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هر چار طرف مکانات داشت طرف مشرق که دالان در دالان مغرب رویه بود دران منبر و چندتا علم و همین مکان براي مجلس مقرر بود و طرف مغرب دالان در دالان مشرق رویه دران ضرائح مقدسه از اقسام یعنی نقره و طلائي و شیشه و چوبی و علمهای متعدد که نوبت بصدها میرسید . قاريان كلام الله در محرم شب و روز در قرآن خوانی مصروف و در غير ايام باوقات معين . و شمال و جنوب دالان در دالان برای کارخانجات روشني و غيره که صدها مزدور براي خبرگیری روشنی سامان در دست ایستاده . و بالاخانه این که مكانات مملو از تنيهاي ابرکي در پس آن چراغان میشد و هزارها چراغ می سوختند * در تئی تصاویر گلهای اقسام و انسان و حیوان که در وقت روشني عجب نمودي + داشت . جهاز شیشه اقسام در هر دالان بافراط و دیوار گیر و لاله و مردنگی بیرون از قیاس در هر مکان روشن . و در دالانهاي شمالی و جنوبی دو دو تصویر براق که چهره انسان و دم طاؤس دارند و در ارتفاع دم آنها بسقف میرسد و بجای خالهای دم سپرهای خوش روغن و تشتری چینی و نقره نصب کرده اند و صدها شمشیر و قرولی و پیش قبض مصقل بعجب نمود و ترکیب در اطراف سپرها نصب شده و صدها بقى موم برای نمود دران تعبیه است .

(po)

"Among the old buildings was the Imámbárah built by Sirájuddaulah, the grandson of 'Alí Vardí Khán. It had been built with care and reverence, Muhammadan workmen alone having been employed in the work, and Hindoos excluded. The Nawab laid the first brick with his own hand and put lime over it, after which the workmen commenced. In the midst of the Imámbárah, a piece of ground, called Madinah, was dug, to the depth of a man, which was filled with holy earth i. e. earth from Karbalá. The author of the Riyász

* An adjective of Thus of 8

& &c. the adjectives are written Vullers (Pers. Dict. I. p. 605) spells without a hamzah, as he does not understand the words of the Bahár i 'Ajam.

Johnson gives a word ياي وحدت is the and the نمود The word is + ي ,namidt which Vallers adopts, p. 1352 of his Dictionary. There is نمودی

however, no such word. A similar mistake is the word given by Vullers, p. 1183. He says the

as in یای وحدت is suffix, but it is the

برخي and برخ بعضي and بعض

پیش قبضه The dictionaries give only *

ussaláțin and others have written encomiums on the beauty of this building. On all four sides were rooms. On the east were vestibules lying within other vestibules facing towards the west, with a pulpit, and a place set aside for an assembly room [wherein the elegies on Husain are read]. There were similar vestibules facing towards the east in the western part of the building, in which were nearly a hundred flags and the sacred coffins made of silver, gold, glass and wood. During the Muharram the Qorán was here chaunted day and night, and at fixed times during the other months. North and south of the building were vestibules of the same kind containing out-offices for the illuminations &c., where hundreds of workmen kept themselves in readiness [during the Muharram] to illuminate the place. The verandahs of the second story contained screens of mica, behind which the lamps hung. On the screens themselves were pictures of men and animals and flowers which looked wonderful when illuminated. All kinds of chandeliers, in large numbers, were in the vestibules, as also díwárgírs, lálahs and mardangís.* The whole building was illuminated. In the northern and southern vestibules were two representations of the Buráq [the horse on which the prophet ascended to heaven], each with a human face and a peacock's tail. The length of the tails reached to the roof of the house. Well polished shields and china or silver plates were fitted into the feathers of the tail, to represent the round spots in the feathers of a peacock. Polished swords, Karaulis [a kind of short swords] and daggers were placed round these shields wonderfully arranged, and hundreds of wax candles gave the whole a striking appearance."

This old Imámbárah was burnt to the ground in 1253 A. H. during a grand display of fireworks, "in the twinkling of an eye." A new one was built up, according to the plan of the former and at a cost of six lakhs of rupees, by the Nawáb Mançúr 'Alí. A. II.) was expressed by the letters of the words of Karbalá). Whilst the edifice was building, the workmen received

Its date (1264)

(the grove

* Our Hindustání Dictionaries do not give these words. Díwárgír or Díwálgír is a lamp resembling our carriage lamps, three sides being made of glass, one of metal. Lálah (pr. tulip) is a lamp with one or more round shades. Mardángí is the Hindustani word for our Argand lamps.

"At that

their food in addition to their wages, and also, when the building was finished, a present of a double shawl and a handkerchief. time you could see shawls in every lane of Murshidábád." Regarding the Muharram festivities the author says :—

1

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در شهر مرشد آباد بفضل الهى مذهب اثنا عشری رواج دارد و تعزیه داری را اهم عبادت میدانند . هیچ خانه نیست که خالی ازین سعادت باشد . اگر محتاج است یک مکان برای این کار علیحده کرده آنرا نذرخانه نام نهاده دو سه چراغ روشن و دو سه علم آراسته ایستاده میکنند . و بوقت معین مردم خانه خودش دو سه بند مرثیه و نوحه خوانده و ذکری کرده شیون برپا میدارند و اگر میانه وضع است دوسه کس از محله در خانه اش آمده شریک عزاداری می شوند . و اگر صاحب استطاعت است تعزیه داری به نمود میکنند كه دو يك مرثیه خوان هم مقرر مینمایند. و اگر صاحب مقدور است ازین هم ترقی میکنند یعنی تقسیم شیرینی و شربت و چیزهای دیگر مثل دهنیه و بن که قهوه و کشنیز بریان باشد . در هر محله همین حال است شب و روز جميع مردمان این شهر مصروف باین کار خیراند . و در دیورهیات ناظم و اقارب مع شی زاید است که چند جور مرثیه خوان و روضه خوان و بندخوان وخطبه خوان و واقعه خوان ملازم اند .

"As in Murshidábád the Shí'ahs are, by the blessing of God, the reigning sect, the mourning for Husain and the making of ta'ziahs form a most important part of the divine worship. No house is destitute of this spiritual blessing. If a man is poor, he will put a few lamps in a separate part of his hut, called the place of vows, and put up some flags. At a fixed time the women and children of the house chaunt a few couplets of elegies and mourning hymns, say a prayer and then perform the Shéwan [i. e. they weep for Husain and beat their heads and breasts].

"If a man is of the middle class, he joins with two or three of his neighbours. They perform the taʼziah in common. If a man is well to do, the mourning ceremonies are performed on a grander scale, and a few "reciters" are appointed. Very rich people go still further and distribute sweetmeats, sherbat, coffee berries and roasted corianderseeds. So in every quarter of the town. Night and day people are

engaged in these works of charity. At the "thresholds" of the Názim and his relations, there is something more. They have among their attendants reciters of elegies, describers of the grave of Husain, couplet singers, Khutbah readers and historians."

The imámbárah presents a grand spectacle during the Muharram. Food is daily distributed to the believers. In the evening there are fireworks and illuminations. On one day the Nawab also comes. After alighting from his palki at the southern gate, he is conducted inside, and takes his seat on a black carpet, over which a white embroidered coverlet is spread; for a black carpet is used on this particular occasion instead of a bolster. Elegies are again recited, after which sherbat and spices are handed round. Thousands of people are admitted, but only such as come with either a turban or a pagrí.*

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علاوه برین مرثیه خوانان بنگالی که بهتیال میخوانند و اینها جوق جوق و گروه گروه در امام باره و اطراف آن نشسته هر گروهی کم از پانزده بیست نفر نیستند . یکی از انها که حروف آشنا میباشد مرثیه را در حروف بنگله نوشته در دست دارد. يك مصرع را میخواند و دیگران تبعیت او کرده در صدا شريك میشوند . و بعد اختتام هر مصرع و بعد اختتام هر مصرع لفظ هی میگویند و هر دو دست بر سینه بعد از ان بر رانها و بعضی پا هم بر زمین میزنند که عجب صدای ملال انگیز ازان حرکت ظاهر مي شود . و در محل بیگمات هم چند گروه ازينها مقرر می شوند و تا ده روز محرم همین طور خوانندگي ميکنند . * وبروز برداشتن علم همین سان در راه خوانده میروند . و بتاریخ ششم محرم که شب هفتم باشد مهدی + حضرت قاسم علیه السلام از نظامت و دیورهیات بر میدارند و در امام باره کلان می برند . آرایش و روشني على الحساب و جلوس سپاهیان و ترک سواران بتكلف تمام پیش پیش می باشد . و حضور با ملازمین مرثیه سماعت فرموده همراه تشريف مي برند . و بتاريخ هفتم امام بازه کلان زنانه مي شود و بیگمات تشريف ميآرند و نواب ناظم را زنجیر و طوق حسب معمول و مرسوم مي پوشانند. و باین تقریب زنان صدها شرفا و محتاجين بفيض عمامه یا دستار In the original *

+ So according to the MS. But the author means the Hindustani

مينهدي

I may remark here that the Arabic [the name of the 12th imám] is

انه غلام مهدی all overBongal, especially in proper nouns as مينهديpronounced

. و فرمایند میرسند که بیگمات هزارها روپیه بطریق نذر و نیاز عنايت مي بتاریخ هشتم علم از دیوزهیات بر داشته در امام بازه مي آرند و جناب عالی پا برهنه و پیاده همراه اعلام بتانی و تامل و اعزاز و احترام راه میروند و فرمایند و اشک علی التواتر از چشم مبارك جاريست . و مرثيه سماعت مي عاشور است قبل از برآمدن آفتاب علم و ضرائح را برمیدارند بتاریخ دهم که یوم و با ماني گنج که مدفن گاه ضرائح است و سمت جنوب بفاصلة قريب دو گروه یا کم ازان از قلعۀ مبارك واقع است میروند . و حضور خداوند نعمت پا پیاده همراه علم وضريح تشريف مي برند و مرثیه سماعت میفرمایند و درانجا رسید؟ نماز عاشورا خوانده قریب بدو پهر بدولت خانه رجعت مي فرمايند . و دیگران تا شوند پهر و شام هم آیند. درین روز در اماني گنج هزارها مردم جمع مي و اقسام طعام از سرکارها بفقرا و مساكين تقسيم مي شود * و درینجا مکان شبيه كربك بنانهاده نواب ناظر سیدی داراب علی خان بہادر است که بکمال

خوش عتقادی آنرا ساخته و پنجشنبه دوم هرماه مجلس مقرر است .

"Elegiac verses are also sung in Bengali by singers called Bhathiyál. They sit in the Imámbárah and round about the building, arranged in troops of 15 or 20. One of them who can read, has in his hand an elegy written in Bengali characters. He reads out a verse, which the others repeat with him in chorus. At the end of each verse they exclaim Hy strike their chests with both hands and then the thighs, Some strike also the ground with their feet at the same moment, the sound of which motion produces a most saddening effect.

"For the harem of the Begums likewise some reciters are appointed and the chaunting continues here also to the 10th day of the Muharram. Couplets are sung and flags carried about in procession.

"On the 6th day of the Muharram, i. e. the 7th night [as the Muhammadans like the Jews commence the day at 6 o'clock P. M.], the Mehndi of Haszrat Qasim* (blessings be upon him!) is brought from the Nizám's palace and carried in procession to the imámbárah

The day before a marriage a plate full of méhndí or hená is carried in procession from the house of the bride to the house of the bridegroom who stains his hands with it. The carrying about of this red dye is called in Hind. mehndi uṭháná and in Persian hinábandí. The Shi'ahs perform this ceremony during the Muharram also, in remembrance of Qasim, who the day after his marriage [i. e. when the méhndí procession had been performed] was slain at Karbalá with his father Husain.