252

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.

station is that of the tutelary goddess of Abu,< Arbu da Mã t à. It is a small rock-temple formed out of a natural cleft on the side of the

hill and overlooking the station. The rock is surmounted by a small white shrine, built more for ornament than use, or, as one of the Jogis told me, it is meant to catch the eye from a distance, and this it certainly does from all sides. The approach to this temple is by a rough stair of some 450 steps, through a shady grove of mango and a few champá trees. As soon as a stranger is seen, there is a frantic rush to close all the doors, so that I could see

nothing of the interior of the place, which must however be very small. One of the attendants told me that there was nothing but one large idol inside, no inscriptions or ancient relics. The place is evidently one of some sanctity: many pilgrims were present when I was there, waiting to pay their devoirs to the goddess.

The view of the station from the terrace is very

[SEPTEMBER, 1873.

water from a spout in the form of a cow's head, whence the name of the place. There are two small shrines on the edge of the tank, one con taining an image of Mahādeva, the other of

Ganeśa: there are also two inscriptions on the sides, but they are too much worn to be legible. Close by is the temple, a plain brick edifice, surrounded by a high wall. The shrine of Vasishtha stands alone in the middle of the quadrangle. I could not gain access to the interior, though I much wanted to, as I heard an inscription was to be found inside which gave the dateof the brass figurestanding outside facing the door, under an ovate-formed cupola, as described by Tod. Tod affirms that he is one of the Dhār Pramāras, the last of his race, and that he is

supplicating the Muni for an act of violence and sacrilege committed by him. He has, however, none of the usual marks of royalty about him, such as are seen on the figure with the bow at Achaleśvara, and his position is the common one

fine—in fact the most extensive I have seen.

of all the memorial tablets in marble or stone.

As usual, the temple stands on the edge of a dry mountain torrent, but there is a spring of good water close by.

celebrated temples of Dèlwādā or Deválwādá (the

There are several small marble figures (bearded), both alone and with females beside them, in different parts of the temple. It is worthy of note that in nearly all the bearded figures I have come across, particularly those with swords, there is a boss, either oval or round, at one side of the head. It may be noticed close to the head

‘place of temples')—undoubtedly among the

of the brass figure, as well as in several of the

most beautiful Jaina temples in India. Tod, in his Western India, has so fully described them, and his opportunities for investigation, knowledge of the people, their language, and religion, were

other sketches. It is in no way connected with the head, and is not a shell, as I at first sup posed. On the dress of the Dhār Pramāra, as we must call him upon Tod's authority, are several pieces of silverlet in, of the shape of our masonic emblem the square. I also noticed the same

Del w a d fi :-Distant half a mile from the foot of the hill on which Arbuda Mātā stands, and about a mile north from the station,” are the

such as to render it useless to attempt adding to his account.t

Gaumukh, or, as it is also called, ‘Bastonji,'

sign in the hands of some of the figures in

the shrine of Vasishtha, is situated fully 500 feet down the south-western slope of Abu, and about three miles from the station. The path is

the painted room at Achalgarh. Whether the design is accidental or emblematic I must leave others to determine.

a tedious one, and the temple is reached by a

The figure of Šyām Nāth mentioned by Tods

long flight of steps from the summit. The de scent is shaded by luxuriant foliage on all sides, and the spot is a favourite one for the sports man, as Sambur are frequently met with in the

is certainly a work of art, only surpassed by the Man-Lion incarnation, to be spoken of further on. There are two smaller temples in

neighbourhood, and one or two tigers frequently

other to Mahādeva, but they contain nothing

prey upon the cattle of the Brahmans liv ing at the temple. The first object on reach

ing the temple is the fountain supplied by

worthy of note. I noticed an emblem | of the shape of a square trough or dish with five balls in it: it is the only one to be seen on Abu.

• Delwālā is in latitude 24°36' N., longitude 72° 46' E.,

Hindostan, pp. 39, 40; and History of Architecture (ed.

and 3,940 feet above the sea-level.—ED.

+ Travels in Western India, pp. 101-113. See also Fergusson, Picturesque Illustrations of Architecture in

the enclosure, one dedicated to Pataleśvara, the

1867), vol. II. pp. 622-625, 633.-E.D.

1 Western India, p. 118, | A yoni.-ED

§ Ib. p. 119.