46 Kutila inscription from Monglyr. [Feb , 



years ago, clearly mentions Muclga-giri as the place from which Deb Pal 

 issued his grant. I am unfortunately Avriting ^Yithout books to refer to, 

 and am trusting to my memory, but the exiDression which has been trans- 

 lated 'victorious camp' is in my opinion used by the Pal Rajas, and also by 

 the Sens, to denote their roj^al residence. Its application by the Sen Rajas 

 to Bikrampore, certainly in one copper-plate, and, I think, in more, appears 

 to prove this, Bikrampore being well known as the capital of the Sens. It 

 is interesting to find an inscription of Mahi Pal, two or three generations 

 later than Deb Pal, on the spot which was Deb Pal's residence. Looking 

 to the natural position of Monghyr, on a rock washed by the Ganges, it is 

 reasonable to suppose that it would be maintained as a stronghold by the 

 rulers of the land, whoever they were, and at the time of the Muhammadan 

 conquest it was probably held as an important position by the dynasty, 

 whatever it was, which the Muhammadans displaced. I have met with very 

 few early Muhammadan buildings the materials of which do not show clearly 

 that they had belonged to buildings earlier still, and also that those earlier 

 buildings were of a Buddhist origin. Buddhism had probably ceased to 

 exist before the advent of the Muhammadans, but the religious buildings of 

 the Buddhists do not seem to have been destroyed. I think that tho 

 worshippers of S'iva, or of the Brahmanical Pantheon, adapted them to 

 their own rites, as may be seen at Buddha-Gaj^a at the present day. The 

 shape and size of the old bricks found about Monghjr are the same as 

 those of the bricks in Southern Dinajpur and Bogra where Buddhist re- 

 mains are numerous, being no longer than they are broad, eight or nine 

 inches square, and two or three inches thick. 



The following note by Dr. R. L. Mttra. was read on the subject : — 

 " Mr. Westmacott's letter is interesting, and should be read at the next 

 meeting. The date of the inscription being incomplete, it cannot be used 

 for any historical purposes. The figure visible appears to me more like 9 

 than 1. The curled end of the second figure would indicate a 3, and there 

 was probably a third. The second inscription is too smudgy to be of much 

 use. I think Mr. Westmacott is right in taking it for a mason's mark. 



I have not the original of the old inscriptions to refer to. The words 

 translated ' from the victorious camp' are generally f^5T^ ^3^1^ and 

 as * kataka' means both a * camp' and a * capital', either rendering would 

 be verbally correct. In some cases, however, the word Skandhdvdra is used, 

 and there ' camp' is the only rendering admissible." 



Mr. GuiERSON pointed out that, according to tradition, there had once 

 been a famous king, called Mahi Pal Deb, in Rangpur. The chief town 

 of that district, Mahiganj, was said to be called after him. With refer- 

 ence to the Itangpur Pal dynasty, he referred the meeting to his Intro- 

 duction to the " Song of Manik Chandra," published in the Journal of the 



