A History of Assam c19.8

c19.8

The date on Ishān Deb's inscription gives only his regnal year. That on Gobind Deb's is doubtful. It has been assumed to refer to the Kāli Yuga, and the decipherer of the plates read it as the equivalent of 1245 A.D. The first two figures however are very indistinct, and he seems to have been influenced by the supposed necessity of accommodating the date to that of the invasion of Sylhet by Jalāluddin Khani, whom he wrongly identified with Shāh Jalāl, the traditional conqueror of the country for the Muhammadans. Both plates record grants of land, Gobind Deb's for the upkeep of a temple of Siva, and Ishān Deb's for that of a temple of Vishnu. The measurement in both cases is given in *hāls*. A *hāl* is equal to four and four-fifths acres, and it is still the best-known unit of measurement in some parts of the Surma valley.