English
It was established in the time of Bahtier Khilji (see Blochmann's Contr., J.A.S., 1873, p. 215, Tabaqat-i-Na?iri, p. 156, Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. II, p. 135 and Vol. I, p 370). After the battle of Patna, 982 A.H., when Daud retired to Orissa, ( Badaoni , p. 184, Vol. II),his generals Kalapahar and Babu Mankli proceeded to Ghornghat, (Badaoni, p. 192). Akbar’s general, Majnun Khan, died at Ghoraghat. 8 Sarkar Mahmudabad, named after one of the Sulfan Mahmud Shahs of Bengal, comprised north-eastern Nadiya, north-eastern Jessore, and western Faridpur. Eighty-eight mahals; revenue Rs. 290,256. Its principal malmls were San tor, Naldi, Mahmudshahi, and Nasratshahi. When Akbar’s army in 1574 under Munim Khan-i-Khanan invaded Bengal, Murad Khan, another Imper¬ ialist-General, invaded South-Eastern Bengal. He conquered, says the Akbar- namah, Barkars Bakla and Fathabad (Faridpur) and settled and died there. It is remarkable that close to Faridpur there is a village (now a railway sta¬ tion) called Khan-Khananpur, which probably was the residence of Murad Khan, and which again is close to a place called Raj bar! (probably the seat of the old Rajahs'. His sons were treacherously murdered at a feast to which they were invited by Muknnd, the Rajah of Bhusna and Fatahabad. (Seo Ain-i-Akbari, p. 374, Blooh. Trans.) During the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahiin, Satrnjit, eon of Mukund, gave trouble, and at length in Shnh Jnhin’s reign was captured and executed at Dhaka (1636 A.C.) Nawab Jafar lOian about 1772 broke up this Sarkar, and annexed part of it to Rajshahi and part to the new Chaklah of Bhusna. Bhusna lies near Bonmaldih and Dakhinbari, ancient Moslem colonies, and it is curious that west of it, on the Nabaganga, we 6nd Satrnjitpnr close to an ancient Moslem colony, at Alukdih ; whilst opposite to Faridpur we find Mnkund-chor, which is again close to “ lOann- 43 bor of elephants belonging to the Rajah of that plnce oscaped into the jungles ; ever since which elephants are to be obtained in those jungles. And pepper also grows in those parts. -o- SARKAR BARBAKABAD.* Barbakabad. A good stuff called Qangdjal is manufactured there, and large oranges also thrive there. -o- SARKAR BAZOHA* Sarkar Bazuha is a forest of trees, these being trees of ebony which are used in construction of buildings and boats. And mineB of iron are also found in that tract. -o- SARKAR SILHAT.a Sarkar Silliat is a mountainous region, woollen shields are very well made there ; they are famous for their beauty tbrough- JQiHninpur” station, referred to above. Satrnjit'e descendant or successor the notorious Raja Sitaram Rai, bad his head-quarters at Mahmudpar town at the confluence of the Barasia and Madhamati rivers, in J 6S8 ore. Quite close v , I,” ' 8 *" ° ld ' SIuS ' llm * n oolon y- ** Shirgaon. (See Ain-i-Akbarl, vol. II, p. 132, and Blochmann a Contr., J.A.S., 1673, p. 217). 1 SarkAr Barbakabad, so named after B .rbak gljih, King of Bengal It extended from Sarkar LukhnautI, or Gaur, along the Padda to BagQra ‘and comprised portions of Mnldah, DinajpQr, Rajs_hahT, and Bogra Its clothes were well known, especially the staffs called khac;h. Thirty-oieht mahals • &>■ lh+4kta * 701 ■ - *■-*!— Sarkar Bazuha extended from the limits of Sarkar Barbakibid, and in. eluded portions of MjghiUi, Bogra, Pabna, and Maimansingh, and reached in tZm. "Z Thirt7 ’ two mahR,fl5 ™ KfaJ J *'“ “,‘ he 6 “ d “ f tb ° when the Afghan King Shameuddin ruled over Bengal with his capital at Gaur. Shah Jallii-* Silh r tOWn " tn ! Si,hat India ^th Snuohsand El .J, 7 n Q6d * D ed, °o f0rb,dd5n * P e °P ,e of Silhat from castrating boys (At - T * “■ -• I39 ' 44 oat the empire of Hindustan. And delicious fruits—such as oranges, Ac., are obtained. And the China-root is also procured from that tract, and the aloes-wood abounds in its mountains. It is said that in the last month of the rainy seasou, the ‘ud tree is felled and is left in water and exposed to the air, then whatever shoots forth is utilised, and what decays is thrown away. A kind of small bird called Banraj , which is black in colour, and has red eyes and long tail, and parti-coloured, pretty, and long wings, is easily snared and tamed there. It catches the note of every animal that it hears. Similarly, Shirganj is the name of another bird ; it is not different from Banr&j in any way, except in this that the legs and the beak of Shirganj are red. Both these are flesh-eaters, and prey on small birds like sparrows, Ac. SARKAR SHARlFABAD. 1 Large cows, able to carry heavy loads, and large goats, and large fighting-cocks are bred there. SARKAR MADARAN. 8 Sarkar Madaran, is on the southern limit of the kingdom of Bengal. There is a miue of small diamond there. AKBARNAGAR. 8 Akbaruagar alias Rajmahal, is on the banks of the Ganges. Formerly it was a large and populous city. And a Faujdar of 1 Sari -.r Sfiarifabad comprised south-eastern portions of Birbhum and a large portion of Burdwan, inoluding Burdwan town. Twenty-six mahals; revenue Rs. 662,218. (Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. II, p. 139). 8 S .rkar Madaran extended from Nejor in Western Birbhum over Rani- ganj, along the DamQdar to above Burdwan, and thence from there over J^and Ghosh, Jahinibod, Chandrakona (western Hugkli district) to Maudal^it^at the mouth of the Bupnarain river. Sixteen mahals; revenue Rs. 236,08 (8ee Ain, Vol. II, p. 1*1)- , * fifeer gfcsh had already made plans to shift the seat or Government o Bengal from Tandah to Agmabal, bat this was carried out by Rljah lfon 8i D gh, Akbar’s Governor of Bengal, who named the place Rijmahal, and subsequently Akbaruagar, after Emperor Akbar. Before Min Singh, Daud, the last Afghan King yof Bengal^had fortified Agmahal (984 A.H.) in bu 45 rank, on behalf of the Nazim of Bengal, resided there. At present it is in complete dilapidation and rnip. —■—o- MALDAH. The town of Maldah 1 is on the banks ©f the l iver Mahananda At a distance of three karoh towards the north, is situate holy Panduah,* which contains the sacred shriue of Hazrat Majdl- dura Shah Jalal Tabriz® (May God sanctify bis shrine!) and the lust stand against Mo^hals under Khin Julian, Alcbar’s general ( Badaoni, Vol. If, p. 229). Subsequently, iu the time of Jahangir, Eajmahal was the scene of a sanguinary battle between Prince ghah Jahan and Jahangir’s Viceroy of Bengal, Ibrahim Khan Fateh Jang, who was killed ( Iqbalnamah~i - Juhangiri, p. 221). It was for about twenty years the Viceregal Capital of Bengal, ander Prinoe ghh ghaja, who adorned the city with beautiful marble, palaces, no trace of which, however, now exists.—(See Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. II, p. 340). I As early as 1686 A.C., the English East India Company, with permis¬ sion of Emperor Aurangzeb, established a silk factory here, and in 1770 A.C., English baxar, olose to Miildali, was fixed upon as the Commercial residency. Maldah is mentioned in the Tozok-i-Jahangiri; “When I (Jahangir) was prince, I had made a promise to Mir Ziyaudin of Tazwin, a Saifi Syed, who has since received the title of Mnstafa Kh an, to give him and his children Pargnna Maldah, a well-known Pargana in Bengal. This promise was now performed (1617 A.C.)”—See J.A S., 1873, p. 216n. * Panduah, like Ganr, is situate in the district of Maldah. 'Ali Mobarak had his capital at Panduah, and the third independent Mnsalman Afghan King of Bengal, named ghamsuddin Ilyas ghah, fortified the place, and iper- manently removed the headquarters there about 1363 A.C. Panduah for over 60 years remained the Capital of Bengal, daring the roigns of seven Afghan independent Kings of Bengal, after which the capital was in 1446 A.C. daring the reign of Nasiraddin Mahmud §fc&h re-transferred to Oaur, which was retained by Muhammadans for about three oenturies as their capital. Thg. princip^baildiogs at Panduah are the mansolenms of Makhdum ghah Jallal and his grandson Qnlb ghah, the Golden Mosque (1685 A.C.) with wall of granite, and ten domes of brick, the Eklakhi Mosque containing the grave of Ghiasuddin II, the fifth Mnsalman independent King of Bengal, the Adina Mosque (fourteenth century) characterised by Mr. Ferguason as the most remarkable example of Pathan architecture, and the Batargarh (seventy towered) palace. Pandnah was onoe famous for its mannfsctnre of indigenous paper, but this industry has now died out. Dr. Buohanan Hamilton gives a detailed description of the ruins of Panduah, and the Khurshid Jahannumah (an analysis of whioh >£r. Beveridge has published) supplements it. 1 Shaikh Jalaluddin Tabrixi was a disciple of Said Tabr**!, a vicegerent of gijahabuddin ghorawardi, and a friend of Kfewajah Qatbuddin and Shaikh Bahauddln Zakariah. Shaikh Najmuddin, Sfcaikh-ul-Islam at Delhi, bore him • / 46 sacred mausoleum of Hazrot Nur Qutubu-l-‘Alam Bangali 1 (May God illuminate his tomb !), which are places of pilgrimage for the people, and resorts of the indigent and the afflicted, and are channels of various boons. For instance, every traveller and beggar who arrives there, and stops therein the night, is not allowed to cook his food for three meals. The servants there supply him from the public store-house, either with cooked food, or with rice, pulse, salt, oil, meat and tobacco, according to his position in life. And every year in the month of Shab-i-barat or Zilhajh , whichever of these mouths falls in the dry season, a fair attended by a large number of people is held, so much so that laks of people from distances of fifteen and twenty days’ journey, such as Hnghli. Silhat and Jahangirnagar, &c., come and congre¬ gate, and benefit by pilgrimage. ( And in Maldah aud in its en¬ virons, good silk-stuff as well as a kind of cotton-stuff of the sort of muslin is manufactured.