1919.] The Rajput Kingdoms of Mediaeval Chhattisgarh. 225 
by a local poet for a — occasion and must be conclusive 
evidence on the point at issue. 
** Durg ‘Atharah Abhit Chhabi Sambalpur Parsiddh’”’ 
writes the poet—‘ Sambalpur of unmeasured beauty was 
famous as 18 forts.” Balbhadra Sai one of its earlier kings 
attacked the neighbouring State of Bod, which both Kittoe 
and Impey count among the Atharahgarh. But Balbhadra Sai 
makes his attack ‘‘ along with all his 17 forts” (i.e. the chiefs 
thereof) so that Bod cannot have been one of them. He lav 
siege to the Bod King’s capital for 12 jong years without 
avail. At last the Chief of Sarangarh is sent for and with 
his aid the Bod fort is captured. Sara angarh ' also is thus 
excluded by the poet from the Atharahgarh though Kittoe and 
Impey include it in their lists. cote coming down to his own 
Akbar ke bhaye me not one of the 17* forts came yi help 
him). Untrue to their salt pre took the side of Akba 
18 forts. Also Bimbaji writes on Jaitsingh’s behalf to all the 
Garhs and all the 13 esate to Bengal, to Chanda, to Mandla, 
to Patna and to Bamra. Thus we have a clear statement 
showing that neither Bod, Sarangarh, Sonpur, Patna or Bamra 
were members of the local Atharahgarh. This is in itself suffi- 
cient to confute the lists of later writers. But the exclusion 
of Patna puts the matter beyond all question. Patna was 
always not merely a member of the confederacy but with 
Ganibalpur the head of it. If Atharahgarh indicated any such 
confederacy it would be impossible to exclude the leading 
member. The conclusion of the matter then is this. con- 
federacy of States under Sambalpur and Patna did no doubt 
' In an earlier section of the poem cp is described as the 
‘* chief Umrao among the 18,” but this is a mistake as later on the Raja 
all the 18 alge ? which definitely shows that Sarangarh itself was not 
one of the 
2 There 3 s frequent reference in the poem to “all the 17 Gar. " and 
*‘all the Umraos of the 17 Garhs.” — Sambalpur Garh itse ‘pee 
the 18th. Sambalpur is described as the * kingdom of = TS es ©. 120 
: rr 
follow them.” ndpat were probably the 13 Barhons of the 
ing’s s t. Johnstone’s report of 870 on the 
onjhar estate tells us (vide Appendix to Sir R. Temple’s Report of 1863 
aed state is divided into 2 parts...... 
. Zamin : 
whole is further subdivided into Sirdarships called Pirs or Dand 
The Pir is a common term for the small tribal and territorial subdivision 
known as the Barhon in Chhattisgarh. 
