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55: The Belkhara Inscription and the Machlishahr 
rant of Haris-Candra. 
By Rakuat Das Banerst, M.A., Indian Museum, Calcutta. 
Fifteen es to the south of the railway station of 
Ahraura Road on the Fast Indian Railway, and about two 
miles from the saad town of Ahraura, in the Mirzapur District 
of the United Provinces, a small pillar of stone was lying on 
the ground even so late as 1906. There are two small inscrip- 
tions on the shaft of the sina and a small image of Ganeéga in 
relief at the bottom of the shaft. These were brought to public 
notice by the late Sir Alexander Cunningham, then Director- 
General of Archaeology in India.' Very little notice was taken 
of them until lately, i.e. till the discovery of the sparen 
grant of Haris- pier ot of Kan nauj. When I w. was exam 
On my favtirn journey from Lucknow, I paid a visit to Belkhara 
and found the pillar lying on the ground. During the working 
season of 1910-1911, I had the opportunity of examining the 
pillar has very nearly disappeared, and at the same time it is of 
very little importance as it does not seem to contain any date or 
name worth mentioning. The characters belong to the thirteenth 
or fourteenth century type of the Eastern variety of the North- 
ern alphabet. On my second visit to the place I found that 
the pillar has been set up on a short masonry pedestal, evidently 
at the suggestion of Dr. J. Ph. Vogel of the Archaeological Survey, 
who was the first to mention the connection between the pillar 
inscription and the Machlishahr grant. 2 T learnt from the local 
the Foractes rical Sur ute Cire le, was Am ‘the 
ogic aie 
Machlishahr grant as I dae that incidentally he might edit 
the Belkhara inscription alsc. Pandit Hirananda’s article on 
Arch. par dh Rep., vol. xii, p. 128, pl. xxxviii 
‘Annual Report of the — Archaeological Survey, 
arorthorn Circle, >? 1906-7, p. 39 note 
