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JANUABY, 1877.)
THE HILL FORTRESS OF PÅWÅGADH.
structed numerous noble buildings. He further bestowed on him large presents and a dress of strengthened the fortress on the hill, both the honour. The writer goes on to say: "And lower and upper forts, and made them what that garden is well known and famous, and by they are, viz. almost impregnable.
the natives of Gujarat this garden is called The author of the Mirat-i-Sikandri is most Halol." Afterwards a village sprang up near eloquent in praise of the different kinds of fruit this gardea, which gradually grew into a town, grown at Champâner, and especially of the man and close to this town the unfortunate Sikangoos, which appear to have been as famous in dar Shah and his equally ill-fated brother Latif their time as those of Bombay in ours. But Khân lie buried. It seems singular that, while after the reign of Sultan Bahadur, Châmpåner the once proud capital of Gujarat lies waste, seems to have been not only relinquished as a the little village which sprang up near the capital, but to have rapidly become wholly de- | carpenter's garden is still a flourishing town. serted: for the same author, writing in Ak. Chîmpâner remained, as mentioned abova, the bar's time, describes it as being then even quite capital of Gujarat till the close of the reign of waste. After a long description of the various Bahadur Shah, after which Ahmad å båd fruits and flowers grown there, he says :-"They resumed its former position and importance, say that, besides fruit trees and flowers such as which it has ever since retained. caused envy, there was so much sandal to Since its capture by Mahmûd, Châmpâner, as be found in the neighbourhood of Champáner well as Pâwâgadh, was so strongly fortified that that it was used by the inhabitants in building the upper fortress both was and is almost impregtheir houses, and it sufficed them. O Purity nable; nevertheless, whenever it has since been of God! Is that this Châmpåner which now is besieged, it has invariably fallen, strange to the lair of the tiger and lion ? Its buildings say, with scarcely any resistance. have fallen into ruin, its inhabitants have given The Mirat-i-Sikandri gives an animated detheir property to the wind of destruction, its cription of the next siege of Chêmpâner and water is as it were poisoned water, and the Pâwâgadhin A.H. 942 (A.D. 1535), when Humayun climate is such that it rapidly enfeebles the after defeating the Sultan Bahadur near Manhuman body, and in the place of each flower disor chased him to Mandu, and after capturing thorns are growing, and in place of each garden that fortress pursued him to Châmpaner, whence there is a dense interlaced jungle, and there is Sultan Bahadur fled to Khambhât, and thenco neither the name nor trace of sandal trees. to Div. Humayun followed the Sultán to ChâmHowever, the truth of this verse has been here pâner, where he gave up the lower town to shown,
pillage, and then pursued him to Khambhat, but Everything on the earth shall perish, failing to overtake him returned to prosecute
And God does what He willeth.'" the siege of this fortress, which contained all The same author describes the introduction the treasure of the AhmadAbåd kings. The of fountains into Gujarât by a Khurasani, and fortress, however, which was commanded by the laying out by him of a garden with fountains, Râjâ Narsingh Deva and Ikhtiyâr Khân on artificial waterfalls, &c., with which the Sultân behalf of the Sultân, held out gallantly. An was very pleased. It seems that this man enormous cannon, called the Bahadur Shahi, the anxious to keep the secret of his fountains un- garrison were unable, on account of its weight known, employed only ignorant labourers, and and size, to take up to the fort, and they had only wonld not allow any one to inspect the work got it up halfway when Humayun's army arwhile in progress. A carpenter of Châmpâner rived; they therefore drilled three holes in it and determined to discover the secret, disguised | left it where it was. When Rami Khân, wbo, himself as a labourer, and discovered how to deserting Bahadur Shah, had now taken service make them. He then laid out a still finer gar with his enemy Humayun, saw the cannon, he den, which pleased the Sultan even more than said he could repair it, and did so by pouring the first one, and on inquiring from the carpen- into the holes a mixture of several metals; and ter how he had learned the art of constructing though now it took a little less charge of powder, fountains, the Sultan was so pleased at his re- and the range was somewhat diminished, it was cital of the str .tagem he had practised, that he still a very formidable weapon. Regarding this
