300 Arabic and Persian Inscriptions in the Hugli District. [No. 4, 



Dr. W. Oldham, C. S., lately sent me a rubbing of a black 

 basalt inscription in Tughra, found near the village of Sikandar- 

 pur in the 'Azimgarh District. It refers to the building of a 

 mosque which was completed on the 27th Eajab, 933, and NuQrah 

 Shah is mentioned as the reigning sovereign. 



D. Panduah. 



The great mosque of Panduah has no inscription, nor did I see 

 one on the tower. Plates VIII. to X. shew the interior of the 

 mosque, its principal niche at the side of the pulpit, and three of 

 the most finished basalt pillars, with the Budhistic bells, of which 

 there are also many on the outer wall of the mosque. Plates XI. 

 and XII. give views of the tower, east of the mosque, and its door. 

 The tower is drawn froni a photograph ; the other views are 

 excellent drawings by Mons. Jules Schaumberg. To complete the 

 series of plates, a view of the mosque itself would be required, as 

 also a drawing, shewing some of the numerous ornaments on the 

 outer walls, which are in excellent preservation. 



The mosque which stands to the west of the Ast.nah of Shah 

 fafi has four inscriptions, of which one is inside. They are un- 

 fortunately very high from the ground, and it was with much 

 difficulty that I could get a good facsimile of one, and an imper- 

 fect one of the central tablet. I hope at some future time to get 

 a complete rubbing of the latter, which is the most important of 

 the four. From the imperfect rubbing which I have at present, it 

 is clear that the mosque was built during the reign of AbulMu- 

 zaffar Yusuf Shah, son of Barbak Shah (1474 to 1482). 

 The other inscription contains blessings on the prophet, and has 

 therefore no historical value. It runs — 



Inscription XIII. (Arabic). 



w i 



J* ^ r U y iJJjKj , a+s" J! ^ , ^" ^U J^> r «U) 



The lam and zi of ahzamdn are in one, and the ze touches the mim, which 

 has the initial form. Here we have again the saja' 



Mr. Laidley says that there are many monuments in Bengal of Husain Shah's 

 munificence. An Arabic inscription referring to the digging of a well in 



