1846.] on the Western Jumna Canals. 219 



p. 76) at the end of Timur's third march from Bhatner to Samana, and 

 four marches distant from the latter place. Now Sirsa lies directly 

 in the road from Bhatner to Samana; it is upwards of forty miles 

 distant from the former and about eighty-five from the latter. This 

 is easily reconcilable with the number of marches given, especially 

 as two of these seven are stated to have amounted to 32 kos ; which, 

 if we take somewhat under 60 miles, the remaining five marches would 

 average 14 miles each, and three such marches would just give the 

 distance from Bhatner to Sirsa. Firishta also states that Timur having 

 taken and pillaged the town of Battenize (Bhatner), and after that 

 Surusti, advanced to Futtehabad(/?). This seems to fix the identity of 

 Sirsutti with Sirsa. But again, Ibn Batuta relates, that on his journey 

 from Multan to Dehli, after travelling four days from Ajudahan, he 

 arrived at the city of Sirsutti, a large place abounding in rice, which was 

 carried thence to Dehli. And from Sirsutti he proceeded to Hansi(g). 

 Now Sirsa is about 100 miles distant from Ajodin, (or Pak Patan) 

 on the Gharra, in the direct line towards Hansi. And the rich valley 

 of the Ghagar might well supply the abundant rice crops. 



The canal then which Firoz drew from the Ghagar under the walls of 

 Sirsutti, is in all probability the Choya nala, which issues from the 

 Ghagar near Munak, passes close to Sirsa, and bears evident traces 

 of having been partially, at least, an excavated channel (r). The men- 

 tion of its junction with " the rivulet of Kera" is indeed unintelligi- 

 ble. The nala in fact joins the Ghagar again, not far from Sirsa, 

 and a short distance below their union, the Revenue map shows a village 

 called Firozabad. I should be curious to know if at this village exist 

 any remains of greatness, from which we might suppose it to be the 

 city alluded to by Firishta. 



The remainder of the sentence we must leave alone. Hissar Firozah 

 might indeed have been watered by a canal from the Ghagar as well as 

 from the Jumna(s), but certainly not by a canal from the Ghagar 

 passing under the walls of Sirsutti or Sirsa. 



(p) Dow II. p. 4. 



(g) Ibn Batuta, p. 110. 



(r) See Capt. Baker's printed report on the Ghagar. 



(s) And probably was. For the late Major Brown traced an old channel from the 

 vicinity of the Ghagar, in the direction of Hissar. This, however, the natives called 

 an old bed of the Sirsutti river. But the Sirsutti has a gift of ubiquity ! 



2 G 



