1870. J The Bonhara Temple. 233 



but which no one dared to touch on account of the solemn in] unction, 

 said to be recorded on the marble slab, to the effect that the offender, 

 if a Hindu, was to eat beef, and if a Muhammadan, was to take pork, 

 For seven days and nights, so runs the legend, the treasure consist- 

 ing of gold and silver coins, was carried in carts to Baneepra- 

 sad's house. He was formerly one of the greatest and richest 

 zemindars in the Sub-Division, but the moment the hidden wealth 

 was dug up in spite of the solemn injunction, the ghost of the 

 original owner haunted him day and night : he never after pros- 

 pered in whatever he undertook ; he became almost insane ; his 

 wealth disappeared, no one knew how ; his estates were sold ; the 

 indigo factory he had raised on the western bank of the tank with 

 the bricks taken from the mosque, fell into disuse ; and at last he 

 died a ruined man. This is believed to be the fate of all who mis- 

 appropriate hidden treasure. In some cases, the treasure is sup- 

 posed to be guarded by hideous snakes, wasps, or ghosts. The 

 treasure often appears to its intended victim in dreams, reveals the 

 place of its concealment, and asks him to sacrifice his son or sons 

 before digging it out. If he misappropriate it without sacrificing 

 what is wanted, his children are sure to die, or he himself 

 becomes blind. Few people in this country therefore run the 

 risk of misappropriating hidden treasure. It is then no wonder if 

 Baneeprasad, after committing the sacrilege, was haunted by a 

 guilty conscience, and was reduced from affluence to poverty, as is 

 proved by the condition of his grandsons at the present day. It 

 must have been in a moment of deep repentance that he rebuilt a 

 tomb erected to one La'l Khan which he had pulled down, and 

 placed on it the tablet belonging to the mosque. 



At 7 A. m., I went to the place with a Maulawi, in order to decipher 

 the inscription on the tablet. After poring over it for nearly an 

 hour, he declared his inability to proceed further than the first line, 

 especially as the ignorant mason had placed the slab upside down. 

 After the kacheri was over at 4 p. m., I therefore visited the tomb 

 once more, and after having rubbed some ink and oil over the in- 

 scription, obtained an impression of it on paper, which was made 

 over to several learned Maulawis to decipher. Afterwards I went to 

 see another very old tank about a mile further north, which goes 

 31 



