SHAHAI3AD, a district lying between lat. 24° 31' and 25° 43' N., and long. 83° 23' and 84° 5' E. ; area, 4385 square miles, and 1,723,974 inhabitants in 1872. Its chief rivers are the Ganges and Son, with a series of canals from the Sou. Aboriginal tribes are represented principally by the Bhars or Rajbhars, of whom there are 5679, and the Karwars, who number 5673. Among the low castes or semi-Hinduized ab origines, the most numerous are the Chamars, shoemakers and workers in leather, of whom there are 91,777. The Bhars claim to be Purihar Rajputs, and at one time occupied a large part of the district. They are now almost entirely con fined to the Buxar subdivision, and are one of the most degraded races, most of them being swine herds ; the Dosadhs (77,927), many of whom serve as village watchmen. Of the higher classes of Hindus, Brahmans number 198,631, and Rajputs 185,652. The Koeris, the chief cultivat ing caste of the district, number 130,394. The town of Arrah in this district is invested with a special historical interest, as being the scene of a stirring episode in the mutiny of 1857. A small body of Europeans held Arrah for eight days, till relieved by Major Vincent Eyre. On the 2d August, before sunset, tho siege was at an end, and on the following morning the gallant garrison welcomed their deliverers, Major Vincent Eyre, with 150 men of the 5th Fusiliers, a few mounted ' volunteers, and 3 guns, with 34 artillerymen. Major Eyre had dispersed Kuar Singh's forces on ' his way to Arrall, and they never rallied.—Imp. Gaz. vii.
SHAIIAB-ud-DIN GHORI, the first Muham madan emperor of India, ascended the throne of Ghazni (A.D. 1192, A.D. 599) on the demise of his brother Ghaias-ud-Din Ghori. He had, however, conducted the military operations front the acces sion of Chains-lid-Din (A.D. 1157, A.D. 552), and latterly also had carried on the active duties of the civil government. The two brothers had defeated their uncle, who was governor of the principality of Bainian, and they reduced the eastern parts of Khorasan. In A.n. 1176, Am. , 572, Shallab-ud-Din took 1.7ch at the fork of the Indus and Panjab rivers. In two expeditions to Lahore (A.D. 1178, Adr. 574) he broke the strength of Khusru Malik, the last of the Ghaznavi. His next expedition (A.D. 1178, A.H. 575) was to Sind, which he overran to the sea-shore. On his return he had again to subdue Khusru Malik, who had allied himself with the Ghakkar tribe. Khusru
and his family (A.D. 1786, A.H. 582) were sent prisouers to a castle in Ghirjisthan, where, many years afterwards, they were put to death by oue or other of the contending parties during the war with the king of Khorasan. Shahab-ud-Din's next efforts were against the Rajput Hindus. Shortly before his time, the four great kingdoms, Deh Ajinir, Kanouj, and Gujerat, combined, and his first battle was A.D. 1191, A.u. 587, with Prit'hi, raja of Dehli and Ajmir ; but Shahab-ud Din was wounded, and his army signally routed between Tanesar and Karnal at Tirouri, and was pursued for forty miles. He returned to India A.D. 1173, Aar. 589, with an army of Turk, Tajak, and Afghan, and was again met by Frit'hi with a vast army, swelled by the union of the forces of other Hindu princes whom Prit'hi's former success had attracted to his support. For a time the result was doubtful ; but Shahab-ud-Din, seeing the Hindu troops advancing in disorder, charged them at the head of 12,000 chosen horse, and the great Hindu army was lost in its own ruins. The viceroy of Dehli and many other chiefs fell on the field, and Prit'hi raja was taken in the pursuit, and put to death in cold blood. After this victory, Shahab-ud-Din took Ajmir, put some thousands of the inhabitants to the sword, reserv ing tbe rest for slavery, and made over the country to a relation of Prit'lli, and returned to Ghazni, lea,viug Kutub-ud-Din Aibak as his viceroy in India. Kutub-ud-Diu took Dehli and Koel. Next year (A.D. 1194, A.H. 591), Shahab ud-Din returned to India, defeated Jya Chandra, raja of Kanouj, in a battle on the Juliana, north of Etawa, and took Kanouj and Benares. Shahab ud-Din went back to Ghazni, but next year returned to India (A.D. 1195, A.R. 592), took Biana, west of Agra, began the siege of Gwalior, which fell to Kutub-ud-Din after Shahab-ud Din's return to Ghazni. Kutub-ud-Din took also the forts of Kalinjar and Kalpi in Bundelkhand ; Muhammad Baklitiar Khilji conquered Oudh, N. and S. Behar, Cour or Luknouti, and Bengal ; and Shaliab-ud-Din was engaged in contests with the king of Kharizm. He was between Tus and Selakhs in Khorasan when he heard of his brother's death (A.D. 1202, A.II. 599), and re turned to Ghazni to take possession of the throne.