The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 65.3

65.3

On Monday, the 20th, after a march of three kos and a half, I arrived at Salhar, where Mahabat Khan presented jewels and inlaid arms to the value of 60,000 rupees. In this tract I saw a flower red and fiery, in the form of a gul khitmi (marsh-mallow), but smaller. So many flowers were blooming near one another, that it appeared to be all one flower. The tree is like that of the apricot. On the slope of this hill there were many wild violets, of exceeding fragrance, but their colour was paler than that of the usual variety. On Tuesday, the 21st, we travelled three kos, and encamped at Malgalli. On this day Mahabat Khan was despatched to his government at Bangash, and I gave him a khil'at, a postin, and an elephant from my private stables. During the whole march there was drizzling rain, and it rained also at night. Snow fell in the morning, and as the whole road was muddy and very slippery, the beasts which happened to be at all weak fell in every direction, and were not able to rise again. Twenty-five elephants belonging to the illustrious Government were lost upon the occasion. As the weather was very cloudy, I halted here for two days. On Thursday, the 23rd, Sultan Husain, the zamindar of Pakli (or Pakhali), obtained the honour of kissing the earth, for here we had entered Pakli. It is an extraordinary thing that, when my father was here, snow also fell as it did on this occasion; whereas for several years past there had been no fall, and rain also had been very scanty.