118 H. Blochmann — Belmerick' s Hdnsi Inscriptions. [Mat, 



were read in it, and also prayers for the soul of the builder. Ziyd-i-JBara- 

 oil, p. 380. 



Hansi is occasionally mentioned by the historians of the reign of Firuz 

 Shah III. (1351 to 1383, A. D.). Not long after his accession, Firiiz Shah, 

 on a visit to Hansi, was taken to task by the renowned Shaikh Kutb-uddin 

 of Hansi, and was warned to give up wine drinking and hunting. Kutb's suc- 

 cessor, Nur-uddin, refused the king's request to emigrate to Hisar Firuzah.* 

 Firiiz Shah had some reason to treat the Hansi Shaikhs with consideration. 

 Badaoni (I, p. 242) relates that Firuz Shah, when only a Malik, received from 

 Shaikh Na9ir-uddin, the ' lamp of Dihli', the promise of the throne of Dihli. 

 When Muhammad Shah ibn Tughluk, the reigning king, heard of it, he 

 gave orders to bring Malik Firuz and Shaikh Na9ir as prisoners to him in 

 Sindh. When they passed Hansi, Shaikh Badr-uddin (a descendant of 

 Shaikh Jamal) exclaimed, ' Here they take a prisoner to his throne, and he 

 knows it not.' On reaching Tattah in Sindh, the escort reported to Mu- 

 hammad Shah the arrival of the prisoners, and they were ordered to kill them 

 at once. But as the king during the interview was drunk and his son had gone 

 on a hunting expedition, the escort set Malik Firuz at liberty, who immedi- 

 ately, with the consent of the nobles, raised the standard of revolt, and had Mu- 

 hammad Shah's son killed. When Firuz Shah returned as king from Sindh 

 to Dihli, he gave Shaikh Badr-uddin Parganah Chaurasi as a present. 



Hansi escaped the fury of Timur : the prayers of the saints protected 

 the town, as well as Hisar Firiizah. 



In 814 (A. D. 1411) we find that the district {hhittah) of Hansi was 

 held by Malik s Idris and Mubariz Khan his brother ; and some time after, 

 during the reign of Mubarak Shah II., Hansi was taken from MaHk Eajab 

 Nadir and was given to the Malik-ushshark, the king's nephew. 



Ibrahim Lodi (1517 to 1525, A. D.) used the fort of Hansi as a State 

 prison. Hamid Khan was governor during his reign. Hamid Khan, who is 

 mentioned below in Inscr. VI, was defeated by Prince Humayiin in 1526. 

 This victory was Humayiin's first exploit ; hence Babar gave him Hansi 

 and Hisar Firiizah as^ay/r. 



During the reign of Akbar, who on a visit to Hansi in 986 H. (1578 

 A. D.) offered up prayers at the shrine of Shaikh Jamal, Mahall Hansi 

 belonged to Sirkar Hisar Firuzah. It contained, according to the Am 

 836115 bighahs, and was assessed at 5434438 dams, or 135861 Akbarshahi 

 Rupees, inclusive of 130056 dams (or 3251f BujDees) madad-o-ma' dsli land. 

 Abul Fazl mentions Rajputs, Multanis, Jatiis, and Jats, as the principal 

 tribes of the district and believed the maliall caj^able, or liable, to raise a force 

 of 500 horse and 7000 foot. 



Elliot in his Glossary (Beames, Races of the N. W. Provinces, I, pp. 



* This Nur-uddin of Hansi was the preceptor of Shams-uddin 'Afif, the historian. 



