Page:The Indian Antiquary, Vol. 4-1875.djvu/330

OCTOMm, 1 AST/EQUITIES OF QODATARt A>*D 131311X1 DISTRICTS, 805 l ml b 3 i.in^ Kamboditt, and Jo, | I J any ba diBcoreml in remoter L'hiua iuid Jupjiu, the . uuld bo increased : for though tho sub- ject is probably mom curious thou important, it might pobit to mbw useful oo; find threw perhaps n r»y of light on the early his- tory of architecture. NOTES ON THE ANTIQUITIES POUND IN PART3 OP TFtt! UPPER DDAYABi ANTJ KRISHNA DISTRICT! m the j'roeettlinff 0/ tkr Ifiufrai GouirnnwnU Public HryatrhntmU Wh JVft. I BM antiquities consult of thu calms and tombs of Drnvtdians or earlier Skytlunus, of Skythiau tombs of the tftTor period, ruins of Ihitf and Hindu temples, and stouo crosses of tbij early Christian period. 1. In lLu Upper Godsvorl, British side, aud Krishna Districts south of Ju^iAve^ Drariijuiu or Cftili" r Skytbhni tomb* and cairns are found in groups, particularly in the Krishna District, where there are hundreds on one bill alone. The , nTf pon aiiuiito d of foot .stone fllabs ou odge, and s!nb at bottom ami m . then round the tomb a ting of small b touts some twelve feet in diameter, and small stones, within limped over the grave. The grave ia sunk fruin two to four Coot In the ground, nboording to the bread l h of thu aide slabs. The sixes of the graves nrt: from one foot six banes long by one foot broad to Bar foes long 1 ly < w a feet broad. In tha KrishoA District the alabn arc Huiestone ; in pper Oodivnri, trap, matiunorphic rock, and i.nndstone. I have Opened several of tlicHO proves and found a skeleton. The body had been laid on the right side, hand resting on right arm — head always north, feet south. Thu bones wen- y no damaged that they crumbled almost at n touch. The nppar slabs on vary in sute. 1 have found them from four feet by throe feet to eight feet by six feet; some of the smaller louibs hare no slabs ou them on top, bat Wily small stones piled up m a cairn. (AVe Fig. I.) 1t» none of the graves hava I {bund any nnuuuvuU. bends, or pottery. I rhiak thai these graves must ba between 3,000 and 4.0Q0 years old.* ■J , St; i ha— These I bans only m the Oppw Ciodasuri ; tbty ar cairns. Thesu tombs bare no slab* at I four forming thu sides » they are generally ftiurfiv; by three frati some with immense slabs on top. 1 hnvo measured them fourteen feel ■ Krt dSMtsklMM am N pW-il »a Uw conduit**] hy five feet ; they lay irregpectiva of compass bearing- Thu graves ore filled up with small earthen pots filled with bnrnt bones and i 1 have found beads apparently made of ivory, and some small glass ones of red and green colour, in the pot. that Contains the charred remains of the skull. (Pig, 2.) There is a splendid tomb made of sandstone an too .Mxitn's nidu of the river opposite Lingula; thu slab on top is nine &et square; thu tomb surrounded with eight rings of atone (sunk in the ground) .some seven feet in diameter, and is titiy a chieTs grave. I bad cu opportunity to open and uxaminu it ; bub imuther grave, nudliTr slabs and fewer rings round it, 1 opOQOdi In the tomb there were the usual pots with bones and beads} the rings contain a skeleton v, in towards the tomb, the •skull placed between the knees. These were the skeletons of slaves that had been sucriiiced ou the «Wtb of a chief, number according to rank. Herodotus describes this ceremony. The- . si t tombs alluded to in the foregoing are in- minutely called by the natives t&ktimti* indhl, J tombs of thegiants;* this ia a misnomer. Nunu of the skeletons 1 have met with exceed in Rixu thaso of the present duyj nod the unburn t bones in the other tombs, pieces of ribs, tinu-boneu and pieces of the skull, aru just the usual niro. The grnvi?s with thu cliarred bones « i " dwid prububly I the Northern race of Skytbiana, who may lutve learned the custora of cremation during tbo Grecian invasion in their country 825 years it.<:,, and brought custom Houth in thuir wars. The upright stones in connection with demon-worship I have only fuundin ' uul District {fm Fiu-H, 3 t »), The Kolhs and Oanda put up wooden posts for thu B ituius of Uindn ternphw of the oarlior vmm i »fl lbs vMmi St^Uiian », coMjthe loo*, uumti*.