OR CUTTACK. 9M 



formance of their devotions at his temple. To say nothing of other fruitful 

 sources of jealousy and animosity, this interference alone was sufficient to 

 produce many bloody encounters between the two nations, in which success 

 was often doubtful. On the whole however, the native Princes suffered 

 the most severely, and gradually sank before the superior energy and civili- 

 zation of the Moguls. The Rajas had at first established their residence at 

 Pipley; afterwards they retired to Rathipnr; and finally built their fort and 

 palace in a naturally difficult part of Khurda, where they were found settled 

 in 1803. During these contests in and about Puri, the images so much 

 venerated by the one party and abhorred by the other, were twice or thrice 

 carried away across the Chilka Lake, and concealed amidst the hills, until 

 the times appeared favorable for again setting them upon their thrones in 

 the temple. This religious warfare was at last set at rest by the institution 

 of the tax on pilgrims, which if we may credit the author of the work trans- 

 lated by Gladwin, under the title of History of Bengal, yielded to the 

 Mogul government a revenue of nine lacs. Under such circumstances, reli- 

 gious antipathies however strong on the part of the ruling power, must have 

 yielded gradually to considerations of self-interest. 



The Afghans did not disappear from the field as disturbers of the peace 

 f Cuttack, until J 611 A. D. when having again risen under Osman Khan 

 the son of Kattali, they were defeated with great slaughter on the Subanre- 

 kha by Shujat Khan from Bengal, and compelled finally to submit. They 

 then settled peaceably in many of the principal villages of the district, and 

 their descendants at this day form no inconsiderable Musselman popula- 

 tion, under the general denomination of Pathans. 



On the side of Rajwara, the Rajas had to maintain many fierce contests 

 with the Khetri chiefs or zemindars subordinate to them, who became tur- 

 bulent and unruly in proportion as the power and consequence of the chief 

 of their class declined. Frequently, no doubt, a spirit of aggrandizement 

 urged the Rajas to become the aggressors. Of the operation of either one 



