Part 24

Two watches and one ghari had passed on the night of Friday, the 9th Safar (21st March, 1614), when the world-warming sun shed his rays on the constellation of Aries, which is his house of dignity and honour; it was the first morning of the month of Farwardin. The assembly for the New Year's festival took place in the pleasant regions of Ajmir, and at the time of entry (of the sun into Aries), which was the propitious hour, I seated myself on the throne of good fortune. They had in the usual manner decorated the palace with rare cloth-stuffs and jewels and gem-decked things. At this auspicious moment the elephant `Alam-guman, [413] which was fit to be entered in the private stud, with the seventeen other male and female elephants which my son Baba Khurram had sent of the Rana's elephants, were presented before me, and the hearts of the loyal rejoiced. On the 2nd day of the New Year, knowing it to be propitious for a ride, I mounted it and scattered about much money. On the 3rd I conferred on I`tiqad Khan a mansab of 3,000 personal and 1,000 horse, increasing thus that which he had already, which was of 2,000 personal and 500 horse, and I distinguished him with the title of Asaf Khan, with which title two of his family had been previously honoured. I also increased the mansab of Dayanat Khan by 500 personal and 200 horse. At the same time I promoted I`timadu-d-daulah to the mansab of 5,000 personal and 2,000 horse. At the request of Baba Khurram I increased the mansab of Saif Khan Barha by 500 personal and 200 horse, that of Dilawar Khan by the same number, that of Kishan Singh by 500 horse, and that of Sarfaraz Khan by 500 personal and 300 horse. On Sunday, the 10th, the offering of Asaf Khan was produced before me, and on the 14th I`timadu-d-daulah produced his own offering. From these two offerings I took what pleased me and gave back the rest. Chin Qilij Khan, with his brothers, relations, and the army and retinue of his father, came from Kabul [414] and waited on me. Ibrahim Khan, who had a mansab of 700 personal and 300 horse, having been promoted to that of 1,500 personal and 600 horse, was appointed jointly with Khwaja Abu-l-hasan to the exalted dignity of paymaster of the household. On the 15th of this month Mahabat Khan, who had been appointed to bring Khan A`zam and his son `Abdu-llah, came and waited on me. On the 19th the assembly of honour was held. On that day the offering of Mahabat Khan was laid before me, and I sent a private elephant called Rup Sundar for my son Parwiz. When that day had passed I ordered them to deliver Khan A`zam into the charge of Asaf Khan, that he might keep him in the fort of Gwalior. As my object in sending him to the fort was in case some disagreement and disturbance should occur in the matter of the Rana in consequence of the attachment that he had to Khusrau, I ordered him not to be kept in the fort like a prisoner, but that they should provide everything necessary for his comfort and convenience in the way of eating and clothing. On the same day I promoted Chin Qilij Khan to a mansab of 2,500 personal and 700 horse. To the rank of Taj Khan, who had been appointed to the charge of the province of Bhakar, I added 500 personal and horse. On the 18th Urdibihisht I forbade Khusrau to pay his respects. The reason was this, that through the affection and fatherly love (I bore him) and the prayers of his mother and sisters, I had ordered again that he should come every day to pay his respects (kurnish). As his appearance showed no signs of openness and happiness, and he was always mournful and dejected in mind, I accordingly ordered that he should not come to pay his respects. In the time of my revered father, Muzaffar Husain Mirza and Rustam Mirza, sons of Sultan Husain Mirza, nephews of Shah Tahmasp Safawi, who had in their possession Qandahar and Zamindawar and that neighbourhood, sent petitions to the effect that in consequence of the nearness to Khurasan and the coming of `Abdu-llah Khan Uzbeg to that country, they could not leave the charge of looking after the country and come (to pay their respects), but that if he (Akbar) would send one of the servants of the palace they would hand over the country to him, and themselves come to pay their respects. As they repeatedly made this request, he sent Shah Beg Khan, who is now honoured with the title of Khan Dauran, to the governorship of Qandahar and Zamindawar and that neighbourhood, and wrote firmans full of favour to the Mirzas summoning them to the Court. After their arrival favours appropriate to the case of each were bestowed on them, and he gave them a territory equal to two or three times the collections of Qandahar. In the end, the management expected from them was not achieved, and by degrees the territory deteriorated. Muzaffar Husain Mirza died during the lifetime of my revered father, and he sent Mirza Rustam with the Khankhanan to the Subah of the Deccan, where he had a small jagir. When the throne was honoured by my succession, I sent for him from the Deccan with the intention of showing him favour and sending him to one of the border territories. About the time he came Mirza Ghazi Tarkhan, who held the governorship of Thatta and Qandahar and that neighbourhood, died. It occurred to me to send him to Thatta, so that he might show there his natural good qualities and administer that country in an approved manner. I promoted him to a mansab of 5,000 personal and horse, 200,000 rupees were given to him for expenses, and I despatched him to the Subah of Thatta. My belief was that he would do good service [415] on those borders. In opposition to my expectation he did no service, and committed so much oppression that many people complained of his wickedness. Such news of him was heard that it was considered necessary to recall him. One of the servants of the Court was appointed to summon him, and I sent for him to Court. On the 26th Urdibihisht they brought him. As he had committed great oppression on the people of God, and inquiry into this was due according to the requirements of justice, I handed him over to Anira'i Singh-dalan that he might enquire into the facts, and that if guilty he might receive prompt punishment and be a warning to others. In those days the news also came of the defeat of Ahdad, the Afghan. The facts are that Mu`taqid Khan came to Pulam [416] Guzar (ferry?), in the district of Peshawar, with an army, and Khan Dauran with another force in Afghanistan and blocked the path of that rascal (lit. black-faced one). Meanwhile a letter came to Mu`taqid Khan from Pish Bulagh that Ahdad had gone to Kot Tirah, which is 8 kos from Jalalabad, with a large number of horse and foot, and had killed a few of those who had chosen to be loyal and obey, and made prisoners of others, and was about to send them to Tirah, and intended to make a raid on Jalalabad and Pish Bulagh. Immediately on hearing this news Mu`taqid Khan started in great haste with the troops he had with him. When he arrived at Pish Bulagh he sent out spies to ascertain about the enemy. On the morning of Wednesday, the 6th, news reached him that Ahdad was in the same place. Placing his trust on the favour of God, which is on the side of this suppliant at the throne of Allah, he divided the royal army into two, and went towards the enemy, who, with 4,000 or 5,000 experienced men, had seated themselves haughtily in complete carelessness, and did not suspect that besides Khan Dauran's there was an army in the neighbourhood that could oppose itself to them. When news came that the royal forces were coming against that ill-fortuned man, and the signs of an army were becoming manifest, in a state of bewilderment he distributed his men into four bodies, and seating himself on an eminence a gunshot away, to get to which was a difficult matter, he sent his men to fight. The musketeers of the victorious army assailed the rebel with bullets, and sent a large number to hell. Mu`taqid Khan took the centre of his army to his advanced guard, and, not giving the enemy more than time to shoot off their arrows two or three times, swept them clean away, and pursuing them for 3 or 4 kos, killed nearly 1,500 of them, horse and foot. Those left of the sword took to flight, most of them wounded and with their arms thrown away. The victorious army remained for the night in the same place on the battlefield, and in the morning proceeded with 600 decapitated heads [417] towards Peshawar and made pillars of the heads there. Five hundred horses and innumerable cattle and property and many weapons fell into their hands. The prisoners of Tirah were released, and on this side no well-known men were killed. On the night of Thursday, the 1st of Khurdad, I proceeded towards Pushkar to shoot tigers, and on Friday killed two of them with a gun. On the same day it was represented to me that Naqib Khan had died. The aforesaid Khan was one of the Saifi Sayyids, and was originally from Qazwin. The tomb of his father, Mir `Abdu-l-Latif, is at Ajmir. Two months before his death his wife, [418] between whom and her husband there was a great affection, and who for twelve days was ill with fever, drank the unpleasant draught of death. I ordered them to bury him by the side of his wife, whom they had placed in the Khwaja's venerated mausoleum. As Mu`taqid Khan had done approved service in the fight with Ahdad, in reward he was exalted with the title of Lashkar Khan. Dayanat Khan, who had been sent to Udaipur in the service of Baba Khurram and to convey certain orders, came on the 7th Khurdad and gave good account of the rules and regulations made by Baba Khurram. Fida'i Khan, who in the days of my princehood was my servant, and whom after my accession I had made bakhshi in this army, and who had obtained favour, gave up the deposit of his life on the 12th of the same month. Mirza Rustam, as he showed signs of repentance and regret for his misdeeds, and generosity demanded that his faults should be pardoned, was, in the end of the month, summoned to my presence, and I satisfied his mind, and having given him a dress of honour, ordered him to pay his respects to me. On the night of Sunday, the 11th of the month of Tir, a female elephant in the private elephant stud gave birth to a young one in my presence. I had repeatedly ordered them to ascertain the period of their gestation; at last it became evident that for a female young one it was 18 months and for a male 19 months. In opposition to the birth of a human being, which is in most cases by a head delivery, young elephants are born with their feet first. When the young one was born, the mother scattered dust upon it with her foot, and began to be kind and to pet it. The young one for an instant remained fallen, and then rising, made towards its mother's breasts. On the 14th the assembly of Gulab-pashi (sprinkling of rose-water) took place; from former times this has been known as ab-pashi (water-sprinkling), and has become established from amongst customs of former days. On the 5th Amurdad (middle July, 1614) came news of the death of Raja Man Singh. [419] The aforesaid Raja was one of the chief officers of my revered father. As I had sent many servants of the State to serve in the Deccan, I also appointed him. After his death in that service, I sent for Mirza Bhao Singh, who was his legitimate heir. As from the time when I was prince he had done much service with me, although the chiefship and headship of their family, according to the Hindu custom, should go to Maha Singh, son [420] of Jagat Singh, the Raja's eldest son, who had died in the latter's lifetime, I did not accept him, but I dignified Bhao Singh with the title of Mirza Raja, and raised him to the mansab of 4,000 personal and 3,000 horse. I also gave him Amber, the native place of his ancestors, and, soothing and consoling the mind of Maha Singh, increased his former mansab by 500, and gave him as an in`am the territory of Garha. [421] I also sent him a jewelled dagger belt, a horse, and dress of honour. On the 8th of this month of Amurdad I found a change in my health, and by degrees was seized with fever and headache. For fear that some injury might occur to the country and the servants of God, I kept this secret from most of those familiar with and near to me, and did not inform the physicians and hakims. A few days passed in this manner, and I only imparted this to Nur-Jahan Begam than whom I did not think anyone was fonder of me; I abstained from eating heavy foods, and, contenting myself with a little light food, went every day, according to my rule, to the public Diwan-khana (hall of audience), and entered the Jharokha and ghusal-khana (parlour) in my usual manner, until signs of weakness showed themselves in my skin. [422] Some of the nobles [423] became aware of this, and informed one or two of my physicians who were trustworthy, such as Hakim Masihu-z-zaman, Hakim Abu-l-qasim, and Hakim `Abdu-sh-Shakur. As the fever did not change, and for three nights I took my usual wine, it brought on greater weakness. In the time of disquietude, and when weakness prevailed over me, I went to the mausoleum of the revered Khwaja, and in that blessed abode prayed to God Almighty for recovery, and agreed to give alms and charity. God Almighty, in His pure grace and mercy, bestowed on me the robe of honour of health, and by degrees I recovered. The headache, which had been very severe, subsided under the remedies of Hakim `Abdu-sh-Shakur, and in the space of twenty-two days my state returned to what it was before. The servants of the palace, and indeed the whole of the people, made offerings for this great bounty. I accepted the alms of no one, and ordered that everyone in his own house should distribute what he wished among the poor. On the 10th Shahriwar news came that Taj Khan, the Afghan, governor of Thatta, [424] had died; he was one of the old nobles of the State.

During my illness it had occurred to me that when I completely recovered, inasmuch as I was inwardly an ear-bored slave of the Khwaja (Mu`inu-d-din) and was indebted to him for my existence, I should openly make holes in my ears and be enrolled among his ear-marked slaves. On Thursday, 12th Shahriwar, [425] corresponding to the month of Rajab, I made holes in my ears and drew into each a shining pearl. When the servants of the palace and my loyal friends saw this, both those who were in the presence and some who were in the distant borders diligently and eagerly made holes in their ears, and adorned the beauty of sincerity with pearls and rubies which were in the private treasury, and were bestowed on them, until by degrees the infection caught the Ahadis and others. At the end of the day of Thursday, the 22nd of the said month, corresponding with the 10th Sha`ban, the meeting for my solar weighing was arranged in my private audience hall, and the usual observances were carried out. On the same day Mirza Raja Bhao Singh, gratified and prosperous, returned to his native country with the promise that he would not delay (there) more than two or three months. On the 27th of the month of Mihr news came that Faridun Khan Barlas had died at Udaipur. In the clan of Barlas no leader remained but he. As his tribe had many claims on this State and endless connection with it, I patronised his son Mihr `Ali, and raised him to the mansab of 1,000 personal and horse. On account of the approved services of Khan Dauran, I increased by 1,000 his mansab, which became 6,000 personal and 5,000 horse, original and increase. On the 6th Aban the qarawuls (shikaris) reported that three tigers had been met at a distance of 6 kos. Starting after midday, I killed all three of them with a gun. On the 8th of the month the festival of the Dewali came on. I ordered the attendants of the palace to have games with each other for two or three nights in my presence; winnings and losings took place. On the 8th of this month they brought to Ajmir the body of Sikandar Mu`in Qarawul (Shikari), who was one of my old attendants and had done much service for me when I was prince, from Udaipur, which was the place where my son Sultan Khurram was staying. I ordered the qarawuls and his fellow-tribesmen to take his body and bury it on the bank of Rana Shankar's tank. He was a good servant to me. On the 12th Azar two daughters whom Islam Khan in his lifetime had taken from the Zamindar of Kuch (Behar), whose country is on the boundary of the eastern provinces, together with his son and 94 elephants, were brought before me. Some of the elephants were placed in my private stud. On the same day, Hushang, Islam Khan's son, came from Bengal, and had the good fortune to kiss the threshold, and presented as offerings two elephants, 100 muhrs, and 100 rupees. On one particular night in Day I dreamt that the late king (Akbar) said to me: "Baba, forgive for my sake the fault of `Aziz Khan, who is the Khan A`zam." After this dream, I decided to summon him from the fort (of Gwalior).

There is a ravine in the neighbourhood of Ajmir that is very beautiful. At the end of this ravine a spring appears which is collected in a long and broad tank, and is the best water in Ajmir. This valley and spring are well known as Hafiz Jamal. When I crossed over to this place I ordered a suitable building to be made there, as the place was good and fit for developing. In the course of a year a house and grounds were made there, the like of which those [426] who travel round the world cannot point out. They made a basin 40 gaz by 40, and made the water of the spring rise up in the basin by a fountain. The fountain leaps up 10 or 12 gaz. Buildings are laid on the edge of this basin, and in the same way above, where the tank and fountain are, they have made agreeable places and enchanting halls and resting-rooms pleasant to the senses. These have been constructed and finished off in a masterly style by skilled painters and clever artists. As I desired that it should be called by a name connected with my august name, I gave it the name of Chashma-i-Nur, or 'the fountain of light.' In short, the one fault it has is this, that it ought to have been in a large city, or at a place by which men frequently pass. From the day on which it was completed I have often passed Thursdays and Fridays there. I ordered that they should think out a chronogram for its completion. Sa`ida Gilani, the head of the goldsmiths, discovered it in this clever hemistich:--

"The palace [427] of Shah Nuru-d-din Jahangir" (1024).

I ordered them to put a stone with this carved upon it on the top of the portico of the building.

In the beginning of the month of Day, merchants came from Persia and brought pomegranates of Yazd and melons from Kariz, which are the best of Khurasan melons, so many that all the servants of the Court and the Amirs of the frontiers obtained a portion of them and were very grateful to the True Giver (God) for them. I had never had such melons and pomegranates. It seemed as if I had never had a pomegranate or a melon before. Every year I had had melons from Badakhshan and pomegranates from Kabul, but they bore no comparison with the Yazd pomegranates and the Kariz melons. As my revered father (may God's light be his witness!) had a great liking for fruit, I was very grieved that such fruits had not come to Hindustan from Persia in his victorious time, that he might have enjoyed and profited by them. I have the same regret for the Jahangiri `itr (so-called otto of roses), that his nostrils were not gratified with such essences. This `itr is a discovery which was made during my reign through the efforts of the mother of Nur-Jahan Begam. When she was making rose-water a scum formed on the surface of the dishes into which the hot rose-water was poured from the jugs. She collected this scum little by little; when much rose-water was obtained a sensible portion of the scum was collected. It is of such strength in perfume that if one drop be rubbed on the palm of the hand it scents a whole assembly, and it appears as if many red rosebuds had bloomed at once. There is no other scent of equal excellence to it. It restores hearts that have gone and brings back withered souls. In reward for that invention I presented a string of pearls to the inventress. Salima [428] Sultan Begam (may the lights of God be on her tomb) was present, and she gave this oil the name of '`itr-i-Jahangiri.'