156 W. Irvine — Tlie Bangasli Nawdbs of Mtrruhhdbdd. [No. 2, 



Then he would receive a present in cash and goods, to the amount that his 

 fate had willed for him. 



The Nawab is said to have had a peculiar affection for the tune (rag) 

 known as Bihdg. On his birthday the singing women and male dancers 

 (bhahta) were assembled from every part of the territory. About nine 

 o'clock in the evening, the Nawab used to come to the Diwdn-hhdna, with 

 all his most costly jewels on, seated in his fringed palhi " Fath-nasib." 

 (Fated to Victory.) This palhi got its name from being the one used by 

 the Nawab during the battle, in which he totally defeated 'Abd-ul-Mansur 

 Khan, Safdar Jang. At the side of the palhi walked all the leading 

 Pathans and the Nawab's cousins and nephews. There was a general illu- 

 mination and discharge of fireworks. At this time no other kind of singing 

 was allowed except the Bilidg. 



The Nawab's taste was for highly decorated buildings, and where he 

 slept, he had the walls adorned with pictures of himself and his friends. 

 During his time he built six palaces. 1st, The Khas Mahal, where in 

 1839 Bibi Achhpal (widow of Muzaffiar Jang) lived, and its doors, said to 

 be copied from those of Harbong's foot at Jhusi, still showed the decorated 

 work. 2nd, The Mubarik Mahal. 3rd, The Salabat Mahal. It was 

 situated at the back of the Moti masjid. Originally the doors and ceilings 

 were gilt, but before 1839 the colour had been scraped off and taken away 

 to extract the gold from it. 4th, The Hall of Audience in the Mubarik 

 Mahal, occupied in 1839 by Wilayati Begam, widow of Nawab Nasir Jang 

 (1796 — 1813). 5th, The Kamani gate of the fort. A stone, removed 

 from this gateway in 1858-9, is preserved at the Sadr Tahsil ; it is in shape 

 like a milestone, and bears the following inscriptions in raised letters : 



I. Zahi hdb daulat bar afrdshtand Hind-ash chu hutb-i-falalc sdhhtand 



Baru nur razed 'z eharhh barin Chu bdrdn-i-rahmat barue-zamin 

 3Iatin muhham o ustwdr dmdah Chu uftdd falahi kardr dmdah 

 3£dh o sdl an hdtif dil-nawdz Bagufta " JDar-i-faiz didam bdz. ,y 



(1172) 



II. Nawdb in darwdzah rd ta'mtr ehufarmudah ast 

 Yah hazdr yah sad haftdd isnd budaJi ast. 



6th, Some buildings and repairs to a fort at Mau Bashidabad, which has 

 now entirely disappeared. 



The Nawab also paid attention to repairing the fort, restoring the city 

 wall and renewing the Haiyat Bagh, where Muhammad Khan, his father, 

 and Kaim Khan, his brother, were interred. In the open space between the 

 fort wall and the gate of the Diwan Khana he put up a Guldl-bdr (a royal 

 pavilion.) * There the leaders and commanders and lieutenants came and, 



* See Blochmann's " Ain i Akbari," Vol. I, plate X for a representation of one. 



