1841.] Of the early History of Sindh. 1 87 



son Dahir succeeded to the throne, and his brother Dihir was ap- 



Dahir, the son of pointed governor of Burhamanabad. He made a tour 

 Chuch-his reign. of hig dominions> and after a treaty of peace with the 



governor of Rinnan, returned to Alor. When he had for some time 

 occupied himself in adjusting and arranging the affairs of his country, 

 he consulted the astrologers as to his future fate, and that of his do- 

 minions ; they told him that neither in his own, nor in his brother's ho- 

 roscopes could they discover any evil sign, but that in his sister's it 

 was written, that whomsoever she married, should possess the country 

 of Sindh ; this sorely perplexed Dahir, who finding the thought of 

 his losing power and empire too intolerable to bear, determined to 

 confound the fates, and avert the evil threatened, by marrying his 

 own sister ; his subjects and those about him tried in vain to dissuade 

 him from so unnatural a proceeding, but his superstition was insur- 

 mountable, and with all the forms of his religion he married her.* 



When his brother Dihir heard this, he was sorely incensed, and 

 wrote a letter full of bitter reproaches to Dahir, for the disgrace 

 which he had brought upon his family, adjuring him to make all the 

 reparation in his power, by breaking off so unholy an alliance. 



Dahir' s infatuation would not admit of this, and he excused himself by 

 assuring his brother, that beyond the mere ceremonies of marriage he 

 had committed no sin.f Dihir determined to punish his brother, and 

 with this intent collected a large force at Burhamanabad, with which 

 he marched upon Alor, and encamped under the walls of the city ; 

 through the intervention of the mother, peace was concluded between the 

 brothers, and Dihir died shortly afterwards of small pox, in the city of 

 Alor. Dahir proceeded to Burhamanabad, and having appointed 

 another deputy to govern it returned to Alor, where he busied himself 

 in completing the fortifications, which his father Chuch had begun. His 



* Capt. Hart in a letter to me quoted, in No. 108 (p. 1216 of vol. ix. Asiatic 

 Society's Jour.) mentions the remains of an ancient city in Upper Sindh, called by the 

 country people " Dumb-i-Dilora-Shah," traditionally said to have been destroyed on 

 account of the king having married his sister. He referred me then to the " Chuch 

 Namuh." The tradition refers doubtless to the " Alor," of the history, making it how- 

 ever the name of the king instead of the city, and to the story of Dahir. ifi 



t It is but just to add, that in all the manuscripts from which this sketch is com- 

 piled, Dahir is particularly represented as not having added the crime of incest to his 

 other follies. 



