] 837.] old Mandavt in Raepur. 649 



press they bear. The love for the marvellous amongst the natives ha» 

 magnified the extent and importance of Old Mandavi to a city 2 coss in 

 circumference, carrying on double the trade of the present and more 

 modem port. I found the greatest visible extent of its ruins from 

 E. to W. to be 200 paces, but as the khdri bounds them to the N. 

 and W. the yearly freshes carry away some part of the foundations ; 

 so that from their present appearance little idea can be formed of the 

 real extent of the place. Tn the absence of all historical record, as 

 is usual with many places presenting a similar appearance in Cutch, 

 a legend or legends is attached to it, and it is related to have been 

 the consequence of a curse (sirap) denounced upon it by a holy men- 

 dicant (Dharmanath), the founder of the sect of jogies called Kan- 

 phatties : — they have a temple said to be built in the time of Rao 

 Lakh a in the middle of the ruins : the village of Raepur on the op- 

 posite bank of the khdri is tributary to the same establishment. 

 There is no reason to doubt that Raepur was formerly a place of trade 

 and importance, the khari from the sea to some distance above Raepur 

 is of considerable width, never less than 800 yards, and in places I 

 should think even more. It is by no means unusual for the sea to recede 

 from places similarly situated, and the abandonment or destruction of the 

 old port may either be attributed to this cause rendering it no longer 

 available for trade, or it may be the effect of either earthquake or famine, 

 to both of which calamities Cutch has at all periods been subjected. 



Cutch above all places abounds in legends and traditions ; the 

 more marvellous the higher they are prized. The following as being 

 connected with this ancient city of Raepur, and the impression in the 

 Ghadira coins* I have committed to paper for the amusement of the 

 curious in such matters. For all the inconsistencies which may be 

 observed therein, I beg leave to decline any responsibility ; I merely 

 profess to give a correct translation of the fable as it has been at 

 various times related to me. As this legend also represents the 

 destruction of Raepur by Vikramajit the son of Indra, it is evident 

 that it must have been rebuilt before Dharmanath could have 

 vented his malediction upon it. The native way of accounting for 

 this is, that it was rebuilt, and that the coins are the work of a 

 king Gaddeh Singh, who struck them in commemoration of the story 

 of Vikramajit. It was during his, Gaddeh Singh's, reign (about 

 450 years since) that the city of Raepur was again destroyed, — but 



* The square copper coin sketched by Lieut. Postans has the effigy of a 

 bull, not an ass : though it might be readily mistaken. —Ed. 



