Muntakhab al-tawarikh 20.3
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 20.3
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- English
20.3.1
From this point the account differs, the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri says that they journeyed up the river for ten days among the mountains till they came to an old bridge built of hewn stone, &c. Our text on the other hand states that they crossed the old bridge immediately on reaching the river after which they journeyed for ten days in the mountains, &c. Badaoni's statement has more prima facie probability, the statements of the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri moreover are somewhat confused and contradictory. Neither author mentions how long the cavalry force took to reach Bardhan. It seems fairly certain from Badaoni's account that the city of Bardhan was on the near side of the river and that the crossing of the river was impracticable at that point, how far it was from Kamrud, where Badaoni says they crossed by the bridge, does not appear. which was a fort of great strength: the garrison of that fort who were descendants of Gushtasp (that fort too one of the buildings erected by Gushtasp) came forth to fight, and fought so bravely till nightfall that many men were lost on the side of Muhammad Bakhtyar. He pitched his camp on that very spot, and coming down received tidings that five farsangs beyond this city there was another city from which 50,000 Turks all warlike and ready for battle would come to the relief of their city. The following day Muhammad Bakhtyar not thinking it advisable to remain there, and not being able to oppose them, turned back and came to the head of the bridge.
20.3.2
Before his arrival the Generals in charge of the road had fought among themselves, and the infidels had broken two arches of that bridge. The army of Muhammad Bakhtyar had this bridge in front and the infidels kept coming up in their rear, and fought with determined bravery. In that neighbourhood there was an idol temple of great strength. They passed the night there by some stratagem, and in the morning a ford was found, and a party of men who crossed by the ford found the sand of the river was a sort of quicksand, and the water of the river gradually growing deeper and deeper, the greater part of the soldiers of Muhammad Bakhtyar were drowned in the ocean of destruction, and the remnant which remained became fuel for the fire of the infidel's sword and attained the exaltation of martyrdom. Muhammad Bakhtyar out of many thousand men, arrived at Deo Kot with some three or four hundred only, and fell ill from vexation and was attacked by hectic fever and used to say “no doubt Sultan Muhammad Muizz-ud-Din Sam has met with an accident that fortune has gone so against me.” And when weakness took possession of him Ali Mardan one of Muhammad Bakhtyar’s greatest generals arrived at Deo Kot from the district of Narnoli and finding him bedridden, pulled down the sheet from his face and ruthlessly despatched him with one blow of a dagger. This event happened in the year 602 H. after the death of Sultan Muizzu-d-Din;
20.3.3
and after the death of Sultan Qutbu-d-Din this same Ali Mardan eventually seized the reins of power by great craft, and promulgating the khutba and sikka of Lakhnauti in his own name was styled Sultan Alau-d-Din, and from the excessive folly and pride and arrogance of his mind sat quietly in Lakhnauti and divided the country of Iran and Turan among his adherents, and no one dared to say “these dominions are outside the scope of the Sultan’s power why do you divide them?” They say that some unfortunate merchant laid a complaint of poverty before Alau-d-Din, who asked “where does this fellow come from?” They answered “from Isfahan” then he ordered them to write a document to Isfahan which should have the force of an assignment of land to him. The merchant would not accept this document, but the Vazirs did not dare to represent this fact and reported “the ruler of Isfahan, by reason of his travelling expenses and assembling his retinue for the purpose of subjugating that country, is in difficulties.” He thereupon ordered them to give a large sum of money far beyond his expectations; and when his tyranny and oppression exceeded all bounds the Amirs of Khilj consenting together put him to death and raised to the throne Malik Husainu-d-Din Khilji who was one of the nobles of Khilj and Garmsir and one of the servants of Muhammad Bakhtyar. The reign of Ali Mardan lasted thirty-two years.
20.3.4
Another was Malik Husainu-d-Din abovementioned who became possessed of the whole country of Tirhut and Bengala and Jajnagar and Kamrud and gained the title of Sultan Ghiyasu-d-Din, till in the months of the year 622 H., he sent to the Sultan Shamsu-d-Din Iyaltimish thirty-eight head of elephants and seventy thousand tangahs in cash as a present and acknowledged the Sultan's authority, as will be mentioned, if God (he be exalted) so will it. And in the year 624 H. Malik Nasiru-d-Din Muhammad ibn Sultan Shamsu-d-Din went from Oudh to Lakhnauti at the instigation of some of the Amirs, and Ghiyasu-d-Din who at that time had taken an army from Lakhnauti to Kamrud turned back, and fought a severe battle with Malik Nasiru-d-Din and was taken prisoner together with the majority of his generals and was put to death. The duration of his reign was twelve years. The mention of these few kings of the regions of Hindustan incidentally with the affairs of the Sultans of Dehli was both opportune and necessary, and the affairs of the remaining Mu'izziyah kings who attained to the Saltanat of Multan and other kingdoms are mentioned in other places.