Page:Report of a Tour Through the Bengal Provinces of Patna, Gaya, Mongir and Bhagalpur; The Santal Parganas, Manbhum, Singhbhum and Birbhum; Bankura, Raniganj, Bardwan and Hughli in 1872-73.djvu/204

180 at the lines of junction of the four thatches is much gentler than elsewhere, and, as a consequence, leaks are more frequent at these than elsewhere; to give to these lines the same, or nearly the same, inclination as the other portions of the roof, the corners have to be lowered; hence the curved outline of the ridge and cave lines.

Upon the side of the hill, and overlooking the fort below, are a number of temples; they are all massively built, and the occurrence of the true dome and the true arch in them stamps them as of the post-Muhammadan period; the great dome of the mahamandapa of the large temple is of an early date, as it is without bulge, and is crowned, not by a foliated cap, but by a small top knot; I ascribe it, therefore, to the period of Mân Singh; the temple is known as Raghunâth’s mandir, having been built by a Rájá of that name; an annual fair, lasting one day, is held here.

The gates of the fort had inscribed slabs let in, which would have fixed the date of their erection and the name of the Rájá that reigned then; they are much injured, but enough remains to fix the date of two of the gates,—the Duár Bándh and the Khoribári gate; each slab consists of 6 lines of Bengali characters, and they appear to be duplicates of each other; there is mention of a Sri Vira Hámira, who, we know from other sources, reigned over a large tract of country, extending in the south-west as far as Chátná near Bánkurá; the date is either Samvat 1657 or 1659, the figure in the units place being alone doubtful through wear, which would bring it to about 1600 A. D., when we know Mân Singh, Akbar's General, was Viceroy of Bengal. The fort having thus been proved to date only to Mân Singh, the temples, both on the hill and at the foot, cannot date earlier, and that on the hill cannot, from its style, be of later date.

The legendary accounts of the origin and establishment of Pachet may be thus related.

Anot Lal, Rájá of Kâsipur, was going, with his wife, on a pilgrimage to Jagannath, when the Ráni gave birth to a child in Aruna Vana (the present Pachet). The Rájá and Ráni, unwilbng to delay on account of the child, determined to abandon it, thinking that they could easily get other children, while the fruits of the pilgrimage could not be so easily got, so they proceeded on to Thákurdwárá; the fabulous cow, Kapilá Gai, who used to live in Arunban, seeing the child abandoned, took upon herself to feed it with her milk, mid thus the child lived on and grew up, and remained in the jangal.