1837.] condition of Oujein or Ujjayini. 843 



At this time, the chief mulla of the sect, (which had been for some 

 years settled in Yemen,) was Zoheib bin Musa. Egypt obeyed the 

 rule of the caliph Mostemsir Bill ah, and Sadras Singh governed 

 the Hindu kingdom of Piranpatam." 



Now Mostemsir, say most authorities, died A. H. 487, and his 

 grandson HAPEDH,the 11th caliph, reigned from 524 to 544. 



The Guzerdt chronicles, though very confused at this period, agree 

 better with the above date ; for Siddha, or Ja ya Singh, of which Sadras 

 may be a corruption, was king of Anhulwaranpatam in 1094. Yaku'b 

 having landed at Cambay, was received into the house of a mali named 

 Kela, whose hospitality to a stranger soon met a reward, for the 

 garden-well becoming dry, the prayers of his guest caused water 

 again to rise in it. The gardener naturally approving of such a con- 

 venient faith, immediately adopted it, and Yaku'b learning the Gujerati 

 language with surprising quickness, soon gained as a second proselyte, 

 a boy the son of a brahman. 



The king Sadras, and his two dewans, the brothers Tarmall and 

 Ba'rmall, used to pay frequent visits to Cambat, for the purpose of 

 performing puja at a temple, much celebrated for an iron elephant, 

 which hung in mid air, a chamakpdn having been let into the roof 

 above it. The zealous Yaku'b caused a block of stone to be cut to 

 the size and shape of the loadstone, removed the original slab, and sub- 

 stituting his own, the elephant of coarse fell to the ground*. The 

 daring author of the profanation, who made no secret of it, but when 

 they were eagerly searching for him, boastfully exclaimed, " adsum qui 

 feci," would have been immediately sacrificed to the rage of the 

 idolators, but he represented that it was folly to put him to death, 

 merely because he was more powerful than their god, of which he had 

 already given them one proof, and of which he was prepared to offer 

 another. Let your god said he, dry up that tank, if he succeed kill me; 

 if he fail acknowledge my superiority. The eloquence of the preacher 

 touched the simple Indians, who consented with joy to the trial ; but 



* It will immediately occur to your recollection that the Gaznavide 

 Mahmud performed the feat in the same country ; Dow, i. 71. The story 

 is a very old one, and Bayle in his article " Mahomet" gives some amusing 

 quotations on the subject. 



Yaku'b might have learnt the secret at Alexandria, where in the temple 

 of Serapis there was a similar argumentum demonis. — Sed cum quidam dei 

 servus inspiratus id intellexisset magnetem lapidein e camera subtstroxit, &c. &c. 

 Prideaux, who had a large faith, and others have argued upon the possibility 

 of the suspension. 



