Vol. VI, No. 11.] History of the District of Hughlu 611 



[N 8.] 



south of Pradyumnanagara, which is identified with Pandua, 

 and he cites the Mahabharat as his authority ; but not- 

 withstanding all our attempt, we could not find any men- 

 tion either of Pradyumnanagara or of Triveni in that work. 

 It is related in the Mahawanso that Pandu Sakya, son of 

 Buddha's uncle, Amitodana, for fear of falling into the hand of 

 Virudhaba, the parricide usurper of the throne of Kosala, fled 

 from the Sakya kingdom and retired beyond the Ganges where 

 he founded a " settlement " called Morapura and ruled over it. 1 

 He allied himself with Panduvasadeva of Sinhapura or modern 

 Singur, who succeeded his uncle Bijaya on the throne of 

 Sinhala (Ceylon), by giving him his daughter Bhaddakachchana 

 in marriage. Local tradition regarding the conquest of Pandua 

 by the Mahomedans confirms the fact that it was the capital 

 of Raja Pandu. The legend runs to the effect that a 

 Mahomed an officer of the court of the Raja of Pandua whose 

 name was Pandu, celebrated the birth of his son with festivities 

 by slaughtering a cow privately. But the atrocious deed was 

 discovered on the next morning by the Hindus of the town. 

 They rose to a man to revenge the insult to their religion, and 

 killed his new-born son. The Mahomedan escaped to the 

 court of the Emperor Firuz Tuglak (1351-88) at Delhi, who 

 sent his nephew, Shah Sufi, with a large army. Pandua 

 was besieged. Pandu Raja had a powerful ally in the 

 R4ja of Mahnad, which is four miles to the south of 

 Pandua. They held out for a long time till the water 

 of the Jianch-kundu, a tank which possessed the virtue of 

 healing the wounded and reviving the dead, was defiled by 

 a steak of beef thrown into it by the Mahomedans. That 

 tank is now called Jiban Kundu. The Hindus were reduced 

 to extremity for want of water, and they were routed with 

 dreadful slaughter. A minaret was built by the Mahomedans 

 in imitation of the Kutab Minar of Old Delhi as a tower 

 of victory. 2 It will be observed that the name of the king 





r 



See the Gangama tatmya of the Pr&yaschitta-tattwam, p. 100, by 



Raghunaudana Bhattacharva. 



1 Tumour's Muhawanso, eh. viii. Though Tumour's Mah&wanso 

 does not mention the name of the " settl -ment," yet we find from 

 Upham's Mahawansi that the city which Pandu Sdkya founded was 

 called Morapura. I 1 ave it to the antiquarians to decide whether 

 Morapura is not a dialectic variation, or corruption of Marap«ra, and as 

 such whether it can not be connected with Pr dyumna-naqara. as botl 

 the names mean the M Town of the God of Love." We have precedence 

 in the Mah&bhdrat and the Purdns for the use of synonyms in respect of 

 the names of towns. 



* Earlv Bengali Literature and Newspapers by the Rev. J. Long (Cal. 

 Rev. t vol. xiii, p. 128); Dr. Blochmann's Places of Historical Interest 

 in the District of Hughli, in J.A.S.B., 1870. 



