Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-08-22
AN INDIAN TROY,
After Twenty Centuries IL l. TO De
Excavatcd.
Calcutta Engllshman)


Calcutta Engilshman)
At last the ruins Of the Indian Troy
deeply buried In the debris Of over
twenty-five centuries. are likely soon 70
see the light. Pataliputra, the PAIL
botbra" OF the Greeks. the 'city Of sweet
scented flowers" 50 famous IN ancient
Indian legend and romance, IS perhaps
most widely known as the capital OF
Asoka. the greatest OF Indian emper0ts'
and the most lavish deyotee the word has
ever seen. He covered his Iaignty KING
dom from Afghanistan 10 the ocean
fro-n Nepal 10 GuIerat. with countess
Ruddhist monuments and puIllnss %
,-as- size His stupendous stupas OF
mounds OF solid masonry 10 eishl ne 4
puddba's relics. or 10 mark some sac
spot are found all over India. ana are
almost like Egyptian pyramids IN So ~.
His colossal edict pillars, single sha1 :
of stone over forty feet IN .eAE.A an an,
beautifully polished and sculptures, "a. "a
excite the admiration and wonder o. "a
VINO see them. How magnificent lheh
,,,st have hem the capital OF this great
Hndoo King. who was the any % Il
Geek Kings Ant.ochus, OF syria
Ptolemy. Of Egypt, Anusonos' or SLa-s
don Aiaeuas. Of CyEene. and AISAahds''
Of Eplrls! . 49,
It was already splendid city in the
fourth century p. c., IN the liHe ~
his grandfather. Chandrasup'a' .ue
Greek Sandracottus. as We learn lIo.l'
the glowing descriptions Of Mesastnei .'s
the bqssador Of the successor OF A4rA-
snder the Great, At that time .ne
buildings were all OF wood. IKE we
palaces and temples % Burmah IN w
rresent day. II is a matter o. hi71o. ,
however. how Asoka found TINS c-p,'2'
OF wood and left il Of stone. But Ds-
fore the dawn OF our era, THIS steal C,e'
had decayed with the IAN OF AsyhN -
nasty and the smaller succtsl4"s -
raries an. The transfer OF the capita
eisavhere In - A l.. the Chinese y"
Grim Ia Han reported that u lay ue'
eer+ed and iu ruins. Since the MahoIhe'
ton lnva SION. IA the twelith oeh. tI. ,
4. D.. the very site OF this CITY was ~
gotten. II was known 10 De som nc
near the modern town OF Patna' III d.
gsl. but most Of the experts ana othei
Who had deliberately searched LOT II
believed that Il had been enureiy "a9..
ed away By the Ganges. linen i w.,
be remembered that Surgeon-MaJor a.
dell. in 1892. during a flying Visit 10 ~ ~
N, found that the leading landmark.
or AEtkd Cdp4ldl SIN 'At~~N---
several sculptured stones ana IMAGE
OF the Asoka epoch lying on the sutlac'
or built into houses or walls. and ines
together with the position or the oie
mounds. many % which sun retain
their ancient names. enabled MIN 10 il
with certainty the limits OF Asoka 5 cl.a
del. and also 10 indicate roughly th'
possible sites OF particular ouildlhgs lol
| exploratory excavations, without wnlch
OF course. no detailed identincationi
could be decisively attempted.
Unfortunately, most or the hke.'
mounds now contain Mahometan graves
/ for the Mahometan invaders were won
I 10 seize the highest mounds Tor theI
residence and burial grounds. and 10
centuries they have used these runs "a
a quarry for their building material. stu
a beginning has now been made and al
ready at Patna, where nve years ago n
stones OF the Asoka period were suspect
ed TO be- there may now be seen piece
| Of the well-known stone posts. the SO
called Asoka ratings with their quaint.
figured medallionlike bosses, by whlcl
AsOka perpetuated In stone the origina
wooden fences which surrounded u
sacred Buddhist spots. And e.ose Dy on
may see about twelve feet below TN
present surface. parts OF the woo1ei
walls OF PalibOthra, with their marNei
| lousy well-preserved Sal timber, owe
twenty centuries old.