The Nāṣirī Generations 225: VII. MALIK ’IZZ-UD-DIN, TUGHRIL-I-TUGHAN KHAN.
Tabakat-i-Nasiri 225
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VII. MALIK ’IZZ-UD-DIN, TUGHRIL-I-TUGHAN KHAN.
225.1
Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan was a Turk of good looks and good disposition, and his origin was from Karah-Khita. He was adorned with all sorts of humanity and sagacity, and graced with many virtues and noble qualities, and in liberality, generosity, and winning men’s hearts, he had no equal, in that day, among the [royal] retinue or military. When the Sultan [I-yal-timish] first purchased Tughril-i-Tughan Khan, he made him his Saki-i-Khas [own personal Cup-bearer]; and, having served in that capacity for sometime, he became Sar-Dawat-dar [Chief Keeper of the Private Writing-case], when, suddenly, he lost the Sultan’s own jeweled pen-case. The Sultan administered to him a sound chastisement, but, subsequently, bestowed upon him a rich dress of honour and made him Chashni-gir [Comptroller of the Royal Kitchen]. After a considerable time Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan became Amir-i-Akhur [Lord of the Stable], and, subsequently, in 630 H., was made feudatory of Buda’un. When the territory of Lakhanawati was made the fief of Malik [Saif-ud-Din, I-bak-i]-Yughan-tat, the country of Bihar was conferred upon Malik Tughril; and, when Malik Yughan-tat died [in 631 H.], Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan became feudatory of the country of Lakhanawati, and he brought that territory under his jurisdiction.
225.2
After the decease of the august Sultan [I-yal-timish] between him and the feudatory of Lakhanawati-Lakhan-or, I-bak, by name, whom they used to style Aor Khan a Turk of great daring and impetuosity, enmity arose, and a battle took place between them for [the possession of] the town of Basan-kot of Lakhanawati, within the environs of the city of Lakhanawati itself. During the engagement, Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan pierced Aor Khan with an arrow in a mortal place, and he forthwith died. Tughril’s name became great [in consequence], and both sides of the country of Lakhanawati—the one part of which they style Ral [Ral’h] which is towards Lakhan-or, and the other is named Barind [Barindah] on the side of Basan-kot—became one, and came into Malik Tughril’s possession. When the throne of the kingdom passed to Sultan Raziyyat, Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan despatched some persons of note to the sublime Court, and he was dignified by being honoured with a canopy of state and standards and was paid high honour. He made an inroad into the country of Tirhut from Lakhanawati, and acquired much valuable booty.
225.3
When the throne devolved upon Sultan Mu’izz-ud-Din, Bahram Shah, Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan was distinguished in the same manner, and was in the continual habit of sending for the service of the sublime Court offerings of great value. After the termination of the Mu’izzi dynasty, in the beginning of the ’Ala-i reign [the reign of Sultan ’Ala-ud-Din, Mas’ud-Shah], his confidential adviser, Baha-ud-Din, Hilal, the Suriani [Syrian], instigated him to take possession of the territory of Awadh, and Karah and Manik-pur, and An-desah-i-Bala-tar [Upper-most An-des—or Urna-desa]. In the year 640 H., when this author, with his dependents, and children, set out from the capital, Dihli, for Lakhanawati, when he arrived in Awadh, Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan had reached the country of Karah and Manik-pur. The author, taking his family along with him, proceeded from Awadh and waited on him; and Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan remained for sometime in that vicinity, close upon Awadh, but afterwards returned to Lakhanawati again. The author accompanied him.
225.4
In the year 641 H., the Rae of Jajnagar commenced molesting the Lakhanawati territory; and, in the month of Shawwal 641 H., Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan marched towards the Jaj-nagar country, and this servant of the state accompanied him on that holy expedition. On reaching Katasin, which was the boundary of Jaj-nagar [on the side of Lakhanawati], on Saturday, the 6th of the month of Zi-Ka'dah, 641 H., Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan made his troops mount, and an engagement commenced. The holy-warriors of Islam passed over two ditches, and the Hindu infidels took to flight. So far as they continued in the author's sight, except the fodder which was before their elephants, nothing fell into the hands of the foot-men of the army of Islam, and, moreover, Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan's commands were that no one should molest the elephants, and, for this reason, the fierce fire of battle subsided.
225.5
When the engagement had been kept up until mid-day the foot-men of the Musalman army—every one of them—returned [to the camp?] to eat their food, and the Hindus, in another direction, stole through the cane and took five elephants; and about two hundred foot and fifty horsemen came upon the rear of a portion of the Musalman army. The Muhammadans sustained an overthrow, and a great number of those holy warriors attained martyrdom; and Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan retired from that place without having effected his object, and returned to Lakhanawati. He despatched the Sharf-ul-Mulk the Ash'ari, to the Court of Sultan 'Ala-ud-Din, Mas'ud Shah, to solicit assistance. Kazi Jalal-ud-Din, the Kasani — on whom be peace ! — was deputed, along with the Sharf-ul-Mulk, bearing a rich robe of honour, a canopy of state, a standard and tent, coupled with [expressions of] much honour and reverence, to return to Lakhanawati ; and the forces of Hindustan, under the orders of Kamar-ud-Din, Tamur Khan-i-Kiran, who was feudatory of Awadh, moved towards Lakhanawati, by the sublime command of the Sultan, to operate against the infidels of Jaj-nagar.
225.6
In this same year likewise [642 H.], the Rae of Jaj-nagar, in order to avenge the plundering of Katasin, which had taken place the preceding year, as has been already recorded, having turned his face towards the Lakhanawati territory, on Tuesday, the 13th of the month of Shawwal, 642 H., the army of infidels of Jaj-nagar, consisting of elephants, and payiks [foot-men] in great numbers, arrived opposite Lakhanawati. Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan came out of the city to confront them. The infidel host, on coming beyond the frontier of the Jaj-nagar territory, first took Lakhan-or; and Fakhr-ul-Mulk, Karim-ud-Din, Laghri, who was the feudatory of Lakhan-or, with a body of Musalmans, they made martyrs of, and, after that, appeared before the gate of Lakhanawati The second day after that, swift messengers arrived from above [the Do-abah and Awadh, &c.] and gave information respecting the army of Islam that it was near at hand. Panic now took possession of the infidels, and they decamped.
225.7
When the army from above reached the gate of Lakhanawati, distrust arose between Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan and Malik Tamur Khan-i-Kiran, and led to strife; and a conflict took place between the two armies of Musalmans before the gate of the city of Lakhanawati, and continued from day-dawn to the early forenoon, when certain people appealed to them, and the two forces disengaged from each other, and each returned to its own camp. As Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan's own quarters were before the city gate, by the time he had alighted at his own tent, the whole of his troops had returned to their own dwellings within the city, and he remained alone. Malik Tamur Khan-i-Kiran however, on returning to his camp, continued ready armed as before, when, finding opportunity, and becoming aware that Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan was all alone in his tent within his camp, he mounted with his whole force, and made a dash upon Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan’s camp. The latter was under the necessity of mounting and flying within the city; and this event took place on Tuesday, the 5th of the month of Zi-Hijjah, 642 H.
225.8
On Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan’s reaching the city, he employed the author, Minhaj-i-Saraj, and despatched him out of the city to seek an accommodation and his safety; and a truce and compact were entered into between the two Maliks, under the engagement that Lakhanawati should be delivered up to Malik Tamur Khan-I-Kiran, and that Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan should proceed to the Sublime Court, taking along with him his treasures and elephants, his dependents and followers. Under this agreement, Lakhanawati was delivered up to Malik Tamur Khan-i-Kiran, and Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan, in company with Malik Kara-Kash Khan, Malik Taj-ud-Din, Sanjar-i-Mah-peshani [of the moon-like brow], and the [other?] Amirs of the Court returned to the sublime presence. The author, with his family and dependents, returned to Dihli along with Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan, and the Sublime Court was reached, on Monday, the 14th of the month of Safar, 643 H. On Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan's arrival at Court, he was distinguished by great honour and reverence, and, in the [following] month of Rabi'-ul-Awwal of that same year, the territory of Awadh was consigned to him, and he received much comfort and encouragement.
225.9
When the throne of sovereignty acquired additional glory from [the accession of] the Sultan-i-Mu'azzam, Nasir-ud-Dunya wa ud-Din, Mahmud Shah, in the year 644 H., Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan proceeded into Awadh; and, a short time afterwards, on the night of Friday, the end of the month of Shawwal of that year, he passed to the Almighty's mercy. Of destiny's wonderful decrees one was this, that, enmity and contest having arisen between Malik Tughril-i-Tughan Khan and Malik Tamur Khan-i-Kiran, and each having seized the other's territory, Tamur Khan should have died in Lakhanawati, and Tughan Khan in Awadh [the same night], in such wise that neither of the two, in this world, was aware of the other’s death. On this subject, that prince of mortals of the great and of the less, Sharf-ud-Din, the Balkhi, composed a verse:— On Friday, the end of the month entitled Shawwal, In the year, according to the ’Arab era, kha, mim, dal, Was Tamur Khan’s and Tughan Khan’s march from the world, This [one] at the beginning of the night went, that at its close. Doubtless, their meeting will have taken place in the Court of the King of Glory in the everlasting mansion in the other world. The Almighty’s mercy be upon them!