ON MOUNT CAUCASUS. 481 



prince, or chief. The Mufulmansy and Hindus of that 

 country, I had an opportunity to confult, informed me, 

 that according to tradition, the famous Sultan Mah- 

 MOOD, of Ghazfii, hearing of the tomb of Maitla'm ; 

 and of the miracles daily performed there, conceived 

 that the whole was done through magick; and accord- 

 ingly refolved to deftroy it : but, being difturbed by 

 frightful dreams, he defifted, and having made particu- 

 lar inquiries about Maitla'm, he was fully fatisfied, as 

 well as the learned about his perfon, that he was La- 

 MECH, the father of Nuh. Since that period Mait- 

 la'm is revered as a Peer^ or faint, by the Mufulmam of 

 that country. M^//i?r Burkha'n, or]jURGHA'N,in the 

 dialeft of Samarcand, as I am informed, fignifies, liter- 

 ally, the lord and mqjier. In feveral Tartarian dialects, 

 God is called Burkha'm, or the lord. 



The title of MAcn'HODAR-NA'r'HA is by no means 

 applicable to Lamech ; but properly belongs to Noah ; 

 for by the hell] of \\\&fjh they underftand the cavity^ or 

 injide of the ark. There is a 'place under ground at Ba- 

 naresy which they call Mach'hodara. The centrical and 

 moll elevated part of Banares, is alfo called MacFho- 

 dara, becaufe, when the lower parts of the city are laid 

 under water by fome unufual overflowing of the Ganges, 

 this part remains free from water like the belly of a h(h. 

 The city alfo is fome times thus called, becaufe, during 

 the general floods, the waters rife like a circular wall 

 round the holy city. In (hort, any place in the middle 

 of waters, either natural or artificial, which can afford 

 flielter to living beings, is called MacJy hodara. 



The place, where Lamech is fuppofed to lie entomb- 

 ed, is called Naidakhi, a w^ord, which fignifies nine lakhs; 

 becaufe, it is faid, Sultan Mahmood granted to this 

 holy place a yearly revenue of nine lakhs of rupees. 

 Be this as it may, this foundation no longer exifts: and 

 I believe it never did. The real name is probably 



Vol. VL I i Nau-^ 



