Mauryan Pillar, Kolhua, Vaishali. Princep mentions that the name of CH Barlow in 1780 and General Brisco and others in 1799 were found scribbled on the ancient Bakhra Pillar. He mentions “This practice of scribbling over and disfiguring ancient monuments is as barbarous as the vain glory of Jehangir, evinced in the zone of Persian cut over the Allahabad inscription; but fortunately in the case of the Bakhra column, it seems to have been harmless, for there are no traces of an ancient inscription upon it, at least on the parts of the shaft overground. Such Nagari characters as appear in Mr. Hodgson’s facsimile are all modern, and record merely the names and dates of native visitors as gothic as their European precursors.” Later in 1861 and 1880, Cunningham explored and described the ruins more fully and most of the subsequent accounts on the place, are based mainly on what he had stated earlier.

AlKunwar just now Via Flipboard