Part 9

In Kashmir there is plenty of water from streams and springs. By far the best is that of the Lar valley, which joins the Bihat in the village of Shihabu-d-din-pur. This village is one of the celebrated places of Kashmir, and is on the Bihat. About a hundred plane-trees (chanar) of graceful form clustered [178] together on one plot of ground, pleasant and green, join each other so as to shade the whole plot, and the whole surface of the ground is grass and trefoil [179]; so much so that to lay a carpet on it would be superfluous and in bad taste. The village was founded by Sultan Zainu-l-`abidin, who for 52 years ruled Kashmir with absolute sway. They speak of him as the great Padshah. They tell many strange customs of his. There are many remains and traces of buildings of his in Kashmir. One of these is in the midst of a lake called Wulur, and of which the length and breadth are more than three or four kos. It is called Zain-lanka, and in making it they have exerted themselves greatly. The springs of this lake are very deep. The first time they brought a large quantity of stone in boats and poured it on the place where now the building stands it had no result. At last they sank some thousands of boats with stones, and with great labour recovered a piece of ground 100 gaz by 100 gaz out of the water, and made a terrace, and on one side thereof the Sultan erected a temple for the worship of his supreme God. Than this there is no finer place. [180] He often came to the spot by boat and engaged in worship of the King of Wisdom. They say he spent many "forty days" in that place. One day a wicked son of his came to that place to kill him, and finding him alone, drew a sword and went in. When his eye fell on the Sultan, however, on account of his venerable dignity and the might of his virtues, he became confused and bewildered and turned away. The Sultan shortly after came out and seated himself in the boat with this same son, and started for the city. On the way he said to his son, "I have forgotten my rosary; get into a canoe and fetch it for me." The son having gone into the temple sees his father in the same place, and the graceless man with complete shame of face falls at his father's feet and asks pardon for his fault. They have told many tales of such miracles as this of him, and they say also that he had well practised the science of khala`. [181] When, from the ways and methods of his sons, he perceived in them signs of haste in seeking for rule and government, he would say to them, "To me it is very easy to abandon rule, and even to pass away from life, but when I am gone you will do nothing and the time of your prosperity will not endure long, but in a short time you will obtain the recompense of your evil deeds and your own dispositions." Having spoken thus, he gave up eating and drinking, and passed forty days in this manner. He made not his eye acquainted with sleep, and employed himself after the manner of men of piety and austerity in the worship of God Almighty. On the fortieth day he gave up the deposit of his existence, and entered into the mercy of God. He left three sons--Adam Khan, Haji Khan, and Bahram Khan. They quarrelled with each other, and all three were ruined. The government of Kashmir was transferred to the tribe of the Chaks, who belonged to the class of the common soldiers of the country. During their dynasty three of the rulers constructed buildings on three sides of the terrace formed by Zainu-l-`abidin in the Wulur Lake, but none of these is as strong as his.

Autumn and Spring in Kashmir are things worthy to be seen. I witnessed the Autumn season, and it appeared to me to be better than what I had heard of it. I have never seen Spring in that province, but hope to do so some day. On Saturday the 1st of Muharram (18th April, 1607) I left the bank of the Bihat, and with one day between reached the fort of Rohtas, which was built by Shir Khan Afghan. This fort was founded in a cleft of the ground, and the strength of it cannot be imagined. As the place is near the Ghakhar territory, and they are a proud and rebellious people, he had looked to this fort specially as a means of punishing and defeating them. When a little of the building had been done Shir Khan died and his son, Salim Khan, obtained the grace to complete it. On each of the gates [182] they have carved on a stone the cost of erecting the fort; 16 krors, 10 lakhs of dams, and more were expended, equal in Hindustan reckoning to 4,025,000 rupees, and according to the currency of Iran to 120,000 tuman, and in the currency of Turan to 1 arb, 21 lakhs and 75,000 khani, that are now current. [183]

On Tuesday the 4th of the month, having travelled four kos and three-quarters, I encamped at Tila. [184] Thence I came down to the village of Bhakra. In the Ghakhar tongue bhakra [185] is a jungle. The jungle was composed of clusters of flowers, white and scentless. I came the whole way from Tila to Bhakra in the middle of the river-bed, [186] which had running water in it, with oleander flowers of the colour of peach-blossom. In Hindustan this plant is always in full bloom (purbar). There was much of it on the banks of this river. The horsemen and men on foot who were with me were told to put bunches of the flower on their heads, and whoever did not do so had his turban taken off; a wonderful flower-bed was produced.

On Thursday the 6th of the month the halting-place was at Hatya. On this road many palas-trees (Butea frondosa) were in blossom. This flower, too, is peculiar to the jungles of Hindustan; it has no scent, but its colour is flaming orange. The base of the flower is black; the flower itself is as big as a red rose. It is so beautiful that one cannot take one's eyes off it. As the air was very sweet and clouds had hidden the sun, and rain was gently sprinkled about, I felt an inclination to drink wine. In short this road was traversed with great enjoyment and pleasure. They call the place Hatya because it was founded by a Ghakkar named Hathi (elephant). From Margala to Hatya the country is called Pothuwar. [187] In these regions there are few crows. From Rohtas to Hatya is the place and abode of the Bhugyals, [188] who are related to and of the same ancestry as the Ghakkars.

Marching on Friday the 7th, I travelled 4 1/2 kos and alighted at the station of Pakka. [189] This place is called Pakka because the saray is of burnt brick, and in the Hindi language what is ripe (that is, not raw material) is called pakka. The station was strangely full of dust and earth. The carts reached it with great difficulty owing to the badness of the road. They had brought from Kabul to this place riwaj (rhubarb), which was mostly spoiled.

On Saturday the 8th we marched 4 1/2 kos and encamped at the village of Khar. [190] Khar in the Ghakkar language is a rent and breakage. There are few trees in this country. On Sunday the 9th I halted beyond Rawalpindi. This place was founded by a Hindu named Rawal, and pindi in the Ghakkar tongue means a village. In the valley near this station there was a stream flowing, the waters of which were collected in a pool. As this halting-place was not devoid of freshness I alighted there for a time, and I asked the Ghakkars the depth of the pool. They gave me no precise answer, but said they had heard from their fathers that there were alligators in the pool which wounded animals that came there, and on that account no one had the boldness to go in. I ordered them to throw in a sheep. It swam across the pool and came out. I then ordered a farrash to go in, and he also came out safe. It thus became clear that there was no foundation for what the Ghakkars had said. The pool was an arrow's flight in width.

On Monday the 10th the village of Kharbuza [191] was our stage. The Ghakkars in earlier times had built a dome here and taken tolls from travellers. As the dome was shaped like a melon it became known by that name. On Tuesday the 11th I halted at Kala-pani, which in Hindi means black water. There is a mountain pass (kotal) at this place called Margalla; in Hindi mar means to beat and galla is a caravan, the name therefore means the place of the plundering of the caravan. The boundary of the Ghakkar country is here. This tribe are wonderfully like animals; they are always squabbling and fighting with one another. Although I wished to put an end to this fighting, I was unable to do so.

"The soul of the fool is doomed to trouble." [192]

On Wednesday the 12th the camp was at Baba Hasan Abdal. One kos to the east of this station there is a waterfall over which the stream rushes with great force. There is no fall like it on the way to Kabul. On the road to Kashmir there are two or three like it. [193]

In the middle of the basin, in which is the source of the stream, Raja Man Singh has erected a small building. There are many fish in the basin of the length of half a gaz and a quarter gaz. I halted three days at this enchanting place, drinking wine with those who were intimate with me and employing myself in catching fish. Until now I had never thrown a sufra net, which is a famous kind of net, and which in Hindi they call bhanwar [194] jal. It is not easy to throw. I threw it with my own hand and caught twelve fish, and putting pearls into their noses, [195] let them loose in the water. I enquired into the story of Baba Hasan from the story-tellers and from the inhabitants of the place, but no one could tell me any particulars. The celebrated place at that station is a spring which flows from the foot of a little hill, exceedingly clear, sweet, and nice, as witness this couplet of Amir Khusrau:--

"In the bottom of the water, from its clearness, a blind man Can count the sand-grains in the heart of the night."

Khwaja Shamsu-d-din Muhammad Khwafi, who was for long employed as Vizier by my revered father, had made a platform and a reservoir there, into which is led the water from the spring, and thence is used in cultivation and in gardens. On the edge of this terrace he had built a dome for his own burial. By chance his destiny was not there, and (the bodies of) Hakim Abu-l-fath Gilani and his brother Hakim Humam, who were close to the person and had the complete confidence of my revered father, were placed in that dome in accordance with his order.

On the 15th the halt was at Amrohi. [196] It is a wonderfully green place, in which no ups and downs were visible. In this village and its neighbourhood there are 7,000 or 8,000 households of Khaturs and Dalazaks. All kinds of mischief and oppression and highway robbery take place through this tribe. I ordered the government of this region and Attock to be given to Zafar Khan, son of Zain Khan Koka, and that by the time of the return of the royal standards from Kabul they should march all the Dalazaks to Lahore and capture the head men of the Khaturs and keep them in prison.

On Monday, the 17th, a march was made, and, with one stage in between, the royal standards alighted near the fort of Attock on the bank of the river Nilab (Indus). At this stage Mahabat Khan was promoted to the rank of 2,500. This fort was built by the late king Akbar, and was completed by the labours of Khwaja Shamsu-d-din Khwafi. It is a strong fort. At this time the water of the Nilab was low, [197] and accordingly a bridge had been made with eighteen boats, and the people crossed over easily. I left the Amiru-l-umara at Attock on account of weakness of body and illness. An order was given to the bakhshis that, as the province of Kabul could not support a large army, they should only allow the immediate attendants of the Court to cross the river, and until the return of the royal standards the royal camp should remain at Attock. On Wednesday, the 19th, with the princes and some of the private servants, having mounted on to a raft (with inflated skins underneath), and having crossed the river Nilab safely, I alighted on the bank of the river Kama. The Kama is a river that flows by the qasba (fortified town) of Jalalabad. The jala is a structure they make of bamboos and grass and place underneath it skins full of air. In this province they call them shal (or sal). In rivers and streams in which there are rocks they are safer than boats. 12,000 rupees were given to Mir Sharif Amuli and to a number of men, who had been appointed to perform services at Lahore, to divide amongst the faqirs. An order was given to `Abdu-r-Razzaq Ma`muri [198] and to Bihari Das, bakhshi of the Ahadis, to complete the force that had been appointed to accompany Zafar Khan and send them away. With one stage in between, the camp halted at the saray of Bara. On the other side of the river Kama there is a fort which Zain Khan Koka built at the time when he was appointed to subjugate the Yusufza'e Afghans, and called Naushahr (Newcastle). About 50,000 rupees were spent upon it. They say that Humayun used to hunt rhinoceros in this region. I also heard from my father that he had twice or thrice witnessed such a hunt in the company of his father. On Thursday, the 25th, I alighted at the saray of Daulatabad. Ahmad Beg of Kabul, jagirdar of Peshawar, with the Maliks of the Yusufza'es and the Ghoriya-khel, came and waited on me. As the service of Ahmad Beg was not approved, I transferred him from that territory (wilayat) and conferred it on Shir Khan, the Afghan. On Wednesday, the 26th, I encamped in the garden of Sardar Khan, which he had made in the neighbourhood of Peshawar. I walked round Ghorkhatri, which is the worshipping-place of the jogis in this neighbourhood, with the idea that I might see some faqirs from association with whom I might obtain grace. But that was like looking for the phoenix or the philosopher's stone. A herd without any religious knowledge came to my view, from seeing whom I derived nothing but obscurity of mind. On Thursday, the 27th, I arrived at the halting-place of Jamrud, and on Friday, 28th, at the Khaibar Kotal (Khyber Pass) and encamped at `Ali Masjid, and on Saturday I traversed the tortuous (marpich, i.e. snake-twisting) Pass, and alighted at Gharib-khana. At this stage Abu-l-qasim Namakin, Jagirdar of Jalalabad, brought an apricot, which was not inferior in beauty to good Kashmir apricots. At the stage of Daka they brought from Kabul gilas (cherries), which my revered father had entitled Shah-alu. As I was much inclined to eat them, inasmuch as I had not (hitherto?) obtained them, I ate them with great zest as a relish to wine. On Tuesday, 2nd Safar, I encamped at Basawal, which is on the bank of the river. On the other side of the river there is a mountain which has no trees or grass on it, and on that account they call this mountain the hill of Bidaulat (unfortunate). I heard from my father that in mountains like this there are mines of gold. On the mountain of Ala Bughan, at the time when my revered father went to Kabul, I had had a qamargah hunt, and killed several [199] red deer. As I had handed over the administration of all civil affairs to the Amiru-l-umara, and his illness increased greatly, and forgetfulness came over his faculties to such an extent that what was settled in one hour he forgot in the next, and his forgetfulness was increasing day by day, on Wednesday, the 3rd Safar, I entrusted the duties of the viziership to Asaf Khan, presenting him with a special robe of honour, and inkstand and a jewelled pen. It was a remarkable coincidence that twenty-eight years previously to this, at the same halting-place, my revered father had promoted him [200] to the rank of Mir Bakhshi (chief paymaster). A ruby which his brother [201] Abu-l-qasim had bought for 40,000 rupees and sent him, he presented as an offering on obtaining the viziership. He petitioned that Khwaja Abu-l-hasan, who held the offices of bakhshi and the Qur, etc., might go with him. Jalalabad was transferred from Abu-l-qasim Namakin to Arab Khan. A white rock was present in the river-bed; I ordered them to carve it in the form of an elephant and cut upon its breast this hemistich, which agrees with the date of the Hijra year: "The white stone elephant of Jahangir Padshah," that is, 1016.

On the same day Kalyan, son of Raja Bikramajit, came from Gujarat. Certain extraordinary proceedings on the part of this rebellious rascal had been reported to me. Amongst these was this. He had kept a Musulman luli woman in his house, and for fear this affair should become known had killed her father and mother and buried them in his house. I ordered that he should be imprisoned until I could enquire into his proceedings, and after ascertaining the truth I ordered first that they should cut out his tongue and place him in perpetual confinement, and that he should eat his food with dog-keepers and outcasts. On Wednesday I encamped at Surkhab. Thence I alighted at Jagdalak. At this stage I saw many ballut [202]-trees (oak or chestnut), which are the best wood for burning. Although this stage had neither passes nor declivities there were plenty of rocks. On Friday, the 12th, I encamped at Ab-i-barik, and Saturday, the 13th, at Yurt-i-padshah. On Sunday, the 14th, I alighted at Khurd Kabul (little Kabul). At this stage I entrusted the Chief Justiceship and Qaziship of the city of Kabul to Qazi `Arif, son of Mulla Sadiq Halwa'i. They brought some ripe shah-alu (cherries) from the village of Gulbahar to this place; of these I ate with much enjoyment nearly a hundred. Daulat, the head of the village of Jigri [203](?), brought some uncommon flowers, such as I had never seen in my life. Thence I alighted at Bikrami. At this place they brought to show me a piebald [204] animal, like the flying (i.e. jumping) mouse, which in the Hindi tongue they call galahri (squirrel), and said that mice would not frequent any house in which this animal was. On this account they call this animal the master of mice. As I had never seen one before, I ordered my painters to draw a likeness of it. It is larger than a mongoose. On the whole it is very like a civet cat. Having appointed Ahmad Beg Khan to punish the Afghans of Bangash, I ordered `Abdu-r-Razzaq Ma`muri, who was in Attock, to take 2,000,000 rupees under the charge of Mohan Das, son of Raja Bikramajit, with him, and divide it among the auxiliaries of the aforesaid army. One thousand musketeers were also ordered to accompany this army.

Shaikh `Abdu-r-Rahman, son of Shaikh Abu-l-fazl, was promoted to the rank of 2,000 personal and 1,500 horse, and obtained the title of Afzal Khan. 15,000 rupees were presented to `Arab Khan, and 20,000 rupees more for the repair of the fort of Pesh Bulagh. [205] I bestowed Sarkar Khanpur [206] in fief on Dilawar Khan Afghan. On Thursday, the 17th, from the Mastan bridge as far as the Shahr-ara garden, which was the encamping place for the royal standards, scattering rupees, half-rupees, and quarter-rupees to faqirs and indigent persons on both sides of the road, I entered the aforesaid garden. It appeared to be very green and fresh. As it was a Thursday I gave a wine entertainment to my intimates, and on account of hilarity and excitement ordered those who were of equal age to myself and had been my playfellows to jump over the stream that flowed through the middle of the garden and was about four gaz in width. Most of them could not jump it, and fell on the bank or into the stream. Although I jumped it, yet now that I was 40 years of age I could not jump it with the activity that I had shown in the presence of my revered father when I was 30. On this day I perambulated seven of the famous gardens of Kabul. I do not think that I ever walked so far before.

First of all I walked round the Shahr-ara (city-adorning), then the Mahtab (moonlight) garden, then the garden that Bika Begam, grandmother of my father, had made, then passed through the Urta-bagh (middle garden), then a garden that Maryam-makani, my own grandmother, had prepared, then the Surat-khana garden, which has a large chanar-tree, the like of which there is not in the other gardens of Kabul. Then, having seen the Charbagh, which is the largest of the city gardens, I returned to my own abode. There were abundance of cherries on the trees, each of which looked as it were a round ruby, hanging like globes on the branches. The Shahr-ara garden was made by Shahr-banu [207] Begam, daughter of Mirza Abu Sa`id, who was own aunt to the late king Babar. From time to time it has been added to, and there is not a garden like it for sweetness in Kabul. It has all sorts of fruits and grapes, and its softness is such that to put one's sandalled [208] feet on it would be far from propriety or good manners. In the neighbourhood of this garden an excellent plot of land came to view, which I ordered to be bought from the owners. I ordered a stream that flows from the guzargah (ferry, also bleaching green) to be diverted into the middle of the ground so that a garden might be made such that in beauty and sweetness there should not be in the inhabited world another like it. I gave it the name of Jahan-ara (world-adorning). Whilst I was at Kabul I had several entertainments in the Shahr-ara garden, sometimes with my intimates and courtiers and sometimes with the ladies of the harem. At nights I ordered the learned and the students of Kabul to hold the cooking entertainment, [209] bughra, and the throwing of bughra, together with arghushtak dances.