12. The Antiquities of Burdwan. 



Bv MaulavI \Abdu'l Wall 



I. PlR Bahram. 



I visited the shrine of Pir Bahrain at Burdwan more than 



once in 1915 and 1916. 



buried 



is also called after him ; Pir Bahrain.' and as such, is noted in 

 Persian and Vernacular instruments. The Astana is a histori- 

 cal sight of the town ; and the Musalmans of the neighbourhood, 

 who speak Urdu as their mother-speech, have been living there 

 since before the time of the British Government. 



Blochmann 



of Pir Bahram in the Proceedings and Journal of the Society. 1 

 He noticed two basalts ; one in the inner door of the shrine, and 

 the other on the right of the portico, with inscriptions. The 

 latter, he found so defaced that it was impossible to read it, 

 Both the slabs have now been fixed into an outer wall of the 

 Astana. Blochmann published only the upper part of the first- 

 named inscription, and left out the lower part of it entirely 

 It is strange that the inscription which Blochmann found 

 defaced is quite legible. He published the first verse of the 

 first inscription, which is comparatively illegible, and left out 

 the second verse, and the marginal writings, without any 

 comment. I am afraid, he trusted too much the Astana people 

 for a copy of the inscription. 



The Saint. 



The Saint is variously called Pir, Darvlshand Hajt. but at 

 Burdwan only by the first title as a prefix. Baharam ■ SaqqS 

 was a Chaghtki Turk of Bokhara, and came to India during the 

 reign of Humavun. He made pilgrimages to holy places, an. 

 was In the habit of distributing water from his water-skin and 

 bowl to the wayfarers and the poor. For this self-imposed 

 task he was called Saqqa or drink-offerer s 1wW n 



Dressed as a Faqlr with a water-skin (Mashak) and a leathern 

 wallet (zamtiil) with drinking cupjMza) there arrived one dav 

 in 970 „., so the Knadim of the Astana, told me PJi »»*** 

 Burclwan-where most probably then lived a Muhan madan 

 Official of the Great Mughal-and begged a Jogi, Jaipal by 



m at 



1 JA.S.B. for 187 



and 



"I ¥£ Inscription no. II (below), dated 1015 H. (IW<M a.o.). 

 ■ Saqqa means one who offers drinking-water to others. 



