Muntakhab al-tawarikh 78.21
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 78.21
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78.21.1
When Sher Khan obtained news of the Emperor’s approach (B. 141), he raised the siege of Ahmadabad, in which he had for the space of six months been engaged along with I'timad Khan, the ghulam and absolute vazir of Sultan Mahmud Gujrati, and the army of the Afghans became dispersed. On Sunday the 9th of the month Rajab of this year Muzaffar, son of Sultan Mahmud Gujrati, whom I'timad Khan had kept continually in confinement, so as to keep the power in his own hands, came and did homage to the Emperor. Eventually he was given into the charge of Shah Mansur vazir (whose history will be narrated, if God will), and he was granted a monthly allowance of 30 rupees. After some years he escaped and regained his government. But he was taken prisoner by the Rajah of Surat, who, when he had thus secured him, sent him towards Chunagarh to A‘zam Khan. But on the road he laid violent hands on himself, and killed himself with a stroke of a razor. Subsequent events will be narrated in detail.
78.21.2
The next day I'timad Khan, and Shah Abu Turab, and Sayyid Hamid Bokhari, and Ikhtiyar-ul-mulk the Abyssinian, and Malik-ush-Sharq, and Wajih-ul-mulk, and Ulugh Khan the Abyssinian, and Jajhar Khan the Abyssinian, and the other Amirs of Gujrat, came one and all and were granted an interview with the Emperor. And I'timad Khan brought the key of the city of Ahmadabad. The Emperor entrusted the Abyssinians to trusty officers of his own to be employed in guarding his harem. On Friday the 14th of Rajab he pitched his tents on the banks of the river of Ahmadabad, and the Khutbah was read. On the 20th of this month Sayyid Mahmud Khan Barha and Shaikh Mahmud Bokhari brought the Emperor's harem into the Imperial camp. On Monday the 2nd of Sha‘ban the Emperor set out from Ahmadabad in the direction of Cambay with the intention of repulsing Ibrahim Husain Mirza and Muhammad Husain Mirza, who had seized Bhroj and Barodah and Surat. Ikhtiyar-ul-mulk the Abyssinian, who was the leading man among the Amirs of Gujrat, seized this opportunity, and escaping from Ahmadabad, fled to Ahmadnagar. And, since it was impossible to put any confidence in I'timad Khan, the Emperor committed him to the charge of Shahbaz to the late Emperor, who had fled from the service of the present Emperor and gone over to the enemy, scattered themselves about the district and kept laying the foundation of rebellion.
78.21.3
But, when news of the defeat of Ibrahim Husain Mirza reached the garrison of that fort, Gulrukh Begum, daughter of Kamran Mirza and wife of Ibrahim Husain Mirza, took with her her son Muzaffar Husain (who is now honoured with the dignity of being son-in-law of the Emperor), and made for the Dakkan. And Shah Quli Khan Mahram who together with Sadiq Muhammad Khan and others had previously been appointed to besiege the fort, went a considerable distance in pursuit of the Mirza’s men, and then came back with part of his baggage and effects which they had succeeded in capturing. Now before the arrival of the Emperor in person, he had sent Rajah Todarmal to thoroughly reconnoitre the fort, and with instructions to submit to H. I. Majesty an accurate statement of the results of his investigation. He represented to the Emperor that the fort might be taken as easily as possible in a very short time. Accordingly on the 18th of the blessed month Ramzan the Emperor encamped at one cos distant from the fort, and proceeded to surround it, as the halo surrounds the moon. He distributed the entrenchments [among his forces] and by perpetual assaults he reduced the garrison to extremities. In the course of two months he threw up immense mounds and high batteries, and the gunners and artillerymen kept up such a fire from under cover of them, that not an individual of the garrison of the fort dared to show his head.
78.21.4
On the other side of the fort, which was contiguous to a tank of water he built a palace, and throwing up dams in its vicinity he cut off the water-supply from the besieged. Then the inhabitants of the fort sent out one Mulla Nizam-ud-din by name, a student of the art of rhetoric, (P. 145) to sue for quarter on the score of their weakness, defeat, and misery. Through the intervention of the Amirs he was admitted to an audience, and the petition of the people of the fort attained the grade of acceptance, and he was dismissed to announce to them the joyful news. The Emperor appointed Qasim ‘Ali Khan Bakkal, and Khwajah Doulat Nazir to go and re-assure Hamzaban and all the besieged, and to bring them to an audience. And a number of orthodox clerks were appointed to write down the names of the men, and to make an inventory of the property, so that everything was brought before His Majesty. Out of the whole number of the people, the Emperor, after a severe reprimand and admonition, gave over to the keeper of prisoners a few others as well as Hamzaban, who during the time of the siege had let fall some rude words, and impolite expressions. All the others he freely pardoned. This victory took place on the twenty-third of the month Shawwal in the year nine hundred and eighty (980). And Ashraf Khan Mir Munshi composed this qitʻah: —
78.21.5
“The country-subduer Akbar Ghazi, without dispute There is no key of the forts of the world like his sword. He has taken by assault the fort of Surat, The victory was gained only by his auspicious arm. The date of the victory is He has taken a wonderful fort! But to the fortune of the Shah of the world such things are not wonderful.” The next day the Emperor went to inspect the fort, and gave orders that its breaches and ruins should be repaired and rebuilt. During this inspection he came across some large cannon, and immense pieces of ordinance. They had been brought by sea by Sulaiman Sultan the Emperor of Turkey, when he came with a large army intending to take possession of the ports of Gujrat; but afterwards on account of some adverse circumstances that army retired, and those cannon from that time were left behind on the river hank. At the time of the building of Surat Khudawand Khan Wazir brought most of them into the fort, and the remainder the Governor of Juna-garh dragged into that fortress. The Emperor commanded that they should be removed from there, where so many were of no use, and be carried to the fortress of Agrah. They say that the reason for Khudawand Khan’s building this fort was, that the Portuguese used to exercise all kinds of animosity and hostility against the people of Islam, and used to occupy themselves in devastating the country, and tormenting the pious.
78.21.6
At the time of the commencement of the building they ceased not to throw the builders into confusion, firing continually at them from their ships, but they could not prevent them. The architects skilled in geometry and expert in subtleties carried the foundations of the centre of the fort down to the water, and also dug a moat of the same depth, and on the two sides of the fort which adjoined the land they built a wall of stone, adamant, and burnt brick. The length of the wall was thirty-five yards, and the breadth of the four walls of the fort was fifteen yards, and their height as well as the depth of the moat was twenty yards. The centres of each two stones were joined with iron clamps, and the interstices and joints were made firm with molten lead. The battlements and embrasures were so lofty and beautiful that the eye of the spectator was astonished at them. On the bastions which overlooked the sea they made a gallery, which in the opinion of the Europeans, is a speciality of Portugal and an invention of their own. The Europeans were very much opposed to the building of that Choukandi, and endeavoured to prevent it by force of arms. But at last they resorted to peaceful measures, and agreed to pay a round sum of money, if they would leave off building the Choukandi. But Khudawand Khan through his love and zeal for Islam gave the reins to his high spirit, and would not consent, and in spite of the Christians soon carried out his purpose of completing the building.
78.21.7
The very same day the Emperor delivered over the fort to the command of the son of Qulij Khan, and on the 14th of Zi-qa‘dah he returned to Ahmadabad. During the time of the siege several events took place. First of all, Mirza Sharaf-ud-din Husain, who had been a wanderer for ten years, and had at last fallen into the hands of Bahar-Jiv, Rajah of the district of Baglana, was bound and brought into the imperial presence. The Emperor was content with handing this ill-conditioned fellow over to the keeper of prisoners, after he had given him a severe reprimand. Next, while at the halting-place of Bahroch the mother of Chingiz Khan came and demanded justice, and sued for retaliation against Jahjar Khan the Abyssinian, who had basely slain Chingiz Khan. After the circumstances had been investigated the murderer confessed, and the Emperor had him thrown under the feet of an elephant. Next, while the siege of Surat was actually in progress, Ibrahim Husain Mirza after his defeat went from the station of Sarnal to the confines of Patan, and joined Muhammad Husain Mirza and Shah Mirza. Here they thought of a plan for raising the siege of the fort of Surat. Their scheme was as follows: Ibrahim Husain Mirza was to go towards Hindustan with a view to stirring up rebellion, while Muhammad Husain Mirza together with Sher Khan Fuladi were to lay siege to Patan, so that the Emperor becoming uneasy concerning their movements should be obliged to come to Ahmadabad.
78.21.8
Meanwhile Sayyid Ahmad Khan had shut himself up in Patan, and made a brave resistance. Then Qutb-ud-din Muhammad Khan with all the renowned Amirs, who were the fief-holders of Malwah and Chanderi, went to the assistance of Sayyid Ahmad Khan. And Rustam Khan and ‘Abd-ul-Matlab Khan, and Shaikh Muhammad Bokhari of Dihli came to Ahmadabad, and together with A‘zam Khan returned to Patan. Then Muhammad Husain Mirza, and Shah Mirza, and Sher Khan Fuladi raised the siege, and falling in with them at 5 corses from Patan they fought so fierce a battle that the memory of it will remain on the volume of history. The right wing of A‘zam Khan attacked the vanguard of the enemy, and also threw their left wing into confusion, and the Amirs doing all that valour could require of them stood their ground firmly until the breeze of victory fanned the prosperous banner of the Emperor, and they dispersed the enemy like flakes of scattered clouds, and the soldier pursued in quest of plunder.
78.21.9
But Khan i A‘zam with a few men did not move from his post, when suddenly like an unexpected calamity Sher Khan Fuladi (who was a great opium-eater, and had been delayed for a whole watch at the latrines through constipation, which like a hand-grip, is a necessary evil with opium-eaters) arrived with 2,000 or 3,000 horsemen, more or less, on the empty field after both sides had done fighting, and attacked Shaikh Muhammad Bokhari, who was still engaged with a few of the enemy, and confusion returned and Shaikh Muhammad became the rose of the garden of victory:—