erected during the reign of King Partha. At that time
Srinagar occupied a site a good deal to the eastward
of its present position round this temple, but some
years after the completion of the shrine the old capital
was entirely destroyed by fire, the moat full of water
being the means by which the holy place was saved.
I t is pleasant to think that that moat has been useful
in its time, for I bore it no goodwill. When I visited
Stone Temple In w a te r a t P an d re th an
the place I found great difficulty in arriving at the
temple. I had been told that a boat wasi to be had,
by which means the passage could be successfully
negotiated, but this boat had sunk in the ooze, and
though the water had fallen very much, at the same
time there was sufficient of the liquid element to make
it impossible to walk across. Fortified by my recent
experiences in wading, I prepared for further efforts
in that line, but, though rushing mountain streams may
be alarming, they are very preferable—from the waders’
point of view—to sloughs of despond. I know now
what Christian felt, and I sympathise. I received no
sympathy in my misadventure; two small children
looking on were only intensely amused! Having made
my preparation, I advanced a step; gently and swiftly
the black mud closed over my foot and embraced my
ankle; another step forward and the dark waters, or
rather the terrible clinging mud, had enveloped me to
my knees. I waited for nothing further. I cared not
for the Greek ornament hidden away in the dome, the
description of which had so raised my enthusiasm. I
minded not that others had overcome the difficulty. I
was ready to own myself vanquished, chicken-hearted,
anything, if only I could succeed in escaping from the
soft, hot blackness, with its terrible possibilities of
writhing life and slithery inhabitants. Far, far better
than such sensations was it to sit on the bank and gaze
at the curious stone roofing in pyramidal form following
the lines of the high pediments, and speculate how long
it would be before the trees and plants that had grown
between the blocks would have accomplished their
wicked designs of destruction, or whether any could be
found interested enough to attempt some preservation.
Large portions of the roof have already been forced out of
position, and it will not be long before it has entirely
fallen in. At Patan, a little village between Srinagar
and Baramula, there are also remains of two very fine
temples erected by some pious king and his like-minded
queen. They are of comparatively late date, probably
not earlier than the end of the ninth century.
The most ancient relic of all is the temple of the