554 Analysis of the Bengali Poem Raj Mala, [No. 7. 



madan troops however were defeated, but in a second invasion the 

 Raja fled and Jagat Rama was made Raja, a large body of Moslem troops 

 was stationed in Tripura, its name was changed to Raushanabad, or city 

 of light : as it was an essential part of the Moslem polity wherever they 

 gained an ascendancy to alter the names of persons and places, like 

 the Russians with their Panslavism, they aimed at making the Arabic 

 language as well as religion predominant wherever the Crescent shone. 

 In a similar way the Muhammadans in India made a knowledge of 

 Persian a sine qud non as a qualification for office, their great policy was 

 to denationalize the Hindus by discouraging the study of the Sanskrita 

 and Vernacular languages, — but after the operation of this system for 

 six centuries in Bengal, what has been the result 1 When the glorious 

 measure of Lord W. Bentinck was promulgated, directing the Verna- 

 culars to be the language of the Courts, Persian found few advocates 

 except in interested Amlas and Maulavis who realised their profits by 

 mystifying the people through the veil of a foreign language. Persian 

 as a branch of education is almost extinct in Bengal except in a few 

 Madrassas. 



By ingratiating himself with* Jagat Set, the wealthy banker of 

 Murshidabad, the old Raja regained his throne, and reigned for 

 eighteen years subsequently ; he had the Mahabharat and other 

 old books translated for him. His son succeeded him and refusing 

 to pay tribute he was taken prisoner, but to avoid further indignities 

 he poisoned himself. Jaya Manik succeeded, but the eldest son of 

 the late Raja, who had long resided at Murshidabad, through hi3 

 influence with the Nawab gained the throne, promising to pay up the 

 arrears of tribute ; but he did not remain long on it, an intrigue was 

 formed against him at the Court of Murshidabad, and Indra Manik 

 was placed on the throne by the Nawab, an intrigue was formed against 



* Jagat Set, or the banker of the world, a title he received from the Court of 

 Delhi, was a member of a Jain family, as famous for banking transactions as the 

 Rothschilds ; Burke said of them that their transactions were as extensive as the 

 Bank of England. Holding the purse strings they possessed almost unlimited 

 influence at Murshidabad which continued until the Exchequer was removed to 

 Calcutta in 1772. At one period when the Mahrattas plundered Murshidabad 

 Jagat Set lost one crore of Rupees, but the loss seemed to trouble him little, he 

 had so much treasure in store. 



