142 H. Beveridge — A note on the Parganas of Murshidabad. [June & July, 



containing 682 estates or parganas. This arrangement was made about 

 the year 1582, and is commonly ascribed to Rajah Todar Mai. Lists 

 of the contents of the Sarkars are given in the A'in, and Mr. Blochmann 

 made much use of them when he was elucidating the old geography 

 of Bengal. Unfortunately there are many errors in the MSS. of the 

 A'in. Sometimes these can be corrected by referring to the lists in 

 Tieffenthaler, but more effectual help is afforded by Grant's analysis 

 in the Fifth Report, and by local knowledge. Grant's lists are those 

 of Jaffar Khan's arrangement of 1722, but he also supplies the names 

 of the old Sarkars. 



The object of this note is to compare the lists in the A'in with those 

 in the Statistical Account of Bengal. I only do this for Moorshidabad, 

 and 1 would suggest that similar comparisons be instituted for other 

 districts. In this way the lists might appear in a correct form in the 

 forthcoming translation of the second volume of the A'in. 



The present district of Murshidabad is mainly comprised in Todar 

 Mai's Sarkar of Tandah, alias Andambar, alias Audner. This Sarkar 

 extended southwards from Agmahal, i. e., Rajmahal and included 

 parganas both in the Rarh and the Bagri, that is, on both sides of the 

 Bbagirathi, as far south as Chunakhali, or a little to the south of the 

 town of Murshidabad. The rest of the Rarh was included in Sarkar 

 Sharifabad. The remainder of the district, i. e., the portion lying south 

 and east of Chunakhali seems to have been included in Sarkars Mahmu- 

 dabad and Barbakabad. The pargana of Plassey in the extreme south 

 and which perhaps now wholly belongs to Nadia was included in Sarkar 

 Satg&on according to Grant. I cannot find it in the Ain, unless it is 

 the Belkasi which is there entered as included in Mahmudabad. Bel- 

 kasi is not very like Plassey, but in Tieffenthaler the name appears as 

 Belessi. 



On comparing the lists in the Ain, pp. 394-408 with that in the 

 Statistical Account of Bengal, IX, 232-36, I find the following corres- 

 pondencies : — 



I. Sak'kak Tandah, Ain, p. 304. 



1. Ashraf Bhag. 11. Kasipur. 



2. BuitaJi. 12. Katgarh. 



3. Chang Nadiya. 13. Kumar Pratap 



4. Chunakhali. 14. Mangalpur. 



5. Daudshahi. 15. Nasibpur. 



6. Dhawa. 16. Nawa Nagar. 



7. Diwanaptxr. 17. Samaa IChani. 



8. Gaukar. 18. Swarupsingh. 



