1S75.] H. Blochmann— History and Geography of Bengal. — No. III. 297 



Shergarh near Rohtas, about 18 miles N. W. of it; but the Shergarh 

 of Sher Shah's coinage stands for K anauj.* 



Slier Khan's first governor of Bengal, Kbizr Khan, gave no satisfac- 

 tion. He married a daughter of* the late Mahmud Shah (III) of Bengal, 

 and affected regal pomp and independence. His successor, Qazi Fazilat, 

 was an A'grah man, and seems as " Amin of Bengal" to have kept the 

 divisional officers in check ; for they gave him the nickname of Qazi Fazi- 

 hat, or ' Mr. Justice Turpitude'. 



Sher Shahf lies buried in Sahasram in Bihar. A view of the tomb 

 will be found in Buchanan (apud Martin), Vol. I. I hope in a 'short time 

 to publish the inscriptions. 



An incidental remark in the Persian Dictionary entitled Balicir-i- 'Ajam, 

 informs us that Sher Shah wore his hair, more gentis, in curls. As the 

 drying of the curls after the morning bath took some time, Sher Shah 

 transacted public business in the gliusul-lclidnali, the bath and dressing-room. 

 The custom, with some modifications, was retained by the Chaghtai emperors, 

 during whose reigns the morning and even the evening audience-rooms were 

 called ghusul-lclidnah.\ 



XXVI. JalaTuddi'n Abul Muzafifar Isla'm Sha'h. 



(952 to 960 H., or A. D. 1545 to 1553.) 



The name of this king appears to have been frequently pronounced 

 with the imctlah, i. e., Islem Shah ( s^ f^-wt ). Thus the name is often 

 spelt by Badaoni, and occurs even in the Hindi orthography of Islam Shah's 

 coinage. § It is this form which has given, rise to the further corruption to 

 Salem Shah and Salim Shah. 



I have followed Mr. Thomas in referring Islam Shah's death to the 

 year 960, in spite of the almost unanimous assertion of the historians that 

 he died a year later on 26th Zil Hajjah 961, or 21st November 155-1. || But 

 Islam Shah's coinage goes, in uninterrupted series, only as far as 960. Sup- 

 pose Islam Shah had died on 26th Zil Hajjah, 961. He was succeeded by his 

 son Firuz Shah, who after three days — one source says after several months 

 — was murdered by Mubariz Khan 'Adli, i. e., on the 29th Zil Hajjah, so 

 that 'Adli could only have celebrated his jtdiis in Muharram, 962. His 



* It lies close to ancient Kanauj. Vide Badaoni II, 94, 1. 3. 



f The pronunciation ■ Shir Shah' is Iranian, and therefore not applicable to India . 

 I have elsewhere shewn that the Muhammadans of India follow the Turani pronuncia- 

 tion of Persian. "We may be quite sure that Sher Shah pronounced his name ' sher,' 

 and not ' shir'. 



% Vide J. A. S. B., 1872, Pt. I, p. 66 note. This corresponds to our " levee". 



§ '?^j"%?T. Thomas, ' Chronicles,' p. 412. 



|| Vide Dowson IV, 505, and Badaoni. 



