548 Analysis of the Bengali Poem Rdj Mdld, [No. 7. 



in the same way as Runag had intended to strangle him. Runag being 

 in a fort sent to his brother for troops, but a forged letter was carried 

 by the messenger and the brother was so joyous on receiving it that he 

 prostrated himself on the ground, the messenger on this as instructed, 

 cut his head off and it was thrown into the fort, this so terrified Runag 

 that he ran away to an uninhabited place, his enemies found him sub- 

 sequently in a tank where he had been for two days immersed up to his 

 chin having his head covered with a rice pot, the head was cut off by a 

 soldier and carried to Amara Manik who gave him the name of Sahas 

 Narayan. Jaya Manik sent to ask why he had killed his relation, he 

 answered by dispatching troops against the Raja, who fled and was 

 overtaken : his head was cut off. 



Amara Manik mounted the throne, he was the brother of Bijaya 

 Manik, his mother was a private individual whom his father fell in 

 love with, struck one day with her beauty as she was drying her hair 

 in the sun. Amara Manik resolved on virtuous deeds by digging tanks ; 

 he ordered all the landlords of his kingdom to send coolies for this 

 purpose, accordingly nine zemindars sent 7,300 coolies. The zemindar 

 of Taraf in Sylhet refused, an army of 22,000 men was sent against 

 him, his son was taken prisoner, put into a cage, and brought to 

 Udayapur. The Raja next (A. D. 1582) marched an army against the 

 Mohammedan commander of Sylhet, whom he defeated. The order of 

 the troops in battle resembled in figure the sacred bird Gaduda, the two 

 generals in the van represented the beak, — the troops on the flanks the 

 wing, and the main army the body; during the fight both parties 

 became fatigued when a suspension of arms took place by mutual 

 agreement ; they afterwards resumed the battle, when the Musalmans 

 were defeated. Sylhet from this time (A. D. 1514) became tributary to 

 Tripura. The Raja next defeated the zemindars of Balaram who re- 

 fused to submit, on the ground that Amara Manik was not of the royal 

 line, but he was also defeated. On this occasion a Brahman was acci- 

 dentally killed, which caused great grief through the kingdom and the 

 king made a private atonement for it. After this he sacked the fine 

 city of Bakla and sold the men as slaves. He then returned to his 

 capital and performed a grand ceremony on the completion of his tank 

 as also the ceremony of tula or presenting to a Brahman gold of the 

 same weight with his own body. 



