202 
J. Wise —On the JSdrah Bhuyas of Eastern Bengal. [No. 3, 
father of Malitab. A few years ago it fell down, and the inscription, which 
is now quite illegible, is still preserved. 
Under the Ghazi rule there were many dependent talukdars, paying 
revenue direct to the head of the family. Each of these possessed a piece 
of land near Chaura, where his “ basi-barf” stood. These houses have 
disappeared; but the talukdars still hold the lands on which they stood, 
and pay rent for them to the present Hindu zammdar of Bhowal. 
II. Chand Ra'i and Kedar Hal of Bikrampu'r. 
The large and important parganah of Bikrampur, then on the west of 
the Ganges, which contains the residence of Ballal Sen and the settlements 
of several of the Rarhi Kulin Brahmans, was governed by two brothers 
Chand Rai and Kedar Rai. They were kayasths, and their padbi,” or 
family title, was He. 
The tradition is, that about a hundred and fifty years before the reign 
of Akbar, Nhn Rai came from Karnat and settled at Ara Phulbaria in 
Bikrampur. He is believed to have been the first Blniya, and to have 
obtained the sanction of the ruling monarch to his retaining the title as 
an hereditary one in the family. 
Nothing is known of the other descendants of Nim Rai ; but at the 
time we are now writing of, the two brothers, whose names are always 
mentioned together, were Bhuyas of this extensive parganah. 
Between Tsa Khan of Khizrpur, whose stronghold was on the opposite 
bank of the Ganges, and the two brothers there was constant warfare. ’Isa 
Khan made a successful raid into his enemies’ country, carried off and 
forcibly married Sonai (Svarnamayi), the only daughter of Chand Rai. 
This is the only story that remains in connection with the two brothers. 
Several memorials, however, of these Bhuyas still exist. There is the lofty 
Rajabari Mat’ll, which is a prominent land-mark for miles around, on the 
left bank of the river Padma (vide plate XI). It stands at a short distance 
from where the great city of Sripur formerly was. This Mat’ll is a four¬ 
sided tower, twenty-nine feet square at the base. In the first thirty feet, the 
walls are ornamented with various patterned bricks in imitation of flowers. 
The middle of each face is raised and ribbed. The walls are eleven feet thick, 
and the bricks used in their construction are of peculiar shape. The}' - are 
larger than those found in Muhammadan buildings of the same age, being 
eight inches square, and one and a half thick. On the summit is a large 
spherical mass, round which several picturesque pipal trees have entwined 
their roots and are gradually destroying the stability of the spire. 
This Mat’ll was a shrine dedicated to Shiv ; but as it is buried in the 
midst of dense jungle and marshes, it is rarely visited at the present day. 
