15.  The Geological Survey recognizes a special group of ‘transition’ rocks between the metamorphic and the Vindhyan series under the name of the Gwalior area.  ’The Gwalior area is . . . only fifty miles long from east to west, and about fifteen miles wide.  It takes its name from the city of Gwalior, which stands upon it, surrounding the famous fort built upon a scarped outlier of Vindhyan sandstone, which rests upon a base of massive bedded trap belonging to the transition period’ (Manual of Geology of India, 1st ed., Part l, p. 56).  The writers of the manual do not notice the basaltic cap of the fort hill described by the author, and at p. 300 use language which implies that the hill is outside the limits of the Deccan trap.  But the author’s observations seem sufficiently precise to warrant the conclusion that he was right in believing the basaltic cap of the Gwalior hill to be an outlying fragment of the vast Deccan trap sheet.  The relation between laterite and lithomarge is discussed in p. 353 of the Manual, and the occurrence of laterite caps on the highest ground of the country, at two places-near Gwalior, ’outside of the trap area’, is noticed (ibid. p. 356).  These two places are at Raipur hill, and on the Kaimur sandstone, about two miles to the north-west.  No doubt these two hills are outliers of the Central India spread of laterite, which has been traced as far as Sipri, about sixty miles south of the Raipur hill (Hacket, Geology of Gwalior and Vicinity, in Records of Geol.  Survey of India, vol. iii, p. 41).  The geology of Gwalior is also discussed in Mallet’s paper entitled ‘Sketch of the Geology of Scindia’s Territories’ (Records, vol. viii, p. 55).  Neither writer refers to the basaltic cap of Gwalior fort hill.  For the refutation of the author’s theory of the subaqueous origin of the Deccan trap see notes Chapters 14, note 13, and Chapter 17, note 3 ante.

16.  In the reign of Muizz-ud-din, Muhammad bin Sam, also known by the names of Shibab-ud-din, and Muhammad Ghori.  He struck billon coins at the Gwalior mint. the correct date is A.D. 1196.  The Hijri year 592 began on the 6th Dec., A.D. 1195.

17.  Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, ‘the greatest of the Slave Kings’, reigned from A.D. 1210 to 1235 (A.H. 607-633).  He besieged Gwalior in A.H. 629 and after eleven months’ resistance captured the place in the month Safar, A.H. 630, equivalent to Nov.-Dec.  A.D. 1232.  The date given in the text is wrong.  The correct name of this king is Iltutmish (Z.D.M.G., vol. lxi (1907), pp. 192, 193).  It is written Altumash by the author, and Altamsh by Thomas and Cunningham.  A summary of the events of his reign, based on coins and other original documents, is given on page 45 of Thomas, Chronicles of the Pathan Kings of Delhi.  Iltutmish recorded an inscription dated A.H. 630 at Gwalior (ibid. p. 80).  This inscription was seen by Babur, but has since disappeared.