the original building stands in situ; and we have not sufficiently examined it to be able to arrive at a decided opinion on this point. Our conviction, however, is, that certain leading characteristics of the first structure were perpetuated, by the Hindus, in that which they raised on the departure, or rather expulsion, of the Buddhists from Benares. It is not easy to determine accurately what this Hindu building was; but, perhaps, it is more likely to have been a math, that is, a monastery or religious house for Hindu ascetics, such as one sees in many parts of the land at the present day,than a temple. In the roof of the second story of the mosque, a slab was discovered, bearing a long Sanskrit inscription, towards the end of which is the date 1248, which, regarded as Samvat, is equivalent to A.D. 1191. The inscription itself is of no particular importance, except that it abounds with references to the Hindu religion, and shows that it belonged to a building erected by a Hindu, and to a time subsequent to the Buddhist period. It alludes, also, to certain tanks, temples, and maths, erected and embellished in and about Benares, which, of course, were all in honour of Hinduism. It is not unlikely, indeed, that these structures were erected, and that this inscription was written, with somewhat of a religio-political object, to testify to the triumph which Hinduism had then recently gained over Buddhism; for there is good ground for believing that the buildings at Sárnáth were not burnt, and that the monks were not expelled therefrom, till about the twelfth century of our era,—that is, about the period here referred to. We have obtained a copy of the inscrip

tion in Sanskrit, with a translation in Hindí, through the kindness of Babu Siva Prasád, Joint Inspector of Schools, whose intelligence, enterprise, and extensive knowledge place him in the front rank of native gentlemen in these provinces.

We would direct especial attention to the small sidedoor or postern, with its massive wall, to the right of the building, which has a striking air of originality; and also to two noble capitals, of gigantic dimensions, lying in the court-yard in front of the mosque, and now converted into small cisterns, which are the largest carved capitals we have found anywhere.

HINDU TEMPLE OF KÍRTTI BISHES WAR.

Alamgiri Mosque.

Near the temple of Briddhkál,—one of the -one of the very few Hindu temples of the earlier Mohammedan period, still standing in Benares, not appropriated by the Musulmans, and a few paces from the well-known shrine of Ratneswar, is a mosque, spoken of, in the neighbourhood, as the Alamgírí Masjid, which was erected during the reign of Aurungzeb, or Alamgir, and was designated after that Emperor. Upon it may be read the following inscription, in Arabic:

فول و جهك شطر المسجد الحرام

سنه ١٠٧٧ هجري

The translation of which is: "Turn your face towards the sacred mosque. 1077 Higira," or A.D. 1659.

The mosque is built, tradition states, from the ma

terials of the Hindu temple of Kírtti Bisheswar, and has three rows of lofty stone pillars, eight in each row; but the pillars at the extremities are not single, but three-fold. The capitals are large and massive, and are cruciform in shape. In the centre of each shaft, upon all the four sides, is the boss ornamentation, each boss being fully a foot in diameter. The pillars have a double base, a false and a true; the one consisting of the lower end of the shaft, the other, the true base, of a separate stone. Both are covered with carvings. Some of the architraves also bear upon them the boss pattern; but it is possible that these were, formerly, shafts of pillars. The inner wall of the mosque is, likewise, of stone. Viewed from behind, many of the blocks display various mason-marks inscribed upon them.

From an examination of the marks or symbols, and of the architecture represented by the remains now briefly described, there is no reason for supposing that the temple which once stood here, and which was levelled to the ground by Aurungzeb, was of great antiquity. We should be inclined to fix the date of the Hindu temple at some five or six centuries ago. It must have been a place of great sanctity; as many Hindus still visit the spot on pilgrimage, and, instead of an image, which, we suppose, the Mohammedans would not allow them to put up,-worship the spout of a fountain, rising up in the centre of a small tank in the court-yard of the mosque. It is not improbable that the tank is the site of the old temple; but, if the temple was a large one, as is likely, it must have occupied not only a considerable portion of the present

courtyard, but also some extent of ground on either side. A few persons perform their devotions in the tank daily; but the grand festival is at the Sirarátri melá, for one day in March, when crowds throng reverently around the sacred spout, and present it,-or, perhaps, regarding it as a god, they would say him, or her, -with abundant offerings; all which, down to the last rupee, are received by the Mulláh of the mosque, who thinks, we suppose, that, if he connives at the idolatry, —which, in fact, he cannot put down,—he may as well be handsomely paid for it.

In noticing the remains of the Kírtti Bisheśwar temple, we are aware that they do not come under the designation of 'old' or 'ancient,' as applied to other remains described in this chapter; and yet, as they are not without interest, we have given them a place in it.

ANCIENT REMAINS, No. VIII.

Chaukhambhá Mosque.

The long Chaukhambhá street in the city of Benares, in or near which most of the great bankers have their places of business, takes its name from four low massive pillars, of modern erection, towards its north-eastern extremity, standing in the lowermost story of a lofty building, the weight of which they entirely sustain. There is a narrow court running out of this street, terminating in a small enclosure, on the further side of which is a mosque. The entire enclosure has a very remarkable appearance, and, for the archæologist, is a place of considerable interest. The entrance is by a

doorway let into a breastwork or wall formed of blocks of stone. The wall is twenty feet long, thirteen feet high, and four feet thick, and is constructed, for the most part, systematically, as is evident from the ornamentation on one stone answering to that on the stone contiguous to it. Over the doorway is an inscription, in Arabic. But, with the exception of this doorway and the castellated structure crowning the wall, there is nothing Mohammedan in its architecture.

The mosque and corridor adjoining are supported by twenty-four pillars, of which six are double. The capitals are of the simple cruciform pattern; and their outer limbs are decorated with the dwarf bell-ornamentation. To the south of this building is a staircase leading up to the roof, built of heavy stones; and along the south side of the enclosure, for about twenty-five feet, is a low stone wall, six feet in height; and, attached to it, is a peculiar ledge, three feet from the ground. It is known that a similar wall exists on the north side, also; but it is hidden from view.

Most of the pillars, probably, once formed part of an ancient edifice; but of what character, it is difficult to say. The whole of the old materials may have been brought from other places; and yet there is a peculiarity about the position of some of them, which leads us to conjecture that the original building from which they were taken stood on this spot; but, if so, it is likely that it occupied a much larger space. The wall, with

The latter may

the projecting bench, is very curious. have been used by priests or monks to recline upon.