1881>.] Aantosli Gupta— Ruins and Aul iijii.it iea of Rdmpdl. 



17 



inconsistent with the genealogies of the Gkatakas and are therefore 

 not opposed to tradition. I think the inscriptions support the view that 

 the Senas were of the Varna Saukara or mixed caste. Manu recognises 

 three classes of mixed castes : (1) Murdhdvasikta, or those born of Brah- 

 niaua fathers and Kshatriya mothers, (2) Ambashtha, those of Brahmana 

 fathers and Vaisya mothers, who are identical with the modern Vaidyas, 

 and (3) Mdhishya, horn of Kshatriya fathers and Vaisya mothers. There 

 was no practical difference between the Ambashthas and Mahishyas, 

 and Vidyablmshana, the author of Laglinbharata, called the Mahishyas 

 Vaidyas. He calls Vira Sen or A'disiira, the founder of the Sen family, 

 a Mahishya. Remembering that they were Kshatriyas on the father's 

 side, the Maliishya or Sen Rajas of Bengal naturally traced their descent 

 from the lunar race of Kshatriyas, and this explains the epithets in the 

 inscriptions recently discovered. Probably the Mahishyas and Vaidyas 

 became gradually amalgamated, and the Sen Rajas came to be regarded 

 as Vaidyas. I am finally of opinion that the Sen Rajas were never pure 

 Kshatriyas, nor originally Vaidyas, but were Murdhavasiktas or Ma- 

 hishyas, who were both allied to the Vaidyas. The distinction afterwards 

 wore away, and the Senas became gradually amalgamated with th e 

 Vaidyas. 



I will now proceed to describe briefly the principal ruins and 

 objects of interest in Rampal. I have visited them several times during 

 my incumbency as subdivisional officer of Munshiganj, and carefully 

 collected all the traditions and legends by which they are enlivened. 

 First of all, I will take the Masjid of Ba-A'dam* or the mosque conse- 

 crated to the Muhammadan faqir of that name. It is a pretty large, 

 strong, brick-built mosque with a high arched dome. The bricks are 

 of the same small size which characterize old Muhammadan architecture. 

 The mosque has two massive stone pillars which are apparently snatched 

 from a Hindu temple, and which tradition identifies as the gadds or 

 clubs of Balliil Sen. It is in a dilapidated state, but is worth pro- 

 serving. It has a stone tablet in front which bears an Arabic inscrip- 

 tion, a reduced facsimile of which is herewith published (see Plate V). 

 It will be observed that it states that the mosquo was built by Badshah 

 Path Shah bin Sultan Mahmud in 880 Hijri or 1475 A. D. It is there- 

 fore 41-4 years old. The faqir to whose memory it is dedicated died, 

 however, in 1106 A. D., (supposing Ballal Sen to have died after a 

 reign of forty years) or 369 years before the mosque was erected. f 



* [Tho real namo of the faqir is Babii Adam, of which Ba-Adam is a more 

 vulgar corruption ; another corruption, Babardam, is mentioned in Arch. Survey 

 Rep., vol. XV, p. 134. Ed.] 



t There is a similar mosque with a somewhat similar inscription in Qii?! Qa;.- 



