The Book of Akbar 38: Conquest of Garha-katanka.
Akbar-náma, of Shaikh Abu-l Fazl (Elliot & Dowson, extracts) 38
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Conquest of Garha-katanka.
38.1
[Text, vol. ii. p. 263.] Khwaja 'Abdu-l Majid Asaf Khan, although he was a Tajik and a civilian, yet by the help of the good fortune of the Emperor, he had performed such deeds as would have humbled even Turks in his presence. He now resolved upon attempting the conquest of Garha-katanka. In the vast territories of Hindustan there is a country called Gondwana, that is, the land inhabited by the tribe of Gonds, — a numerous race of people, who dwell in the wilds, and pass most of their time in eating and drinking and the procreation of children. They are a very low race, and are held in contempt by the people of Hindustan, who look upon them as outcasts from their religion and laws. To the east of this country lies Ratanpur, a dependency of the country of Jharkand; and on the west it borders on Raisin, belonging to the province of Malwa. The length of this district is 150 kos. On the north lies Panna, and on the south the Dakhin, and the breadth is eighty kos. This country is called Garha-katanka, and it contains many strongholds and lofty forts. It has numerous towns and villages, and veracious writers have recorded that it contains seventy thousand villages. Garha is the name of the chief city, and Katanka is the name of a place (near it), and these two places have given their names to the whole country. The seat of government was the fort of Chauragarh.
38.2
In former times there was no one supreme ruler, but the country was ruled by several rajas and rais, and at the present time, when, by the will of fortune, it no longer belongs to this race, there are several rajas, such as Raja Garha, Raja * * *. The fighting men of this country are chiefly infantry, the horsemen being few. From the earliest establishment of the Muhammadan power in India no monarch had been able to reduce the fortresses of this country or to annex the territory. At the time when Asaf Khan received the jagir of Karra, and accomplished the conquest of Panna, the government of this country was in the hands of Rani Durgavati, commonly known as “the Rani.” She was highly renowned for her courage, ability, and liberality, and by the exercise of these qualities she had brought the whole country under her rule. The author has heard from intelligent men who have been there that she had twenty-three thousand inhabited villages under her sway. Twelve thousand of these were managed by her own shikkdars, and the remainder were in the possession of tributary chiefs. The heads of the various clans paid their homage to her. She was the daughter of a Raja of the tribe of Chandel, who was named Salibahan, who was Raja of Ratah and Mahoba. He married her to Dalpat, a son of Aman Das. He did not belong to a high tribe, but he was wealthy, and as evil times had fallen upon Raja Salibahan, he had consented to this alliance.
38.3
This Aman Das rendered valuable assistance to Sultan Bahadur Gujarati in the reduction of Raisin; he had consequently been promoted, and had received the title of Sangram Shah. He was the son of Arjun Das, son of Sukhan Das, son of Gorak Das, son of Kharji. From old times there had been an ancestor in the house of the ruler of Garha holding a respectable position; but Kharji, by his superior intelligence and tact, managed to acquire something in the way of tribute from the other chiefs of that country, and raised a force amounting to a hundred horse and ten thousand foot. His son, Sukhan Das, carrying out the plans of his father, raised his army to five hundred horse and sixty thousand foot, enlisting many Rajputs both in his cavalry and infantry. He found two clever and able assistants, one belonging to the Kharchali tribe dwelling at Hamirpur, and the other belonging to the tribe of Parihar. Under him the government was carried on with great intelligence and vigour. His son Arjun succeeded him in the fortieth year (of his age). After him came Aman Das, above mentioned.
38.4
This Aman Das was an ill-disposed crafty fellow. He constantly opposed the will of his father, and engaged in evil pursuits. His father several times put him in confinement, and then endeavoured to bind him with covenants and promises. But the graceless fellow again relapsed into his evil courses, and having been guilty of some disgraceful actions, he fled to Raja Nar Sing Deo, grandfather of Raja Ram Chandar of Panna. Raja Nar Sing treated him as a son, and when the Raja went to attend upon Sultan Sikandar Lodi, he left him behind with his son Parbihan, who was then a minor. There he acted with great intelligence. His father, Arjun Das, being dissatisfied with his ill-conducted son, appointed his son Jogi Das to be his heir; but he, having regard to his elder brother’s rights, did not accept this position.
38.5
Aman Das, having heard of his father’s intentions, made a rapid journey, and concealed himself in his mother’s house. There, with the assistance of one of the Raja’s attendants, with whom he had long had relations, he one night killed his father. The men of the place then assembled and made him prisoner, and sent a person to communicate the facts to his brother. But the younger brother would not fall in with their views; he refused to do anything against his elder brother, who stood to him in the position of a father, and said that as his brother had chosen to risk eternal perdition, how could he look him in the face! All persuasion was useless, and he went off into the wilds.
38.6
The two confidential friends of the father were true to duty, and would not recognize his succession. They sent an account of the occurrence to Raja Nar Singh Deo, and urged him to take possession of the territory. The Raja took leave of Sultan Sikandar, and returned with a strong force. Aman Das secured himself in the mountains; but as he could not hold out against the power of the Raja, he opened communications, and said that as he had in his folly and wickedness killed one father, how could he then make war upon another? When the Raja had overrun the territory, and left his officers in charge of it, Aman Das came to meet him on his road, attended by only a few followers. After great display of weeping, the Raja forgave him and restored his country. He kept up continual lamentation for his crime, and it is difficult to say whether this was mere hypocrisy, or whether the contrition he exhibited to his people was really sincere. When Aman Das died, the succession devolved upon his son Dalpat, who ruled seven years and then died.
38.7
According to report Aman Das, who received the name of Sangram, had really no son. It is said that he induced Gobind Das Kachhwaha, one of his attendants, to allow his wife, who was pregnant, to be delivered in his (Aman’s) female apartments. If a daughter was born, it was to belong to the father; but if a boy, Aman Das was to acknowledge it as his own, and no one should know anything about it. Gobind Das acquiesced, and a boy was born, who was represented to be the Raja’s son. He received the name of Dalpat, and was married to Rani Durgavati. When he died, he left a son, named Bir Narayan, only five years of age. With the assistance of Adhar Kayath, the Rani assumed the government, showing no want of courage and ability, and managing her foreign relations with judgment and prudence. She carried on some great wars against Baz Bahadur and his officers, and was everywhere victorious. She had as many as twenty thousand excellent horse soldiers, and a thousand fine elephants. The treasures of the Rajas of that country came into her possession. She was a good shot, both with the bow and musket, and frequently went out hunting, when she used to bring down the animals with her own gun. When she heard of a tiger, she never rested till she had shot it. Many stories of her courage and daring are current in Hindustan. But she had one great fault. She listened to the voice of flatterers, and being puffed up with ideas of her power, she did not pay her allegiance to the Emperor.
38.8
When Asaf Khan conquered the country of Panna, the Rani Durgavati, infatuated with the ideas of her army, her courage, and her ability, took no heed of her new neighbour. Asaf Khan at first kept up friendly and conciliatory relations with her; but he sent sharp spies and shrewd merchants into her country to get information of the communications and ways of ingress and egress. When he had obtained information of the wealth and treasures of this woman, he conceived the idea of making himself master of the country. He began first with ravaging the frontier villages, and went on until in the present year he received the Imperial command to effect the conquest of Garha.