________________ 378 Homage to Vaisali gram, viz. Din-i-Muhammad Shud Qawi. He returned to Arabia and his three sons, Israel, Ismael and Abdul Aziz were left to propagate Islam in eastern India. He died in Mecca where his grave is still shown. Shaikh Qazin was a descendant of Ismail, the uncle of Makhdum Sharfuddin, the great saint of Bihar Sharif. Of the three sons of Shaikh Qazin Shuttari, the tomb of one Makhdum Abul Fateh Hadiatullah Sarr ast lies at Tangaul, near Hajipur, on the bank of the river Gandaka, while that of the other Makhdum Abdur Rahman is situated at Sarayyaganj, Muzaffarpur. The third Shah Mansur Hallaj alias Makhdum Shahid died fighting with his father against the Cheroo chief of the locaity at modern Baniya-Basarh. Shah Mansur was the father of the celebrated saint named Shaikh Ruknuddin who died on 18th Jamadi II, 1117 A. H. - 1705 A. D. and whose tomb is situated at Jandaha in Hajipur sub-division. The spiritual guide of Shaikh Qazin was Shaikh Abdullah Shuttari the grand pir o Shah Mubammad Ghaus one of the greatest saints of India, one of whose devoted disciples was Emperor Humayun. An annual fair is held on the tomb of Shaikh Qazin at Basarh on the pinth of the bright fortnight of Chaitra when thousands of people assemble to pay homage to the saint and offerings of sweet-meats are made at the shrine. On our way back from Vaisali we paid a visit to Lalganj and many ancient sites in Hajipur and its neighbourhood. The little town of Lalganj lies twelve miles north-west of Hajipur. It is situated on the east bank of the Gandaka and is protected by the Gandaka embankment. The gazetteer does not mention the mosque and the maqbara which is an old one. The three-domed mosque contains an inscription which translated runs thus: "In the name of God, the merciful and the compassionate. There is no God but God. This house is a place of worship of Allah the Great. In position and prestige it is bigher than the skies. The date of the year is being respectfully supplied. Verily the mosque is illumined with the beauty of Muhammad". The last line of the Persian couplet gives the year 1019 A. H./ 1707 A. D. * The maqbara is a rectangular building being 9 yards square inside. There are six tombs and subterranean chambers are said to lie underneath. The roof of the maqbara is domed. There are plenty of cornices. Thin well baked bricks are used uniformly and the plaster at most place! has left the wall. The maqbara had an iron door but this is now lost. Big open windows lic on the three sides of the wall. There is a compound
