LOWERMOST STAGE OF TOPES.-BHOJPUR.

22. There are only eight Topes now remaining on this platform of the hill all lying in a direction from north to south, and parallel to the other series.

No. 30 Tope, a, is 8 feet in diameter and 2 feet high, with a terrace of 1 foot 6 inches; No. 31, ẞ, is 10 feet in diameter; No. 32, y, is 9 feet; No. 33, 8, is 13 feet; No. 34, &, is 10 feet; and No 35, 4, is 17 feet in diameter. All these Topes are standing close together at the northern end of the platform. At 600 feet to the south are the remains of No. 36 Tope, n, and again at 600 feet to the south of this is No. 37 Tope, 0, which is now a mere mound of stones with a diameter of between 30 and 40 feet. A shaft was sunk down the centre of this Tope to the solid rock without any discovery.

23. A more careful examination of all the little heaps of stones lying about these different stages of the hill would no doubt discover some ten or even twenty more of these small Topes; but as they have all long ago been rifled by the villagers the labour would be completely thrown away. The old village of Bhojpur was no doubt entirely built of stones taken from these little Topes, and from the surrounding walls of the great Topes. This will fully account for the few discoveries of interest amongst so many Topes; as not more than five, or perhaps six, of the largest had escaped the hands of the spoilers.

CHAPTER XXVI.

ANDHER TOPES.

1. THE little village of Andher is situated at the foot of a hill 10 miles to the south-west of Bhilsa, and 5 miles to the west of Bhojpur. The Topes are perched on the northern declivity of the hill just two miles from Andher, and on the very edge of the cliff, about 500 feet above the plain. The position is a very fine one, from which the eye wanders over the whole of the Bhilsa district to the north, till checked by the blue hills beyond Gyáraspur, a distance of twenty-five miles. The Great Tope at Sánchi, the Lohángi rock at Bhilsa, and the holy hill of Udayagiri, are the most conspicuous objects in the landscape. Nearer, and almost beneath one's feet, are the numerous Topes of Bhojpur.*

NO 1 TOPE.-ANDHER.

2. This is one of the few Topes which has a Buddhist railing still standing.† Its preservation

*See Plates I. and V.

+ See Plate XXVIII., figs. 1 and 2.

is no doubt due to the secluded and inaccessible position of the Topes, which are not large enough to attract the eye, although they can be distinctly seen when pointed out. The base of the dome, which is 35 feet 2 inches in diameter, rests on a cylindrical plinth only 4 feet in height. The terrace, 51 feet wide and 5 feet high, has a stone coping, along its outer edge, 15 inches in height, and 13 inches in thickness. This is the only instance of terrace-coping that now exists. From the style of the bas-reliefs of Topes on the Sánchi gateways, we had expected to have found some terraces surrounded by Buddhist railings, but we were disappointed, for not one of the numerous Topes excepting this has the slightest trace of a ledge of any kind. The rounded and massive coping forms an appropriate finish to the massive basement. On the west there is a double flight of steps, 4 feet 4 inches in width, which meet at a landing-place 7 feet 2 inches in length and 5 feet in breadth. Several of the steps are perfect, 13 inches broad and 10 inches high; and, as the gateway is still standing, we have here one of the most complete existing specimens of the second-rate Tope.

3. The base is enclosed by a Buddhist railing 7 feet in height, with an entrance on the west formed in the same manner as those of the Sánchi Topes. The pillars are 5 feet 8 inches in height, with a section of 14 inches face and 10 inches side. There are three railings each 18 inches broad, and 6 inches thick. The coping is the same as that of the terrace.

The pillars are ornamented with full and half medallions formed of lotus and other flowers. The quadruple emblem of Dharma, which is seen on so many of the old coins, here occupies a medallion.* On one of the pillars there is a short inscription in the usual style:

Dhama Sivasa Mátu dánam.

"Gift of DHARMA-SIVA's mother."

The characters, which are very neatly cut and well formed, are apparently as old as those of the great Sánchi Tope which dates in the reign of Asoka. The pillars of the entrance are carved on both sides, and the two outer ones on three sides. The principal subjects are a wheel-pillar with a capital formed of two lions and an elephant, a holy tree surmounted by a chatta, and a Tope. There is also another scene in which several figures are seated in a circle, each on a small square couch. This may perhaps represent the meeting of one of the Buddhist Synods. The Tope is surrounded by the remains of a walled enclosure, and to the south there is one of those massive foundations which have already been described. It is nearly 70 feet long, and between 30 and 40 feet broad, but not more than 6 feet high at present.

4. A shaft was sunk down to the centre of the hemisphere, where we found a chamber 10 inches square, and 18 inches in height on one side, by 10 inches on the opposite side. Within was a round * See Plate XXXII., fig. 4, of this work.

stone box, 5 inches in height, 6 bottom, and only 5 inches at top.

inches broad at

The chamber,

which is 3 inches deep and 4 inches wide, contained nothing save a small quantity of black ashes and something like calcined nut-shells. The lid of the box is 2 inches in height, domed, and slightly hollowed beneath. See Plate XXVIII., fig. 6. Three feet beneath this deposit, and on a level with the terrace, we found a second chamber, somewhat slightly formed, containing a hemispherical red earthenware vessel 10 inches in diameter turned with the mouth downwards. Beneath this was a second vessel of red earthenware, 81⁄2 inches in diameter, containing a black earthenware bowl 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches in height. Lastly, inside the bowl there was a black earthenware vase 5 inches in diameter and 4 inches in height, with a small lid of the same material.* This vase was empty. See Plate XXVIII., fig. 7.

NO. 2 TOPE.-ANDHER.

5. One hundred and twenty feet to the south-east of the last, there is a second Tope of much smaller dimensions, but in a much more perfect state than these buildings are usually met with. The base of the dome, which is 18 feet 10 inches in diameter, rests on a cylindrical plinth 4 feet in height above the terrace, which is 4 feet 4 inches broad and 6 feet

The glaze of these black vessels is beautifully smooth, and of a bright metallic lustre.