1873.] 
245 
Part II.—HISTORICAL. 
The Muhammadan period of the history of Bengal may he conveniently 
divided into five parts— 
I. The 1 Initial period,’ or the reigns of the governors of Lak’hnauti 
appointed by the Dibit sovereigns, from the conquest of Bengal by Muham¬ 
mad Bakhtyar Kliiljt, A. D. 1203 to 1338 A. D. 
II. The period of the independent kings of Bengal, from 1338 to 1538. 
III. The period of the kings of Slier Shah’s family and their Afghan 
successors, from 1538 to 1576. 
IV. The Mughul period, from 1576 to 1740. 
V. The Nawabt period, from the accession of ’All Virdi Khan, in 1740, 
to the transfer of Bengal to the E. I. Company. 
In the following pages, I shall principally treat of the first and second 
periods. 
I. 
The Initial Period (1203 to 1338, A. D.) 
The first period has been almost exhaustively described by Mr. E. 
Thomas in his £ Initial Coinage of Bengal,’ published in the Journal for 
1867, in which he details the results of his examination of selections made 
from 13,500 pieces of silver, accidentally found in Koch Bihar in August, 
1863. I can, therefore, with regard to this period, merely give a few 
interesting inscriptions which have since turned up, and note a few coins— 
second gleanings from the Koch Bihar trouvaille —which are in the Society’s 
cabinet. 
Of the following inscriptions belonging to the Initial Period, one was 
received from General Cunningham, and the others from Mr. Broadley, who 
handed over to the Society in all twenty-two rubbings, which I have de¬ 
ciphered and translated. The original stones are either attached to old public 
buildings in the town of Bihar, or are preserved in the Museum of that place A 4 
No. 1. The Tughril Inscription of Bihar. [B. C.] 
r .. '" w 
Joe))) ^,<1^ ^0} ^ A kyUjJ) j-sc) 
* ♦♦ ** 
^ I } ^ 
yjj \JJ ^ ^ \J0 
i 5 )j \X/0 All | <a1^. ^ ^ 1 ^.XQ.!} ^ 1 ; j 
** UJ , i 
* Together with the rubbings, Mr. Broadley made over to the Socioty readings of 
several early Muhammadan coins of importance, and also a few notes on the Muham¬ 
madan buildings of the town of Bihar. The coins have since passed into the collection 
of Col. Guthrie, and have been published by Mr. E. Thomas in his ‘ Second Part of 
the Initial Coinage of Bengal’ (about to bo reproduced in this Journal). The “ notes” 
