[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Travellers (1500–1858)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel) › [Storia do Mogor](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci) › [Storia do Mogor (Irvine)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine) › 203.3 # Storia do Mogor 203.3 Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 203.3 - **Language:** English ### [203.3.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.1) If anyone makes a present at court in the hope of obtaining some charge or an appointment, and, as sometimes happens, he gets nothing, his present is useless. I was witness of something of the sort, which happened to Monsieur Raisin, a French merchant. He presented to the king an emerald worth one thousand rupees on the supposition that the king, in consideration of the gift, would buy all the jewels he had for sale. Yet he never bought one. Then he (Raisin) was sorry at having given the present, and spoke to Multafat Khan, at that time superintendent of the king's wardrobe, and prayed that he would use influence to get him back his emerald. It is true that he obtained it, but it cost him half of what it was worth \[10\]. Even then it was a favour the king showed him, because he was a foreigner. It is a custom established throughout India that without friends and without interest nothing can be done. Even princes of the blood royal, if they want to carry out any purpose, cannot do so without paying. It is such a usual thing to give and to receive that when any eunuch or any princess asks the king for something as a favour to some general or officer, be it an appointment or some other favour of any consequence, the king never omits to ask how much has been received. The other side ordinarily admit the exact amount, which the prince is aware of, and he leaves a portion with the intercessor and takes the rest himself, sending it to be locked up in the treasury. ### [203.3.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.2) He did not act thus, however, with the wazir, Ja'far Khan. All he did was to direct one of his officers to collect together the money for the appointments granted, with instructions to render an account daily of what had been received, if the total were twenty-five thousand rupees or more; if less, no account need be sent in. Thereupon it happened one day that a certain Fida,e Khan had returned from Ilavas (Allahabad) to court. He was no friend of Ja'far Khan, so one day when presenting to the king an officer seeking employment, he said: 'This trifle has been worth twelve thousand rupees to Ja'far Khan.' The king resented so public a reproach; nevertheless he dissembled, and soon after sent Fida,e Khan to Lahor as governor. ### [203.3.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.3) Upon birthdays and other days of festival, above all on that of the New Year, when the king and the princes have themselves weighed, as I shall state farther on (III. 12)—on those days, I say, the chief ladies of the court are obliged to attend at the palace to make their compliments to the queens and princesses. From this ceremony the wives of Pathan captains are exempted. When the ladies attend there they never go in with empty hands, but always carry costly presents to be offered. They remain at the court until the end of the feast, which lasts usually six to nine days. The dancing-women and singing-women receive on these occasions handsome presents from the princesses and other great ladies. They either sing to compliment them on their birthday, or invoke on them all kinds of prosperity when congratulating them at the New Year. ### [203.3.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.4) The ladies respond then to all the praises, which the singing-women never fail to shower on them, by full trays of gold and silver coin which they throw to them. All the matrons receive sarapas (robes) and jewels, and their allowances are increased. The great ladies are well received upon their arrival ; they also obtain costly sarapas (robes) and jewels. At the time when they say good-bye their hands are filled with kichari, which is, in its literal meaning, a mixed dish made up of several kinds of vegetables. As to this, it must be remarked that the kichari of these queens and princes is not of that sort, but, on the contrary, a mixture of gold and silver coin, with all kinds of precious stones and pearls, large and small. The day when a prince or a princess is born they give the infant a string of yellow silk with a knot in it, which is a mark of the day he came into the world. The next year, on the same day, they make another knot, and a feast is held as before, and thus they continue to the end of life. Upon the very day of birth they place in a \[n\] small bag the navel-string which has been severed by a thread, and for forty days the whole is left under the prince's pillow along with certain superstitious writings. At the end of the forty days the bag is hung round the child's neck, and this is never omitted in the Mogul country. The following is the manner in which the Mogul's vassals address him, or, rather, the titles that they give to him, with their meaning : ### [203.3.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.5) Azarat Salamat Hazrat salamat Holy in Health Gueble Dia Danie Qiblah-i-din-dunya The Temple of the Faith and the World Gueble do Jania Qiblah-i-du jahanan The Temple of the Two Universes Gueble Ja Sam Qiblah-ja-i-sama' The Temple of the World Alam Pana 'Alam-panah The Support of the World Usually Aurangzeb is called Pir-i-dastgir — that is, ' Holy man who removes with his hand sorrows and cares.' When the little princes, of whom I have spoken above, have reached the age of five, they are taught to read and write the paternal tongue, which is the Tartar, or the ancient speech of the Turks. After this they are made over to learned men and courteous eunuchs, who bring them up with great strictness, and teach them the liberal and military arts. The teachers take the greatest care to hinder the princes from acquiring bad habits. Usually to amuse them they have acted before them many comedies, or their teachers conduct before them legal argumentations, actions at law, or some imbroglio, after which judgments are pronounced. They show them combats and fights and similar things, the whole with a view to their having, should they ever obtain rule, some knowledge of the world's business, and be able to judge in every matter with discernment and without passion. ### [203.3.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.6) In regard to this it once happened to me that I was treating a little child of Sultan Mu'izz-ud-din for a small sore he had on his head. One day I said laughingly, to make him forget the pain he felt, that he must not be angry. The eunuchs and the matrons who were present found what I had said to be most extraordinary, and replying to me, they said that Mogul princes were never disturbed in mind, and all they did was void of passion and full of prudence. When the king goes out to hunt or to visit the mosque, he takes these young princes with him. This is the mode in which they are brought up inside the palace until the age of sixteen years. At this age they are married. . . . The tutors are retained all their lives in the palace with a decent pension. After a prince is married the king gives him a separate palace, with a great income and a large establishment; but along with all that he always keeps near them good tutors and most careful spies, who inform him of all that passes every day. ### [203.3.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.7) When these princes have gone to live in separate palaces they observe their birthday or other festival themselves in the manner I have stated (III. 10), and their officers are obliged to make them presents in proportion to their wealth. Thus, on this head it happened that in the year 1679 at the town of Aurangabad, where Shah 'Alam was celebrating his birthday, the queen, his mother, then living with him, made him a present of many curiosities to the value of fifty thousand rupees, at which the prince \[12\] was not satisfied, and complained, saying that his mother had been very niggardly compared to other years. In this way the queen was forced into giving him more presents. The other princesses of his household in the same way gave according to their means and substance. So much is this done, that on such an occasion it is generally indispensable for everyone, small and great, to act in this way and see that their present corresponds to their means and rank. ### [203.3.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3.8) Their year commences on the 22nd March, at which time a great festival is held, as I have said (III. 10). The palaces are decked inside and out with high and costly hangings, made by order of Shahjahan along with the throne, like a peacock, of which I have spoken (II. 34). This is of very great value, and the maker never had the felicity of seating himself upon it. Aurangzeb was the first, who, upon the day of his coronation, had the benefit of ascending this superb seat. It was placed under lofty tents, and he continues to use it on the festival day of which I speak. It is at that time the usage to place on each side of the throne, but a little lower, all the thrones used by the kings of Hindustan who preceded the present monarch. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.203.3) · Pramāṇa