1917.] Traditions about Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah. 145 



16 a.d. In the village of Babargram which adjoins Sheker- 

 dighi, there is a tablet recording the erection of a mosque, no 

 longer in existence, by one Malik Sandal ( Mandal? ), son of 

 Makhdum Shah, during the reign of Husain Shah, on the 12th 

 Rajab of the year 905 a.h. = 1499-1500 a.d. An inscription 

 atSuti, another neighbouring village, refers to the erection of a 

 mosque by the great Khan Muqarrab Khan, son of Chand Malik, 

 during the reign of Husain Shah, in the year 909 = 1503-4 a.u. 

 Though from stray inscriptions of this sort no definite conclusion 

 is possible, yet it is evident that this part of the Murshidabad 

 district was a centre of great activity during the earlier years 

 of the reign of Sultan 'Alauddin Husain Shah. Therefore pre- 

 sumption is in favour of that part of the tradition which con- 

 nects the early life of Husain Shah with this tract of land. 



It is said that Shekerdighi was formerly known as Mantaka- 

 bad, and a fakir used to live there, when Husain Shah caused 

 this tank to be excavated in commemoration of his visit to 

 Mecca. It is generally believed in these parts that in order to 

 commemorate his Haj pilgrimage the Sultan caused the erection 

 of mosques and excavation of tanks at the end of every mile 

 from Shekherdighi to Pandua till the series culminated at one 

 end with Shekherdighi tank and at the other end with the great 

 Adina mosque which is said to have been built originally with 

 more than 350 domes. As there is no other tank or mosque on 

 the Badshahi road to confirm this popular belief it can only be 

 regarded as a characteristic popular exaggeration, and may 1 

 think be attributed to the goodly number of sacred edifices built 

 during the reign of this king. The local tradition has it that 

 the Sultan's followers met with an unexpected difficulty when 

 proceeding with the excavation of Shekherdighi which is said to 

 have been entrusted to a Brahmin. In spite of the great length 

 and width of the tank and its considerable depth no water 

 would come out of it. The phenomenon was attributed to the 

 sorcery of the fakir who was subjected to some harsh treat- 

 ment and had to remove from the neighbourhood, but in spite 

 of this persecution the tank remained as dry as before. U»e 

 unsophisticated villagers still believe that the mere touch ot a 

 peculiar wand brought by one of the fakir's disciples caused the 

 underground springs to break through their hidden bonds an 

 the tank was filled to the brim. It serves rather to remind 

 one of the alleged feats of modern water-finders with torfcea 

 branches of witch hazel. The Sultan, it is said subsequently 

 repented of his previous conduct towards the fakir ana on 

 waking his acquaintance found out that he was his father s reu- 

 gious preceptor and like himself an inhabitant ot ■1**>™ : . *", 

 name of the fakir was Sultan Shah Abu Saiyad Tabnzi ami 

 there are still some persons at Shekherdighi who claim to be 



bis lineal descendants. , .. , ■„„ n., s . 



The only tradition about any military exploit during riu. 



