1889.] 



Editor — Bains and Antiquities of Edmpil. 



■2:, 



In order to clear up the matter as mucli as possible, Maulawi Abul 

 Khair, at my request, was good enough pei'sonally to visit the different 

 localities and himself procure impressions of the two inscriptions. I 

 subjoin the Substance of his interesting letter. 



" As arranged I went yesterday to Munshiganj to see the mosque at 

 QaV.i Qasbah. I took with me as my guide a man who proved to be not so 

 well acquainted with the locality as I expected. He had informed me 

 that there was another old mosque at Rikabibazar [No. I] which was 

 close to the ffh&t where we were to land from the steamer. We landed 

 at about llO'Ol. and proceeded to the latter mosque. We found it to be in 

 a dilapidated condition, though there were signs of its being used as a 

 prayer-house. It appeared to have been an edifice of elegant structure 

 with a floor, 15 cubits square, and one dome. The bricks are all polished 

 and carved, and the corner* and edges are so neat that from a distance 

 they seem to be stones. The cement used is a whitish substance, not 

 ordinary surkhi and lime, but perhaps powdered stone and lime, or 

 something else. There was no inscription in the mosque, but on 

 enquiry we learnt that the stone was removed aud placed in another 

 mosque [No. II] in the neighbourhood recently built. There we repaired 

 and found the inscription. The stone not being good many of the 

 letters are corroded, and are not decipherable. I have taken an impres- 

 sion, however, which I send to you in a separate cover for whatever use 

 you may think fit to make of it. It is dated seven hundred and odd, 

 which I could not read. The name of the month is Zi-l-Qa'dah. 



" We then proceeded towards Qazi Qasbah, and after a tedious journey 

 reached the mosque [No. III]. My disappointment was great when I 

 found that the mosque, though old, did not jiresent any interesting feature, 

 the construction being of an ordinary type, no ornamentation or elegance 

 having been attempted. Besides there was no inscription ; the stone I 

 was informed had been removed by the Collector of Dacca, during t-ho 

 proceeding of a lawsuit between rival claimants to some land belonging 

 to the mosque. The only interesting thing that we fouud there was a 

 Hindu idol, carved out of a block of stone, lying with the face down- 

 ward and forming a step to the verandah of the mosque. I had 

 become so fatigued that I feared I would not be able to return to the 

 ghat without some sort of conveyance. But none was available. I was, 

 however, informed that the route we had taken was a circuitous one, aud 

 that the ghat would not he very far from that place by a short-cut 

 through Rampal. I further learnt that we would pass hy the mosque of 

 Biiba A'dam [No. IV]. This news somewhat enlivened me, and I was 

 on my legs again. We passed by the famous Ballalbari, of which 1 snw 

 the ditch about a hundred yards wide. The Ballalbari or palace of 

 D 



