1870.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 187 



VIII. — Notes on Arabic and Persian Inscriptions in the District of 

 HugM,—by H. Blochmann, Esq., M. A., Calcutta Mad- 

 rasah. (Abstract). 



Mr. Bloclimann said — 



I have collected fourteen Arabic and four Persian inscriptions from 

 Tribeni, Panduah, Satganw, and Dinanat'h. The Arabic inscriptions 

 are all in large Tughrd characters with, the letters much interwoven, 

 which renders the reading extremely difficult, and is very likely the 

 reason why these inscriptions, though so near our metropolis, have 

 never been collected. Another source of difficulty is this, that the 

 greater part of the inscriptions does not belong to the places where 

 they now lie. Thus the tomb of Khan Muhammad Zafar Khan 

 at Tribeni contains two inscriptions imbedded in the side of the 

 sarcophagus referring to the building of a Madrasah, and the second 

 inscription (published by Mr. D. M o n e y in J. A. S. B. Vol. XVI, 

 p. 397) which only forms the concluding portion of the sentence, 

 is put first. The public buildings in Satganw and Tribeni de- 

 cayed in the course of time, and vanished altogether, but pious 

 hands have rescued their inscriptions and stored them up round 

 about the hallowed spots of Zafar Khan's tomb, and Fakhruddin's 

 enclosure, or even fixed them into the tomb walls at the time of 

 repairs, as if these spots were the museums of inscriptions of the 

 Hugli District. 



Seven of the Arabic inscriptions collected by me add to our scanty 

 knowledge of Bengal History and Geography. The earliest (Tri- 

 beni) inscription gives the year A. H. 698, or 1298 A. D. ; the 

 latest (of Satganw) A. H. 936, or 1530 A. D. 



The following geographical names occur on the inscriptions — 



1. The town of Husaindbad the Great. 



This is evidently Husainabad in the Murshidabad district. A 

 village of the same name lies between Satganw and Tribeni, not 

 far from the spots where tradition still points to the site of the royal 

 horse and camel stables ; but its foundation, according to the 

 tradition, belongs to the times of Husain Shah the Good. 



