224 
H. Blochmann— Geography and History of Bengal. [No. 3, 
Barros’ ‘ Beino Cospetir,’ a name that puzzled me long, is clearly ‘ the king¬ 
dom of the Gajpati,’ or Lord of elephants, the title of the kings of Orisa, the 
final r being nothing hut the ending of the Bangali genitive. Sirkar Madaran 
was indeed the frontier of Orisa ; but if the legends of the Hugli District speak 
of the Gajpatis having once extended their kingdom to the Ganges (Hugli 
Biver), it must have been prior to the time when Satgaon became the seat 
of Muhammadan governors. 
It is remarkable that among the names of the jungly and hilly frontier 
districts, we find so many ending in bhum. Thus we have Birbhum 
Sainbhum, along the left hank of the Ajai, in Birbhum district; Sik’harbhum 
or Shergarh, the mahall to which Baniganj belongs ; Gopibhiim, along the 
right bank of the Ajai; Bamanbhum or Brahmanbhum, in northern 
Medinipur District ; Manbhum, Barahblium, Dhalbhum, Singbhum, in 
Chutia Nagpur ; Tunbhum, in southern Parulia ; Malbhum, the frontier 
of Bardwan and Medinipur Districts; Bhanjibhum, with the town of 
Medinipur,fi &c. Similarly, the frontier district between Bangpur and the 
Brahmaputra, comprising Mahalls Bliitarband and Bahirband, is called 
in Shuja’s rent-roll 1 Bangalbhum.’ 
I mentioned Mahall Mandalg’hat at the confluence of the Bupnarayan 
and the Hugli as the south-western frontier of Bengal. The Districts of 
Medinipur and Hijli (south-east of Medinipur) were therefore excluded. 
They belonged to the kingdom of Orisa till A. H. 975, or A. D. 1567, J 
when Sulaiman, king of Bengal, and his general Kala Pahar defeated 
Mukuncl Deb, the last Gajpati. Even after the Afghan conquest, Medinipur 
and Hijli continued to belong to the province of Orisa, when Khan Jahan 
Afghan was appointed by Daud Shah governor of Orisa, Qutlu Khan 
Lohani being made governor of Puri. On the 20th Zi Qa’dah, 982, (3rd 
March, 1575) Mun’im KhanKhanan, Akbar’s general, defeated Daud 
Shah at Tukaroi or Mughulmari, north of Jalesar, and in the peace of 
Katak, in the beginning of 983, Bihar and Bengal were ceded. In 
984, Daud again invaded Lower Bengal, but was defeated and killed on 
the 15th Babi’ II, 984, near Ag Mahall by Husain Quli Khan Jahan, 
when Bengal was again annexed to Dihli, and the Afghans withdrew to 
Orisa. Then the Bengal Military Bevolt broke out, and Orisa was invaded, 
in A. H. 1000, (A. D. 1592) by Man Singh, when the country was 
finally annexed to the Dihli empire. Hence Medinipur and Hijli appear 
* The name occurs in the Ain as a Mahall j but as name for a large division it 
does not seem to have been used before the 18th century. 
f The A'in also mentions a mahall Bhowalbhum under Sirkar Madaran j modern 
maps do not give this name. 
% So according to the Akbarnamah. Stirling fixes an earlier date ; but Sulaiman 
i*eigned from A. H. 975 to 980. Besides, Akbar sent in 972-973 ambassadors to 
Mukund Deb. 
