Occurrence.

tudes of snow, summoning to her aid all the terrors and grandeur of the hills. It would be a long task to enumerate the multiplicity of appearances which the condescending or enraged deities have in this valley or its vicinity, afforded to their worshippers. Kailasa Manasarowar, and the mysterious Gangutri, with innumerable places of pilgrimage, are here all, more or less, approximated. The whole land is rendered sacred; every mountain, spring, or torrent, bears a name in memorial of some preternatural exploit or No doubt, amongst many others which are presented to us, we may recognize an interesting fact of natural history, disguised under the mysterious, but splendid, garb of allegory. The snows of heaven which descend upon the lofty summit of Mahadevaka Linga, and melting, afford her sacred waters to the Ganges, have afforded this wild spirit the materials for one of her most interesting legends, that of the descent of Ganga. But it was not only as the scene of unintelligible wonders that Nepal was renowned even in those days. If the information which Mr. Wilford has produced be correct, we learn that the valour of the mountaineers was the means of placing the celebrated Chandragupta on the throne of the eastern division of India.

:

The valley of Nepal, although not above 200 miles in circuit, at the time of the Gorkha invasion contained the capitals of three independent kingdoms. Catmandu, the residence of the most powerful of these Rajas, consisted of about 18,000 houses, with a territory extended over the surrounding hills to the north as far as Tibet, and eastward about twelve days' journey he is reported to have maintained 50,000 troops. The kingdom of Lelit Patan, although the city contained a larger number of houses, was reckoned of secondary importance; it extended four days' journey to the borders of Mucwampur. Bhatgan, which lies eastward of Lelit Patan, contained about 12,000 families, and stretched eastward to the distance of five or six days' journey, as far as the country of the Ciratas, a wild and savage hill tribe, of whom at present little is known. Favoured by the rugged nature of the surrounding country, Nepal appears to have preserved its religion, language, and independence equally uncontaminated by any foreign admixtures to the time

when the dissentions of the rulers of the three petty states afforded the opportunity of conquest to the ambition and intrigue of the Gorkha. The nobles of Lelit Patan, or as by way of eminence it is usually called Patan (the city), had nominated for their sovereign Gainprejas, a man of most extensive influence. He had not reigned however many years, when for some reason being displeased with his conduct, they had removed him from the sovereignty, which they conferred on the king of Bhatgan, who as rapidly succeeded his predecessor in disgrace and dethronement. Another king was next called to the throne, and apparently in as short a time to execution. The aristocracy, for such it was which had hitherto swayed at their caprice the politics of this important city, were unhappily not so much at liberty in the next offer of their sceptre.

Prithwinarayana, the Gorkha Raja, had formerly been tributary to Patan in the days of Gainprejas: the capital of his original possessions lies immediately west'ward of Mount Bansfore, the lofty peak of which is seen from Nepal, about fifty miles distant. He had long meditated the subjugation of the petty neighbouring states. He had already seized the country of the kings of Marecajis, who were his relations; and had prepared a readier access by conciliating or subduing the several mountain chiefs, whose rocks and glens lay interposed between Gorkha and the valley, when he was invited to his assistance against his brother Kings by the Prince of Bhatgan. He obeyed the summons, commenced hostilities against Patan, and as promptly received the submission of the nobles. His brother was constituted viceroy; but the Raja still continuing to disturb the tranquillity of his new territories, the nobles revolted, and set up Delmerden Sah the viceroy. For several years he waged war against his brother, until the opinion of the aristocracy again changing, he also was deposed from his dignity, and made room for a man of Lelit Patan, poor, but of the royal house. The first effort of Prithwinarayana against the plain, was thus rendered abortive.

Decisive and energetic in his active measures, the king of Gorkha knew also how to relax or change them as the occasion might require. After more fully

securing the alliance of the hill people, he began again to descend into the plain, and more openly to evince his intentions. Cirtipur, a populous town reckoning 8000 houses, about a league from Catmandu, was the first point which arrested the invader's progress. Disappointed of relief from their sovereign the King of Patan, and pressed by the activity of the besieger, the inhabitants obtained the assistance of Gainprejas, who, without delay, gave battle and a complete overthrow to the Gorkha. A brother of the king was numbered among the slain; and Prithwinarayana himself escaped with difficulty into the mountains, by the fidelity and vigour of his bearers. Gainprejas, to whom the honour of victory was due, was at once elected king by the inhabitants of the rescued city. This spontaneous effusion of admiring gratitude did not however suffice to remove the suspicions or the malice of Gainprejas-when the chief persons of the town waited on him at a conference appointed in consequence, they were basely seized by his soldiers; some were clandestinely put to death, and others openly disgraced and led about the city in an ignominious manner. Revenge for their former conduct is conjectured to have deluded the reinstated prince to this conduct.

The king of Gorkha, although thus repulsed with disgrace, could not abandon the favourite project of his ambition; hitherto his abilities or his valour had always succeeded, and generally with great facility. Wild and unlettered as he might have been, he had no doubt frequently listened to a common rule of policy which instructs the young Hindu Raja, that where the strength of the lion fails, recourse should be had to the craftiness of the jackal. The mountain barriers which afford such security to the plain, it is very obvious, may be rendered, if the passes are in the hands of an enemy, the unfriendly means of cutting off all intercourse with other states. These we have before mentioned were now at the command of the Gorkha; accordingly, a most rigorous blockade was imposed, with the design of creating a famine; and with such dreadful severity were the orders executed, that a little salt or cotton found on a traveller was sufficient to condemn him to death on the next tree. On one

occasion, some inhabitants of a neighbouring village, having been detected in an attempt to smuggle a trifling article into the plain, the whole of their fellow, villagers were, without regard to age or sex, or innocence, or mercy, destroyed with circumstances of the most revolting barbarity. Still however, the king of Gorkha was disappointed and obliged again to change his policy. That maxim which may justly be styled the last resort of tyrants, which has been exhibited with so much splendour and effect in the most important histories of our species, was not above the comprehension of this uncivilized invader. What the sword and famine had equally failed to effect, dissentions fomented among the nobles of the three kingdoms would appear to have speedily realized. In the execution of this design, we cannot but be struck with the circumstance, that a large body of Brahmans were the tools employed; secured by the notions of sanctity and inviolability which all ranks of their countrymen attach to the person of a Brahman these characters were suffered to traverse all boundaries and all distinctions ; although subjects of the enemy, they found opportunity to bribe the principal men by liberal promises. When the party of the invader was in his estimation sufficiently strong he advanced a second time to the defences of Cirtipur, correcting at the same time a military error which he had committed in the former siege, when he exposed his army before an unsubdued fortress between Catmandu and Patan, cities in the possession of the enemy. We have previously seen that his disposition was (naturally) severe and sanguinary; it was further inflamed at this time to a remorseless rage by the conduct of the besieged. After several months blockade, the Gorkha demanded the submission of the inhabitants, when a letter was returned with abusive and exasperating language, a surer proof of their determination to persevere, than of their courage or their wisdom. The instant of its reception a general storm was ordered. He was repulsed however by the resolution of the town's people with considerable loss; his brother was wounded by an arrow, and the siege of Cirtipur was raised the second time, Prithwinarayana's attention for a season after this event

rans.

was occupied with one of the twenty-four kings, whose territories lie to the west; as soon as matters in that quarter were accommodated he recommenced the attack of Cirtipur. Suruparatna his brother, who had been wounded in the last assault, was the conductor of this expedition; the siege had continued a considerable time when the three kings of Nepal resolved to send assistance to the heroic CirtipuThe benefits which might have been expected from the league were however frustrated by the treachery of the nobles, who out of envy to Gainprejas had actually joined the enemy and fought against their countrymen in an unsuccessful attack made on the Gorkha's posts. At the end of about seven months a noble of Lelit Patan, who had deserted to the Gorkhas, found means of introducing their forces into the town. The strong holds above the petta still held out; but a general amnesty being promised, the Cirtipurans exhausted by a long siege surrendered. Prithwinarayana was not present at this transaction, he no sooner learned that his gallant enemies were in his power, than an order was transmitted to his commanders to put to death a selection of the principal inhabitants, and to cut off the noses and lips of the rest, not excepting the infants in arms; these he ordered to be carefully preserved, that he might have the pleasure of ascertaining exactly, how many souls there were in Cirtipur. The name of the unfortunate city was changed by the brutal conqueror to Naskatapur or the Town of cut

noses.

Patan, the royal residence, was the next object to engage the attention of the Gorkha. He laid siege to it immediately; many severe engagements took place; the inhabitants, on whom the fate of their countrymen had a most appalling effect, being threatened with the additional punishment of losing their right hands, were much inclined to surrender; their spirit however was not yet subdued, and great difficulties remained to success, when an event transpired which forcibly characterizes the activity of Prithwinarayana's mind, who seized with decision an opportunity which enabled him to retire from a disadvantageous advance without apparent disgrace, and at the same time transfer his efforts to a weaker point.

Gainprejas, amongst other endeavours to obtain succours, had applied to the English, who had already detached a small party in the direction of Nepal to repress some outrages committed against their subjects by the people of Gorkha. Capt. Kinloch, it will be remembered, penetrated as far as Sidli, a strong fort in the hills, which he captured; when the news was brought to the Raja, he suddenly marched the whole of the Gorkha army under cover of night from the siege to meet the European intruders who dared to appear in the cause of justice, and their allies; but the British army was not able to proceed amongst the hills, and the Raja returned to the attack of Catmandu, which he now considered of more easy acquisition thau Lelit Patan.

Gainprejas even in this extremity was not to be subdued by force. The Brahman emissaries of the Gorkha are related at this time to have engaged not only the nobles, but to have gained the confidence of the king himself, so far it is said, as to obtain his credit to a plausible story of a conspiracy organising in his camp, against the liberty of his foe, who they promised should be delivered in charge to himself. The king thus deluded and his chiefs corrupted, the besieger found it no difficult matter to introduce unopposed, a sufficient number of armed men into the city, which he effected by night, and it was with a most diligent use of a few minutes, that the outcast monarch escaped to Patan with three hundred of his best and most faithful soldiers.

The fall of Catmandu occurred in 1768. The Gorkha Raja without loss of time pushed forward his attempt on Patan; the same methods were again resorted to to cajole the nobles; he was lavish in his promises, so far from deteriorating their possessions he would even augment them ; his domestic priest, in his master's name, was commissioned to engage him under the most awful imprecations to the fulfilment of his protestations. Gainprejas and the king of Patan perceived the spreading corruption, and withdrew to Bhatgan. For some months after his admission, the Gorkha adhered to his engagements, treated the chiefs with marked attention; even a viceroy from their own number was to be granted; but on the day of his formal entry he succeeded

boats we landed, and ascended a hill to a small ruinated castle that overlooks the bay. Just on the brow of the hill we set up a tent, and fenced it well about with stones and pricking briars, so that we could not be attacked on a sudden any other way than by the slope of the hill, which we defended by our fire-arms for the famous pirate of these parts, Caun Anjee Angria, very often lands here, and carries away all the cattle, and sometimes the people too. Then, having placed centinels, we went to take a more exact survey of our sea-mark, the elephant, which stood on a small hill by himself, a little below our quarters: our way to it was now a little overgrown with briars; the rock itself seems to have received injuries by time, it being cracked, and also in some places flawed by the weather, which, in the season of the westerly monsoons, is very violent in these parts. But who cut this rock into the shape of an elephant is not now to be known npon the strictest enquiry.

Having taken a survey of this, we set out the next morning for the great Pagoda. In our way thither I took notice of a very small and mean village, and the cottagers told us, that last night they lay there in their houses, they not being afraid of Caun Angria, because of us English, who were so well prepared with fire-arms that they feared no danger. As we passed towards the great pagoda, in a smooth narrow road cut out of the rock, where the ground would not naturally allow of an even passage, I took notice of another rock, cut into the shape of a horse, which has obtained the name of Alexander's horse, I know not for what reason. We pursued this road till we arrived at the end of the island, where, about one third up the mountain, we found the path and entrance to the Pagoda; the road we went was narrow, but very pleasant, yielding various delightful prospects. In an easy ascent round the mountain at length we came to our journey's end, and the reward of all our trouble; for when we entered and beheld the Pagoda, we found it so noble, so spacious, and magnificent, that it abundantly exceeded what I expected to find; for though I had heard wonderful accounts of these stupendous works, yet the half of the curious and remarkable things I saw had never been told me. The chief

trouble which I had now was because the little time I had to stay was not sufficient to take a tolerable account of what I saw ; however we fell to work, and with marked lines measured every part, both length and breadth, throughout, and found it to be one hundred and four feet wide, and one hundred and four feet long, and would have been a square but for some small apartments (or vestries) left at each cor

ner.

In this temple there are no windows, nor other light than what comes in from the three great entrances on the north, the south, and the western sides, which makes the middle and the eastern side dark; so much so that we were obliged to light candles, or should not have obtained so perfect a survey: it appeared that the temple consists of seven alleys (aisles) all alike, and the entrances alike, which I will describe presently. this mountain was a vast rock, and by the industry of man it had been cut and hollowed away with so much art, that it became a temple, and for the pillars and necessary ornaments of the church they left supports of the same solid rock, not cut away, but carved in the likeness of pillars, so digging out this spacious place, consecrated to their deity.

Now

At the east end, in the chief or middle niche stood the image of a queen, eighteen feet high from the waist to the top of the crown; she shewed three faces and four hands, all curiously carved and loaded with ornaments.

In the middle of the south part of this temple stood a lesser temple, carved also out of the same rock, as if built like a wall. It was four-square and had a doorway in every side, each corner was a pillar, and on every side of each doorway stood an image of a gigantic size, armed at all points as if to defend the place. When you enter this place you find all plain within, no manner of resemblance or carved work to be seen; but in the middle thereof a square low altar, on which was placed a large polished stone of cylindrical form standing on its basis, but the top or upper end was covered. The Gentoos call this the stone of Mahadeva*, a name they give to the original of all things; and this hieroglyphic of

The Lingam.