IIS Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [April, 



wards to bathe in the Bhagirati. "You have disturbed my 

 prayer," exclaimed Isma'il to the Devs, " come down and perform 

 the service which T shall impose upon you as a punishment." " We 

 cannot interrupt our flight to the river," replied the Devs, " but on 

 our return we will do whatever thou commandest." After some 

 time the Devs came back, and presented themselves before Isma'il, 

 who commanded them to build, at the place where he was, an 

 immense fort, after the model of the fort of Lanka (Ceylon). The 

 Devs at first objected,because they had never been in Lanka ; but, as 

 Isma'il remained firm, they quickly despatched one of their number 

 to Lanka, and before morning dawned, the Fort of Madaran was 

 completed. The new fort was immense ; in fact it consisted of 

 seventy-two forts, and was therefore called Buhattargarh, or seventy- 

 two forts, ' which the ignorant vulgar has changed to Bhitargarh 

 or * Inner Fort.' Thi 3 alteration appears the more natural as round 

 about the seventy -two forts, at an immense radius, a round wall 

 extends, which, in opposition to Bhitargarh^ is now-a-days called 

 Bahirgarh? 



"But the circuit of the Fort which the Devs had built in one 

 night, was so great that much land belonging to Hindus had been 

 taken away for it. Now there was a Brahmin in Brahmanganw, 

 half a mile north of Bhitargarh, who had some influence (rasdi) 

 with Husain Shah ; and as a tank belonging to him had been 

 taken within the new fort, he went straight to Gaur and told Husain 

 Shah that Isma'il prepared for a revolt. Had he not built an 

 immense fort near the frontier of Orissa, without telling the king ? 

 This appeared convincing, and Husain Shah sent a messenger to 

 Madaran, to recall Isma'il to Court. Isma'il was just superintend- 

 ing the digging of a tank near Gog'hat, about four miles east of 

 Madaran, when the order (farmdn) came. Hence the tank is even 

 now-a-days called Farmandig'hi, the Tank of the Order. 



" Isma'il obeyed the call of his king ; but no sooner had he arrived 

 in Gaur, than he was executed by Husain Shah. 



"When the head had been severed from the body, strange to 

 behold, the headless trunk mounted a horse that stood near, and 

 rode off in the direction of Madaran, whilst the head flew up and 

 followed the rider, hovering high in the air perpendicularly above 

 the body. 



