255 
1873.] H. Blochmann —Geography and History of Bengal. 
for the first time, in Tirliut, and was glad in subsequent years to exchange 
presents with Ilyas Shah. 
As Haji Ilyas is the legendary founder of Hajipur, opposite Patna, we 
may assume that in northern Bihar the Ghandak formed the frontier ; in 
south Bihar, however, the frontier could not have passed beyond Munger, 
because the inscriptions preserved in the town of Bihar (vide below) shew 
that in 732, 737, 753, 761, 792, and 799, the town of Bihar was under Dihli 
governors. 
Just as Mubarak Shah and ’All Shah are called in the histories by their 
first name, so is Ilyas Shall also invariably called Sultan Shamsuddin. The 
name ‘ Ilyas Khaje,’ which Stewart gives, is not to be found in historical 
works. Stewart also mentions 760 as the year in which Ilyas died, but the 
histories only mention that his reign lasted sixteen years and some months. 
In 758, he had for the third time sent ambassadors with presents to Dihli, 
and Firuz returned the compliment by sending him horses ; but the Dihli 
ambassadors on reaching Bihar heard that Ilyas had in the meantime died. 
The latest of Mr. Thomas’s coins of Ilyas Shah also bear the year 75 8. # 
Ilyas Shah is nicknamed ‘ Bhangrah,’ a corruption, it seems, of the 
Hindustani bhang era, £ a seller, or eater, of the drug bhang (hemp).’ Firish- 
tah says that he does not know the origin of the word ; but Ziya i Barani 
evidently knew more about it; for he says, rejoicing in his joke,—“And 
the well known Bengal Paiks, who for years had borne the name of ‘ the 
Bengal Ancients’ or ‘ the Dead,’ had taken a quid from Ilyas the Bhang-eater, 
in order to shew that they were ready to sacrifice their lives for him ; and 
standing in front of the train of that wild maniac, together with the mouldy- 
looking Bangali Bajahs, they bravely threw about their arms and legs ; but 
as soon as the battle commenced, they put from fear their fingers into their 
mouths, gave up standing to attention, threw away swords and arrows, rub¬ 
bed their foreheads on the ground, and were consumed by the swords of the 
enemies.” A graphic description, by the way, of the Bengal Military Police 
in 1353, A. D. 
No inscriptions have hitherto turned up that mention Ilyas Shah ; nor 
does the author of the Biyaz, who had a good personal knowledge ol the 
ruins of Gaur and Panduah, speak of any buildings erected by him. He 
only says—‘ It is said that Sultan Shamsuddin made in Bengal a reservoir 
in imitation of Hauz i Sliamsi at Dihli.’ 
* Iteinaud, however, quoted by Marsden (p. 5G6,note) mentions two Sunnargaon 
coins of 754 and 760. The MS. of the Riyaz belonging to the .Asiatic Society of 
Bengal mentions 758 as the year in which the last ambassadors left for Dihli; Stewart 
has 759 j and the Tabaqat and Firishtah, who copies from it, have ‘ in the end of 
759.’ The earliest coin of Sikandar figured by Mr. Thomas (Journal, As. Soc. of 
Bengal, 1867, Part I, p. G3, and PI. II, No. 12) belongs to 761. 
