In this regard Hafiz mentions “The fort was dismantled, and its site is now indicated by the great mound on the north-west of Maner which probably still contains many archaeological treasures within its womb.

The great temple, reputed to be thousands of years old, was razed to the ground, and later on, Bari Dargah was built on its ruins. The broken lion statue at its gate was left to celebrate the Muslim victory to the future generations. The house of the Raja in the fort was also taken possession of and converted to the use of the conqueror……

The date of this victory which marks the permanent establishment of Muslim rule in Maner is contained in the chronogram ‘translation = The religion of Muhammad has been strengthened’ which is equal to 576 A.H. (1180 A.D.) The very wording of the chronogram indicates that this was not the first conquest of Maner by the Muslims. This event happened seventeen years before Bakhtiyar Khilji came.

Is appears that the victory of Muslims in Maner was not of a very local character; for, we find several comrades of Hazrat Taj Faqih to have fallen and buried in places quite far off from Maner; for example, Shah Burhan Roshan Shahid is buried in village Kumharar south of Patna, and Chandan Shahid is buried on a hillock in Sasaram. So, Bakhtiyar must have found it smooth work to run over the greater part of Bihar, as history proves.”

To be continued.................