English
From Gandahgolah (Caragola) and the banks of the Ganges to the Murang, the tract of Purniah is about ten days’ journey in extent. And from the mountains of the Murang, a route v leads to Kuch- Behar and Assam. And the tribute of the Rajah of the Murang was paid in game. 1 a „d > No traces of these could be food by me, when I we. at Pornieb "®r is still held annually at Caragola, and i. largely attended by Nepau- . Hp Rhntias and other hill-tribes, though not to the same extent as before. ^ Three rentes to Kuch Behar and Assam are described n. the A amgir- namah (p. 683). 39 DHAKAH (OR DACCA) alias JAHANGlRNAGAR. 1 Tliis city is on the banks of the Bndhiganga, and the Ganges, named Padma, flows three karoh or kos distant from this city. In past times it was known by this name. During the sovereignty of Nuru-d-din Muhammad Jahangir, the Emperor, the city was called Jahaugirnagar. From that time till about the end of the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, this city was the l Dacca or Jahinglrnngar was the Mnsalman Viceregal Capital of Bengal during Moghul role in India for a century, before it wur shifted to Morshidabad by Murshid Quli Khan in 1704 A.C. InlblOA.C., Islam Khan, the Mnghol Viceroy of Bengal, shifted the Viceregal Capital from Rnjmahal.or Akbamagnr, to Daoca. This transfer of capital Hppears to have been deoi&ed npon, becanse the Mnsalman dominions in Bengal had considerably extended eastward, and Rajmabsl ceased to occopy a central position, and also becanse Magh and Arraoanese incursions from Arrakan bad become frequent. To effectually guard against the latter, a powerfnl Beet was constrocted and main¬ tained at Dacca and on the rivers Padda and Megna; and colonies of Masalmiin feudal barons (most of whom have now died oat or sunk into ploughmen; were planted throughout Eastern Bengal, especially at plaoes of strategio importance, in order to hold in check all disloyal Afghan ele. meats, and to prevent their intriguing with the Magh raiders. Except for about sixteen years, when Prinoe Shah Shuja re-transferred the Viceregal Capital to Rajmahal, Dacca remained the Viceregal Capital of Bengal throughout the seventeenth century under three illustrious Moghul Emperors, rt's., Jahangir. Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. The most notable amongst the Mughul Vioeroya of Dacca were lslnm Khan. Mir Jumla, the General of Aurangzeb, and Shasata Khan (nephew of Empress Nur Jahan). The latter two Nnwibs are still remembered for their encouragement of architecture, and for their construction of great public works conducive to the material improvement of the people. Whilst the great achievement of the first was the breaking of the last neok of Afghan opposition. The snburb of Dacca, it is related, extended northwards for a distance of 16 miles, now covered with dense jungles. The mnslin manufacture of Dacoa, onoe so famous, has now nearly died ont. The old fort, erected in the reign of Emperor Jahangir, has dis¬ appeared. The only old public buildings now remaining are the Katra, built by Shah Shuja in 1646, and the palace of Lai Bigh, both of these also being in ruins. (See Taylor’s Topography of Dacoa and Dr. Wise’s History of Dacoa). Dacca, or Dhakka, oocurs in the Akbamdmah as an Imperial Thana in 1684 the mahal to which it belonged is named “ Dhakka Baza ; ” it pertained in those early days to Sarkar Bazuha. (See Ain-i>Akbari Jnrrett’s Trans., Vol 2, Faso. 11, p. 188). Dacca, though it has lost its former Viceregal magnificence and opulence, has not yet sunk into an ordinary Bengal town, by reason of its being the reBidenoe of the present liberal and public-spirited ' Nawabs of Dacca.’ 40 Viceregal Capital of Bengal. Since the period of his Nizamat, when Nawab Jafar Kban made Mflrshidabad the neat'of govern¬ ment, the latter became the Viceregal seat. At present on behalf of the Chiefs of 1 the English Company, there is a district officer at Jahangirnagar. White mnslin is excellently manufactured there. - SARKIR SUNARGAON.i SSrkar Sunargaon is,to a distance of six karoh to the south¬ east of Jahangirnagar. A species of very fine mnslin is manu¬ factured there. And in the Monza of Kathrahsundar there is a reservoir of water; whatever clothes are washed there are turned into white linen 1 Sunargaon City, clou- to Dacca to the south-east, was long an ancient Musalmin Capital of Bengal. To this plnoe in 1281 A.C. (see p 87 Tarikh-i- Firnr Shahi by Barni) Emperor Balbau from Delhi came, and pursued Tugh- iftl, who had proclaimed himself Sultan Mughisuddin in 1279 A.C.; and about 610 A.H. (1214 A.C.) it was together with Bang (East Bengal) snbdaed (Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, Pern: text, p 103) by SultSn Ghiasuddin, one of the immediate successors of Bnkhtiar ghilji. Sunargaon is a place of melancholy historical interest, for it was here that the line of Balbaui kings of Bengal (1282 to 1331 A.C.) ended, and it was also here that the last Balbani sovereign of Bengal, Bahadur fjlhsh, in 1331 A C., nnder the order’of Emperor Mohammad ghih Tughlak, was captured, pot to death, and his skin stuffed and paraded throughout the Emperor’s dominions Sansequently, in 1338 A C., the first Independent Massalman king of Bengal, named Fakhrnddin Abul Mnzaffar Mubarak Shih, proclaimed his independence at Sonargaon, where he resided and minted coins Thomas’ “Initial Coinage” and Tarikh-i-Firut-Sh'ihi, p. 480). Mubarak Sash’s son, Ghazi Shah (third Independent king), also resided at Sunargaon, and minted eo*nn there. In 1352 A.C., Haji Ilya or Snltin Shamsaddin Abul Muzaflar Ilyas ghah (fourth Independent king) established himself at Snnargaon (Thomas’ “Initial Coinage”) and there founded a new dynasty of Independent Bengnl kings, who (with an inter¬ ruption only of about forty years) continued to rule over Bengal for over a century (1352 to 1495 A.C.), and divided their residence between Gaur and Sunargaon. It was to Snnargaon that the illustrious poet of Sljirai, Hafis, sent bis famous ghazi to SoltSn Gbiasuddin (son of Sikandar ghlh nnd grand¬ son of Ilyas 8hah), when the latter invited the poet to his Royal Court at Sunargaon. Sunargaon has now become an insignificant village, without a strtglo truce of ita former regal splendour. (See also Dr. Tfise’s note on Sunargaon, J.A.8., 1874, p. 82). 41 ISLAMABAD alia* CHATGAON.i Islamabad alias CbafcgSon (Chittagong), from ancient times, has been a large town, and its environs are forests of trees. It is sooth-east of Mnrshidabad on the seacoast, and in anoient times it was a large port. The traders of every country—especially the ships of the Christians—used to frequent it. But at present, since Calcutta is a large port, all other ports of Bengal have fallen into decay. It is said that ships which founder in other parts of the sea re-appear in front of Chittagong; it rests with the nar¬ rator to prove this. The ebb and flow of the sea occurs also here. And the fighting-oocks of that tract are well known. SARKAR BOGLA.* Sarkar Bagla was also a fort on the seAcoast, and around it was a forest of trees. And the ebb and flow of the sea also occars there, similarly to what occurs at other places on the seaside and in the environs of Calcutta. In the twenty-ninth year of the acces¬ sion to the throne of Emperor Akbar, one hour of the day was re¬ maining, when a strange flood occurred, in consequence of which the whole town was submerged. The Rajah of that town, getting on a boat, escaped. For five hours the fury of the Btorm, and lightning and thunder, and tumult of the sea lasted. Two laks of human beings and cattle were engulfed in the sea of annihilation* 1 Chittagong waa found to be in the handa of King Fakhruddiu of Sunar- gnon about 1350 A.C., when Ibu-i-Batutah visited it. It waa re-subdued by King Naarat Shah, boo of Husain Shah, in the beginning of the sixteenth century. In Todar Mai’s rent-roll, it is assessed at Rs. 285,607, and the Sarkar is shown as including seven mahals. During the struggle forsupremaoy in Bengal between Afghans and Mnghuls in the seventeenth oentnry, it tempor. arily slipped out of Moslem hands, and had to be re conquered in 1664 A.C. bv Nawib Shaista Khnn, Emperor Aurangxeb’s Viceroy at Daooa, who namod it Islamabad (See the charming description of the re-conquest of Chitta- gong, in the Alamgimamah, pp. 040-956.) Chittagong wa9, from very early times, an important place of trade, and the early Portuguese traders cftlled it “ Porto Grando.” * Sirkar Bogla or Bakla in Abnl Fazl’s -fin is stated to have contained four raahnls, and its revenue was Rs. 178,756. It comprised portions of the Baoker. gunj and Suudarban districts and the southernmost portions of the Dacca district. T e author of the Sciral Mntakherin calls it Sarknr Hagtn. 6 42 SARKAR RANGPtfR AND GHORAGHAT. 1 R&ngpur and Qhor&ghSt .— Here silk is produced, and Tangan ponies, coming from the mountains of Bhutan, sell. A fruit called Latkan of the size of walnuts, and with the taste of pome¬ granates, and containing three seeds, grows there. -o- SARKAR MAHMUDABAD.* Sarkar Mahmudabad was a fort, and in its environs were rivers. In the period when Sher Shah conquered Bengal, a num- 1 Sarkar Ghoraghat comprised portions of Dinajpur, Rangpfir, and Bogra districts. Being the northern frontier district skirting Koch-Behar, numer¬ ous oolonies of Afghan and Mughal ohiefs were planted there under the feudal system, with large jdgir lauds under eaoh. Many of the mahala bear purely Muhammadan names, such as Bazu Zafar Shahi, Bazu Faulad fihibi, Nasratabad, Bayizidpur, Taalnk Husain, THaluk Ahmad JOiiin, Kabul, Masjd Husain Shahi. The Sarkar prodnced much raw silk. Eighty-four mahals ; revenue, Rs. 202,077. The old Musalmin military outpost of Deocote near Gangarampur was in this Sarkar.