1875.] H. Blochmann— History and Geography of Bengal.— No. III. 275 



was possible to draw a square, the area of which was equal to eight — let us 

 say — square packs, and the side of which was therefore a graphical re- 

 presentation of the square-root of eight. 



But we have to go still a step further back. ' Karani' meant originally 

 not the side of a square, but the rajjuh karani, the cord used for the mea- 

 suring of a square. And thus we see that the same word which expressed 

 in later times the highly abstract idea of the surd number, originally denot- 

 ed a cord made of reeds which the adhvaryu stretched out between two 

 wooden poles when he wanted to please the Immortals by the perfectly 

 symmetrical shape of their altar. 



Contributions to the History and Geography of Bengal (Muhammadan 

 Period). No. III. — By H. Blochmann, M. A., Calcutta Madrasah. 



(With a plate.) 



Major Raverty's copiously annotated translation of the Tabaqat i Na- 

 9m furnishes in its chapters on the Mu'izzi Sultans of Bengal a few items 

 of local interest and raises some points for discussion. First of all, as far 

 as chronology is concerned, the necessity of dating back a few years the 

 conquest of Bengal by Muhammad Bakhtyar Khilji* has become clear. 

 Major Eaverty fixes upon the year 589 H., or A. D. 1193, as the year 

 when Qutbuddin established himself in Dihli. Several sources give 588 ; 

 some give 587, or 1191 A. D., which last date Mr. E. Thomas looks upon 

 as " consistent with the best authorities." The conquest of Bengal, again, 

 is referred by Major Raverty to the year 590 H. (A. D. 1194), or one year 

 after the occupation of Dihli as computed by him. A MS. history of Gaur, 

 made by Munshi Syam Prasad for Major Franklin, appears also to fix upon 

 590 as the year in which Bengal was conquered, because it states that the 

 life and the reign of Lakshman Sen extended from 510 to 590. Mr. Tho- 



* The Burhdn i Qdti' gives the spelling 'Khalaj ', and the Tahran edition of the 

 Farhang gives " Khalaj, a tribe in the desert near Sawah." Major Eaverty writes 

 ' Khalj ', and thus follows the older Indian dictionaries as the Ibrahimi, Kashful-lughat, 

 and Madarul-afazil ; but the common Indian pronunciation of the adjective, whether 

 right or wrong, is Khilji. The coins of the Malwa kings, on which ' Khilji' is made 

 to rhyme with ' multaji', favour the pronunciation ' Khalaji'. But in forming adject- 

 ives of proper nouns, vowels are often changed. Thus in Arabic ' Bicri' from ' Bacrah'. 

 Or forms are shortened, as ' Kashi ' from ' Kashan'. Hence ' Khilji ' from ' Khalaj ' or 

 ' Khalj ' would not be unusual. That ' Khilji', with an i, is old, may be seen from the 

 pronunciation of the towns of Khiljipur, of which one belongs to Sarangpur, the other 

 to Rantanbhur. 

 L L 



