1874.] Dam ant — IsmdHl GMzi Legend. 227 



Mr. Blochmann then mentioned that Major-General Cunningham, 

 C. S. I., Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, had sent 

 to the Society another batch of Muhammadan inscriptions, viz. four from 

 Burhanpur, and seven from Asirgarh, for publication. Among them was a 

 Sanskrit Inscription, a free translation of the Arabic inscription attached to 

 the Jami' Mosque of 'Adil Shah II. Faruqi, of A. H. 997. 



The following papers were read — 



1. Notes on SJiah IsondHl GMzi, with a sketch of the contents of a 

 Persian MS., entitled ^' JRisdlat t/sh-Shuhadd,''* found at Kantd DudVy 

 Bangpur. — By G. H. Damajs^t, B. A., C. S. 



(Abstract.) 



There are four Dargahs, or shrines, in Rangpur, erected to the memory 

 of Shah Isma'il Ghazi. They are all situate a few miles to the north-east 

 of G'horag'hat, in thanah Pirganj. The principal one is at Kauta Duar. 

 About three miles west is another at a place called Jala Maqam. These two 

 dargahs are under the care of the same faqir, who has a large jagir and 

 claims to be descendant of one of the servants of Isma'il, who came with 

 him from Arabia. The head of the saint is said to be buried at Kaiita 

 Duar, and his body at Madaran, in Jahanabad, west of Hugli. 



Mr. Damant found the MS. in the possession of the faqir of Kanta 

 Duar. He assured him it had been in the possession of his family for many 

 generations, but he was unable to read it, and was quite ignorant of the 

 contents. The short facts as given in the MS. are, that in the time of 

 Barbak Shah, Isma'il came to Gaur, where he gained the favour of the king 

 by building a bridge or embankment across the great marsh, east of Gaur. 

 He was then sent against Gajpati, king of Madaran, or Orisa, whom he 

 utterly defeated, and lastly, he fought two battles with Kamesar, king of 

 Karnrup. The king finally tendered his allegiance, and consented to pay 

 tribute, though it does not appear that the country was regularly occupied 

 by the Musalmans. The Hindu governor of G'horag'hat appears to have 

 been envious of Isma'il's fame, and falsely charged him with entering into 

 an alliance with the king of Kamrup. A force was sent against Isma'il, and 

 he was beheaded in the year 878, which would bring his death to the end of 

 the reign of Barbak Shah. 



The account given in the MS. corresponds most strangely in many 

 particulars with the legend which Mr. Blochmann heard at Hugli {see 

 Asiatic Society's Proceedings, April, 1870, page 117). In that legend, Isma'il 

 is said to have invaded Orisa with success, and to have been falsely accused 

 by a Hindu of attempting to set up an independent kingdom at Madaran, 

 and on this false charge to have been beheaded by order of the king. We 



