Storia do Mogor 141: Origin and Description of the City of Lahor.
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 141
- Language
- English
Origin and Description of the City of Lahor.
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Meanwhile I know the reader will be pleased at learning the origin of this great city of Lahor where I made my fortune, since I have exact information of how it came to be built. I feel under an obligation to write about its origin as a mark of my gratitude to a city which did me such signal benefit. The reader will get a lesson from the fidelity of a slave, and learn how sometimes in persons of lowly birth lies hidden great nobility of heart. Thus the origin of Lahor was as follows. There was a Sultan Mahmud Cazinizi (Ghaznavl), a Mahomedan King of Kabul, who styled himself King of Ghazni, because these kings then held their court in that city. It stood between Kabul and Qandahar, but is to-day in ruins. This king had a slave called Meleq Khas (Malik Khas), which means 'Chosen Noble.' This title was given him because while still a child he had great sense, as he showed on the occasion of which I here tell the story. There came to the king an ambassador from Persia, who had a handsome and very expert slave. Since Sultan Mahmud was very fond of seeing these creatures when expert, he talked with the ambassador on the qualities of his slave. The ambassador gave high praise to his boy, saying that he had a good understanding and was most exact at his duties. Sultan Mahmud wanted to try an experiment on this boasted good judgment. There arrived at the city a number of loaded horses and camels, and the king asked the ambassador to send his slave to find out what they were.
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The slave went, and brought back the simple answer that it was a caravan come from Persia. On hearing this reply, Sultan Mahmud said to the ambassador that he, too, had a slave, and he wished to see if he had more judgment and was more exact. He called to his presence Malik Khas, and told him to go to the spot and find what people they were who had come into the city. Malik Khas went, and in a short while came back with the answer that it was a caravan from Isfahan : it left on such and such a day of the month, rested so many days on the way, reached Qazwin in so many days ; it had two leaders, giving the name of both ; in the caravan were so many mules, so many horses, and so many camels. It consisted of such and such merchandise, and would halt for such and such a time, and they sought [138] such and such goods for the return journey to Persia. The ambassador was in astonishment to see a slave of such tender years give such a minute report of the Cafilah, and acknowledged there was a great difference between his and the king's slave. Malik Khas grew up, and was found to be capable of great office. The king, who loved him much, raised him up to be his chief minister, on whom the whole government depended. Courts are very fertile in envy, and occasions of uneasiness were not wanting to Malik Khas. The nobles could not endure that a slave should hold so excellent an office, and they told against this loyal servitor all the wicked stories they could invent.
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But the king already knew the fidelity and the love of his slave, and paid no heed to these envious speeches. One of the things that these enviers of others' good fortune persuaded the king to do, was to enter without any warning the room of Malik Khas, where he would be found, they said, writing treasonable letters to the hurt of the kingdom and the king. Sultan Mahmud gave way to the wishes of his courtiers, and he found Malik Khas taking a rest on his bed. At the entry of the king, Malik Khas opened his eyes, and finding it was the king, he shut them again; and the king approaching, through the love he held to him kissed him and retired. From this the envious men found an opening for saying to the king that Malik Khas no longer paid respect to His Majesty, for though aware of his sovereign's appearance in the room, seeing he had opened his eyes, he had not attempted to move, and had dissembled his knowledge out of hauteur. He forgot that, however great he may be, a servant is always a servant, and must honour his lord. If Malik Khas had done no other offence, this act of disrespect to His Majesty sufficed; he deserved to be disgraced and expelled from the court. Sultan Mahmud tried to make excuses for his favourite, saying his closing the eyes was out of respect and not disrespect. Nevertheless, he would like to know the truth from Malik Khas himself.
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Therefore he caused him to be sent for to audience, and before everybody made a pretence of being provoked, and complained of Malik Khas' pride, who shut his eyes in order not to have to rise and pay his duty to his lord when accompanied by the greatest in the kingdom. The slave asked leave to state his excuses and his reasons. In the hearing of them all he said that, worn out in doing the king service, he was taking a rest, and he quite well saw His Majesty enter into his room. But, ignorant of His Majesty's intention in coming, he shut his eyes, so as to afford him the greatest liberty to do what he wanted. Even were it intended to behead him he was quite prepared for it, being but a slave; and when aware of his kissing him, he did not move for fear of inconveniencing His Majesty. The king was satisfied, finding the reply of his servant in conformity with the conclusion he had come to himself. This did not make the envious cease their efforts; they employed spies to follow Malik Khas and find out everything he did. Then they went to Sultan Mahmud and told him that every day Malik Khas, before he came to audience, went into his garden, where in one corner was a little house, and in it a box. He entered the room alone and closed the door, so that no one could know what he was doing, and it might be that he performed some spell to procure His Majesty's affection, or went there to conceal some treasonable papers. The king told Malik Khas to prepare a banquet;
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he and the grandees wished to resort to his garden to disport themselves. The obedient servant made no demur. The king went with his greatest nobles, and in promenading round the garden, the envious men brought the king past the said house. Making a sign to him, they succeeded in making him ask for the key of the said hut. On entering, he found it full of cobwebs and an old box lying in a corner. Pretending to laugh at such a treasure-house, he asked what precious thing was hidden in that lovely chest. His slave replied that there was nothing fit to show His Majesty, nor, as the box was old, was it fit for putting precious things in. These words were quite enough to make the courtiers urge the king not to come out until he knew and had seen what thing was preserved in such an escritoire. Malik Khas resisted for a time, until the king himself said he wanted to see what was in the box. Malik Khas drew out the key from his pocket, opened the box, and satisfied the hunger and thirst, from which his enemies were suffering, for getting hold of something to ruin the faithful man. The box was opened, and it was found that there was nothing in it but an old and rusty sickle and a peasant's hairy cloak. They were all astonished at finding there was in the box nothing of any value in the eyes of men ; and where they had tried to catch Malik Khas and ruin him, they were only the means of making [140] him still greater, as so often results to those unjustly persecuted.
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If princes allow time to do its work and are not precipitate, they can always attain certainty about the machinations of the envious. The king asked the reason of his retaining such articles, and why, every day before going to court, he shut himself up in that room. The wise Malik Khas replied that, aware of the bounties the king had conferred and was conferring every day upon him, he dreaded he might grow proud. Therefore he came every day to behold the sickle and the cloak, so as to be reminded that if, by any evil deed, he came to be banished from court, he would be forced to live as his father had done, wearying himself in the sun cutting herbs and grass. Having this consideration fresh in his head, he ever renewed his resolve to serve his lord with fidelity. At this time they recognised the meaning of these words, which were often on his lips : ' Malik Khas ! jde Khud-ra shinds ' — that is, ' Malik Khas, know your place.' This he said because, finding a kingdom in his power, he felt at times a temptation to pride and to rebellion. It was to say, as it were, that he had no cause to exalt himself, being of such lowly extraction. If those who are the favourites of fortune at any king's or prince's court could remember that it was merely luck, and that they might fall once more into worse condition, princes would have more loyal servants, and the great would not be so ready to look down upon the humble.
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Malik Khas did one thing which was of great profit to the king, wherein he acted as a man of wisdom. Sultan Mahmud was a great hater of heathendom, and had as his nickname ' Destroyer of Temples.' It happened that in a battle he (Malik Khas) overcame the Hindus, and, destroying a temple, carried to the king one of the images, which the Hindus wished to redeem by a large payment. Sultan Mahmud assembled his council, and all voted for his taking the money, with which he could then continue the war against the Hindus, and thus destroy them utterly. The king would not carry out the decision of his councillors until he had heard the opinion of Malik Khas. He said to the king that it was not a good proposal, since His Majesty's greatest fame and glory was to be known as the Destroyer of Temples. If he took this money, he would be henceforth called the ' Vendor of Temples '; thus would he come to lose the great name he had. Better were it to order the image to be destroyed in his own presence ; it had a large abdomen. Sultan Mahmud listened to the words of his wise and faithful servant, and there and then ordered a mace to be brought, and the image to be broken. Hidden in the abdomen there was a great quantity of precious stones, pearls of great price, and other valuables. In this way he (Malik Khas) preserved the good name of his master without losing the money to be obtained by selling the image. On the contrary, a great deal more was gained.
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Finally, Sultan Mahmud wanted to test the fidelity of his slave, or, we may say, he wished to protect him from the envy of the courtiers by raising him still higher, and giving him his freedom. But here the reader will see what fidelity can do with a heart of which it has once taken possession. The king gave to Malik Khas much money and many soldiers, so that he might search for some lovely site, there to found a large and handsome city in his own name. He added a secret order that after the said city had been built he (Malik Khas) should send a defiance to his master. Malik Khas obeyed, and came to a bare and spacious plain near to a fine river called the Ravi. There he constructed the handsome and beneficent city of Lahor, called by its residents ' Allah-nur' — that is, ' Day-dawn of God.' When the city was completed, he sent a defiance to Sultan Mahmud, calling on him to enter the field and fight. It would be impossible to detail the exclamations and speeches of the courtiers to the king. They told him that now he beheld the loyalty of his slave ; well had they recognised the pride of Malik Khas. But the king had attached more value to the hypocrisy of a slave than to the loyalty of so many faithful followers, who, as members of high-placed families, were endowed with sensitive souls, and full of all good qualities. Now the only remedy was to take the field and destroy this rebel, who repaid by revolt the love of a great king.
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Sultan Mahmud ordered his army to take the field, and he marched against the pretended rebel. They were to fight together, and the officers of the Ghazni king, eager to show their loyalty and valour, longed for nothing so much as the hour of battle. They hoped for reward from the court, coupled with the death and overthrow of their hated rival. Battle was delivered, and Malik Khas was able to dispose his soldiers so carefully that he succeeded in defeating the army and capturing the king, his master. He carried the king to the new city, and made him ascend a high throne, while he (Malik Khas), with a rope round his neck and his hands bound, came and fell at Sultan Mahmud's feet, and exclaimed that the slave had obeyed his master. On his part, Sultan Mahmud took him to his arms and kissed him, and, removing the rope from his neck, caused him to sit at his side upon the same throne, and assigning him great revenues, confided to him the kingdom of Lahor, and retired himself to the realm of Ghazni. This is the origin of the famous city of Lahor, which has twelve gates, called: Qadiri Darwazah, which is on the river bank towards the north; Yakki Darwazah, on the same side; Dilli Darwazah, which is used by those going to and coming from Dihli; Akbari Darwazah; Mochi Darwazah — that is, 'Gate of the Shoemaker' — and it got this name on the following occasion: Near this gate dwelt a shoemaker who had a lovely daughter, with whom a Pathan youth fell in love.
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To get possession of her, he had recourse to a procuress called Giho, who feigned to be a physician. She managed cleverly to smuggle the youth into the girl's room hidden in a box, on the pretext that it contained medicines to treat the girl. The girl was a consenting party, and on Giho's advice had shammed illness. Three days afterwards the girl found that the illness from which she suffered was alleviated. The father remunerated the old woman, who came back to remove the box to her own house. Since there were not enough porters, the shoemaker lent a hand. As they went along the road they got mixed up with a string of ill-tempered camels, and there the box fell to the ground. Owing to this great fall it opened, and out came the Pathan youth, who set a-running. Seeing this, the shoemaker found out the knavery ; and the story was told all over the city, whereby this gate acquired the name aforesaid. [The other gates are] Shah 'Alam Darwazah ; Bhati Darwazah ; Multani Darwazah, on the road leading to Multan ; Mori Darwazah ; Ghakkari Darwazah, leading to the lands of the Ghakkars ; Kashmiri Darwazah, which opens on the road to Kashmir.
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The walls are all [143] of well-burnt bricks, high, and provided with bastions. The houses are lofty, some having eight stories. As to the number of people in this city, it is not easy to make an estimate, for the kotwal told me that he collected a weekly tax from six thousand houses of ill-fame ; from this assertion careful people can arrive at the number there must be of public filles de joie, besides those who conceal themselves. The city is inhabited by great and rich merchants who deal with the whole of India, and it is the key to the kingdoms of Kabul, Balkh, Tartary, Kashmir, Persia, Baloches, Multan, Bhakkar, and Tattah. For it is crammed with foreigners, is well provided with provisions, and has a population of ruddy complexion inclining to whiteness. Round the city are fine gardens filled with various kinds of fruit, chiefly peaches, which are fine and large and in great abundance. Once, out of curiosity, I weighed one of them, and without exaggeration, it weighed thirteen ounces. There are many quinces (marmelos), figs, mulberries, stoneless grapes, mangoes, and melons of many kinds. The air is very good and wholesome, as may be seen by the complexions of the inhabitants, above all from the villagers, men and women, a very simple folk, well-built and friendly-natured. There is an abundance of wells, from which they draw water by thick ropes with the aid of oxen.