The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 5.6
The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī (Rogers, Beveridge) 5.6
- Language
- English
5.6.1
News reached me that Shaikh Ibrahim Baba, the Afghan, had opened a religious establishment (lit. one of being a shaikh and having disciples) in one of the parganas of Lahore, and as his doings were disreputable and foolish a considerable number of Afghans had collected round him. I ordered him to be brought and handed over to Parwiz to be kept in the fort of Chunar; so this vain disturbance was put an end to. On Sunday, 7th Jumada-l-awwal, many of the mansabdars and ahadis were promoted: Mahabat Khan obtained the rank of 2,000 personal and 1,300 horse, Dilawar Khan 2,000 personal and 1,400 horse, Waziru-l-mulk 1,300 personal and 550 horse, Qayyam Khan 1,000 personal and horse, Shyam Singh 1,500 personal and 1,200 horse; in the same way forty-two mansabdars were promoted. On most days the same observances occur. I presented Parwiz with a ruby of the value of 25,000 rupees. On Wednesday the 9th of the aforesaid month, the 21st of Shahriwar, after three watches and four gharis, the feast for my solar weighing, which is the commencement of the 38th year of my age, took place. According to custom they got ready the weighing apparatus and the scales in the house of Maryam-zamanI (his mother). At the moment appointed blessings were invoked and I sate in the scales. Each suspending rope was held by an elderly person who offered up prayers. The first time the weight in gold came to three Hindustani maunds and ten seers.
5.6.2
After this I was weighed against several metals, perfumes, and essences, up to twelve weighings, the details of which will be given hereafter. Twice a year I weigh myself against gold and silver and other metals, and against all sorts of silks and cloths, and various grains, etc., once at the beginning of the solar year and once at that of the lunar. The weight of the money of the two weighings I hand over to the different treasurers for faqirs and those in want. On the same auspicious day I promoted Qutbu-d-din Khan Koka, who for many years had expected such a day, with various favours. First, I gave him the rank of 5,000 personal and horse, and with this a special robe of honour, a jewelled sword, and one of my own horses, with a jewelled saddle, and I gave him leave to go to the subahdarship of the province of Bengal and Orissa, which is a place for 50,000 horse. As a mark of honour he set off accompanied by a large force, and two lakhs of rupees were given him as a sumptuary allowance. My connection with his mother is such that as in my childhood I was under her guardianship and care, I have not so much affection for my own mother as for her. She is to me my gracious mother, and I do not hold him less dear than my own brothers and children. Qutbu-d-din is the foster-brother who is most fit for fosterage. I gave 300,000 rupees to his auxiliaries.
5.6.3
On this day I sent 130,000 as a marriage present (sachiq) for the daughter of Pahari (his brother Murad), who had been betrothed to Parwlz. On the 22nd, Baz Bahadur Qalmaq, who had long been guilty of evil practices in Bengal, by the guidance of fortune obtained the honour of kissing my threshold. I gave him a jewelled dagger, 8,000 rupees, and promoted him to the rank of 1,000 personal and horse. One lakh of rupees and cash and jewels were bestowed on Parwiz. Kesho Das Maru was promoted to the grade of 1,500 personal and horse. Abu-l-hasan, who had been the diwan and factotum of my brother Daniyal, together with his children, had the honour of an audience, and was raised to the rank of 1,000 personal and 500 horse. On the 1st of the second Jumada Shaikh Bayazid, who was one of the shaikhzadas of Sikri, well known for brilliance of understanding and knowledge, and the connection of old service, was honoured with the title of Mu'azzam Khan, and to him I gave the government of Delhi. On the 21st of the same month I presented Parwiz with a necklace composed of four rubies and one hundred pearls. The rank of Hakim Muzaffar was fixed at 3,000 personal and 1,000 horse, original and extra. I gave 5,000 rupees to Nathu Mal(?), Raja of Manjholi. A remarkable occurrence was the discovery of a letter from Mirza 'Aziz Koka to 'Ali Khan, the ruler of Khandesh. I had had an impression that he had a particular enmity to me on Khusrau's account, who was his son-in-law.
5.6.4
From the discovery of this writing it became clear that he had never given up his innate treachery, and had adopted this unbecoming attitude towards my revered father also. In short, this letter which he had written at some time to Raja 'Ali Khan was from beginning to end full of abuse and disapprobation, and said things which no enemy even could have written and such as could not be attributed to anyone, and far less to one like His Majesty, 'Arsh-ashyani, a king and an appreciative sovereign, who from childhood had educated him and brought him up because of what was due for services rendered by his mother, and raised the standard of reliance on him to such a high degree as no other person possessed. This letter fell into the hands of Khwaja Abu-l-hasan in Burhanpur amongst the property of Raja 'Ali Khan. He brought and laid it before me. In reading and seeing it the hair on my limbs stood on end. But for the consideration and due recognition of the fact that his mother had given her milk to my father I could have killed him with my own hand. Having procured his attendance I gave the letter into his hand and told him to read it with a loud voice to those present. When he saw the letter I thought his body would have parted from his soul, but with shamelessness and impudence he read it as though he had not written it and was reading it by order.
5.6.5
Those present in that paradise-like assembly of the servants of Akbar and Jahangir and heard the letter read, loosened the tongue of reproach and of curses and abuse. I put the question to him, "Leaving aside the treacheries which in reliance on your worthless self you contrived against my fortune, what was done to you by my father, who raised you and your family from the dust of the road to such wealth and dignity as to make you the envy of your contemporaries, that you should write these things to the enemies of his Empire? Why did you enrol yourself amongst the wicked and disloyal? Truly, what can one make of an original nature and innate disposition? Since your temperament has been nourished by the water of treachery, what else can spring up but such actions? Passing over what you did to myself, I gave you the rank you had held before, thinking that your treachery was directed against me only. Since it has become known that you behaved in a similar way to your benefactor and visible Deity, I leave you to the thoughts and actions which you formerly had and still have." After these remarks his lips closed, and he was unable to make any reply. What could he have said in the presence of such disgrace? I gave an order to deprive him of his jagir. Although what this ingrate had done was unpardonable, yet in the end, from certain considerations, I passed it over.
5.6.6
On Sunday the 26th of the above-mentioned month was held the marriage feast of Parwiz and the daughter of Prince Murad. The ceremony was performed in the house of Her Highness Maryam-zamani. The entertainment was arranged in the house of Parwiz, and all who were present were exalted with all kinds of honour and civilities. Nine thousand rupees were handed over to Sharif Amuli and other nobles, to be given in alms to faqirs and other poor people. On Sunday the 10th Rajab I left the city to hunt in Girjhak and Nandana, and took up my quarters in the garden of Ram Das, where I remained four days. On Wednesday the 13th the solar weighing of Parwiz took place. They weighed him twelve times against various metals and other things, and each weighing came to two maunds and eighteen seers. I ordered the whole to be distributed amongst faqirs. At this time the rank of Shaja'at Khan was fixed at 1,500 personal and 700 horse, original and extra. After the march of Mirza Ghazi and his force it occurred to me to send a second contingent after him. Having bestowed on Bahadur Khan Qurbegi the rank of 1,500 personal and 800 horse, original and extra, I started off a body of cavalry, which came to about 3,000, with him under the leadership of Shah Beg and Muhammad Amin. For the expenses of this force 200,000 rupees were given and 1,000 musketeers were also appointed.