Muntakhab al-lubab 183: Religious Troubles in Kashmir.
Muntakhabu-l Lubáb, of Kháfí Khán (Elliot & Dowson, extracts) 183
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Religious Troubles in Kashmir.
183.1
[vol. ii. p. 867.] Mahbub Khan, otherwise called 'Abdu-n Nabi Kashmiri, had a long-standing enmity against the Hindus in Kashmir. He had gathered round him, many restless Muhammadans, with whom he went to the deputy of the subadar and to the kazi, and, presenting certain legal opinions, he demanded that the Hindus should be interdicted from riding on horses, from wearing coats (jama), from putting on turbans and armour (chira o yarak), from going out for excursions in the fields and gardens, and from bathing on certain days. Upon this matter he was very virulent. The officials, in answer, said that they would act upon the rules laid down by the Emperor, and by the chief lawyers, in respect of the treatment of zimmis (protected unbelievers) throughout the provinces of the Empire. Mahbub Khan was greatly offended, and, being supported by a party of Musulmans, he annoyed and insulted Hindus wherever he met them. A Hindu could not pass through any market or street without being subjected to indignity. One day Majlis Rai, a respected Hindu of Kashmir, went out with a party to ramble in the fields and gardens, and they feasted Brahmans. Mahbub Khan collected ten or twelve thousand Musulmans, came upon them unawares, and began to beat, bind and kill them. Majlis Rai escaped, and fled with some others to Ahmad Khan. Mahbub Khan, with all his followers, went to the house of Majlis Rai and the Hindu quarter, and began to plunder and to fire the houses.
183.2
The Hindus and Musulmans who interfered to prevent this were killed and wounded. After that they proceeded to the house of Mir Ahmad Khan, where they set to work beating, throwing stones and bricks, and shooting arrows and bullets. Every man they found they detained and subjected to various indignities. Some they killed, others they wounded and plundered. Mir Ahmad Khan for a day and night was unable to drive them from his house or to stop their violence, but had to employ many artifices to escape from them. Next day he got together a force, and, with Mir Shahur Khan Bakhshi and other officials, they took horse and went against Mahbub Khan. The rioters collected, as on the preceding day, and resisted Ahmad Khan. A party got in his rear and burnt the bridge over which he had crossed. They set fire to both sides of the street through which he had passed, and from in front and from the roofs and walls of the houses they discharged arrows and muskets and cast stones and bricks. Women and children flung filth, dirt, and whatever they could lay hands on. A fierce fight continued, in which * * and several others were killed or wounded. Mir Ahmad Khan was in a great strait, for he could neither retire nor advance; so he was obliged to ask for mercy, and escaped from his dangerous position amid volleys of gibes and insults.
183.3
Mahbub Khan proceeded to the Hindu quarter, and burnt and gutted the houses which remained. Again he proceeded to the house of Mir Ahmad Khan, and dragged out of it with insult Majlis Rai and a number of other persons who had taken refuge there. He and his followers cut off their ears and noses, circumcised them, and in some instances cut off the organ of generation. Another day they went tumultuously to the great mosque, degraded Mir Ahmad Khan from his office of deputy of the subadar, and, having given the prime cause of the disturbance the title of Dindar Khan, they appointed him to act as ruler of the Musulmans, and to enforce the commands of the law and the decisions of the kazis until a new deputy subadar should come from the Court. For five months Mir Ahmad Khan was deprived of power, and remained in retirement. Dindar Khan acted as ruler, and, taking his seat in the mosque, discharged the Government business. Upon intelligence of this outbreak reaching Court, Mumin Khan was sent to act as deputy of 'Inayatu-llah Khan, the Subadar. * * At the end of Shawwal he halted three kos from Kashmir. Mahbub Khan was ashamed of his unrighteous deeds, so he went to Khwaja 'Abdu-llah, who was highly respected in Kashmir, and begged him to go out with a number of the principal and most respectable Muhammadans to meet the new deputy, and bring him into the city with honour.
183.4
* * Khwaja 'Abdu-llah advised him in a friendly way to go to Mir Shahur Khan Bakhshi, and apologize for what had passed. If he did so, they would go out with him to meet the deputy. In accordance with this advice, Mahbub Khan went to the house of Shahur Khan, and having made a statement to him, rose to depart, alleging he had some necessary business to attend to. The bakhshi, acting on the Khwaja's advice, had called a number of the people from the Charbeli and Kahkaran quarters of the city, and concealed them about his house. They watched for Mahbub Khan, and fell upon him unawares. First, before his eyes, they ripped up the bellies of his two young boys, who always accompanied him, and they killed him with great cruelty. Next day the Musulmans went to the Charbeli quarter, to exact retaliation for blood. This quarter was inhabited by Shias. There they began to beat, to bind, to kill, and to burn the houses. For two days the fight was kept up, but the assailants then prevailed. Two or three thousand people who were in that quarter, including a large number of Mughal travellers, were killed with their wives and families. Property to the value of lacs was plundered, and the war raged for two or three days. It is impossible to commit to writing all that I have heard about this outbreak. After this destruction, the rioters went to the houses of the kdzi and the bakhshi. Shahur Khan concealed himself and the kdzi escaped in disguise.
183.5
They pulled down the kdzi's house to the foundations, and carried the bricks of it away in their hands. Mumin Khan, after entering the city, sent Mir Ahmad Khan under an escort to Imanabad, and then had to take severe measures with the people of Kashmir.