194 Haraprasad Shastri — Notes on the Banks: of the 77V///. [Dec. 



of serpents was very prevalent in those days. It was an easy way for 

 Brahmans to get into fortune. In Chaitanya's early youth people advised 

 him to take to the worship of this goddess if lie wanted wealth. But ho 

 refused to listen to them. The examination of a few pages shews that 

 Bipradas possessed poetical powers of no mean order, and that he 

 knew much of serpents and their life-history. The portion of the book, 

 with which we arc concerned, is where he describes the voyage of 

 Ghdnd Saddgar, who hated the goddess of serpents and did his best to 

 put a stop to her worship, but after much persecution by the avenging 

 goddess, was at last obliged to submit to her worship. His voyage 

 commences at Champainagar which is sometimes identified with 

 Champanagar, the modern Bhagalpur.* llis small fleet consisting of 

 seven vessels passed by Raj-ghat, which had not yet got its modern name 

 Bajmahal ; then it passed by Ramesvara and Dharma-khan, places which 

 cannot be identified, before it came to where the Ajaya meets the 

 Bhagirathi. Passing by a small place named Ujaiu where a meld is 

 still held annually, the fleet came to the confluence of the S'iva with 

 the Bhagirathi : then the fleet anchored at Iudra Ghat near Catwa. 

 Catwa is still one of the chief places of trade in the district of 

 Burdwan, and the Purgana in which it is situated is called Indrani. 

 Iudra Ghat means one of the 12 Ghats in the Purganna Indrani, 

 both the Purgana and the Ghat deriving their names from the 

 worship of India. The author says that the merchant worshipped 

 Indra at this place. Pandit Ramgati Nyayaratna, the historian of 

 Bengali literature, speaks of an Indresvar S'iva in this Purgana, from 

 which it may be inferred that, as in other parts of India, the primitive 

 worship of the rain-god gave way to that of the more popular gods 

 S'iva, Vishnu, &c, which was very prevalent in those days. Then 

 the fleet passed by the well-known places named Nadiya, Ambua 

 (modern Calna) Fulia, on the other side of the river, Guptipara and 

 Mirzapur, and came at last to Triveni, the famous junction of the 

 three rivers. In this list, Mirzapur is nearest to Navadvipa, then 

 Calna, then Fulia, then Guptipara and after that Triveni. The 

 writer puts Mirza pur last which is curious. At Triveni the Sadagar 

 lands to have a look at Satgaon, the great emporium of trade. Then 

 follows a description of Satgaon and its wealth. Hindus and Muhani- 

 madans lived in peace and enjoyed equally the prosperity <>f the city and 

 its surrounding country. The merchant stopped there for two days 

 and then recommenced his downward voyage. The first place aftei 



* There are many places in Bengal which claim the honor of being the birth 

 place of Chanel and each has borne authority to support its claim. 



