The Antiquities of Orissa v2.c16.s2.95

v2.c16.s2.95

**[37] Akasa-ganga Tank :—**To the east of the Deva Sabhā, at a distance of about a hundred yards, and at a height of about sixty feet from the surrounding country, there is a small tank of an oblong form cut into the solid rock, and said to be fed by a natural fountain at the bottom. In November, when I saw it, it was about half full, and its water was sweet, but of a somewhat greenish colour. The water is said to last all the year round, and is reached by a flight of steps each five feet long. The modern name of this tank is Ākāśa-gaṅgā, or "the aerial Ganges." As an appurtenance to the temple on the hill, and to the caves when they were occupied, it was of great value; but now-a-days, it is never made use of, except by pilgrims, who sprinkle a few drops of its water over their heads with the conviction that they thereby free themselves from the accumulated sins of many transmigrations: the water is never drunk. I had no means of ascertaining whether the tank is really fed by a natural spring or not. There is nothing to show that this is the tank referred to in the Aira inscription.