Muntakhab al-tawarikh 79.3
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 79.3
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79.3.1
"Be not hard in reckoning with the world, For every one who is hard dies a hard death. In letting people be at ease spend thy time, For he lives at ease, who leaves people at ease." And Bābā Khān Qāqshāl, and Khālidī Khān, who were nobles of great importance, however much they tried to escape the dāgh, and begged to have their jāgīrs confirmed, did not obtain their request. But Muzaffar Khān with a view to getting back the money from the jágír, which Khálidí Khán had acquired through neglecting the dágh-u-mahall, put him in prison and ordered him the bastinado. It so happened that at this time he received a farmán addressed to him ordering him to bring to punishment one Roshan Beg by name, a servant of Mirzá Muhammad Hakím, who had arrived in Bengal from Kábul. Muzaffar Khán seized him from the midst of the Qáqsháls, and using harsh language to Bábá Khán showed him the farmán and ordered him to cut off Roshan Beg’s head at the head of the díwán. All the soldiers of that place on beholding this affair trembled for their own safety, and with one accord scratching their heads, and putting on their Mughal helmets, broke out into open rebellion. They assembled in the city of Gaur, which in the ancient language was called Lak’hnautí, and looted the goods of Muzaffar Khán wherever they found them. Muzaffar Khán collected a number of boats, and ordered Hakím Abu-l-Fath and Patr Dás to march against the Qáqsháls at the head of their own armies.
79.3.2
It need hardly be said that by Hakím Abu-l-Fath, who was a bottle-man rather than a battle-man, and by Patr Dás, who was a Hindú writer, no great signs of valour would be likely to be shown in this time. Muzaffar Khán sent a farmán to the Qáqsháls, expressing his wish to conciliate them all, and promising to confirm them in their jágírs. But they sent him answer, that he must send to them Razwí Khán and Patr Dás as a guarantee of his sincerity. Accordingly he sent them the aforenamed together with Mír Abú Is-hâq, son of Mír Sayyid Rafí’ud-dín Muhaddis, all of whom they imprisoned, and then applied themselves still more vigorously to rebellion. Meanwhile Mullá Tib and Rái Purushtam, Bakhshí, who had at one blow confiscated the jágírs of Ma’çúm Khán, and ‘Arab Bahádur and the other Amírs of Bihár, and had thus laid the foundations of unpleasantness, and allowing their violence and arrogance to exceed all bounds had forced them into rebellion, crossed the river Josá with their whole force in order to attack Ma’çúm Khán. But ‘Arab Bahádur came upon Rái Purushtam unawares, and having slain him took much spoil. Then having opened a correspondence with Bábá Khan Qaqshal with a view to co-operating with him, he hastened to Garhi. On the side of Muzaffar Khan Khwajah Shams-ud-din Muhammad Khawafi (who is now Diwan-i-kul) opposed their entrance into Garhi.
79.3.3
Then Ma'sum Khan having been victorious and having succeeded in forming a junction with the Qaqshals, crossed the river Ganges to oppose Muzaffar Khan. Muzaffar Khan shut himself up in the fort of Tandah, which consisted of four old walls and nothing more. Vazir Khan Jamil Beg, who was one of the old loyal Amirs (p. 282), in conjunction with Jan Muhammad Khan Bihbudi and other warriors, joined the rebels. They took Hakim Abu-l-Fath and Khwajah Shams-ud-din and most of the nobles prisoners. But these two leaders together with Rai Patr Das by some means or other effected their escape, and with the help of the zamindars managed to reach Hajipur. During these troubles Hakim Nur-ud-din Qarari lost his life. The Qaqshals and Ma'sum Khan lured Muzaffar Khan out of the fort of Tandah upon a solemn assurance of safety, and then put him to death with all sorts of tortures. And making his goods and chattels the fund from which they drew in inducing people to join them, they collected a force. So the whole of the province of Bengal and Bihar fell into their hands, and they collected a large force of horsemen and foot-soldiers. They released from prison Mirza Sharaf-ud-din Husain, whom the Emperor had sent from the prison of Qasim 'Ali Khan Baqqal governor of Kabul to Bengal, and made him their general.
79.3.4
Then Rajah Todar Mal, with Sadiq Muhammad Khan and Tarsun Muhammad Khan and other mighty Amirs were appointed from Fathpur to go and quell the rebellion. And Muhibb 'Ali Khan, governor of Rohtas, and Muhammad Ma'sum Khan Farankhudi, governor of Jaunpur, and the other jagir-holders of the neighbourhood were ordered to assist the Rajah. While they were still on their way Shaham Khan Jalair engaged with Sa'id Khan Badakhshi and slew him. Muhammad Ma‘sūm Jounpūrī joined the Rājah with 3,000 well-trained and perfectly appointed cavalry. But symptoms of rebellion were apparent in all his actions. The Rājah suspecting this tried to soothe him by every possible means. Mean-while he sent a report of the state of affairs to Court.
79.3.5
Muhammad Ma‘sūm Khān Kābulī, and the Qāqshāls and Mīrzā Sharaf-ud-dīn Husain with 30,000 gallant horsemen, and 50 elephants and a number of boats and cannon in battle array seemed to intend to offer battle in the neighbourhood of the town of Mungīr (P. 283). The Rājah since he could not quite trust his army, which was on the look-out for the slightest change of fortune, did not deem it prudent to fight in the open, and so shut himself up in the fortress of Mungīr. Every day skirmishes took place, and the Imperial army was reduced to great distress. At this time Zain-ud-dīn Kambu, a relative of Shahbāz Khān brought by water a lac of rupees under a postal-guard, and delivered them over to the Rājah. This supported him for a few days. In the same way the Emperor sent a lac of rupees every few days, one time by the hand of Daryā Khān Ābdār, another time by Sarmadī, and another time by a son of the banker Bhagwān Dās the treasurer, and so received news each time. Of the number of the postal-guard was one ‘Abd-ul-Hay Khawwās, a handsome man without brains, son of Qāzī Sadr-ud-dīn Sambhalī (who also in a blundering sort of way used to discuss ceremonial and religious matters), he died young, and his barque of life was drawn into the whirlpool of calamity.
79.3.6
At this time Humāyūn Farmulī, a son of the celebrated Shāh Farmulī, who had received the title of Humāyūn Qulī Khān, and at the time of the discussions about the new Musalmānish customs, and the worrying and examining of men at Ajmīr, had been a witness of those dreadful pieces of work, together with Tarkhān Dīwānah fled from the army of the Rājah and joined the rebels. It so happened that during the course of the seige Bābā Khān Qāqshāl fell grievously sick, and was on the point of death. Then Jabbārī, son of Majnūn Khān Qāqshāl, who was a strong pillar of that cause (and is now in high favour in the service of the Emperor) on account of the sickness of Bābā Khān showed an inclination to be off. And so the solidity of that confederacy began to be broken up. Ma‘sum Khan Kabuli was obliged to hasten towards Bihar. And ‘Arab Bahadur went from thence by forced marches to seize Patnah and get the imperial treasury into his hands. Pahar Khan Khas-i-khail, who is generally known as Sayyid ‘Arif, shut himself up in the fortress of Patnah (P. 284). And Rajah Todar Mal sent Ma‘sum Khan Farankhudi with a force to the assistance of Pahar Khan. ‘Arab Bahadur, being unable to withstand the force opposed to him, withdrew to Kachti, a well-known zamindar (?). The Rajah and Sadiq Khan with the rest of the Amirs set off for Bihar with the intention of suppressing Ma‘sum Khan Kabuli. The latter made a night-attack on them. It so happened that he attacked the quarters of Sadiq Khan.
79.3.7
On that night one Tormah Beg, a great leader, who in conjunction with Ulugh Khan the Abyssinian had been appointed to keep guard, was slain. Ulugh Khan fell back but Sadiq Khan held his ground. Ma‘sum Khan fought bravely, and did all that was possible, but when he found that the attack was unsuccessful he retired, and became a bandit throughout that wide district. Eventually he took refuge with ‘Isa Khan, the zamindar of Orisa, who at that time by the hand of Sa‘id Khan Mughal sent to the Court two hundred and fifty elephants, and other precious gifts together with a sum of four lacs of rupees, and gold vessels, and aloe-wood, and fine linen and cloth beyond compare; and which are there to this day. Thus the whole of the province of Bihar as far as Garhi came into the possession of the imperial army. At this time the Emperor sent for Shaja‘at Khan, and his son Qayim Khan (who had a stipend as one of the musical people about Court, and was a smart and clever young man) from Sarangpur to come to Fathpur. On the road their attendants on account of bad conduct and evil goings-on, and faithlessness, and worthlessness, which are inseparable qualities of a leader of our day, killed both him and his son, and then dispersed. They say, that one day a beggar asked for something of Shaja‘at Khan, and other Khans, who were in the audience-chamber. After he had importuned them much he answered him: “My good man, the door of alms which admits you, was not made by us.”