50 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XII, 



The suffix bhum is peculiar to names of tracts in the 

 Jungle mahals, e.g., Bhanjabhum, Barahabhum, Tungbhum, 

 Dhalbhum, Manbhum, Singbhum. The zamindar of Brahmana- 

 bhum was a Brahman, evidently of the same family with whom 

 a few years later Kavikankana Cakravartti, the author of the 

 well-known Bengali poem Gandt, took refuge. Kavikatikana 

 mentions Viramadhava, his son Bakura Raya, and his son 

 Raghunatha, the last being his patron. They resided at Arara, 

 a village some four miles off from Candrakona. In course of 

 time the zamindari passed into the hands of Bardwan Raj. 

 Its revenue, assessed in the Am at Rs. 2,855^ only, had in 

 the early British assessment of 1178 b.s. (1771 a.d.) been raised 

 to Rs. 35,910, or more than twelve times. 



(10) Taliya with Kasbah Jalesar which has a brick fort. 

 Jalesar in Midnapore and Balasore (Bl., B). The first name 

 is not identified by Blochmann and has proved a stumbling- 

 block to Beames. The latter would read it patnah, while Mr. 

 Beveridge would read it Takiya. Unfortunately for these sug- 

 gestions, the Madala Panji supplies us with a very similar 

 name, Tania or Tandia Dandapata, and the following six 

 Bisis of it are named : — Ekhra Caura, Jalesvara Caura, Dan- 

 tuni Caura, Naranga Caura, Binisara or Banisara Caura, Berai 

 Caura. Except No, 4, all still exist as parganas, and the 

 fourth may be Barnichor in Thana Dantan. Jalesar is now in 

 Balasore district and the others are in Midnapur. 



The mahal covered a large area, and paid the highest reve- 

 nue in the sarkar, Rs. 3,00, 177|. It extended from the 

 Subarnarekha river northwards to the Kaliaghai river, and 

 was traversed by the old Padshahi road that crossed the Subar- 

 nakekha at Jalesar town. 



The town is an old place, and was visited by Caitanya 

 during his pilgrimage to the south in 1509-10 a.d. During the 

 early Mugljal occupation it was the headquarters of the gover- 

 nor. Murad Khan was the first governor in 1575 a.d. When 

 Daud invaded Bengal on hearing the death of the Mughal 

 viceroy Munim Khan, Murad retreated to Tandah, and the 

 sarkar was occupied by the Afghans. It remained in their 

 possession until the reconquest of Orissa by Manasimha in 



1593 a.d. 



In the rent-roll of the Prince Shah Sujah (c. 1650 a.d.), 

 Jalesar continued to be a sarkar with 22 mahals, but was 

 annexed to Bengal. This smaller sarkar was retransf erred to 

 Orissa in the first quarter of the eighteenth century. When 

 Alivardi Khan ceded to the Marathas Orissa south of the 

 Subarnarekha, Jalesar town lying just on the north bank of 

 the river, became of importance as a frontier town of Bengal, 

 and continued to be so until the British conquest of Orissa in 

 1803. 



(11) Tanbulak, with a fort. Tamluk (Bl., B.) The old 



