27G H. Blochmann — History and Geography of Bengal. — No. III. [No. 3, 



mas refers the conquest of Bengal to the year 599 H., or A. D. 1202-3, 

 his authority being, I believe, the Taj ul-Madsir, which states that the fort 

 of Kalinjar was conquered by Qutbuddin in 599, and that he afterwards 

 went to the neighbouring Mahoba, where Muhammad Bakhtyar paid his 

 respects and offered presents from the Bengal spoils. Major Raverty dis- 

 poses of this statement of the Taj ul-Maasir by saying, " but this certainly 

 took place ten years before 599 H."* 



Major Raverty is mistaken, however, on his own authorities, when he 

 asserts that the conquest of Bengal took place in 590 H., or A. D. 1194. 

 According to his translation of Muhammad Bakhtyar's biography and the 

 Bibl. Indica text, we see — 



(1) That Muhammad Bakhtyar appeared before Qutbudclin in Dihli, 

 and was rejected by reason of his humble condition. 



According to Major Raverty, Dihli was occupied in 589 ; hence Mu- 

 hammad Bakhtyar must have been rejected in or after 589 H. 



(2) After his rejection, Muhammad Bakhtyar goes to Badaon, where 

 Hizabr gives him a fixed salary. 



(3) After some time, Muhammad Bakhtyar goes to Audh, where he 

 obtains certain fiefs near the Bihar frontier. He now undertakes plunder- 

 ing expeditions, which continue, according to the printed text, for one or 

 two years.] 



(4) He invades Southern Bihar and takes the town of Bihar. He 

 then goes to Dihli, where he remains for some time at Qutb's court. 



(5) The second year after his conquest of Bihar, he sets out for Ben- 

 gal, and takes Nadiya. 



Now, how is it possible, with these five chronological particulars, that 

 Muhammad Bakhtyar could have left Bihar, as Major Raverty says, in 589 

 H., to invade Lakhnauti, if Qutb occupied Dihli in 589 ?§ It would, 

 indeed, be a close computation if we allowed but five years for the above 

 events, i. e., if we fixed the conquest of Bengal as having taken place 

 in 594, or A. D. 1198. 



To continue. We further find — 



* Raverty's translation of the Tabaqat, p. 524. 



t Ed. Bibl. Indica, p. 147, 1. 12. Major Raverty has left this out. 



The conquest of Bihar, in the list of Mu'izzuddin Muhammad's victories, is styled 

 the conquest of Adwand Bihar (J-& ^jd\), f° r which the printed text has 'Awand Bi- 

 har' (jlgj <*J)I). I dare say the word intended is 5JI5 'High-ground Bihar,' i. e., 

 South Bihar. Thus a parganah of Sirkar Munger in South Bihar is called gtj^Cw 

 5JI5 Dand Sik'hwarah. The plain of Bihar north of the Ganges was not conquered 

 by Muhammad Bakhtyar. 



§ Raverty, p. 553. In note 6 to p. 550, Major Raverty says that Muhammad 

 Bakhtyar hist presented himself to the Sultan at Ldhor, but the text has Dihli (p. 549). 



