In the absence of any accurate information even in the Puranic legends, the first historical mention of the rocky hillocks is probably found in the records left behind by Abdul Latif, son of Abdullah Abbasi, an inhabitant of Ahmedabad (Gujarat), who, in 1608 A.D., had accompanied his patron Abul Hassan (the father-in-law of Shah Jahan), then appointed as the diwan of Bengal, on a river trip from Agra to Raj Mahal and on the way back from Rajmahal to Ghorghat. On 18th May, 1608, he had visited the rocky island, termed by him as ‘Mashan’, and observed that the village was situated half a kos from the river, and was an ordinary place “but it has two hillocks, one in the midst of the river and the other on the bank, facing each other, so that there are few places on earth equalling it in airiness. How can I describe the charm of its mornings and evenings and the beauty of its moonly nights, which exhilarate the spirit and freshen the life of man. On the hillock by the river’s edge, a pious man has built a beautiful mosque. For the last 30 years a dervish has been engaged in prayer here. A room has also been built for drinking water (abdari). What a charming retreat, no better can be found for the darvish.”

To be continued....