Atak Banaras

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Atak-Banaras (अटक बनारस) is a city in Orissa founded by Akbar.

Variants

Atak-Banaras (अटक बनारस) (AS, p.17)

History

Alexander Cunningham writes...Abul Fazl calls the fort Atak-Banaras, and states that it was built in the reign of his Majesty. Baber never mentions the place, although he frequently speaks of Nilab. Rashid-ud-din, however, states that the Parashawar river joins the Indus near Tankur, which most probably refers to the strong position of Khairabad. I have a suspicion that the name of Attak, the "forbidden," may have been derived by Akbar from a mistaken reading of Tankur, with the Arabic article prefixed, as Et-tankur. The name of Banaras was undoubtedly derived from Banar, the old name of the district in which the fort is situated. The name of Banar suggested Banaras, and as Kasi-Banaras was the city which all Hindus would wish to visit, so we may guess that this fact suggested to the playful mind of Akbar the exactly opposite idea of Attah Banaras or the " forbidden " Banaras, which all good Hindus should avoid. Or the existence of Katak Banaras (or Cuttack) in Orissa, on the extreme eastern limit of his kingdom, may have suggested an alteration of the existing names of Attak and Banar to Attak-Banaras as an antithesis for the extreme west.

अटक बनारस

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर ने लेख किया है ...अटक (AS, p.17) उड़ीसा का एक नगर है जिसे अकबर ने वाराणसी कटक या कटक बनारस के अनुकरण पर बसाया था। (देखे हिस्ट्री ऑफ उड़ीसा, पृ. 66)

वाराणसी कटक

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर ने लेख किया है ...वाराणसी कटक (AS, p.845) कटक उड़ीसा के निकट महानदी और काटजूड़ी नदियों के बीच में केसरीवंशीय नरेश नृपकेसरी द्वारा बसाया हुआ नगर है. विडनासी नामक कस्बे से इस स्थान का अविज्ञान किया गया है, जहां प्राचीन दुर्ग से खंडहर स्थित हैं. नृपकेसरी का शासन काल 920-951 ई. है. (देखें मेहताब, हिस्ट्री आफ उड़ीसा, पृ.66)