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feet below the ground level, and having a bedding of square bricks in the drain.

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This long drain terminated (I say terminated' because I could not go further up owing to rains) in a tank, which is just on the south of the village of Rampur. Two months before, when I came here, I discovered by following the drain another wooden structure, which I had opened without delay. I went down about fifteen feet to expose it; and here I felt, the greatest difficulty in preserving the woods and at the same time continuing my excavation. For no sooner a portion which looked quite fresh and new was opened than it began splitting and peeling off very rapidly. A little experience taught me to keep a thick layer of original earth covering the body of the wood, and to continue the digging about a foot away from them. But the moist earth got dried and separated from the wood in a few days, and I had great difficulty to keep them in position. Without losing time I opened bits here and there and at there and at once took measurements and sketches, and then filled up the excavated area without further delay.

This wooden structure appears to be a double palisade. Stout posts are made to stand on a bedding of very thick planks; and walls of planks, about eight inches in thickness, are fixed between them. (See plan and section). Those plank walls stand on beams, four of which make a square of about five feet. These beams are about two feet above the bed of my digging. Other beams were seen lying at different levels. Two iron axes were discovered here about eight feet below the then dry bed of the tank, and it is a wonder how they were preserved for such a length of time.

Tank Bed.

Plan and Section of Wooden Drain and Palisade

in the tank, south of Rampur.

About 500 feet south-west of this tank is another, known as Pânbharni. Its sides appear to be embanked with brick-walls, which show a good slope, and about ten feet below, a bedding of bricks. the central area, the tank goes down some ten feet more-where, detecting some wooden posts, I commenced excavations in the first week of April last, when I returned from Champaran, where I had been deputed, in February last, to discover the lost site of Kusinagara, where the

Buddha died. In the then dry bed of the western tank I saw a line of wooden posts going towards the north. At a right angle to this, I found, on digging a few feet below, another line of broken palisade which stretches east to west, underneath the brick-bedding. Fearing that the villagers would steal them, I could not help moving the first layers of fallen wood for better custody. And though I have kept them in a rather dark and cool room, still they began splitting and peeling off, about an inch thick from their surface. That taught me not to remove any more wood. About three feet below, I found another layer of falten palisade, of which some posts were still standing, but greatly out of perpendicular. I left them as they were found, and covered them with earth, but still they began splitting in their upper surface.

On the large mound of Bhiknâpâhâdi, on which the big house of the local Nawab stands, I got permission-with difficulty-to dig some little spaces on the western slope, and brought to light several walls and terraces, and in the central trench, a sort of narrow passage abont seventeen feet below was discovered. Here two stages of construction were detected. Some layers of brick dust, cemented by a process not known--for lime was not used-were also found. The mound here, also those elsewhere, is thickly composed of bricks and other building materials, and even the ground-level has been raised in several places by the accumulation of this kind of rubbish.

At Lohânipur, I discovered an extensive terrace, composed of three layers of bricks, rubbles and lime, respectively, about three feet

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About 500 feet south-west of this railing, I excavated a rather large area, and amidst a series of ruined walls, and about ten feet below, I came upon half-a-dozen big fragments of an Asoka pillar, among which was a small column. About 200 feet west of these remains, I dug deep down to about twelve feet, and amidst a great number of stone fragments-some sculptured-I was glad to discover the capital of the pillar about 3′-9′′ in diameter, on a square base.

About 600 feet south of these excavations I heard of wooden remains about twenty feet below in a well, which was then dry and filled up. I began digging a small tank to that depth, and traced an unbroken line

of wooden drain, stretching north to south. Exactly speaking, the roof of this completely wooden drain, of which the upper portion was the palisade, now mostly decayed and destroyed, is eighteen feet below the present level of the ground; and six feet below this is a thick bedding of wooden beams, nine inches thick, on which the posts stand. By driving tunnels or rather holes, I traced this roof for a length of about thirtyfive feet and do not know how far it goes. Above this roof and about twenty-six feet apart, are two walls of thick planks, with posts, about 5′-6′′ distant from each other, and at a right-angle to it, going from east to west. About six feet north of the southern wall was another wall, now gone, of which an octagonal post about two feet in diameter exists, two feet east of the drain. The drain itself is made up of posts and beams supporting the two walls, about six inches thick, the roof and floor eight inches thick (see sketch-plans and sections).

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A mile or less south of the Bankipur railway station is a large but low mound, on the north, east, and west sides of which, are very low fields, now covered with water. I commenced digging at its centre, and before reaching a foot in depth, a semi-circular wall, 4′-6' broad was found, tracing which, from north to south for a length of sixty feet, and east to west about thirty feet, the plan was found to be oval, with cross walls inside and outside. The outside walls were limited by outer ones, greatly battered, and about five feet thick. The inside chamber is divided into ten compartments. This structure appeared to be most ancient, and might be the original of Carli and other caves in Western India.

Plan of Naratampur Temple.

About two furlongs west of the same station is another large mound, called Jamunah Dhih, which I dug into at several places, exposing some walls and some rooms, and a great number of large earthen vessels, which gave me an idea of the Maurya village of Aśoka period, if not of an earlier period. Here I collected a great number of earthen vessels of different forms in terracotta figures.

In carrying on my works, mentioned above, I took the greatest care in preserving and not disturbing what I exposed, and beyond the ancient woods from the Sewâi aud Pânbharui tanks, I have not removed any structural relics. I made an interesting collection of ancient relics, which most probably will form the nucleus of the local museum.

P. C. MUKHERJI,

Archeologist.

A

ALLOPANISHAD OR MAHOMED UPANISHAD.

CCORDING to the Muktikopanishad there are one thousand one hundred and eighty Upanishads, amongst them twenty-one belong to Rigveda, one hundred and nine to Yajus, one thousand, to Sâman and fifty Upanishads to Atharvaveda. The same (Muktika Upanishad) says, that Mândûkyopanishad alone is enough for a man to attain Brahman; if he does not get knowledge from that, let him study the ten (principal) Upanishads; even if he does not recognise his Self through these studies, let him go to the thirty-two; if he fails to find out Brahman from the study of these, he may read the hundred and eight. Because the hundred and eight are, as it were, the essence of all other Upanishads.

Madhvâchârya, the founder of the Dualistic School of philosophy, quotes in his commentary on the Vedânta Sutras some Upanishads, Bhallveya and others, which may be contained in the list of one thousand and odd Upanishads. Some scholars say the first ten are genuine, others, the first thirty-two. Some orthodox people believe the first hundred and eight to be genuine. Prof. Max Müller says-and other western scholars agree that they have found more Upanishads, to the number of nearly two hundred. We do not know what sorts those Upanishads are; some may be like the present Allâ Upanishad which is supposed to belong to Atharvaveda. We do not know whether there is a Christopanishad or not. The story is current that in the time of one of the Mahomedan kings of India this Allâ Upanishad was written by the Aryan Pandits to escape from persecution. As there has been no Christian persecution of the stamp of the Mahomedans of old, we do not hear of the existence of a Christ or other Upanishad.

The Alla Upanishad does not appear in the characteristic style of ordinary Upanishads. It was written in the style of old Rigveda verses. So there is another name given to it—the Allâ Sûkta. My English translation of it here given is a free one, as the words are used carelessly. I believe if any Mahomedan scholar undertakes this task, he will do full justice to it, as the words appear to sound more like Arabic.

1. I take refuge in our Allah [La, to perish, and allá, eternal] who protects Mitra [sun] and Varuna [the god of water].

2. There is but one God [Illelle]; the king, Varuna, again takes refuge (in him).

3. Everything is God; sun and stars.

4. Everything is God; Varuna, the Sun, the illuminator.

5.

The Great Breath, the Lord, is the Sacrificer. The Lord is the Sacrificer.

6. Allah is the first and best, the highest; Omnipresent; Highest

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10.

Allah is (the God) of Rishis and all other deities, and of Indra, the first Mâyâ [Primordial matter] and the ether.

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11. Allah is in the earth and in heaven and in multifarious forms. 12. Everything is Allah. Everything is Allah and everything is

13. Om is Allah. Everything is He. By nature eternal. Atharvan [the Rishi] bows down to such.

14. Give us water, cattle, siddhis, and things that live in water, and Phut [a mantra.]

15. The Slayer of enemies. Hum, Hrim. Nothing but Allah; nothing but Allah.

Thus ends the Allopanishad.

R. ANANTHAKRISHNA SASTRI.

THERE

BENGALI FOLK-LORE.

HERE is not a tithi that does not prohibit a Bengali Hindu from eating certain food, but the most common prohibition is that of the brinjal as a food, on the thirteenth day of the Moon. The use of bitters on Tuesday and Saturday and of anything medicinal on the Full Moon and the New Moon days is never allowed. A green vegetable, say a plantain, with its stalk or flower, is not cooked at all. Milk with a pinch of salt thrown into it is not taken. One who violates this rule is looked down upon as a beef-eater. Milk is also not taken with fish, the populace little knowing that their Charak and Susaruta, both of which are to them sealed books, advise them not to do so. It and meat should not be simultaneously indulged in. No curd is taken at night. If taken at all it should be taken with a little water. Having eaten a fruita plantain in particular-one should not drink water. It is said that once on a time there was a king. A well-wishing Brahmin courtier of his called on him one day and thus invoked for him a blessing from the Most High: "May your foe take bitters in the month of Bhâdra and sweets in the month of Chaitra, and your friend do the contrary." This might show the usual wholesome effect on the system of these two articles of food, and their peculiar un wholesomeness in the seasons specified against them. All Bengali Hindus abide by the benedictory injunction. Fish is a forbidden article of food on a solemn, especially on a mourning occasion. The prohibition furnishes sufficient data that they were originally and naturally strict vegetarians and have not yet lost sight of the

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