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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA,
Raja Samanta Deva from about 920 A.D.16 These districts had the misfortune to be plundered by every invader who came to the Panjab, from Mahmûd of Ghazni till the present century, so that there are everywhere remains of destroyed villages; they were laid waste by Mahmûd the Ghaznavide, by Timur, by Shihab addin Ghori, by Babar, by Nadir Shah, by the Marathas, and by the English under General Lake. Now Mahim belongs to the district of Rohtak lying 19 miles north-west of the town of Rohtak; also in former times, before Akbar, both appertained to one sarkár, the older name of the tract of country being Hariána. 'Abbas Khân states in his Tarikh-i Shérsháhi (Elliot. Dowson's History, vol. IV, p. 415) that Sher Shah 'gave the sarkár of Sirhind to masnad • Ali Khawas Khan as jágír, who kept in that sarkár his slave Malik Bhagvant at the capital Dihli. Mian Ahmad Khân Sarvânt was amír, and 'Adil Khan and Hâtim Khân shiqdár and faujdár.' If Dihlt was the capital of Malik Bhagvant's sarkár, it is to be supposed that Rohtak and Mahim were also allotted to his province. Under Akbar they were separated : Rohtak fell to the Dihli sarkár, and Mahim to sarkár Hisar Firôza. The din-i Akbart has the following details concerning them : Mahim has a fort of burnt brick; 188,080 bighas, 4,958,613 dáms naqdi, 84,202 dáms sayurghál. The inhabitants were Tunvar Rajpats and Jats, 700 horse, 2,000 foot (I, 527). Rohtak has a fort of burnt brick; 636,835 bighas, 8,599,270 dáme naqdt, 428.000 dáms sayurghál. Jats; 100 horse, 2,000 foot.' (I, 519). At Rohtak Kai Khosrau, grandson of Balban and designated heir of his throne, was murdered by Kai Qobad's emissaries.
Both towns, especialiy Mahim, bear traces of great importance in past times. The following inscriptions refer to five mosques at Mahim and four at Rohtak. The most important and interesting of the nineteen Rohtak and Mahim inscriptions is No. 33. below.
24. Over the central outer arch of the new mosque in Rohtak, the tomb-stone of Firoz Khan is now placed. It measures 3' 8' by 8", and contains two lines. The letters are partly illegible :
تمام شد این بقعه شیر در... [۲] در عهد نیکر [۶] حضرت بابر بادشاه غازي خلدالله ملکه رسلطانه
[?] ole time [?] Kis kény
فیروز خان بن مسند عالي احمد خان بن ...... جمالخان مرحومین بتاریخ دهم ماه ربیع الاخر سنه اربع رثلثين وتسعمایه
“This tomb ..... has been finished in the prosperous time of his Majesty Babar Badish4h-1-Ghazi-may God perpetuate his kingdom and his rule !-The tomb of ...... the high Masnad
"Firoz Khân, son of the high Masnad Ahmad Khân, son of ...... Jamal Khan, both defunct, on the 10th Rabi'al awwal 934" (4th December 1527].
Firoz Khan is mentioned in Babar's Memoirs and in the Akbarnáma, 932 A.D., as a renowned officer who was generously rewarded along with other men of merit by Babar after the victory over Ibrahîm Lodi. Besides one kror of tankas-(according to Babar's Memoirs,-1 krór 46 Takhs and 5,000 tankas, p. 384) from Jaunpur, he received some jágir (chizí jágír). The emperor sent bim afterwards against Itâwah.
* Cunningham's Reports Archæological Survey of India, vol. XVI, p. 136.
* It may be remarked incidentally that the mention of Rohtak in the text of the Tulaqdb-i Nasirí, p. 217, is not correct, as Captain Raverty states iu bis trauslation of that work, p. 693, Lote 7.
