The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 22.1
The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī (Rogers, Beveridge) 22.1
- Language
- English
22.1.1
The transit of the sun, that fulfils the hopes of the world, into his house of honour in Aries, took place on Friday, the 15th of the month of Rabru-s-sani in the Hijri year 1029, (10 March), 1620, after 12 gharis, or 5 sidereal hours, had passed, and the 15th year of the reign of this suppliant at the throne of Allah commenced happily and auspiciously. On Saturday, the 2nd (Farwardin), having marched 4 koss, I halted at the village of Bakkar. On this road there was no hill-pass (kotal), but it was rather stony. I saw peacocks, black partridges, and monkeys (langur), such as exist in the Garmsir country (Afghanistan). It is evident that these can also exist in cold countries. From this place to Kashmir the road is along the bank of the river Bihat. There are hills on both sides, and in the bottom of the valley the water flows with great force, boiling and raging. However large an elephant may be, he cannot hold his feet firmly in it, but immediately rolls over, and is carried away. There are also water-dogs in the river. On Sunday, the 3rd, marching 4 koss, I pitched at Musaran. On the eve of Friday the merchants who live in the pargana of Bara Mula came and paid their respects. I asked the reason of the name of Bara mula, and they represented that in the Hindi language they call a boar Barah (Varaha) and mula a place — that is, the boars’ place.
22.1.2
Among the incarnations that belong to the religion of the Hindus, one is the boar incarnation, and Barah mula by constant use has become Bara mula. On Monday, the 4th, marching 2½ koss, I pitched at Bhulbas. As they said these hills were very narrow and difficult (to pass), and they could be crossed by a crowd of men only with great trouble, I gave orders to Mu‘tamid K. that, with the exception of Asaf K. and a few of the necessary attendants, no one should be allowed to march along with the prosperous stirrup (with the king personally), and the camp should be kept one stage behind. By chance, before this order was given, he had sent on his own tent. After this he wrote to his men that this order had been given with regard to him, and they should halt at whatever spot they had reached. His brothers heard this at the foot of the kotal of Bhulbas, and pitched their own tent there. When the royal host reached the place, snow and rain began to fall. One plain of the road had not been crossed when his tent became visible. Looking on this as a gift from the hidden world, I and the ladies alighted, and remained protected from the cold and snow and rain. His brothers, according to orders, sent someone in haste to summon him.
22.1.3
When the news reached him that the elephants and the advance camp had arrived at the top of the kotal, and blocked up the road, as it was impossible to ride, with great zeal, he, not knowing his head from his feet, traversed a distance of 2½ koss on foot in two hours, and came to wait on me, and repeated this couplet with the tongue of gesture. Verse. “At midnight came the thought of thee. I was ashamed and resigned my life. The poor man was abashed when suddenly the guest arrived.”
22.1.4
All that was in his store (bisāt) in the way of money and goods, of live stock or dead, he offered for me to tread upon. I gave them all back, and said: “What do worldly goods appear worth to the eye of our magnanimity? We buy the jewel of loyalty at a high figure. Such an event arising out of his devotion should be reckoned as the rising of his good star, in that a king like me with the people of his harem should remain in his house in comfort and at ease for a night and a day. It would be a cause of honour to him among his contemporaries and comrades.” On Tuesday, the 5th, having traversed 2 koss, I alighted at the village of Kaha’i. I presented the dress (sar u pay) I had on to Mu‘tamid K., and an order was given assigning him the mansab of 1,500 personal and 1,500 horse. From this stage we entered within the boundary of Kashmir. In the same kotal of Bhulbas, Ya‘qub, s. Yusuf K. Kashmiri, fought with the victorious army of my father, of which Raja Bhagwan Das, father of Raja Man Singh, was the leader. On this day, the news came that Suhrab K., s. Rustam Mirza, had been drowned in the Jhelam. The details are as follows: He, according to orders, was coming up one stage in the rear, and on the road it came into his mind that he would have a bathe in the river, though warm water was ready.
22.1.5
The people forbade him, and said that when the air was so cold, unnecessarily to get into a river so agitated and bloodthirsty that it would roll over a war-elephant, was contrary to the dictates of caution. He was not restrained by their words, and as the unavoidable destined time had arrived, got in. From excessive self-will and pride and carelessness, in reliance on his powers of swimming, in which art he was unequalled, he was more determined than ever, and with a khidmatiyya (Blochmann 252) and another servant, both of whom could swim, mounted a rock on the river bank and threw himself in. Immediately he fell, from the violent movement of the waves, he could not pull himself together or try to swim; to fall in and go were the same thing, and Suhrab K. and the khidmatlyya thus gave away the goods of their lives to the flood of destruction. The boatman, with a hundred difficulties, brought the boat of his being (himself) in safety to the shore. Mirza Rustam was much attached to this son. On hearing of this fatal news on the Punch road, he rent the robe of patience, and showed great agitation. With all his dependants, clothed in mourning garments, with head and feet bare, he came to wait on me. What shall I write of the grief of the mother? Although the Mirza has other sons, his heart was bound up in this one. His age was twenty-six years. In shooting with a gun he was an excellent pupil of his father, and knew well how to drive elephants and carriages.
22.1.6
On the expedition to Gujarat he was often ordered to ride on the front part of my private elephant, and he was an active soldier. On Wednesday, the 6th, marching 3 koss, I pitched at the village of Riwand. On Thursday, the 7th, crossing the kotal of Kuwarmat, which is the most difficult on this road (MS.), I alighted at the village of Wachaha (MS. and print differ). The distance of this stage is koss. The kotal of Kuwarmat (Kulamat in the MS.) is a difficult one, and is the last of the kotals on the road. On Friday, the 8th, having traversed nearly 4 koss, I halted at the village of Baltar. There was no kotal on this road. It was broad, and plain after plain, and mead after mead, of flowers. Sweet-smelling plants of narcissus, violet, and strange flowers that grow in this country, came to view. Among these flowers I saw (noticed especially) one extraordinary one. It had five or six orange flowers blooming with their heads downwards. From the middle of the flowers there came out some green leaves, as in the case of the pineapple (?). This is the huldnik flower. There is another flower like the fuy (?), round which are small flowers of the shape and colour of the jessamine, some blue in colour and some red, with yellow points in the middle, exceedingly pretty in appearance: its name is ladar push. They call it push-i-'aliyyu-l-'umum (the common push ?). There are many yellow arghawan (Judas-trees) on the road as well. The flowers of Kashmir are beyond counting and calculation.
22.1.7
Which shall I write of? And how many can I describe? I have only mentioned the most remarkable. There is a waterfall on this road, very high and fine. It flows down from a high place. No other waterfall of such beauty was seen on the road. I delayed a moment at it, and filled my eye and heart with gazing on it from a high spot. On Saturday, the 9th, I marched 4¾ koss, and crossed over at Baramula. It is one of the noted towns of Kashmir, and 14 koss distant from the city, situated on the bank of the Bihat. A number of the merchants of Kashmir live in it, and have built houses and mosques on the bank of the river, and spend their days in ease and contentment. According to orders, before the arrival of the host of prosperity, they had prepared decorated boats at the place. As the hour for entry (into Srinagar) had been fixed for Monday, when two watches of the day had passed, on Sunday, the 10th, I entered Shihabu-d-din-pur. On this day Dilawar K. Kakar, the Governor of Kashmir, came from Kishtwar, and had the good fortune to kiss the threshold. He was exalted with various royal favours and all kinds of imperial gratifications. He had done his duty here in an acceptable manner, and it is hoped that the great Giver of favours may light up the foreheads of all my servants with honour.