Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 1.pdf/83

 MARCH 1, 1872.]

SKETCHES OF MATHURS. en

SKETCHES OF MATHURA. By F. S. GROWSE, M.A., B.C.S. I.--THE BRAJ MANDAL.

HE modern district of M at hur à is in its

form the result of political exigencies, and consists of two tracts of country which have little or nothing in common beyond the name which unites them. Its outline is that of a carpen

ter's square, of which the two parallelograms are nearly equal in extent, the upper one lying

mile. The soil, he says, was rich and fertile, and specially adapted to the cultivation of grain and cotton, while the mango trees were so abundant that they formed complete forests. The fruit was of two varieties; the smaller kind turning yellow as it ripened, the larger re

due north and south, and the other at right

maining always green. From this description it would appear that the then kingdom of M a

angles to it, stretching eastward below. The head-quarters of the local administration are situated on the line of junction, and are there

Do a b in the direction of Main puri, for there the mango flourishes most luxuriantly and

fore more accessible from the border district of

almost every village boasts a fine grove, where

A ligarh and the independent state of B ha r at pur than from the greater part of their own territory. Yet the position is the most

as in western M at hur à it will not grow at all,

central that could be determined in an area of

that, notwithstanding the number of monasteries

such eccentric outline.

and stüpas mentioned by the Buddhist pilgrims as existing in the kingdom of M at hur à, no

The eastern parallelogram, comprising the parganas of Jal e s ar,” S 'a d a b a d,t and half of M a hå-b a n, is a fair specimen of the ordi

t hur à extended east of the capital along the

except under the most careful treatment. In support of this inference it may be observed

traces of any such buildings have been discover ed in the western half of the modern district,

nary character of the Do a b. Its luxuriant crops and fine orchards indicate the fertility of the soil, and render the landscape not unpleas ing to the eye; but, though far the most valuable part of the district for the purposes of the farmer and the economist, it possesses few

except in the immediate neighbourhood of the

historical associations to detain the antiquary.

th ur à, at the time of Hwen Thsang's visit,

On the other hand, the western parallelogram, though comparatively poor in natural products, is rich in mythological legend, and contains a series of the master-pieces of Hindu architec ture. Its still greater wealth in earlier times

included not only the eastern half of the modern district, but also some small part of Agra, and

is attested by the one solitary specimen which has survived the torrent of Muhammadan bar barism. Yet widely as the two tracts of coun try differ in character, there is reason to believe that their first union dates from a very remote period. The Chinese pilgrim Hwen Thsang, who visited India in the seventh century after

Christ, describes the circumference of the king dom of Math ur à as 5,000 li, i. e. 950 miles, taking the Chinese li as almost ; of an English J aſ es' war, “Lord of water,” is very appropriate to the position of the town, which stands between two branches of the river Sarsa, on an artificial hill formed by excavation of the surrounding country. Hence in the rains it is often a complete island. The fort, which rises from its centre, is locally said to date from the time of Kutb-ud-din (which
 * Ja 1 e s ar, a slight modification of the original form

should probably be corrected to Ala-ud-din), and to have been founded by the Ráná of Chitor, (the then capital of Mewar,) who, being vanquished by the Muhammadans in his

capital. In M a in puri, on the contrary, and more especially on the side where it touches M at hur à, fragments of Buddhist sculpture may be seen lying in heaps in almost every vil

lage.

In all probability the territory of M a -

the whole of the S h i koh a b a d and Must a -

fă b a d parganäs of Main puri; while the remainder of the present Main puri district formed a portion of the kingdom of S a n k is a, which extended to the borders of K an auj.

But all local recollection of this exceptional period has absolutely perished, and the mutilat ed effigies of Buddha and Mayå are replaced on their pedestals, and adored as Brahma and Devi by the ignorantvillagers, whose forefathers, after long struggles, had triumphed in their overthrow. It is only the western half of modern M a thur à, considered as the birth-place and abid own country, fled into these parts across the Jamunā near Mahá-ban, routed Saiyid Ibrāhim, the local Governor, in a pitched battle, and took possession of the town. The tomb of Saiyid Ibrāhim, who fell on the field, is still shown and venerated as a sacred shrine, an annual fair called ‘the

urs mela being celebrated at it in the month of Shabán. -

+ S'ad & b & d was founded by an eminent historical char acter, S'adullah Khán, the able minister of the Emperor

Sháhjahán. He died in 1655 A. D.