343 
1873.] E. Thomas —The Initial Coinage of Bengal. — Bt. II. 
the definite appointment of ’Ah Mardan Khilji to the kingdom of Bengal by 
Quth-ud-din Aibak, he paid his devoirs to the new Viceroy by meeting him 
on the Kusi, and accompanied him to Deokot, where he was formally 
installed in power. When Qutb-ud-din died at Lahor, in 607 a.il, ’Ah 
Mardan assumed independence under the title of ’Ala-ud-dm ; but after a 
reign of about two years, he was slain by the Khilji nobles, and Husam- 
ud-din was thereupon elected in his stead (608 a.ii.). History is silent 
as to when he first arrogated kingly state, and merely records Shams-ud-dm 
Altamsh’s expedition against him in 622 a.h., with the object of enforcing 
his allegiance to the Imperial crown, when, after some doubtful successes^ 
peace was established on the surrender of 38 elephants, the payment of 80 
laics [of tankahs f], and the distinct recognition of Altamsh’s suzerainty in 
the public prayers, with the superscription of his titles on the local coinage. 
The Emperor, on his return towards Dihli, made over the government of 
Bihar to ’Ala-ud-din Jani, who, however, was not long left undisturbed ; for 
the Southern potentate speedily re-annexed that section of his former 
Bengal shortly "before the Muhammadan conquest has been preserved in Hamiltons’s. 
‘ Hindustan.’ The compiler does not give his sjiecific authority. 
“ During the Adisur dynasty, the following are said to have been the ancient 
geograplucal divisions of Bengal. Gaur was the capital, forming the centre division, and 
surrounded by five great provinces. 
“ 1. Bareli dr a, bounded by the Mahananda on the west; by the Padma, or great 
branch of the Ganges, on the south; by the Kortoya on the east; and by adjacent 
governments on the north. 
“ 2. Bangga, or the territory east from the Kortoya towards the Brahmaputra. The 
capital of Bengal, both before and afterwards, having long been near Dacca in the province 
of Bangga, the name is said to have been communicated to the whole. 
“ 3 . Bagri, or the Delta, called also Dwfpa, or the island, bounded on the one side 
by the Padma, or great branch of the Ganges; on another by the sea; and on the third 
by the Hugli river, or Bhagirathi. 
«4. Rarhi, bounded by the Hugli and the Padma on the north and east, and by 
adjacent kingdoms on the west and south. 
“ 5 . Maitliila, bounded by the Mahananda and Gaur on the east; the Hugli or 
Bhagirathi on the south; and by adjacent countries on the north and west.” 
«Bollal Sen, the successor of Adisur, is said to have resided partly at Gaur, but 
chiefly at Bikrampur, eight miles south-east of Dacca.” Bollal Sen was succeeded by 
Lakshmana Sen, who was defeated by Muhammad Baklityar. The author continues, 
“ it is possible that the Raja only retired to his remote capital, Bikrampur, near Dhaka, 
where there still resides a family possessing considerable estates, who pretend to be his 
descendants. Wc also find that Soonergong, in the vicinity of Bikrampur, continued to 
be a place of refuge to the Gaur malcontents, and was not finally subjugated until long 
after the overthrow of Rfija Lakshmana.”—Hamilton’s Hindustan (1820) i., p. 114. 
Ij } f f J 
Text, p. 158. yB ji J 
p. 51. Klliot’s Historians, ii., p. 315. 
lj * O/ooA- Stewart’s Bengal, 
