
in the place, and Ambikā (probably a form of Kālī) is the chief deity of Nirmaṇḍ.
According to Pindi Lal, the Devī image is in a standing posture and about two feet
high. Her face is black, and her clothes covered with gold. Whoever approaches her
(only Brahmans are allowed to do so) has to take off his trousers. In this temple is
kept the copper-plate grant of King Samudra-sena of the 7th century mentioned above