118 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVII, 
applied generically to the country of Hindustan and included 
Bengal. 
Bud Handia (*). 
| 
The most probable suggestion is that the Handia of these 
coins is the modern Handia in the Hoshangabad district. 
Handia has the remains of an old fort, built in the days of 
It is described as an ancient Hindu town founded by Raja 
Bhoja Deva Panwar, and Sher Shah gave it with Sewas in 
jagir to Shuja’at Khan, who subsequently held Ujjain, Mandi 
and Sarangpir. At a later date Handia was transferred to the 
jagir of Bihar Khan Sarwani, and in the days of Humayun the 
jagirdar was Mehtar Zambur, who was driven out and com- 
pelled to take refuge at Ujjain by Sikandar Khan and other 
insurgents. 
€ place reappears frequently in later history and was 
the seat of a faujdar so long as it remained in the possession 
of the Mughals, while under the Marathas it was the head- 
quarters of an “amil. 
It is clear that the town was of importance and in the 
days of the Siri Sultans it constituted the southernmost fortress 
of the empire. 
The nameis given as Handia by the author of the‘ Muntakh- 
abu-l-lubab,’ and it is unnecessary to lay too much stress on the 
quantity of the initial syllable. 
€ name Bal or Bid presents a greater difficulty, but 
possibly this may be an abbreviation of the full name Handia 
Bulang Shah, the place being named after a saint whose tomb 
is still honoured. 
he identification is not certain by any means, but at 
least it is as plausible as any other which has been put for- 
ward hitherto. 
Chunar. 
_ ‘The ancient stronghold of Chunar came at an early date 
into the hands of Sher Shah, but no coins of this mint earlier 
than 949 have yet come i Silver and copper were 
to light. 
minted here by Sher Shah, Islam Shah and Muhammad ’ Adil. 
