” 194 B. Bandyopadhyaya—Humir Rasd, [No. 3, 
A few days after returning to Dehli, the merchants called a pandit to 
search for a lucky hour in which to lay the foundation-stones of the temples. 
The pandit replied, “TI shall tell you the time, but it is no use your building 
the temples, because an emperor has been born who, it is predicted, will pull 
down all the sacred edifices to the dust.” The merchants said “ Where 
lives such an emperor?” “In a carder’s house, playing in the dirt,” 
was the pandit’s reply. The merchants were shown the house. They filled 
two silver plates with mohars and, placing two diamonds on them, presented 
them to Al4-uddin at the playground. Thereupon the boy said—“ See, Sirs 
I am but a poor carder. I need not such valuables. Pray, take these to the 
prince in the royal palace.’? The merchants replied “ You are our prince, 
the sole master of our lives and property.”’ Ala-uddin looked pleased. He 
kept with him only the diamonds and divided the mohars among his play- 
mates. Then said he, “ How do you know, merchants, that Iam your 
prince ? Who told you so?” “A pandit’’ was the merchants’ reply. 
Alé-uddin.—* Bring the pandit to me, and without delay give him 
these silver plates.” 
Accordingly the merchants took the pandit to Ala-uddin, who asked 
him as follows : 
Ald-uddin.— Brahman, are you sure that I shall be an emperor ?” 
Pandit.— Yes, certainly Iam. May it please your Royal Highness to 
grant the request of the merchants.’ 
Ald-uddin.— Merchants, what do you want to be done ?” 
Merchants.— We beseech your Royal Highness to give us permission 
to build two temples.’ 
Ald-uddin—‘ Never can I grant such an unreasonable request. I 
have made it a point in my life to pull down all temples tothe dust. The 
gods have unjustly cursed me by throwing me into such a miserable state, 
and I will drain the last drop of my blood in wreaking vengeance on 
them. But as you have done me honour and made me aware of what I shall 
be, I feel bound to make an exception in your case. Goand build the 
temples, but on their roofs raise mud-walls to the height of a cubit and a 
quarter. Those walls shall I pull down, when I shall set out on a erusade 
against gods and their holy buildings.’ 
The playmates of Al4-uddin, when they returned home from the play- 
ground, told their parents, how their Alid distributed mohars among them 
and ordered the merchants of Ujjain to build temples. On hearing this 
news the emperor had Alé-uddin brought to the palace, while the boy who — 
had been brought up there was sent to the carder’s hovel. 
Alé-uddin married the daughter of Bubak Shah of Kandahar. A year 
after his marriage, he ascended the throne of Dehli. It is written that he | 
