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) At first sight it appears only as a formless cairn of stones, but on examination it was. found to consist of a dome 40 feet in diameter, standing on a base measuring 52 feet across and 6 feet high. The dome.was-originally crowned by a pedestal or Tee 43 feet square, supporting a Chatta about 34 feet diameter. Some fragments of the Rail are scattered about, but the principal ornament is the fragment of one of the Gateways, which is still standing (Plate XXI.,) and though only about half the dimensions of those of the great Tope, is quite equal to them in elegance of design or richness of ornament. The great interest of this Tope, or rather Dagoba, is that it was found to contain relics of Sdriputra and Mah4 Mogalina, two: of the principal disciples and followers of Buddha himself.* These were probably the most precious possessions of the fraternity at Sanchi. As the other Topes at or about Sanchi are not illustrated in this work, it would be tedious and unnecessary to dwell on them here. They are all described and delineated in General Cunningham’s work, to which the reader is referred for details. Some of them are of great value_for_the elucidation of the history of Buddhist art, ut none equal either in elaboration or in interest to the three just enumerated. HISTORY. Although there are no data which enable us to ascertain positively the dates of the Sanchi Topes, there are certain indications which: fix them within certain limits ‘with a reasonable amount of certainty. One of the most distinct of these is in an inscription on a representation of a Tope on the Southern Gateway (Plate XVIT.) now fallen and lying on the ground. It is to the effect that the. beam on which it. was found -was-“the gift of Ananda, the son of Vasishta, in the reign of Sri Satakami.’+ Unfortunately for our argument; there’are several kings of the Andhra dynasty who bore this name. The first reigned a.p. 10 to 28, according to my calculation; the second 64 to 120 a.p., and his.long and prosperous reign would - seem to afford a presumption that it was during his lifetime that these Gateways ~ were erected. General Cunningham and Colonel Maisey both arrived at the conclu- sion that it was during the reign of the first that they were added to the Rail,{ and they may be correct, but a second question arises on this point. The Gateways are not all of the same age. There is a considerable difference in style, and Colonel Maisey thinks the Gateway bearing this inscription is the oldest. On the whole I am inclined to agree with his reasoning on the point, though the data available are not sufficient to justify a positive opinion being expressed regarding it. I feel, however, little doubt but that the four Gateways of the great Tope, and the Gateway of No. 8, .were all erected within the limits of the first century after Christ, and I think the probability is that. the South Gateway belonged to the first thirty years of it; at > * All these particulars are taken from Cunningham, Bhilsa Topes, p. 295, et seqq. {+ Cunningham, Bhilsa Topes, p. 264. : { Bhilsa Topes, p. 265. (4799.) ; M 90 THE TOPE AT SANCHI. in other words, was being carved while Christ was preaching at Jerusalem. The presumption is confirmed to the fullest possible extent by the style of architecture and of the sculpture, though it is difficult to make this argument available with those who are not intimately acquainted with the Caves of Karlee, Ajanta, and other pop tem porto examples. - The inscriptions on the Rails, though so numerous, do not contain a single ~ “historical nanie that ‘can be recognized. with certainty; but the style of the characters in which they are written is very similar to that used’ in the inscriptions of Asoka, and never employed,—so far as is at present’ known, —after the Christian era. For the Tope itself we have neither inscription nor. architectural mouldings, and sour Chinese travellers fail us here, as neither of them visited Sanchi, nor did any other mediaeval writer, and no tradition exists among the Brahminical or Maho- medan inhabitants of the country as to the origin or date of this memorial of a jong-forgotten faith. . ae In this: difficulty the Mahawanso helps us a little.* It relates that when’ Agoka was sent by his+father to’ be governor of Ujjéni he tarried some time at Chaityagiri, or, 38 it is called elsewhere, Wessanagara,t the modern Besnagar, close to Sanchi. He there married Devi, the daughter of the chief, and_by her had twin sons, Ujjenio and Mahindo, and. afterwards a daughter, Sanghamita. The two last named-atterwards entered the priesthood, and played a most important part in the conversion of Ceylon to Buddhism. Afterwards “when Mahindo visited his royal mother at Chaitiyagiri,” before setting out for Ceylon, she established the thero in the superb Chaitya Vihara, which had boot erected ‘by herself. t In all this it is true there is no mention of the Chaitya itself, and it may have edatel before Aéoka’s time, but there is absolutely — no proof of this, and till some one stone monument is discovered in India with an ascertained date anterior to 250 B.c., we must be content to commence our history there. On the other hand, the capital of the pillar (Plate XXXIX. Fig. 1.) and the lions which surmount it are so similar to-the_works we know_to_be Asoka’s elsewhere, that we may safely assume they belong to his age. There is also a mutilated inseription, on which General Cunningham reads doubtfully his monumental title of Devanampriya.§ If this is really his, it settles the question that the Tope was erected by him, though for what purpose he has not attempted to explain. . Without going further. into the evidence, which is not necessary in this place, it may fairly be assumed that the great Tope is one of the 84,000 which Asoka is traditionally said. to have erected. If so, it is the only one of them all still remaining in India, and the oldest stone building in the country.|| The Rail may have been commenced immediately afterwards by the faithful of the congregation, and completed in 50 or 100 years. The Gateways were probably added to the then existing Rail at the time when the languishing religion of Buddha * Mahawanso, p. 76. { Mahawanso, p. 76. { Turnour, Pali Annals, J. A. S. B., VIT., p. 930. § Bhilsa Topes, p. 259. || General Cunningham’s dates are, for the Gates, 19.to 37 a.p.; for the Rail, 250 B.c. ; and for the Tope — itself, 500 B.c. (page 270, et seq.) With regard to the two first I agree with him, but I think he exaggerates the age of the Tope, without assigning any valid reason for so doing. Assuming the Tope to have been erected by Afoka, which I see no reason for doubting, this would hardly interfere with his date for the Rai]. HISTORY. . 91 was restored to its pristine position by the eloquence of Nagarjuna, backed by the political influence of the Turushka Kanishka. Everything about them seems to indicate such a revival. If I might be allowed to state what I cannot prove, I “would suggest that they must Have sven completed ‘before the death of Salivahana, 78 A.D. . The superb Vihdra erected by the lovely Devi was, I am.afraid, entirely of wood, and no trace of it consequently now remains. The age of the second Tope seems intermediate between these datés. - Its taller form shows it to be more modern than the great one; and the more ornate character of its Rail is a strong indication in the same direction. On the other hand, the character of its sculptures and the form of the letters in its inscription show that it is older than the Gateways of the large Tope, if we might guess, say by 100 to 150 years. It . cannot well be more, for the ten persons whose relics it contains were all alive in the reign of Asoka; and men do not become saints, and little bits of bone or beads that belonged to them do, not become valuable, till their corporeal - form is forgotten. Had* they been buried here, it would have been otherwise ; ; but we must allow a hundred years to have passed since their death before these relics were enclosed in steatite boxes and_a Dagoba built over them. As a mean date I would be inclined to place No. 2 Tope a& from 100 to 150 years 3B.c. The third Tope is so ruined—as mentioned above—that there is nothing in ‘its architecture that would enable us to fix its date. The Gateway may be of the same ‘age as those of the great Tope, or slightly more modern; but even if this were ascertained it would not enable us to determine ‘the -age of the Tope itself. It may have been added afterwards, as those of the great Tope certainly were. The * fact of its contaiting relics of the eompanjons of Buddha ‘is equally useless for the purpose. of fixing. its date, They may have beeh “Brought” here at any time. If, however, I am gorrect in” a suggestion I will make in describing Plate XXXVIIL., it _Imay go. some_way-towaris sottling this question. My impression ,is, that the scenes _ there depicted have reference to the acquirement or recovery of these very relics; and if this is so, the erection of ‘this Tope is probably about contemporary with that of the greater one. If it should turn out as I believe that Asoka is the hero of the sculptures of the historical scenes in the Gateways of the great Tope, the probability is that, after erecting it to commemorate some miracle or event, he sought further to sanctify the place by adding a relic shrine. According to this hypothesis, he conquered. or- recovered these relics from their original possessors, and erected this smaller Tope as a chapel for their reception. The Gateway, in that case, is at least two centuries more modern than the building to which it is attached. There are six or seven other small Topes on the same platform as the great Tope (Plate I.