Page:The Indian Antiquary, Vol. 4-1875.djvu/304

 Octobeb, 1875.] EIGHT ARABIC ANT) PERSIAN INSCRIPTIONS. 289 EIGHT ARABIC AND PERSIAN INSCRIPTIONS FROM AHMADABAD. BY H. BLOCHMANS, MA.., CALCUTTA MADRASAH. A SHORT time ago, Mr. Burgess sent me -£*- eight very excellent photozincographs from rubbings of A hmada bad inscriptions, of which I now give readings and translations, together with a few notes. These inscriptions add somewhat to our know- ledge of G u j a r a 1 2 history ; bat it would be desirable to have more, and also to obtain a complete set of Gujarati coins of the Muham- madan period. Inscriptions I and n belong to mosques built by A h m a d S h a h (I.) of Gujarat, who is de- scribed as the son of Muhammad Shah and grandson of Muzaffar. M u z a f f a r appears to have been a converted Hindu ; for Mnhaui- madaa historians generally call hi m Muzaffar Tank, i.e. Muzaflar of the Tank tribe * It is noticeable that his grandson does not style him 1 Shah' ; in fact, only in Inscription V does he appear with this title. Like the founder of the Jaunpur dynasty, he does not seem to hare struck coins. On the other hand, Mu- hammad Shah, Ahmad Shfih's father, though styled Sli.tli. has no place in history ; but he is mentioned in inscriptions and on coins. Ahmad Shah, or, according to his fall name, Nfisirudd in AbnlFath Ahmad Shah, built Ahmad a bad near the old village « w a 1. The foundation tookplaee on "th 7A Qa'dah 813, or 4th March 1411, when Che presence of ' the fonr pious Gnjariiti Ahmads' rendered tha undertaking auspicious. According to the legendf, the saint Ahmad K h a 1 1 il (bo called from the bownofKba^u, near tiT&gar) had settled in Gujarat during the reign of Sul- tan Muzaflar, who held him in great respect. Ahmad Shah, too, often visited the Sliaikh, and on one occasion expressed a desire to see the prophet Kluzr (Elias). The Shaikh's prayers and certain ascetic penances performed by Ah- mad Shah brought about the desired meeting, and when the king asked Khizr to tell him some- thing wonderful, the prophet said that informer • JWardinfr the Tank tribe vid« Beamea'a edit SUtntfriiaeaqftoi N.W.P- roLI.ro. 100, lit; Cun- wghiim, Arch. Report*, moI. 11. p. 8; Tod's XAjaathAn, rol. I. pp. I03ff. (Mad- vd., p. t Tide At* translation, I. p. 507, where a biographical 11 also be found on Mir Abil Turib, whose mia- solemn in AhmadabAd is described by Fergussoa, Architec- ture of Ahmaddb&d, p. 63. times a large town had stood on the banks of the Sabarmati, where now only jungle grew, name of the town had been B4 daub Ad. This town had suddenly disappeared. Ahmad Shah asked whether be might not build a new town on the spot. Khizr said that he might do so ; but the foundations would not be safe unless four persons of the name of Ahmad came together who had never in their life omit- ted the afternoon prayer (W). Ahmad searched throughout the whole of Gujarat, but found only two Ahmads that fulfilled the con- dition, viz. one QaziAhmad and one M a I i k Ahmad. Those two the king took to .Shaikh Ahmad K hat t u, who then said, 'lam thy third.' The king said, 'Then I am the fourth Ahmad.' The town was thus founded. Wheu the walls of the fort had been raised to about a man's height, the fonndations unexpectedly gave way at one place. The king and the Shaikh in- spected the locality, when a man whose name was MunikJog! came forward, and said that the presence of the four Ahmads at the laying of the foundation was not sufficient to secure the permanence of the undertaking : the place where the fort had been commenced was his property, and the fort would not stand without his consent. The difficulty was, however, set- tled when the king agreed to call a part of Ahmadabad after the name of Milnik Jo»i.t No other misfortune befell the rising town. Shaikh Ahmad Khattu died in $49 A.U., three years after Ahmad Shah. He lies buried at Sarkhaj, south-west of Ahmadabad, near the right bank of the river. Inscription UI§ belongs to the reign of Q n t b- nddin A bul Muzaffar Ahmad Shah IL, often called in histories Quth Shah. His full name is now known. Inscription W is from D a s t u r Khan's Mosque — the same as figured in Fergusson'a itecture of Akmaddbdd, plates 86, 87. Malik Ghani Dasturul-Mulk (i. e. ' Vaztr of the J Honco tbo M a n i k B a r j. or M&nik B&stioa. west of Sh&h Abnuul's Mosque, where the Bbadr touch*-- Sabarmati ; vide the plan of Ahmadabad in Ftirv ussoa'a Architecture of AhmadAMd. § From ' Hazfct Shin's' Moscne. near the Kiranj. It is a small building on the plan of the Mandip of a J ma tem- ple with doable pillars in front. It has awry apjiearance of baring been an appropriation of a Sravuk fane. — Efl,