The Book of Akbar 358: CHAPTER XXV. · MARCH OF THE SHAHINSHAH’S ARMY OF FORTUNE FROM DELHI TO PUT DOWN THE SEDITION OF BAIRAM KHAN, AND OTHER DOMINION-INCREASING EVENTS.
The Akbarnama (H. Beveridge), vols. I–II 358
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- English
CHAPTER XXV. · MARCH OF THE SHAHINSHAH’S ARMY OF FORTUNE FROM DELHI TO PUT DOWN THE SEDITION OF BAIRAM KHAN, AND OTHER DOMINION-INCREASING EVENTS.
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When the world-adorning Creator wills that the Khedive of the Age shall come forth from the veil of concealment and display his world-decking beauty, assuredly He darkens the judgment and the fortune of the wise of the age who engage in opposition to such a great one. Accordingly, the schemes of Bairām Khān and his crowd of wise men by profession came to nought. In a helpless condition he came out from Agra, the capital, on the day of Anīrān the 30th Farwardīn, Divine month, corresponding to Tuesday 12 Rajab (8th April 1560), and proceeded towards Alwar. When he came to the city of Biāna he took off the chains of Shāh Abū-al-M‘aalī and Muḥammad Amīn Dīwāna, who had been confined in the fort of Biāna in order to suppress their sedition-mongering, and set them at liberty. Though he professed to tell them to resort to the sublime court, yet his object in releasing such experienced troublers was nothing but to give them the opportunity for sedition. When the news of Bairām Khān’s having left Agra reached the royal hearing, and it appeared that his intention was to proceed in his evil course towards the Punjab, the universe-adorning mind determined that the world-traversing standards should advance from Delhi and establish themselves at Nāgor, so that Bairām Khān might not be able to plant his foot in that region. The road would thus be blocked if he in his vain imagination thought of entering the Punjab.
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Accordingly on the day of Āẕar 9 Ardībihisht, Divine month, corresponding to Friday 22 Rajab (18th April), the world-conquering army marched from Delhi. As the vigilance and caution of the Shāhinshāh were unwavering, he was not contented with giving such excellent admonitions as have been already described, but on the first stage out from that place he sent Mīr ‘Abdu-l-laṭīf of Qazwīn who was distinguished for knowledge and fidelity, that he might guide Bairam Khan by righteous exhortations. The gist of his words was as follows: “Your services and your fidelity to this great family are known to mankind. As owing to our tender age, we gave our attention to promenading and hunting, we did not cast our glance on political and financial affairs, and all the business of sovereignty was entrusted by us to your excellent capacity and knowledge. Now that we have applied our own mind to the affairs of government, and the administration of justice, it is right that this sage well-wisher (Bairam), who ever boasted of his sincerity and devotion, should recognise a Divine gift in this truth, and offer up endless thanks for it. He should for a time gather up his skirts from business and turn his attention to the bliss of pilgrimage of which he was always desirous, and with regard to which he was constantly, in public and in private, expressing his great longing to obtain such a boon.
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We shall grant him whatever place and whatever extent of land he may wish for in India, so that his servants may remit him the proceeds, harvest by harvest and year by year.” On 18 Ardibihisht, Divine month of the above-mentioned year (22nd April) corresponding to Tuesday 26 Rajab, the standards of glory were planted at the town of Jhajhar. In the meanwhile Shah Abu-al-M‘aali, who was a repository of strife and sedition, arrived with his evil ideas at the sublime court, in order that, as he could not do anything outside, he might effect something under the disguise of service. But whoever cherishes evil thoughts against God’s chosen one, is his own ill-wisher, and his affairs worsen daily. In order to refresh my narrative I shall here give a short account of Abu-al-M‘aali from the time of his escape from Pahlwan Gulgaz kotwal’s custody in Lahore, already described, till now. When Shah Abu-al-M‘aali escaped from Lahore in the first year of the Divine Era by his own craft, and the carelessness, or avarice and treachery of his custodians, he, by the contrivance of wise Kashmiri, who served him, conveyed himself to the country of the Ghakars. There he was imprisoned by the landowner Kamal Khan. By his trickery he managed to escape and arrived at Naushahra, which is a town between Bhimbhar and Rajauri. The Kashmiris who had seceded from Ghazi Khan, the ruler of Kashmir, came there, and about 300 Moghals, who are always opportunists and ingrates, joined them.
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The Kashmiris also to the number of about 700 or 800 men joined him, and this filled Abu-al-M‘aali with pride and arrogance. Shams-l-mulk Cirdara, and Khwaja Haji, who had formerly been in the service of H.M. Jahanbani Jannat-Ashiyani came and infused spirit into them. Daulat Cak, the ruler of Kashmir, who had been blinded by Ghazi Khan, assembled there along with a number of Kashmir Sirdars such as Fath Cak, Hasibat and Nasibat, the nephews (brothers’ sons) of Daulat Cak, Lohar Zhankar, the sister’s son of Daulat Cak, Yusuf Cak, who also had been blinded by Ghazi Khan, but without effect, owing to the contrivance of the Kashmiris, and Muhammad Khan Makri, the father of ‘Ali Sher, who is at present in service; they proceeded via Punc and Khawara by secret passes, called in the Kashmiri language Akaldeo, and arrived at Bairahmula. From there they hastened to Nirpur, and having passed it they fought a battle above the village of Pattan with Ghazi Khan. As he (Abu-al-M‘aali) had turned his back on the altar of fortune, he was defeated, and returned without having effected his object and in a wretched condition by the same route as he had set out, and came to India. He nearly fell into the hands of the Kashmiris; but one of the Caghatai heroes who was with him got off his horse and occupied a narrow place and shot arrows.
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He continued doing so till his quiver was empty, and then the Kashmiris came and finished him off, while Abu-al-M‘aali took advantage of the opportunity and escaped. He came by the Daman-i-koh and arrived at Sialkot. Troubled and in distress he wandered about in disguise from village to village, and was in quest of a disturbance. At last he came to Dipalpur which was then the fief of Bahadur Khan, brother of ‘Ali Quli Khan, and obtained shelter with one Tilak, a servant of Bahadur Khan and whom he formerly knew. He was long concealed in his house, and was preparing the methods of a disturbance when Tilak’s wife, on account of a disgust which she had conceived for her husband, went to Bahadur Khan and told him that her husband was keeping Abu-al-M‘aali concealed in his house, and that they meditated killing him (Bahadur). Bahadur Khan immediately mounted his horse and came to the house. He had it surrounded and he captured Abu-al-M‘aali, and put Tilak to death there and then. He confined Shah Abu-al-M‘aali and sent him to Bairam Khan who made him over to Wali Beg in order that he might send him to Gujrat via Bakar. Wali Beg sent him by that route to Gujrat in order that he might go from there to the Hijaz. When Shah Abu-al-M‘aali reached Gujrat he in unruliness and madness did improper actions and committed a murder. Then he fled from there and came to the eastern provinces, and joined ‘Ali Quli Khan, thinking that he might by his help stir up a commotion.
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As that disloyalist was himself meditating on sway and sovereignty, he did not give any room to Shah Abu-al-M‘aali, and sent him to Bairam Khan. He arrived at the town when Bairam Khan’s affairs were in convulsion. For the sake of apparent loyalty he confined him and sent him to Biana. At last, at the time when, under malign influences, he was going to Alwar, he released him from Biana Fort and turned him loose on the world, as has been stated. The Shahinshah’s victorious standards had reached Jhajhar, when that headstrong and disrespectful one came in his folly and offered the kornish from horseback. H.M. ordered the mad man to be put in chains and to be made over to Shihabu-d-din Ahmad Khan in order that he might be sent off to the Hijaz. On this occasion, too, the spiritual and temporal Khedive, acting on the advice of old servants, and out of consideration of the times, ordered the release of such a sedition-monger. They should have released his futile soul from the prison of the bodily elements. Alas, alas! that they should not have freed that essentially and innately wicked one from the burden on his neck (his head). Because his evil soul long remained connected with his body, many wicked deeds of his came to pass. He thus became still more the subject of eternal punishment. I now leave this subject and return to my task.
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It is not unknown to the wise and instructed that as Bairam Khan worsened so did fortune turn away her face from him. Though he ostensibly accepted the admonitions, in his heart he retrograded, and on the day when the imperial camp was established at Jhajhar, the Nasir-al-mulk Pir Muhammad Khan Shirwani arrived and made the dust of the threshold of fortune the collyrium of his lessoned eyes. The above-mentioned had not yet reached Gujrat when he heard of the overthrow of Bairam Khan’s fortune. As he was a well-wisher of the Court he hastily came and did homage. H.M. distinguished him by royal favours and exalted him by the title of Khan and the communication of a standard, and a drum. In consequence of his excellent character, which was innate in him, he was successful both temporally and spiritually.