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/69

Rh A few miles south of the fork, on the east side of the Nairanjan or Phalgu river, stands a group of bare rocky hills crowned by the dargah of a Muhammadan saint; it is otherwise devoid of interest.

 MIRÁPUR NÂDERÂ.

About 7 miles due east of the fort of the Phalgu at Jâru, at a village called Mirápur Nâderâ, are the ruins of Hindu temples converted or rather used up into masjids. The chief object of interest there is an old dargah, about half a mile east of the village. The dargah is ascribed to Syad Ahmad Shah, locally a very famous saint. In the dargah is a tree to which females for miles round come to the chillas with the object of obtaining children. The chilla consists of a small piece of the dress of the wearer which must be torn and tied to one of the branches of the tree; the woman tying the chilla must visit the spot quite alone and at night. The practice is common all over the Patna and Gaya districts, and so numerous are the holy spots which, when visited at night alone by females to tie chillas, are considered efficacious in procuring children, that one can hardly travel 15 miles in any direction without coming on one of them. Built into the dargah, among other Hindu materials, is a fine sculptured gargoyle serving as a drain outlet.

At the back of the village itself is a stone colonnade, the remains of a masjid consisting of three rows of pillars, six in each row, thus giving five openings. The pillars are plain; the building is now open on all sides, but there is no doubt of the existence once of the usual back wall with the mehrâb, making it a Muhammadan masjid. The root consists of stone slabs over which is laid a layer of bricks. The material of the pillars and slabs is granite; the bricks are of large size, over 12" long. The building stands on a mound, the length being north and south; at the south end a sculptured gargoyle representing a hooded snake forming a canopy over a human figure shows that the original building whose materials were used to construct the masjid was Buddhist. The floor of the building is now out of repair.

 GOWROR.

About 12 miles east by a little north from Nâderâ and half a mile off the road to Bihâr is the village of Gowror; it 