MONGHYR. 89 
stone of the country, which takes a high polish, with white marble 
tablets, in which are inlaid verses from the Koran in black stone. 
The inside is built of the same materials, several feet from the 
ground : the floor is mosaic, in square compartments. The baths 
are also in tolerable preservation, as is the Devan Khanah, or hall 
of audience. The different courts are still inclosed, and the whole 
of the Zenana may be traced in the ruins, not made by time, but 
by the hand of man. The whole appears to have been of tolerable 
architecture, and, considering the beauty of the situation, was 
altogether worthy of being the residence of a sovereign prince. 
Near to the palace is a very large well, to which you descend by a 
long and wide flight of steps : it is never dry, and is supposed to 
have a subterranean communication with the river. This is called 
the singing well ; and the natives firmly believe, that every seven 
years is heard, at the bottom, the noise of singing and music, such 
as was produced by the nautch girls* in the neighbouring Zenana. 
They say that when Sultan Suja was obliged to fly to Rajamahal, 
he put to death all his women whom he could not take with him, 
by immuring some in the walls of the well, and by throwing the 
others into it. I enquired why these unfortunate females limited 
their rejoicing to once in seven years ; but could obtain no satis- 
factory answer ; nor can I hope that even the profound researches 
of the Asiatic Society will be able to discover the cause. Hodges 
has published a view of the gateway, which has no resemblance to 
it, neither was it worth drawing ; for though the walls, and con- 
sequently the gateway, are very lofty, yet the architecture has 
* The dancing and singing girls of India, of which every man of high rank has a 
private set. There are others who exhibit for pay at any house. 
