Page:Twelve men of Bengal in the nineteenth century (1910).djvu/72

58 benefit which it has conferred upon the cause of education among the Muhammadan community in Bengal is incalculable.

In 1848 two lacs of rupees were spent on enlarging and improving the Imambara itself, when the building, after many alternations since the days of its first construction by Agha Motaher, finally assumed the form which it bears to-day. It is a magnificent structure on the banks of the Hooghly, commanding splendid reaches of the river on either hand. Facing northward over the river the walls bear the full text of Mahomed Mohsin's will inscribed upon them, a striking inscription of a great gift. The inner courtyard, out of which opens the Imambara itself, has a charming air of grandeur and repose, while from the turrets that tower above it a magnificent view of the Imambara and of the surrounding country is obtained. Every where within the building itself texts from the Koran are engraved upon the walls, while many times a day the sound of prayer ascends. In one corner of the quadrangle is the Hospital supported by the funds, while in another are the rooms of the Mutwali, whose sole duty now lies within the Imambara in maintaining the religious observances enjoined by the trust. In 1867 a committee under Section 7 of Act XX of that year was appointed to supervise the management of the Funds allotted for this purpose, which amount to three-ninths of the income of the whole estate. The Mutwali appointed