Chapter II: GHANTASALA.--At Ghantasala is a mound 112 feet in diameter

and 23 feet in height; the excavations here disclosed the
remains of a stûpa from which the complete plan was determined.
In the centre is a solid cube of brick work 10 feet square,
enclosed in a chamber 19 feet square with walls over 3 feet in
thickness; outside this is a circular wall 3 ft. 6 inches
thick, 55 feet 10 inches in diameter, this is enclosed in
another circular brick wall 18 feet 3 inches thick, with a
diameter of 111 feet; this was the main outer wall of the
structure, the exterior surface bore a _chunam_ facing. About
the base is a raised procession path 5 feet 7 in. broad, and 4
feet 6 in. high, a projection is found at each of the cardinal
points. The inmost squares are connected by walls 2 feet 4 in.
thick, running parallel to these sides from the centre and
corners, the cells formed by the intersections of these walls
are packed with mud.

The fact that the main walls, _i.e._, those of the squares and
circles, are thicker than the others may indicate that they
were carried up to form stories, or they may have been simply
to strengthen the dome, if the exterior wall was carried up in
that form. Further excavations in the mound discovered a marble
slab carved with the Supada, a piece of a carved top rail panel
and a number of carved slabs.

When the brick work was excavated a well 6 inches square filled
with earth was found under 3 feet of solid brick work. Among
the debris, at the top, were found pieces of a broken _chatti_,
and a number of small articles, beads and a coin, which it had
probably contained. Just below these was a _chatti_ of red
earthenware, 4-1/2 in. in diameter, with a semi-circular lid,
filled with black earth. Within this was a glazed _chatti_
2-1/4 in. in diameter, and 1-3/4 in. in height. It contained
numerous leads, bits of bone, small pearls, bits of gold leaf
and small pieces of mineral.

A number of marble sculptures have been removed from the stûpa
of Ghantasala, and are now in the village. Among them are
several pieces carved with lotus flowers, and other ornaments
and inscriptions, square and circular moulded vases, a circular
base carved with horses, elephants and other animals, an
umbrella, a panel with rail and figures, and two carved slabs.
Page 124 Other remains found in and near Ghantasala are an "ancient
brass _dipa_, with a Telugu inscription and a small brass image
of Siva" now in the temple, a "small _chakra_ and a _trisula_,
each with pillar base." Brick walls and brick debris are found
all about the neighborhood, but so demolished as to make it
impossible to determine what the buildings were.