354 Notice of Inscriptions in Behar. QMay, 



According to tradition, and the Mahabharut, Chrishna murdered 

 the Raja of Mathurah, who was the son-in-law of Jarasanda, in or- 

 der to obtain his dominions ; upon which Jarasanda waged war with 

 the Eastern Apollo, and compelled him to fly with all his milk maids 

 to the west coast of India. Some years after, however, having obtain- 

 ed the aid of the Pandava Princes he returned with an army headed 

 by Bheem and Arjuna. At Girick a pitched battle was fought, and 

 Jarasanda is said to have fallen by the hand of Bheem. A detailed 

 description of the pillar is to be found in Buchanan, page 79. It is 

 called by the natives the Bythaki, or seat of Jarasanda ; but it is not 

 improbable that it may have been erected either in commemoration 

 of his victory over Chrishna, or of his death in the final battle. It is a 

 solid brick building, without any inscription or image; about two- 

 thirds of the height from the ground there are three projecting cor- 

 nices about a foot apart, the intervals being decorated with carved 

 ornaments, the principal of which is a gurha, or vessel for holding 

 water. 



The inscriptions of Nos. 8, 9, and 10, were presented to me at 

 Sasseram by Shah-Kubeerood-Deen, the Syjadah Nusheen of a reli- 

 gious endowment at that place. 



No. 8 was taken at Tarachundee, two miles south-west from 

 Sasseram ; the date is 3rd Jeyte 229 Sumbut (a. d. 1 72), and Raja 

 Dowul Pertab is the author. 



No. 9 is an inscription on a rock by the same Raja, at a place 

 called Amjur, near Phoolevaria, ten miles south from Sasseram — the 

 date is Bysack 2nd, Sumbut 229, or a. d. 172. 



No. 10 is an inscription found on a stone at the summit of a hill 

 near Sasseram, called Chundun-Shaheed. It is in the ancient charac- 

 ter of the Allahabad and Bettiah Pillars, the decyphering of which 

 has conferred immortal honor on the name of James Prinsep. The 

 following inscription is taken from the gateway of the palace on the 

 summit of the celebrated hill fortress of Rhotas. From this it ap- 

 pears that the palace was built in 1005 Hijree, (1596, a. d.) by Raja 

 Man Sing, viceroy of Behar and Bengal in the time of Akbar. 





