South Indian Inscriptions

TOURS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE ASSISTANTS

these for over a quarter of a century. But during my inspection this long- cherished object was achieved with the intelligent co-operation of the Trustee of the temple, Sri Rajamanikka Mudaliar. My assistant Mr. Ramanatha Ayyar also spared no pains to persuade the local priests to allow the sculptures to be photographed.

  4. The existence of early fresco paintings on the walls of the inner pradakshiṇā of the Bṛihadīśvara temple at Tanjore was known to the Department for a long, but they could not be studied in extensor on account of their highly fragmentary condition. In the year 1924-25, when photographs were taken of the oil paintings of the Mahrāṭha rulers of Tanjore preserved in the Tanjore palace, these fresco painting were left out, but they were subsequently brought to light and have attracted a good deal of attention in recent years. As it was considered desirable to make a study of their style, technique and age, photographs of the paintings were taken under very arduous conditions during the year (Nos. 1546-84 of Appendix D). Owing to the narrow space of the corridor, the panels could not photographed in their entirety or to uniform scale, but only in sections. The frescoes consists of two, and in place, even of three layers of painting, viz., (a) the Chōḷa, (b) the Nāyaka and (c) the Tanjore Mahrāṭha. Portions of these can be discerned in some places, by fragments of the outer layer or layers having peeled off. The Chōḷa frescoes represent the destructed of the Asura cities by god Tripurāntakadēva (Śiva), and some episodes connected with the life of the Tamil saint Sundaramūrti-Nāyanar.

   5. Varigoṇḍa, Udayagiri, Dāsaripalle, Siṅgarāyakoṇḍa near Saidāpuram, and Mallam, all in the Nellore district, which are noted for their prehistoric and proto-historic sites and monuments, were also inspected. Sātānikōṭa, Allūru and Jaṅgampāḍu in the Kurnool district, also famous for their prehistoric settlements, were visited. The first of these contains vestiges of a submerged and deserted city, and in my opinion seems to be connected with the Sātāhanihāra of the early centuries of the Christian era and must be associated with the Sātavāhanas whose sway extended over this part of the country. At Paṇidem in the Guntur district I noticed three mounds and a site called Dīpāladinnepāḷem near bys, indicative of ancient Buddhist settlements at the place. In this connection it may be recalled that the Buddhist mound at Amarāvati is also known locally as Dīpāladinne.

   6. In the Bombay-Karnatak where I toured in the middle of March 1938, I inspected only two places, viz., Bādāmi and Mahākūṭa. I prepared a note on the paintings recently discovered in the formed in cave No. 3, for submission to the Director General of Archæology in India. The latter village which is about 9 miles from Bādāmi, has beautiful old sculptured friezes in the main and subsidiary shrines, which are however badly coated with lime. Some of the earlier shrines are in a grossly neglected and dilapidated condition, and efforts are being made for getting these protected by the Archæological Department.
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   7. Realising the interesting and important nature of money of the finds made by me and my assistants in the course of our tours, the Director General of Archæology in India was pleased to make some valuable suggestions in regard to the detailed investigation of the more important of them, and for this purpose he also subsequently placed at my disposal a small grant for the preliminary excavation of such remains as cannot be properly studied otherwise and might be entirely lost sight of.

   8. The Senior Epigraphical Assistant was on tour from the 17th January to 7th March 1938 and continued the epigraphical survey of the Tirukkoyilur taluk of the South Arcot district left over from the previous year. He visited