The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 29.3
The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī (Rogers, Beveridge) 29.3
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- English
29.3.1
When Sundar was killed, and Bi-daulat retreated after his defeat to Mandu, the province of Gujarat was put in the charge of La‘natu-llah as his fief, and Kunhar was sent for along with Safi K., the diwan. At the same time the treasure, the jewelled throne on which five lakhs had been expended, and the pardala (belt) on which two lakhs had been spent — and which things had been prepared as a present for myself — were also sent for. Safi K. was the brother’s son (text says brother ”) of Ja‘far Beg, who received in my father’s service the title of Asaf K., and was married to a daughter of Nur Jahan’s brother, who by my favour had received the title of Asaf K. An elder daughter was the wife of Bi-daulat. Both daughters were by one mother, and Bi-daulat expected that on account of this connection Safi K. would be on his side. But an eternal decree had gone forth for Safi K.’s loyalty and prosperity, and that he should attain to high rank ! Accordingly, Almighty God made him loyal and the performer of good deeds, as will now be described. In short, the faithless (bi-wafa) La‘natu-llah sent his eunuch named Wafa-dar to be governor of that country, and he, with a few ragamuffins (bi-sar-u-pa) entered Ahmadabad, and took possession of the city. As Safi K. had made up his mind to be loyal, he courageously looked after the servants, and collected a force, and won the hearts of the people.
29.3.2
Some days before Kunhar came out of the city he (Safi) encamped on the bank of the Kankariya lake, and thence hastened to Mahmudabad, giving out openly that he was going to Bi-daulat. Secretly, he opened communication and made arrangements to be loyal with Nahir K., Sayyid Dilir K., Nanu K., Afghan, and other devoted servants of the State, who were waiting in their own jagirs. He awaited his opportunity. Salih, a servant of Bi-daulat, who was faujdar of the Sarkar of Pitlad, and had a good force with him, heard rumours that Safi K. entertained other ideas. Kunhar had also discovered this, but as Safi K. soothed them and was very cautious and careful in his conduct, they could not move hand or foot. Salih, for fear lest Safi K., abandoning dissimulation, should stretch his hand towards the treasure, exercised foresight, and went farther on with the treasure, taking nearly Rs. 10,00,000 to Bi-daulat at Mandu. Kunhar (or the younger brother?) also, having seized the jewelled pardala, started after him, but could not take the throne on account of its weight. Safi K., knowing this was his opportunity, changed his place from Mahmudabad to the pargana of Karang, which is to the left of the usual road, where Nanu K. was, and arranged by letter and verbal messages with Nahir K.
29.3.3
and other loyal servants that each of them should ride from his jagir with the force that he had, and at the hour of sunrise, which was the morning of prosperity for people of good fortune, and the evening of ruin to those who practised villainy, enter the city by the gate to which each was opposite. He (Safi) left his women in the aforesaid pargana, and, in company with Nanu (Babu?) K., came at dawn to the outskirts of the city. He halted for a short time in the Sha‘ban garden until it had become light and friend could be distinguished from enemy. After the world-illuminating sun of good fortune (had risen), when he found the gate of prosperity open, though he could see no trace of Nahir K. and the other loyalists, yet lest possibly the enemy might obtain information and fasten the gates of the fort, he placed his confidence in God who gives victory, and entered the city by the Sarangpur gate. About this time Nahir K. also arrived, and, entering by the gate, came into the city. The eunuch of La‘natu-llah, having ascertained the unfailing good fortune of (Jahangir), took refuge in the house of Shaikh Haidar, grandson of Nizam Wajihu-d-din. The royal servants of approved service, having proclaimed their victory with loud voices, set to work to strengthen the towers and gates. They sent men to the houses of Muhammad Taqi, Bi-daulat’s diwan, and of Hasan Beg, his Bakhshi, and seized them. Shaikh Haidar himself came and informed Safi K.
29.3.4
that the eunuch of La‘natu-llah was in his house, and they tied his hands to his neck, and brought him. Having imprisoned a number of Bi-daulat’s servants and dependants, they engaged in keeping order in the city. The jewelled throne, the cash of Rs. 2,00,000, and the property and effects of Bi-daulat and his men in the city, came into their possession. When this news reached Bi-daulat, he sent off La‘natu-llah with Himmat K., Sharza K., Sar-afraz K., Qabil Beg, Rustam Bahadur, Salih Badakhshi, and other criminals. What with royal servants and his own men, he had some 5,000 or 6,000 horse. Safi K. and Nahir K., becoming aware of this, planted firmly the foot of courage, and employed themselves in encouraging their men and collecting forces. Whatever cash and valuables they could obtain, even to the throne, which they broke up, they divided amongst both the old and new troopers as pay. Raja Kalyan, Zamindar of Idar (printed wrongly “Andur”), and the son of Lai Gopi (?), and all the Zamindars from every quarter, were summoned into the city. A good number was thus assembled. La‘natu-llah did not wait for auxiliaries, and in the space of eight days came from Mandu to Baroda. The loyal party, by the guidance of their courage, and in reliance on God, came out of the city and encamped on the bank of the Kankariya Lake. It occurred to La‘natu-llah that if he came on quickly, the rope of order of the loyal might be broken.
29.3.5
When he obtained news of the coming out of the loyal servants, drawing in the reins of ruin, he delayed in Baroda till the arrival of help. After the evil-ending criminals collected together at that chief place of mischief, he put forward the foot of error and deviation from the right path, and the loyal party, marching from the Kankariya tank, encamped outside the village of Batoh, near the mausoleum of Qutb ‘Alam. La‘natu-llah traversed a road of three days in two, and arrived at Mahmudabad. As Sayyid Dilir K. had seized the women of Sharza K. and brought them from Baroda to the city, and the women of Sar-afraz K. were also in the city, Safi K. sent a secret message to both of them that if by the guidance of good fortune they would rub off the stain of sin (rebellion) from the tablet of their foreheads, and would enrol themselves among the loyal servants, their position in the present and future worlds would approach salvation; otherwise he would subject their wives and children to all kinds of indignities. Hearing this, La‘natu-llah sent for Sar-afraz K. on some excuse to his house, and imprisoned him. As Sharza K., Himmat K., and Salih Badakhshi were in league together, and had alighted at the same place, he could not get Sharza K. into his hands. Briefly, on the 21st of Sha‘ban, A.H. 1032, June 10, 1623, La‘natu-llah mounted and arrayed the forces tinged with calamity. Those who were loyal also arrayed their forces and prepared for the fight.
29.3.6
It occurred to La‘natu-llah that if he were to go, their foot of courage would not stand firm, and, without a battle taking place, they would be dispersed in a miserable condition. When he saw the firm attitude of the loyal, he could not screw up his courage (tāb nayāwarda), but turned his rein towards the left, and gave out that they had hidden gunpowder under the ground of that plain, and that his men would be destroyed by it — that it would therefore be better to go into the plain of Sarkhej and deliver battle there. These futile ideas were due to the aid of good fortune, for on the turning back of his rein a rumour of his defeat was spread abroad, and the horsemen of the plain of victory attacked him in flank, and that ill-omened one was unable to reach Sarkhej, and halted in the village of Naranja. The loyal party arranged their forces in the village of Balud, which is nearly three koss off. At dawn on the next day they went to battle after the approved manner, their forces being drawn up in this way. In the vanguard were Nahir K., Raja Kalyan, the Zamindar of Idar, and other valiant men; on the left wing Sayyid Dilir K., Sayyid Sidu, and other loyal servants were stationed; and on the right wing Nanu K., Sayyid Ya‘qub, Sayyid Ghulam Muhammad, and the rest of the life-sacrificing devoted ones, whilst in the centre were Safi K., Kifayat K. Bakhshi, and some other servants of approved service.
29.3.7
It so happened, fortunately, that in the place where La‘natu-llah had halted, the land was undulating, full of thorn brakes and narrow lanes. The forces, accordingly, were not in compact order. He had sent on most of the experienced men with Rustam Bahadur, and Himmat K., and Salih Beg were amongst the foremost in (the ranks of) error. The army doomed to calamity first of all came in contact with Nahir K. and Shams K., and a notable fight took place. By chance Himmat K. fell in the dust of destruction from a gun-shot wound, and a fight ensued between Salih Beg, and Nanu K., Sayyid Ya‘qub, Sayyid Ghulam Muhammad, and other servants. In the height of the battle the elephant of Sayyid Ghulam Muhammad came and threw him (Salih) from his horse; he fell severely wounded to the ground, and about a hundred of his men were slain. At this moment an elephant which was in the van of the rebel army turned round at the noise of the rockets and the lightning of the guns, and got into a narrow lane, on both sides of which were thorn brakes, and trod down many of the rebels. By the turning back of the elephant the ranks of the enemy were disordered. At this moment Sayyid Dilir K. came fighting from the right wing. La‘natu-llah did not know of the killing of Himmat K. and Salih, and, with the idea of helping them, urged on the steed of ruin.
29.3.8
As the brave ones in the van, having displayed activity, had been mostly wounded, they could not stand the onset of La‘natu-llah, and turned back their rein, and it nearly happened that there was a great disaster. At this time the assistance of God displayed itself, and Safi K. hastened from the centre to the support of the van. Just then La‘natu-llah heard of the killing of Himmat K. and Salih Beg, and, on the appearance of the centre and the attack of Safi K., his courage failed him, and he became a vagabond in the desert of defeat and disaster. Sayyid Dilir K. pursued him for a koss, and made many of the defeated the harvest of the sword of vengeance. Qabil Beg, unfaithful to his salt, with a body of rebels, became captives in the claws of retribution. As La‘natu-llah was not sure about Sar-afraz K., he on the day of battle placed him in chains on an elephant and put him in charge of one of his slaves, with orders that if a defeat occurred he should kill him. In like manner he placed in chains on one of the elephants Bahadur, s. Sultan Ahmad, and gave permission to kill him. When the fight took place the man in charge of Sultan Ahmad’s son put him to death with a dagger, but Sar-afraz K. threw himself down off the elephant. The man in charge of him in that confusion aimed a blow at him in his bewilderment, but it was not effectual. Safi K., finding him in the fight, sent him into the city. La‘natu-llah did not turn back till he arrived at Baroda. As the women of Sharza K.
29.3.9
were captives of those who were loyal, he was helpless, and came and waited upon Safi K. Briefly, La‘natu-llah hastened from Baroda to Broach. The sons of Himmat K. were in the fort there. Although they did not admit him, yet they sent him 5,000 mahmudis by way of maintenance. For three days he remained outside the fort of Broach in a wretched state, and on the fourth went to Surat by sea. For nearly two months he remained there assembling his scattered men. As Surat was in Bi-daulat’s jagir, he took nearly 4 lakhs of mahmudis from his officials there, and took possession of whatever he could by oppression and injustice. He again collected together those whose fortune was reversed and whose stars had been burnt, and betook himself to Bi-daulat at Burhanpur.