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110
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(APRIL, 1908.
There is also a carious piece of wrought iron work lying in the fort. There are said to have been originally two of them, brought from Songni. Tradition, possibly judging from their appearance, says they were the axles of the cart used to convey the great monoliths. Whatever their use, they are apparently of some age. The diagram below gives the dimensions. The holes a and b pass completely through the mass: the portion c and d is a cube of 7 ius. : the parte and c is circular with a diameter of about Gins.
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Plate III, Fig. 3, shows the Muhammadan gate lending up the main street to the fort.
MISCELLANEA. THE LEGENDS OF MOHAN BÅRI. | dung in the bottom and only thin layer of ghi on MOHAN Birt is an ancient village in the Rohtak top, so that when the bardt (wedding procession District, Pasijáb. According to the District arrived, the supply of that commodity ran short Gasetteer the coins found there are the well and the widow was diagraced before her guests. known ones of Raja Samant Deva (flourished In consequence she cursed her brothers for their circa $20 A. D.).
faithlesonees, with the result that their village An old tank contains a fragmentary inscription
was ruined. which reads -
Another story is told of the place : Once a
faqfr took up his abode on the Rani ka talab, Sammat 1014 Åsah badi
where he passed his days in religious meditation. 9 Bedfran bhi yasta.1
The king's son, however, turned bim away, whereLegend says tbat Mohan Bart was once a place | upou the faqer, opening his eyes wide in anger, of some importance, destroyed owing to a curse said that he had heard that the Raja was free invoked upon it, the usual explanation given in from avarice and that he treated all men justly, Indian legend of the ruin of city or the but now he knew that he was a bad ruler; and overthrow of a kingdom. The following tales so he cursed the place and it became a ruin. The are current about the place :
prince returning to his father told him all that Once upon a time a bride re-visited her bad occurred, but though the RAJA searched high father's house to receive her bhat, bat before and low for the faqir, he was unable to find him, she could return to ber father-in-law's house her and his rdj came to an end. husband died and she remained a widow in her It is also said that a dhani, or sacred flre,' is paternal home. There she gave birth to a seen here at night and that torches are occasion. daughter, and when the child grew up she asked ally seen also, and the sailddr Dhani Ram has her brothers to help her in the celebration of her himself seen them, but on following their light wedding ceremonies. This they promised to do, nothing could be found. The light is said to and as their sister said she would not need help sometimes more in the direction of Jhårli village. in money, they agreed to send her an ample supply The name of the Raja was Mahojit, and he had & of ghf. But in filling the jars they pluced cow small garden or bari whence the name Mohan
1 Mr. E. A. A. Joseph, the Settlement Officer, writes :-"A local pandit says the last three words are written backwards and should be read Suka mistart! There are a number of old arvings here, some worked into the walls of the masonry ghat at the tank or into those of temples and houses, and two lying loose. The two latter are the best: one in sandstone representa a trinity of male nude figures, arowned with small elephants and ot The other in marble has & seated Buddha and an excellent representation of an elephant. Both are apparently of Buddhist origin. Amongst the rains of the old site is also a 'Sayyid's' (or Shahld's) grave, built within Living memory by & sdooessful contractor on the railway worke."
f athar i will-o'-the-wisp than a faqir's dhunt.--(E. A, A.J.).
