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 MULTAV DISTRICT.

quarter soon came to an end, as the country appears shortly afterwards to have passed under the rule of the Gupta dynasty of Magadha. At a later period, Greek influence may once more have extended to Múltán under the Bactrian kings, whose coins are occasionally found in the District. The early Arab geographers mention Múltán as forming part of the kingdom of Sind, ruled over by the famous Rájá Chach. During his reign, the well - known Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Hiuen Tsiang, visited Múltán, where he found a golden image of the sun, from which General Cunningham derives the modern name of the city, though other authorities connect it rather with that of the Malli.

Sind early fell a prey to the aggressive Muhanınadan power, and Múltán District, like the rest of the kingdom, was conquered for the Khalifat by Muhammad Kasim. During the decline of the Khalifs, their influence naturally grew weak in the remote Province of Sind; and about the close of the oth century, two independent kingdoms sprang up, with their capitals at Mansura and Múltán. A native Arab dynasty of Amirs continued to reign over the country about the junction of the Chenáb and the Sutlej, until the rise of the Ghazní Empire.

In 1905, Sultan Mahmúd laid siege to Múltán city, and having conquered it, with the whole of Sind, continued thereafter to appoint the governors. After passing for a time under the dynasties of Sumra and Ghor, the District regained a brief independence in 1442, under Shaikh Yusaf, an officer appointed by the people themselves. But when the Mughal princes consolidated the whole of Upper India into a single Empire, Múltán passed under their wider sway; and it remained the capital of one of their subahs till the imperial organization fell to pieces. On Nadir Shah's invasion in 1738-39, Zahid Khan, a Sadozai Afghán, was appointed by Muhammad Shah to be Nawab of Múltán. He founded a family which long continued to rule in the Bári Doáb, in spite of frequent interruptions by Maráthás and Afgháns.

The history of the District during the latter half of the 18th century comprises the usual tangled details of Sikh and Muhammadan dynastic revolutions and internal warfare. At length, in 1779, Muzaffar Khán, one of the Sadozai family, succecded in obtaining the governorship of Múltán. Though constantly harassed by the Bhangi Sikhs, he managed to develop considerably the resources of his Province. Ranjit Singh several tiines attacked his capital, but was compelled to retire. At length, in June 1818, the Sikhs conquered the city, after a long siege, by a desperate assault, in the course of which Muzaffar Khán was slain, with five of his sons.

After passing rapidly through the hands of two or three Sikh