The Memoirs of Bābur 2.5
Túzak-i Bábarí (extracts, from Erskine's translation) 2.5
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2.5.1
The second prince was Sultan Muhammad Muzaffar, in Gujarat. He had departed this life a few days before Sultan Ibrahim's defeat. He was a prince well skilled in learning, and fond of reading the hadis (or traditions). He was constantly employed in writing the Kuran. They call this race Tang. Their ancestors were cupbearers to the Sultan Firoz that has been mentioned, and his family. After the death of Firoz Shah, they took possession of the throne of Gujarat. The third kingdom is that of the Bahmanis in the Dekhin, but at the present time the Sultans of the Dekhin have no authority or power left. All the different districts of their kingdom have been seized by their most powerful nobles ; and when the prince needs anything, he is obliged to ask it of his own amirs. The fourth king was Sultan Mahmud, who reigned in the country of Malwa, which they likewise call Mandu. This dynasty was called the Khilji. Rana Sanka, a Pagan, had defeated them and occupied a number of their provinces. This dynasty also had become weak. Their ancestors, too, had been originally brought forward and patronized by Sultan Firoz Shah, after whose demise they occupied the kingdom of Malwa. The fifth prince was Nusrat Shah, in the kingdom of Bengal. His father had been king of Bengal, and was a saiyid of the name of Sultan 'Alau-d din. He had attained this throne by hereditary succession. It is a singular custom in Bengal, that there is little of hereditary descent in succession to the sovereignty.
2.5.2
There is a throne allotted for the king; there is, in like manner, a seat or station assigned for each of the amirs, wazirs, and mansabdars. It is that throne and these stations alone which engage the reverence of the people of Bengal. A set of dependents, servants, and attendants are annexed to each of these situations. When the king wishes to dismiss or appoint any person, whosoever is placed in the seat of the one dismissed is immediately attended and obeyed by the whole establishment of dependents, servants, and retainers annexed to the seat which he occupies. Nay, this rule obtains even as to the royal throne itself. Whoever kills the king, and succeeds in placing himself on that throne, is immediately acknowledged as king; all the amirs, wazirs, soldiers, and peasants, instantly obey and submit to him, and consider him as being as much their sovereign as they did their former prince, and obey his orders implicitly. The people of Bengal say, "We are faithful to the throne; whoever fills the throne we are obedient and true to it." As for instance, before the accession of Nusrat Shah's father, an Abyssinian, having killed the reigning king, mounted the throne, and governed the kingdom for some time. Sultán 'Aláu-d dín killed the Abyssinian, ascended the throne, and was acknowledged as king. After Sultán 'Aláu-d dín's death, the kingdom devolved by succession to his son, who now reigned. There is another usage in Bengal;
2.5.3
it is reckoned disgraceful and mean for any king to spend or diminish the treasures of his predecessors. It is reckoned necessary for every king, on mounting the throne, to collect a new treasure for himself. To collect a treasure is, by these people, deemed a great glory and ground of distinction. There is another custom, that parganas have been assigned from ancient times to defray the expenses of each department, the treasury, the stable, and all the royal establishments; no expenses are paid in any other manner.
2.5.4
The five kings who have been mentioned are great princes, and are all Musulmáns, and possessed of formidable armies. The most powerful of the Pagan princes, in point of territory and army, is the Rájá of Bijanagar. Another is the Rána Sanka, who has attained his present high eminence, only in these later times, by his own valour and his sword. His original principality was Chitur. During the confusion that prevailed among princes of the kingdom of Mándu, he seized a number of provinces which had depended on Mándu, such as Rantpur (Rantambhor), Sárangpur, Bhilsán, and Chanderí. In the year 934, by the divine favour, in the space of a few hours, I took by storm Chanderí, which was commanded by Maidáni Ráo, one of the highest and most distinguished of Rána Sanka's officers, put all the Pagans to the sword, and from the mansion of hostility which it had long been, converted it into the mansion of the faith, as will be hereafter more fully detailed. There were a number of other Ráis and Rájás on the borders and within the territory of Hindústán; many of whom, on account of their remoteness, or the difficulty of access into their country, have never submitted to the Musulmán kings. * * * The countries from Bahrah to Bihár, which are now under my dominion, yield a revenue of fifty-two krors, as will appear from the particular and detailed statement.
2.5.5
Of this amount, parganas to the value of eight or nine krors are in the possession of some Ráis and Rájás, who from of old times have been submissive, and have received these parganas for the purpose of confirming them in their obedience. * * * When I first arrived in Agra, there was a strong mutual dislike and hostility between my people and the men of the place. The peasantry and soldiers of the country avoided and fled from my men. Afterwards, everywhere, except only in Dehli and Agra, the inhabitants fortified different posts, while the governors of towns put their fortifications in a posture of defence, and refused to submit or obey. Kasim Sambali was in Sambal, Nizam Khan in Bayana, the Raja Hasan Khan Mewatti himself in Mewat. That infidel was the prime mover and agitator in all these confusions and insurrections. Muhammad Zaitun was in Dhulpur, Tatar Khan Sarang-Khani in Gwalior, Husain Khan Lohani in Rabri, Kutb Khan in Etawa, and in Kalpi 'Ali Khan. Kanauj, with the whole country beyond the Ganges, was entirely in the possession of the refractory Afghans, such as Nasir Khan Lohani, M'aruf Farmuli, and a number of other amirs who had been in a state of open rebellion for two years before the death of Ibrahim. At the period when I defeated that prince, they had overrun, and were in possession of Kanauj and the countries in that quarter, and had advanced and encamped two or three marches on this side of Kanauj.
2.5.6
They elected Bihar Khan, the son of Darya Khan, as their king, and gave him the name of Sultan Muhammad. Marghub, a slave, was in Mahaban. This confederation, though approaching, yet did not come near for some time. When I came to Agra it was the hot season. All the inhabitants fled from terror, so that we could not find grain nor provender, either for ourselves or our horses. The villages, out of hostility and hatred to us, had taken to rebellion, thieving and robbery. The roads became impassable. I had not time, after the division of the treasure, to send proper persons to occupy and protect the different parganas and stations. It happened, too, that the beats were this year uncommonly oppressive. Many men about the same time dropped down, as if they had been affected by the Simum wind, and died on the spot.
2.5.7
On these accounts, not a few of my Begs and best men began to lose heart, objected to remaining in Hindustan, and even began to make preparations for their return. * * * I no sooner heard this murmuring among my troops, than I summoned all my Begs to a council. I told them that, * * by the Divine favour, I had routed my formidable enemy, and achieved the conquest of the numerous provinces and kingdoms which we at present held, "and now, what force compels, and what hardship obliges us, without any visible cause, after having worn out our life in accomplishing the desired achievement, to abandon and fly from our conquests, and to retreat back to Kabul with every symptom of disappointment and discomfiture? Let not any one who calls himself my friend ever henceforward make such a proposal. But if there is any one among you who cannot bring himself to stay, or to give up his purpose of returning back, let him depart." Having made them this fair and reasonable proposal, the discontented were of necessity compelled, however unwillingly, to renounce their seditious purposes. Khwaja Kilan not being disposed to remain, it was arranged that as he had a numerous retinue, he should return back to guard the presents. * * *
2.5.8
Although Rana Sanka, the Pagan, when I was in Kabul, had sent me an ambassador with professions of attachment, and had arranged with me, that, if I would march from that quarter into the vicinity of Dehli, he would march from the other side upon Agra; yet when I defeated Ibrahim, and took Dehli and Agra, the Pagan, during all my operations, did not make a single movement. After some time, he advanced and laid siege to Kandhár, the name of a fort which was held by Hasan, the son of Makon. Hasan Makon had several times sent me envoys, though Makon himself had not waited on me with his submissions. The forts around, such as Etáwa, Dholpur, Gwálior, and Bayána were not yet in my possession. The Afghans to the eastward were in a state of rebellion and contumacy; they had even advanced two or three marches from Kanauj towards Ágra, and had then encamped and fortified their position. I was by no means secure of the fidelity of the country immediately about us. It was impossible for me, therefore, to send any detachment to his relief; and Hasan, in the course of two or three months, having been reduced to extremity, entered into a capitulation, and surrendered the fort of Kandár. * * *