the weather, during the last twenty days, had not only very much retarded our progrefs, but the cattle were in fuch an exhausted ftate, that fome refpite was neceffary to the due profecution of the remaining part of our journey.

Several interefting objects now prefented themselves to our attention, and the neceffary information refpecting them could be no-where fatisfactorily acquired but at Ruttunpoor. Some time was alfo requifite to pursue thefe inquiries.

The first and most interesting object was an accurate account of the Nurbudda and Soane rivers, as well as of the Hindu pilgrimage to them. When Ittul Pundit vifited me in the evening, I confequently expreffed the very anxious defire I poffeffed to vifit them, and requefted him to give me every information in his power refpecting the nature of the road which travellers ufually preferred to go to Omercuntuc. He confirmed, in a great measure, the account which I had already received from my hircarrah: he added, however, that the Goands were at this period more powerful than they had hitherto been, and that no pilgrims had of late attempted their devotional vifits to that place; nor could he refrain from expreffing his aftonishment at my apparent intention to take a journey in fuch a wild and mountainous country. I informed him, that my curiofity was very much excited by the ac. counts which I had received of a very large and fuperb Hindû temple at Omercuntuc, which was enriched with a great variety of figures and curious fculpture. But though he affented to my opinion, that fuch extraordinary and magniScent objects juftified a defire to vifit them, he at the fame time difcouraged me from making any attempt to gratify my inclination.

He obferved, that if I were to leave my cattle and baggage under his care, and proceed with my peo ple on foot, which was the only way to furmount the many difficulties and impediments which would oppofe my paffage to Omercuntuc, the Purtaubgur Goand Rajah would certainly moleft me, and endeavour to shut me up in fome of the gauts, from which, if I efcaped at all, it must be with great hazard and confiderable lofs. As I found that no affiftance was to be obtained from the Mahratta, and that his appre henfions might rather induce him to throw obftacles in my way, I was with infinite vexation and difappointment obliged to abandon my defign of vifiting a place which contained one of the most curious objects in India. Nothing, therefore, remained for me, but to obtain a particular and correct account of it, in which the fubahdar most cheerfully undertook to assist me.

On the following day, therefore, he fent two Pundits to me, who had been frequently on the fpot, and who were reprefented to me as very intelligent men, and well qualified to give me the most fatisfactory information. They were Brahmans of an high caft, and deeply verfed in every branch of Hindû learning.

I made my first inquiries con cerning the roads from Ruttunpoor to Omercuntuc, when they informed me that there was but one, which leads from the town to the hills, on the north fide, and from thence over their fummits, along the brinks of precipices, through deep defiles, and almoft impaflable forefts, to Pindara, a distance of twelve cofs. This village, though the head of a purgunnah of the fame name, is very poor and inconfiderable, confifting only of a few Goand huts. From this place the road was known only to the mountaineers, who were al

ways

ways taken as guides to direct the pilgrims in afcending the Table Land of Omercuntuc.The river Soane rifes beneath, and on the eaft fide of Omercuntuc; and is increafed by various ftreams that iffue from the north-eaft fide of this mountainous country. The river takes a northerly direction, through part of Sohaugpoor and Boglecund, to Burdy; when it takes nearly an eastern courfe, till it falls into the Ganges. Having gained the afcent of the Table Land, the temple appears in the centre of it. Near it the Nurbudda fprings from a fmall puckacoond or well, that furnishes a perennial ftream, which, after gliding along the top of the Table Land in the form of a fmall rivulet, precipitates itself from the weft fide of it, by an abrupt fall from a most ftupendous height, into Mundilla. At the foot of the Table Land it fpreads into a confiderable expanfe, and being immediately joined by feveral copious and tributary ftreams, affumes the form of a large river.

I was very mach fatisfied at the account given of the fources of these rivers. It was delivered with fo little hesitation, and agreed fo well with the account that my hircarrah had already given me, as to leave Do doubt whatever in my mind as to the truth and accuracy of it.

I now inquired of them in what territory Omercuntuc was confidered; when I was informed that the Nagpoor government attached a part of it to their purgunnah of Pindara: a fecond portion was claimed by the Sohauy poor Rajah; and a third by the Goands, in whofe poffeffion the whole of it was at this time. The temple was defcribed as a building about forty feet high, enriched with numerous figures, which are intended to reprefent fome mythological hiftory; the off. fering of Hindu fuperftition.

The wealth which arofe from the offerings made by, and the impo fitions levied on, the pilgrims, had produced feveral competitors for it; but it properly belonged to the Brah mans, who attended on the pagoda, and performed the ceremonies prefcribed for the worship of the divi. nity to whofe honour it had been erected. At the fource of this river the Hindûs pay adoration to the confort of Siva, whom Sir William Jones, in his treatife on the Geds of India, Greece, and Italy, men. tions as being diftinguffhed by the names of Parvati, or the Mountainborn Goddefs; Darga, or difficult of accefs; and Bhavani, or the Geddefs of Fruitfulness: the latter of which is her principal name at Cmercuntuc.

The Hindu temple, or pagola which contains the morrat or image of Bhavani, was built by one of the ancient Rajahs of Ruttunpoor, and Heohobun Sing was the last of a tribe of Rajepoots who had reigned from time immemorial in Ruttun. poor. The Pundits informed me, that there had formerly been records of fifty-two fucceffions, but that, about fixty years ago, the reigning family became extinct; when the Mahrattas, taking advantage of the confufion that enfued from the variety of competitors, feized on the government, and have fince main tained themfelves in the poffeffion of it.

They repeated the names of the three Rajahs who preceded Heoho. bun Sing: his father Heonnurrais, his grandfather Bifnaut Sing, and great-grandfather Ruttun Sing; but neither their memory or their papers could furnish any other intelligence, as the records were not now to be found. On my expreffing an anxious defire to poffefs them if they were at tainable, I was informed that it was very doubtful whether there were

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any records at Ruttunpoor, as the place had been in fuch a state of calamity and oppreffion, fince the Mahrattas had poffeffed themselves of it, that the Brahmans were deprived of the privileges and emoluments which they enjoyed under the ancient Rajahs; and were 'not only disturbed in their feientific and literary pursuits, but were diftreffed even for the means of fubfiftence; fo that they were compelled to wander in fearch of fupport and tranquil retirement: it was, therefore, a natural fuppofition, that they had taken their books and records along with them. At this time there remained but two or three families of them, who were in the fervice of the Mahrattas, and were allowed but a very flender maintenance.

The fculpture at Omercuntuc is faid to reprefent Bhavani in a ftate of violent difpleasure at her flave Johila, and a great number of attendants who are preparing a nuptial banquet.The following romantic fable will explain the fubject

of it:

Soane, a fuppofed demigod, being enamoured of the beautiful Nurbudda, from the accounts he had received of her, prefumed at length to demand her in marriage. Nurbudda, who is alfo a divinity, fent her confidential Alave Johila to obferve in what flate and manner he was coming to vifit her; if he were arrayed in jewels, if his perfon and form were captivating, and if he appeared to poffefs that dignity which would render him worthy of being her confort. If he answered in all these particulars, she was to conduct him to Omercuntuc. Johila accordingly departed on her embaffy; and, when he met Soane, was fo dazzled with the fplendour of his ornaments, as well as charmed with the beauty of his perfon, that the herfelf became violently ena VOL. 2.

moured of him, and was fo forget ful of her duty to her miftrefs, as to endeavour to perfonate the god. defs to her lover. Bhavani was fo enraged at the deceit, that, on their arrival at Omercuntuc, the feverely chaftifed Johila, and disfigured her face in the manner which is faid to be reprefented in the fculpture. She then precipitated Soane from the top of the Table Land of Omercuntuc to the foot of it, and Bhavani difappeared in a spot from whence the Nurbudda iffues; and, from the weeping of Johila, a rivulet is faid to flow from the fouth fide of Omercuntuc.

The fpring from whence the Nurbudda derives its fource, is confined by a circular wall, which is faid to have been made by a man of the name of Rewah; and on that account the river is called Nurbudda maht Rewah, from its fource through Mundilla, till it reaches the confines of Bhopaul. fines of Bhopaul. To my inquiry concerning the courfe of the Johila after it quitted its fource, I could not procure any fatisfactory information; fo that I am difpofed to imagine that this rivulet exifts only in the fiction of the Hindus.

The Pundits completed their account by prefenting me with an addrefs of Beas Muni to the Nurbudda river, which is extracted from the Vayer Purana, and has been tranflated for me, in the following manner, by Mr. Samuel Davis:

Beas Muni thus addreffes the Nurmada or Nurbudda river: "Glorious as the fun and moon are thine eyes, but the eye in thy forehead blazes like fire, bearing in thy hand a fpear, like the treful, and repofing on the breast of Bhy. roe.- The blood of Anduk (Assura) is dried up in thy prefence; thy weuffon (a fort of fnow) difpells fear from the human race. Brahma and Siva refound thy praifes; mor* M tals

tals adore thee; the Munis reverence thee; Devas (demigods), and Kindras (angels), are thy progeny. Thou art united with the ocean; thou art defcended from Surya; by thee are mortals fanctified: thou difpelleft want; thou increaseft the profperity of those who perform devotions to thee: by thy care, mortals are directed to blifsful regions, and taught to avoid the manfions of punishment (hell). Thou art alfo the Reba defcended from a child of Hemala the fnowy moun. tain."The Nurmada anfwered, "O Muni, thy words are perfect, and thy heart is pure; be thou chief of Munis!"-By reading this, a man's life will be lengthened, his happiness and fame increased, and his pofterity multiplied.

March 16.-I proceeded this morning to take a view of the tanks and buildings on the western fide of Ruttunpoor. The first objects which attracted my notice, were two Hindu temples fituated on an hill. One of them was erected by Bembajee in honour of Lutchmun Ram; and the other in honour of Bembajee himself, whofe heroic exploits had raised him, in the opinion of the Mahrattas, to the character of a Deva or demigod; and, at whofe fhrine, offerings and facrifices are made at appointed periods. The guide then conducted me over fome high banks, round the east and north fides of the fort: from the latter, a postern projects into a tank formed on an high mound. These two faces of the fort have two tanks in the front of them; but the rampart is in ruins, and its former fituation is occupied by a few miferable huts. In the north end of the fort is a fmall Pucka Hinduftânce houfe, in which Anundubye and another Ranny of the late Bembajee's refide. He left three wives, but one had been burned with him;

1

those which furvived are fupported by a jaghire granted to them by the Berar Rajah.

I now proceeded in a fouth-weft direction, till I approached a build. ing facred to Bhyroe, which contained a coloffal ftatue of that divi. nity. It was of blue granite, about nine feet in height, daubed over with red paint, and adorned with flowers. From thence I was conducted to a little hill called Lutchmy Takry, on which is an image, and a temple dedicated to Bhavani; from whofe interpofing influence, as I was informed, the Muffulmans had been prevented from difturbing the Hindus in the exercise of their religious rites at Ruttunpoor. From this hill is a very fine profpect to the northward, which embraces the town and fort of Ruttunpoor, furrounded by feveral tanks and pools. Beyond them rifes to the view the mountain of Loffagur, on which the Mahrattas formerly maintained a poft, and the whole is' terminated by the blue mountains towards Omercuntuc.

To the fouthward is a large lake, called Doolapoor Taalow, whofe embankment is about two miles in length; and to the weftward, at the distance of a mile, is a white building, which, as I was inform ed, is the tomb of Moofa Khan, a Patan mendicant, who had been killed by the Goands many years ago, as he was endeavouring to make converts to the Mahommedan faith in this part of India.

I now defcended from the high ground to examine an heap of ruins, among which was pointed out to me Rajah Ragonaut's old mahal or houfe under Goofapahar. It had been a large Hinduftânee house, and, fince the defertion of it, had been pulled to pieces for the fake of the materials: the walls had alfo been dilapidated by thofe whofe avarice

had

had induced them to fearch for treafure. This building was erected on the former fite of Rutturipoor, which then bore the name of Rajepoor. On my return I obferved a building in the middle of a tank, conftructed on thirty-fix arches of the Gothic kind, on which are raifed twenty-four pyramids over the external piers, the whole crowned by a temple of a pyramidal form, whofe height I computed to be about fifty feet. According to the account I received from my conduc. tor, it is a monument erected to the memory of one of the ancient Rajahs of Ruttunpoor. This object greatly attracted my attention, and excited in me a curiofity to approach it, in order to difcovet if there were any infcriptions which might illuftrate, in fome degree, the hiftory of this part of India; but this with could not be gratified, as the excurfion which I had already made began to create furprife and uneafinefs within the town. The people could not reconcile themfelves to my wandering about among the ancient temples and defolated buildings: fo that any further delay occafioned by croffing the water, to obtain a near examination of the pyramidal building, would in all probability have excited a very unpleasant alarm.--Befides, I depended very much on the affiftance of the fubahdar of Choteefgur, in profecuting the remaining part of my route towards the northern fircars. It was neceffary therefore to abandon the building and return to my camp, as the further indulgence of my curiofity might have hazarded fome im pediments to the very arduous undertaking in which I was gaged.

en

The Pundits vifited me again at noon, when they gave fome information relative to the buildings and tanks which we had vifited in the

morning. From their converfation I learned that the Devas prefided over the coonds or wells, and that the bathing in them was fo highly efficacious as to produce an ablu. tion from fin. One of thefe facred fountains is fituated in the fort; two more are among the ruins of old Ruttunpoor, formerly called Rajepoor, and are called Adam Coonds; a fourth is fituated in the prefent town of Ruttunpoor, and is called Hedgrykahar; a fifth is feen in the ancient town of Pally, which is diftant about two cofs from Ruttunpoor, and now bears the name of Jehaugenugger; a fixth is called Byrocoond, and is fituated on the weft fide of Ruttunpoor; and the feventh is called Rutnafur Coond, and was made by Rajah Ruttun Sing, to furround the curious building which I have already defcribed as ftanding upon thirty-fix arches; and, having been erected to the memory of one of the ancient Rajahs of Ruttunpoor, the fanctity attached to the place, in confequence of the coonds, was the occafion of its being called a Coffy.

Various fables were related to me concerning demons, giants, fpirits, &c. that formerly took up their abode in thefe hills. They mentioned one of them, in particular, by the name of Gopaul Row, pelwan, or wrestler, who lived in the reign of the Emperor Ackbar; and a part of the hills, bounding the north fide of Ruttunpoor, bears his name. Extraordinary and indeed miraculous feats of ftrength are related of him, as well as other fabulous incidents; a detail of which is not effential to this narrative. I may add, however, that his wonderful performances were blazoned forth in fuch a manner to the Emperor Ackbar, that he ordered him to difplay them in his royal pre. fence, and received the greatest plea * M 2

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