The Institutes of Akbar 262: 39. Ra’jah Todar Mall, a Khetri.
The Áín i Akbari (Blochmann, Jarrett) 262
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39. Ra’jah Todar Mall, a Khetri.
262.1
He was born at Lahor. The Maasirul Umara does not record his services before the 18th year of Akbar’s reign; but T. M. appears to have entered Akbar’s service at a very early period. In 971, he was employed under Muzaffar (Bad. II, 65), and in 972, he served under Akbar against Khan Zaman (vide No. 61). He held the first important post in the 18th year, when after the conquest of Gujrat he was left there to assess that province. In the 19th year, after the conquest of Patna, he got an ’alam and a naqqarah (p. 55), and was ordered to accompany Mun’im Khan to Bengal. He was the soul of the expedition. In the battle with Daud Khan Kararani, when Khan ’Alam (vide No. 58) had been killed, and Mun’im Khan’s horse had run away, the Rajah held his ground bravely, and ‘not only was there no defeat, but an actual victory.’ “What harm,” said Todar Mall, “if Khan ’Alam is dead; what fear, if the Khan Khanan has run away, the empire is ours!” After settling severally financial matters in Bengal and Orisa, Todar Mall went to Court, and was employed in revenue matters. When Khan Jahan (No. 24) went to Bengal, Todar Mall was ordered to accompany him. He distinguished himself, as before, in the defeat and capture of Daud. In the 21st year, he took the spoils of Bengal to Court, among them 3 to 400 elephants. In the following year, he was again sent to Gujrat, vice Vazir Khan (No. 41), who had given no satisfaction.
262.2
Whilst arranging at Ahmadabad matters with Vazir Khan, Muzaffar Husain, at the instigation of Mihr ’Ali Gulabi, rebelled. Vazir Khan proposed to retreat to the Fort, but Todar Mall was ready to fight, and defeated Muzaffar in the 22nd year, near Dholqah, which lies 12 kos from Ahmadabad. Vazir Khan would have been lost in this battle, if Todar Mall had not come to his assistance. Muzaffar, after his defeat, fled to Junagarh. In the same year Todar Mall was appointed Vazir. When Akbar left Ajmir for the Panjab, the house idols of the Rajah were lost, as mentioned on p. 32, note. When the news of Muzaffar’s death (No. 37) and the occupation of the whole of Bengal and Bihar by the rebels reached Akbar, he sent Todar Mall, Çadiq Khan, Tarson Khan, &c., from Fathpur Sikri to Bihar. Muhibb ’Ali (No. 107), Governor of Rohtas, and Muhammad Ma’çum Khan i Farankhudi (No. 157) were appointed Kumakis, or auxiliaries. The latter joined the Rajah with 3000 well equipped horse, evidently bent on rebellion. Todar Mall managed to keep him quiet; but he reported the matter to Court. The Bengal rebels, under Ma’çum i Kabuli, the Qaqshals, and Mirza Sharafuddin Husain, with 30,000 horse, 500 elephants, and many ships and artillery, had collected near Mungir, and Todar Mall, from fear of treachery among his auxiliaries, shut himself up in the Fort of Mungir, instead of risking a general engagement. During the siege, two of his officers, Humayun Farmuli and Tarkhan Diwanah, joined the rebels.
262.3
Though suffering from want of provisions, Todar Mall held himself bravely, especially as he received timely remittances from Court. After the siege had lasted for some time, Baba Khan Qaqshal died, and Jabari, son of Majnun Khan Qaqshal desired to leave. The rebel army dispersed; Ma’çum i Kabuli went to South Bihar, and ’Arab Bahadur wished to surprise Patna, and take possession of the Imperial treasury, which Pahar Khan (perhaps No. 407) had safely lodged in the Fort of that town. After sending Ma’çum i Farankhudi to Patna, to assist Pahar Khan, Todar Mall and Çadiq Khan followed Ma’çum i Kabuli to Bihar. Ma’súm made a fruitless attempt to defeat Cadiq Khan in a sudden night attack, but was obliged to retreat, finding a ready asylum with ’Ísá Khán, Zamíndár of Orísá. Todar Mall was thus enabled to report to Akbar that South Bihar, as far as Garhí, was re-annexed to the Dihlí empire. In the 27th year (990), Todar Mall was made Díwán, or rather Vakíl. During this year he introduced his financial reforms which have made him so famous. The third book of the Áín contains his new rent-roll, or Asl i Jam’ i Túmár, which superseded Muzaffar’s assessment (p. 349). His regulations regarding the coinage have been alluded to above, and others may be found in the Akbarnámah.
262.4
The most important reform introduced by Todar Mall is the change in the language and the character used for the revenue accounts. Formerly they had been kept in Hindí by Hindú Muharrirs. Todar Mall ordered that all government accounts should henceforth be written in Persian. He thus forced his co-religionists to learn the court language of their rulers,—a circumstance which may well be compared to the introduction of the English language in the courts of India. The study of Persian therefore became necessary for its pecuniary advantages. Todar Mall’s order, and Akbar’s generous policy of allowing Hindús to compete for the highest honors—we saw on p. 341 that Mán Singh was the first Commander of Seven Thousand,—explain two facts, first, that before the end of the 18th century the Hindus had almost become the Persian teachers of the Muhammadans ; secondly, that a new dialect could arise in upper India, the Urdú, which without the Hindus as receiving medium, never could have been called into existence. Whether we attach more influence to Todar Mall’s order or to Akbar’s policy, which once initiated, his successors, willing or not, had to follow, one fact should be borne in mind that before the times of Akbar, the Hindus, as a rule, did not study Persian, and stood therefore politically below their Muhammadan rulers.
262.5
In the 29th year, Akbar honored him by paying him a visit. In the 32nd year, a Khetri, from private hatred, wounded T. M. on a march at night time. The man was at once cut down. When Bír Bar (No. 85) had been killed in the war with the Yúsufzais, T. M. was ordered to accompany Mán Singh, who had been appointed commander-in-chief. In the 34th year, when Akbar went to Kashmír, T. M. was left in charge of Láhor. Soon after, he applied for leave to go to the banks of the Ganges, as he was old and wished to die. Akbar let him go; but he recalled him from Hardwár, and told him that looking after his duties was more virtuous than sitting on the banks of the Ganges. T. M. unwillingly returned, but died soon after, on the 11th day of the year 998 (vide No. 27, p. 338). Though often accused of headstrongness and bigotry by contemporaneous historians, Todar Mall’s fame, as general and financier, has outlived the deeds of most of Akbar’s grandees : together with Abulfazl and Mán Singh, he is best known to the people of India at the present day. His son Dhárú (No. 190) was a Commander of Seven Hundred, and was killed during the Sindh expedition, while serving under Khán Khánán (p. 335). People say that he used to shoe his horses with golden shoes. The name Todar Mall is often spelt in MSS. with the Hindi T, d, and r, which explains the spelling ‘Torel Mall,’ which we find in old Histories. Under Shahjahan also there lived a distinguished courtier of the name ‘Todar Mall.’
262.6
The Zafarihul ’Imárat says, Todar Mall’s father died when T. M. was quite young, and that the widow was in great distress. T. M., at an early age, shewed much clearness and common sense, and received an appointment as writer, from which humble position he rose to the greatest honors.