.1865.] Report of the Archeological Survey. 277 
could not have been less than 34 times its base, or 147 feet in height, 
and that its floor being 35 feet above the ground the whole height of 
the building would have been 1582 feet, it is strange that no more 
detailed traditions should exist regarding the builders of so magnificent 
an edifice. I am of opinion that the temple must have been the work 
of one of the earlier Bachhal Rajas, but unfortunately the records of this 
race are too imperfect to afford any clue to the ancient history of the 
country. 
XXVIT—KABAR, OR SHIRGARH. 
370. The old town of Kdbar is situated on a lofty mound, 20 miles 
to the north of Bareli, and 26 miles to the west of Pilibhit. The ruins 
consist of a circular mound, 900 feet in diameter and 25 feet in height, 
which is still surrounded by a deep ditch from 50 to 100 feet in width. 
This was the old fort of Kdbar in the time of the Hindus, and there are 
still some remains of the walls of a large oblong building on the top of 
the mound, which the people say was a temple. The old city, which 
surrounded the fort on all sides, is now divided into four separate 
villages, called Kdbar, Islémpur, Dongarpur, and Shirgarh. All these 
are situated on old mounds which are nearly as lofty as the fort mound 
itself. The place is usually called Kdbar by the Hindus, and Shirgarh 
by the Musalmans. It is said to have been taken from the Hindu 
Rajas 550 years ago, or in A. D. 1313, during the reign of Ala-ud-din 
Khilji. Falling again into the hands of the Hindus after the death 
of Firuz Tughlak, it was again captured by Shir Shah, who built the 
fort of Shirgarh to the south of the old fort, for the purpose of keeping 
the townspeople in check. To the south of Shirgarh there is a fine 
tank, called Khawds-Tdl, which no doubt belongs to the same period, 
as Khawas Khan was the name of Shir Shah’s most trusted General, 
That portion of the town, called Islémpur, is said to have been built by 
Islam Shah, the son of Shir Shah, but it was more probably only 
re-named by Khawis Khan in honour of his master’s son, during the 
lifetime of Shir Shah himself. On the north side there is a shallow 
sheet of water called the Rim Sagar, and on the north-west there is 
an old tank called Rani Tal, which is attributed to Ketaki Rani, the 
queen of Raja Ben, the founder of the dynasty of Bdchhal Rajputs. 
The extreme length of the whole mass of ruins from east to west is 
3,500 fect, and the breadth 2,500 feet, the complete circuit being 9,800 
