Part 13

As I had determined to conquer the Rana, it occurred to me that I should send Mahabat Khan. I appointed 12,000 fully armed cavalry under able officers to go with him, and in addition 500 ahadis, 2,000 musketeers on foot, with artillery made up of 70 to 80 guns mounted on elephants and camels; 60 elephants were appointed to this duty. Two million rupees of treasure were ordered to be sent with this army. On the 16th of the said month Mir Khalilu-llah, grandson of Mir Ni`matu-llah Yazdi, the whole of whose circumstances and family history has already been written, died of diarrhoea. In his appearance the traces of sincerity and dervishhood were manifest. If he had lived and passed a long time in my service he would have risen to high rank. The bakhshi of Burhanpur had sent some mangoes, one of which I ordered to be weighed; it came to 52 1/2 tolas. On Wednesday, the 18th, in the house of Maryam-zamani, the feast of the lunar weighing of my 40th year was held. I ordered the money used in weighing to be divided amongst women and needy persons. On Thursday, the 4th Rabi`u-l-akhir, Tahir Beg, the bakhshi of the Ahadis, was given the title of Mukhlis Khan, and Mulla-i-Taqiyya Shustari, [276] who was adorned with excellencies and perfections, and was well acquainted with the science of history and genealogy, that of Mu'arrikh Khan. On the 10th of the same month, having given Barkhurdar, the brother of `Abdu-llah Khan, the title of Bahadur Khan, I dignified him among his fellows. Munis Khan, son of Mihtar Khan, presented me with a jug of jasper (jade), which had been made in the reign of Mirza Ulugh Beg Gurgan, in the honoured name of that prince. It was a very delicate rarity and of a beautiful shape. Its stone was exceedingly white and pure. Around the neck of the jar they had carved the auspicious name of the Mirza and the Hijra year in riqa` [277] characters. I ordered them to inscribe my name and the auspicious name of Akbar on the edge of the lip of the jar. Mihtar [278] Khan was one of the ancient slaves of this State. He had the honour of serving the late king Humayun, and during the reign of my revered father had attained the rank of nobility. He regarded him as one of his confidential servants. On the 16th a firman was issued that the country of Sangram, [279] which had been given for a year by way of reward to my son (farzand) Islam Khan, should be handed over for the same purpose for a year to Afzal Khan, the governor of the Subah of Behar. On this day I promoted Mahabat Khan to the rank of 3,000 personal and 2,500 horse, and Yusuf Khan, son of Husain Khan Tukriyah, obtained that of 2,000 personal and 800 horse. On the 24th I gave leave to Mahabat Khan and the Amirs and men who had been appointed to subdue the Rana. The aforesaid Khan was honoured with a robe of honour, a horse, a special elephant, and a jewelled sword. Zafar Khan, having been honoured with a standard, was presented with a private robe of honour and a jewelled dagger. Shaja`at Khan also was presented with a standard, and I gave him a robe of honour and a special elephant. Raja Bir Singh Deo received a robe of honour and a special horse, and Mangli Khan a horse and jewelled dagger. Narayan Das Kachhwahah, `Ali Quli Darman, and Hizabr Khan Tahamtan obtained leave. On Bahadur Khan and Mu`izzu-l-mulk the bakhshi jewelled daggers were conferred, and in the same manner all the Amirs and leaders, each one according to his degree, were honoured with royal gifts. A watch of the day had passed when the Khankhanan, who had been selected for the high honour of my Ataliq (guardian), came from Burhanpur and waited on me. Delight and happiness had so overpowered him that he did not know whether he came on his head or his feet. He threw himself bewildered at my feet. By way of favour and kindness I lifted up his head and held it in an embrace of kindliness and affection, and kissed his face. He brought me as offerings two strings of pearls and some rubies and emeralds. The value of the jewels was 300,000 rupees. Besides these he laid before me many valuable things. On the 17th Jumada-l-awwal Wazir Khan, the Diwan of Bengal, came and waited on me, and offered 60 elephants, male and female, and one Egyptian [280] ruby. As he was one of the old servants and he performed every duty, I ordered him to remain in attendance on me. As Qasim Khan and his elder brother, Islam Khan, could in no way keep the peace together, I had sent for the former to my own presence, and he yesterday came and waited on me. On the 22nd, Asaf Khan, made me an offering of a ruby of the weight of seven tank, which Abu-l-qasim, his brother, had bought in the port of Cambay for 75,000 rupees. It is of a beautiful colour and well-shaped, but to my belief is not worth more than 60,000 rupees. Great faults had been committed by Dulip Ray, son of Ray Ray Singh, but as he took refuge with my farzand Khan Jahan his offences were pardoned, and I knowingly and purposely passed over his delinquencies. On the 24th the sons of Khankhanan, who had followed after him, arrived and waited on me and produced as an offering the sum of 25,000 rupees. On the same day the said Khan offered 90 elephants. On Thursday, the 1st Jumada-s-sani, the feast of my solar year was celebrated in the house of Maryam-zamani. Some of the money I divided among the women, and an order was given that the balance should be distributed to the poor of the hereditary kingdoms. On the 4th of the month I ordered the Diwans to give a jagir, according to his rank, of 7,000 rupees to Khan A`zam.

On this day a female antelope in milk was brought that allowed itself to be milked with ease, and gave every day four seers of milk. I had never seen or heard of anything of the kind before. The milk of the antelope, of the cow, and the buffalo in no way differs. They say it is of great use in asthma. On the 11th of the month Raja Man Singh asked for leave to complete the army of the Deccan to which he had been appointed, as well as to visit Amber, his native place. I gave him a male elephant of my own called Hushyar-mast, and gave him leave. On Monday, the 12th, as it was the anniversary of the death of the late king Akbar, in addition to the expenses of that entertainment, which are fixed separately, I sent 4,000 rupees more to be divided among the faqirs and dervishes who are present in the enlightened mausoleum of the venerated one. On that day I exalted `Abdu-llah, the son of Khan A`zam, with the title of Sarfaraz Khan, and `Abdu-r-Rahim, son of Qasim Khan, with that of Tarbiyat Khan. On Tuesday, the 13th, I sent for Khusrau's daughter, and saw a child so like her father as no one can remember to have seen. The astrologers used to say that her advent would not be auspicious to her father, but would be auspicious to me. At last it became known that they had augured rightly. They said that I should see her after three years. I saw her when she had passed this age. On the 21st of the month Khankhanan determined to clear out the province of the Nizamu-l-mulk, into which, after the death of the late king Akbar, some disturbances had found their way, and stated in writing that "If I do not complete this service in the course of two years, I shall be guilty (of a fault), on the condition that in addition to the force that had been allotted to that Subah 12,000 more horse with 1,000,000 rupees should be sent with me." I ordered that materials for the army and the treasure should be quickly prepared, and he should be despatched. On the 26th Mukhlis Khan, bakhshi of the ahadis, was appointed bakhshi of the Subah of the Deccan, and I bestowed his place on Ibrahim Husain Khan, the Mir Bahr. On the 1st Rajab, Pishrau Khan and Kamal Khan, who belonged to the servants who were in constant attendance on me (ru-shinas), died. Shah Tahmasp had given Pishrau Khan as a slave to my grandfather, and he was called Sa`adat. When he was promoted in the service of the late king Akbar to the daroghahship and superintendence of the farrashkhana (carpet department), he obtained the title of Pishrau. He was so well acquainted with this service that one might say it was a garment they had sewn on the stature of his capacity. When he was 90 years old he was quicker than lads of 14. He had the good fortune to serve my grandfather, my father, and me. Until he breathed his last he was never for a moment without the intoxication of wine.

"Besmeared with wine Fighani [281] went to the dust. Alas! if the angels [282] smelt his fresh shroud!"

He left 1,500,000 rupees. He has one very stupid son, called Ri`ayat. On account of his father's claims for services performed, I gave the superintendence of half the farrashkhana to him and the other half to Tukhmaq Khan. Kamal Khan was one of the slaves sincerely devoted to my service; he is of the caste of the Kalals of Delhi. On account of the great honesty and trustworthiness that he had shown I made him bakawal-begi (chief of the kitchen). Few such servants are ever met with. He had two sons, to both of whom I showed great kindness, but where are there others like him? On the 2nd of the said month La`l [283] Kalawant, who from his childhood had grown up in my father's service, who had taught him every breathing and sound that appertains to the Hindi language, died in the 65th or 70th year of his age. One of his girls (concubines) ate opium on this event and killed herself. Few women among the Musulmans have ever shown such fidelity.

In Hindustan, especially in the province of Sylhet, [284] which is a dependency of Bengal, it was the custom for the people of those parts to make eunuchs of some of their sons and give them to the governor in place of revenue (mal-wajibi). This custom by degrees has been adopted in other provinces, and every year some children are thus ruined and cut off from procreation. This practice has become common. At this time I issued an order that hereafter no one should follow this abominable custom, and that the traffic in young eunuchs should be completely done away with. Islam Khan and the other governors of the Subah of Bengal received firmans that whoever should commit such acts should be capitally punished, and that they should seize eunuchs of tender years who might be in anyone's possession. No one of the former kings had obtained this success. Please Almighty God, in a short time this objectionable practice will be completely done away with, and the traffic in eunuchs being forbidden, no one shall venture on this unpleasant and unprofitable proceeding. I presented the Khankhanan with a bay horse out of those sent me by Shah `Abbas; it was the head of the stable of my private horses. He was so rejoiced over it that it would be difficult to describe. In truth a horse of this great size and beauty has hardly come to Hindustan. I also gave him the elephant Futuh, that is unrivalled in fighting, with twenty other elephants. As Kishan Singh, who was accompanying Mahabat Khan, performed laudable service, and was wounded in the leg by a spear in the fight with the Rana's men, so that about twenty noblemen of his were killed and about 3,000 made captive, he was promoted to the rank of 2,000 personal and 1,000 horse. On the 14th of the same month I gave an order for Mirza Ghazi to betake himself to Qandahar. A strange occurrence was that as soon as the aforesaid Mirza started from Bakhar for that province the news of the death of Sardar Khan, the governor of that place, came. Sardar Khan was one of the permanent and intimate attendants of my uncle Muhammad Hakim, and was known as Tukhta [285] Beg. I gave half his rank (the pay of it) to his sons. On Monday, the 17th, I went on foot on my pilgrimage to the enlightened mausoleum of the late king. If it had been possible, I would have traversed this road with my eyelashes and head. My revered father, on account of my birth, had gone on foot on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Khwaja Mu`inu-d-din Sanjari Chishti, from Fathpur to Ajmir, a distance of 120 kos: if I should traverse this road with my head and eyes, what should I have done? When I was dignified with the good fortune of making this pilgrimage, I saw the building that had been erected in the cemetery. It did not come up to my idea of what it ought to be, for that would be approved which the wayfarers of the world should point to as one the like of which was not in the inhabited world. Inasmuch as at the time of erecting the aforesaid building the affair of the ill-starred Khusrau took place, I started for Lahore, and the architects had built it after a design of their own. At last a certain expenditure was made until a large sum was expended, and work went on for three or four years. I ordered that experienced architects should again lay the foundations, in agreement with men of experience, in several places, on a settled plan. By degrees a lofty building was erected, and a very bright garden was arranged round the building of the shrine, and a large and lofty gateway with minarets of white stone was built. On the whole they told me the cost of this lofty edifice was 1,500,000 rupees, equivalent to 50,000 current tumans of Persia and 4,500,000 khanis, according to the currency of Turan.

On Sunday, the 23rd, I went with a band of courtiers who had not seen it to look at the reservoir in the house of Hakim `Ali like one that had been made at Lahore in the time of my father. The reservoir is 6 gaz by 6 gaz. At its side has been erected a well-lighted room, the entrance to which is through the water, but the water does not get into it. Ten or twelve people could meet in it. He made an offering of some of the cash and jewels that had accumulated [286] in his time. After looking at the room, and the entering of a number of courtiers therein, I raised him to the rank of 2,000, and returned to the palace. On Sunday, the 14th Sha`ban, the Khankhanan was honoured with a jewelled sword for the waist, a robe of honour, and a special elephant, and was given leave to go to his duty in the Deccan. Raja Suraj Singh, who was attached to him in that service, was raised to the rank of 3,000 personal and 2,000 horse. As it was again represented to me that oppression was being committed by the brethren and attendants of Murtaza Khan on the ryots and people of Ahmadabad in Gujarat, and that he was unable properly to restrain his relations and people about him, I transferred the Subah from him and gave it to A`zam Khan, and it was settled that the latter should attend at court, and that his eldest son Jahangir Quli Khan should go to Gujarat as his deputy. The rank of Jahangir Quli Khan was fixed at 3,000 personal and 2,500 horse. An order was given that in company with Mohan Das diwan and Mas`ud Beg Hamazani bakhshi he should carry on the business of the province. Mohan Das was promoted to the rank of 800 with 500 horse, and Mas`ud Beg to 300 with 150 horse. Tarbiyat Khan, one of the personal servants, was given the rank of 700 with 400 horse, and Nasru-llah the same. Mihtar Khan, whose circumstances have been related, died at this time, and I promoted his son Munis Khan to the rank of 500 personal and 130 horse. On Wednesday, the 4th Zi-l-hijja, Khusrau had a son born to him by the daughter of the Khan A`zam, and I gave him the name of Buland-akhtar. On the 6th of the same month Muqarrab Khan sent a picture (with a report) that the belief of the Franks was this, that the picture was that of Timur. At the time when Yildirim Bayazid was taken prisoner by his victorious army, a Nazarene, who at that time was ruler [287] of Constantinople, had sent an ambassador with gifts and presents in token of submission and service, and an artist who had been sent with the ambassador took his likeness and brought it away. If this story were true, no better gift could be presented to me. But as the picture had no resemblance to any of his descendants I was not satisfied of the truth of the statement.

THE FOURTH NEW YEAR'S FEAST AFTER THE AUSPICIOUS ACCESSION.

The passing of the great star that illumines the world into the constellation of Aries took place on the night of Saturday, the 14th Zi-l-hijja, in Hijra 1017 (21st March, 1609), and New Year's Day that made brilliant the world began with good auspices and rejoicing. On Friday, the 5th Muharram, in the year 1018, Hakim `Ali died. He was an unrivalled physician; he had derived much profit from Arabic sciences. He had written a commentary on the Canon (of Avicenna) in the time of my revered father. He had greater diligence than understanding, just as his appearance was better than his disposition, and his acquirements better than his talents; on the whole he was bad-hearted, and of an evil spirit. On the 20th Safar I dignified Mirza Barkhurdar with the title of Khan `Alam. They brought from the neighbourhood of Fathpur a water-melon, greater than any I had ever seen. I ordered them to weigh it, and it came to 33 seers. On Monday, the 19th Rabi`u-l-awwal, the feast of my annual lunar weighing was arranged in the palace of my revered mother; a part of the money was divided among the women who had assembled there on that day.