176 ArcTKSological remains of Barantpur. [Nov. 



At the village of Barantpur in Zila' Bhagalpui* there is being built 

 at present a shrine, at which immense numbers of Hindus assemble du- 

 ring the Dui'ga puja, to offer up kids, &c., to Chandi, the supposed goddess 

 of the place. At this place, a long time ago, were found a few black stones, 

 a carving of a woman rather larger than life, a figure of a warrior on 

 what appears to be a tiger and is called by the natives Budhai (this 

 figure is rather damaged), and a few stones such as were let in as threshold 

 stones in grand native buildings of ancient date. On one of the latter is an 

 mscription. Mr John Christian has kindly translated it for me, a copy of this 

 translation I enclose. The characters are mixed and are, what they here call 

 Debachar and Mithilachar. On my enquu'ing from the villagers if they knew 

 anything of the antecedents of the place, I managed to get a little information 

 which I add. In the old days, when the former shrine was in its glory, a 

 Musalman encampment was formed to the north of Barantpur and the 

 troops therein were under the command of a powerful general. This general, 

 one day being excited by di-ink, determined to humble the pride of the 

 goddess and disgrace the religion of the Hmdus, and ordered his darwan 

 to go and ask the hand of the goddess Maheshwari in marriage. She gues- 

 sing that their intention was merely to disgrace her by so mean a union, 

 and knowing that her people were unable to cope in war with the Mughuls, 

 pretended to consent to the union, but proposed certain conditions which 

 were, that the Mughuls should in one night before the cock crew, make a fort 

 of certain dimensions and a hundred tanks in its vicinity, and should offer a 

 black kid at her shrine. The fort was made, ninety-nine tanks were dug, and 

 the hmidredth tank was nearly completed, the kid was being led towards the 

 slmne, in order to be ready to be offered on the completion of the hundi-edth 

 tank, when the goddess transforming herself into a cock, crew. The condi- 

 tions not having been completed, the man-iage was not performed. The 

 Mughals, however, frightened at her power, fled* from this portion of the 

 country. The fort alluded to I have seen, as also the tanks ; the fort is situa- 

 ted near the village of Uti. The tanks, although I have not counted 

 ninety-nine, exist in great numbers, but appear to have been dug merely to 

 obtain earth for making the earthwork of the fort which extends over about 

 one square mile of ground. About the centre of the oblong-shaped site is a s2)ot 

 very much higher than any other portion of the fort. There are no legends 

 which explain when or why this shrine was neglected as a place of worship), 

 but it is quite clear that for a long time such was the case ; for comparatively 

 lately the stones I have described were dug up, and a Goala built a shed over 

 them, and from this time all castes of natives have continued to worship 



* The name of this general is said to have been 'AH Khan, and his speedy retreat 

 has given rise to a proverb used in this part of the country. If a person is unsuc- 

 cessful in an undertaking, people say, '• Wall, 'AU Khan let karni hai." 



