The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 29.1
The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī (Rogers, Beveridge) 29.1
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- English
29.1.1
On the eve of Tuesday, the 20th of Jumada-l-awwal, a.h. 1032 (March 10, 1623), the sun that lights the world entered his house of honour in Aries, and the eighteenth year from the beginning of my reign commenced auspiciously and happily. On this day I heard that Bi-daulat, having gone to the neighbourhood of Mathura, had encamped the army tainted with ruin in the pargana of Shahpur, and reviewed 27,000 cavalry. It is hoped that they will soon be subdued and miserable. Raja Jay Singh, grandson of Raja Man Singh, came from his native country, and had the good fortune to kiss my stirrup. I dignified Raja Bir Singh Deo, than whom in the Rajput caste there is no greater Amir, with the title of Maharaja, and promoted his son Jograj to the mansab of 2,000 with 1,000 horse. Sayyid Bahwa was presented with an elephant. As it was reported to me that Bi-daulat was coming by the bank of the Jumna, the march of the victorious army in that direction was also decided on. The array of the army that resembled the waves of the sea was divided into the van, the right and left wings, the altmish, the tarah (reserve), the chandawul (rear), etc., and arranged in a manner suitable to the circumstances and according to the locality. Close upon this came the news that Bi-daulat, with the wretch Khan-khanan, had turned his reins from the right road and gone towards the pargana Kotila, 20 koss towards the left, along with the brahman Sundar, who was his guide to the desert of error, with Darab, s.
29.1.2
Khan-Khanan, and many of the Amirs who had accompanied him on the road of rebellion and rascality, such as Himmat K., Sar-buland K., Sharza K., ‘Abid K., Jado Ray, Uday Ram, Atash K., Mansur K., and other mansabdars, who were attached to the Deccan, Gujarat, and Malwa, the recital of whom would take too long, and all his own servants, such as Raja Bhim, s. Rana, Rustam K., Bairam Beg, the Afghan Darya, Taqi, and others whom he had left to confront the royal army. There were five armies (corps ?). Although nominally the command was in the hands of the wretch (har-gashta-i-ruzgar) Darab, yet in reality the leader and centre of the whole affair was Sundar, of evil deeds. These men of darkened fortune pitched in the neighbourhood of Baluchpur to their ruin. On the 8th I pitched at Qabulpur. On this day the turn to take the rear fell upon Baqir K. We had left him behind all the rest. A body of the rebels attacked him on the march, and stretched out the hand of plunder. Baqir planted firmly the foot of courage, and succeeded in beating them back. Khwaja Abu-l-Hasan got news of this, and turned his reins to support him. Before the arrival of the Khwaja the rebels (mardudan), not being able to stand, had taken to flight. On Wednesday, the 9th of the month, having separated 25,000 horse under the leadership of Asaf K., Khwaja Abu-l-Hasan, and ‘Abdu-llah K., I sent them to attack the rebels who did not look to the end of things.
29.1.3
Qasim K., Lashkar K., Iradat K., Fida’i K., and other servants, to the number of 8,000 horse, were appointed to Asaf K.’s force. Baqir K., Nuru-d-din Quli, Ibrahim Husain Kashghari, and others, to the number of 8,000 horse, were appointed to support Abu-l-Hasan. Nawāzish K., ‘Abdu-l-‘Aziz K., ‘Azizu-llah, and many of the Barha and Amroha Sayyids, were ordered to accompany ‘Abdu-llah. In this army 10,000 horse were enrolled. Sundar had arranged the army of ruin and put forward the foot of shamelessness. At this time I sent my special quiver by Zabar-dast K., Master of Ceremonies, to ‘Abdu-llah K., that it might be the means of animating his zeal. When the encounter of the two sides took place, that black-faced one to all eternity, in whom the tendency to rebellion and ingratitude was innate, taking to flight, joined the rebels. ‘Abdu-l-‘Aziz K., the son of the Khan Dauran, God knows whether knowingly or not, went off with him. Nawazish K., Zabar-dast K., and Shir-hamla, who were in the corps of that shameless one (‘Abdu-llah K.), planted firmly the foot of courage, and were not disturbed at his going. As the aid of Almighty God is ever near this suppliant, at this crisis, when a leader of the army such as ‘Abdu-llah K. threw 10,000 cavalry into confusion and joined the enemy, and there was nearly a great disaster, a shot from a mysterious hand reached Sundar. At his fall the pillars of the courage of the rebels shook.
29.1.4
Khwaja Abu-l-Hasan also drove before him the army in front of him and defeated it. Asaf K., when Baqir K. arrived, showing great activity, finished the affair, and a victory which might be the tughrā (sign manual) of the victories of the age showed its face of purpose from the hidden world. Zabar-dast K., Shir-hamla, Shir-bacha, his son, and the son of Asad K., the architect, and Muhammad Husain, brother of Khwaja Jahan, and a number of the Sayyids of Barha who were in the corps of the black-faced ‘Abdu-llah, having tasted the sweet-flavoured wine of martyrdom, obtained everlasting life. ‘Azizu-llah, grandson of Husain K. (Tukriya), being wounded by a gun-shot, got off safely. Although at this time the desertion of that rejected hypocrite was a secret help, yet it is probable that if he had not performed this detestable action in the crisis of the battle, many of the rebel leaders would have been killed or captured. It chanced that he was known to the common people by the title of La‘natu-llah (God’s curse), and as he had received this name from the hidden world I also called him by it. Hereafter, wherever the expression La‘natu-llah is used it refers to him. Briefly, after the rebels, whose end was evil, took to flight from the field of battle, and turned their faces towards the valley of ruin and could not reassemble, La‘natu-llah, with all the rebels, did not turn his rein till he reached Bi-daulat, who was at a distance of 20 koss.
29.1.5
When the news of the victory of the servants of the State reached this suppliant to God, he prostrated himself in thankfulness for this gift, which was from the renewed favour of Allah, and summoned the loyal ones into his presence. On the next day they brought before me the head of Sundar. It appeared that when the ball struck him he gave up his soul to the lords of hell, and they took his body to a neighbouring village to be burnt. When they were about to light the fire, an army appeared in the distance, and for fear lest they should be taken prisoners, everyone took to flight. The Muqaddam (head man) of the village cut off his head, and for his own acquittal took it to Khan A‘zam, as it occurred in his jagir. He was brought to me (with the head): the head was quite recognizable and had as yet undergone no change, but they had cut off the ears for the sake of the pearls in them. No one knew by whose hand he had been shot. In consequence of his destruction, Bi-daulat did not gird his loins again. One might say his good fortune and courage and understanding lay in that dog of a Hindu. When, with a father like me, who in truth am his ostensible creator, and in my own lifetime have raised him to the great dignity of Sultanship, and denied him nothing, he acts in this manner, I appeal to the justice of Allah that He may never again regard him with favour.
29.1.6
Those servants who in this disturbance had done fitting service were honoured with more and more favours, each according to his degree. Khwaja Abu-l-Hasan was raised to the mansab of 5,000, original and increased, Nawāzish K. to that of 4,000 and 3,000 horse, Baqir K. to that of 3,000 and 500 horse, with drums, Ibrahim Husain Kāshgarī to that of 2,000 and 1,000 horse, ‘Azizu-llah to that of 2,000 and 1,000 horse, Nuru-d-din Quli to that of 2,000 and 700 horse, Raja Ram Das to that of 2,000 and 1,000 horse, Lutfu-llah to that of 1,000 and 500 horse, Parwārish K. to that of 1,000 and 500 horse. If all the servants were to be written in detail it would take too long. Briefly I remained at that place one day and marched on the next. Khān ‘Alam, having marched from Allahabad, had the good fortune to kiss the threshold. On the 12th of the month I encamped at the village of Jhansa (?).
29.1.7
On this day Sar-buland Ray came from the Deccan and waited on me, and was honoured with a special jewelled dagger, with a phul katara. ‘Abdu-l-‘Aziz K. and some of those who had gone with Lahiatu-llah released themselves from the hand of Bi-daulat, and paid their respects, and represented that when La‘natu-llah charged, they thought it was for a cavalry encounter. When they found themselves in the midst of the rebels they saw nothing for it but to submit and pay their respects, but now they had found an opportunity and had obtained the good fortune of kissing the threshold. Though they had taken 2,000 muhrs from Bi-daulat for their expenses, as the times were critical I made no inquiry, but accepted their statement.