The Commentary of Father Monserrate 2.6
The Commentary of Father Monserrate (Hoyland) 2.6
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2.6.1
The most noteworthy features of Fattepurum are, firstly, the King's audience chamber, which is of huge size and very beautiful in appearance, overlooking the whole city: secondly, a great building supported on arches, around which is a very spacious courtyard: thirdly, the Circus where elephants fight, gladiatorial displays take place, and a game is played, on horseback, with a wooden ball which is hit by hammers also of wood: fourthly, the baths: fifthly, the bazaar, which is more than half a mile long, and is filled with an astonishing quantity of every description of merchandise, and with countless people, who are always standing there in dense crowds. To supply the city with water a tank has been carefully and laboriously constructed, two miles long and half a mile wide. The work was performed, by the King's directions, in the following manner. Across the end of a low-lying valley which was filled with water in the rains, (although the water afterwards drained away or dried up), a great dam was slowly built. By this means not only was a copious supply of water assured, but the discomfort of the climate was mitigated. For when the sun gets low in the sky, the heat, which in Fattepurum is very great, is tempered by a cool and pleasant breeze blowing over the tank. Besides this the King descends to the lake on holidays, and refreshes himself with its many beauties.
2.6.2
Passing over the other remarkable features of Fattepurum, I must mention that the citadel is two miles in circumference and embellished with towers at very frequent intervals, though it has only four gates. The Agarena gate is to the east, the Azimirina to the west, that of the Circus to the north, and that of Daulpurum to the south. The most striking of these is the Circus gate, through which the King frequently descends to the Circus. For there stand in front of this gateway, which they seem to guard, two statues of elephants, with uplifted trunks, and of life-size. These statues are so majestic and so true to life, that one might judge them to be the work of Phidias. Close to the Circus rises a pyramid from which are measured the distances for the mile-stones (or rather half-mile-stones, for such they are), which have been placed after the Roman manner along the roads eastwards to Agara and westwards to Azimiris. While Zelaldinus was residing at Agara, he decided to remove his court to Siquirinum in accordance with the advice of a certain philosopher (member of a class professing both wisdom and piety) who was then living in a small hut on this hill.
2.6.3
Agara is a magnificent city, both for its size and for its antiquity. It stands on the river Jomanes. In it Zelaldinus the Great was some judicious and intelligent persons to explore the banks of the river and to report upon any locality they might consider to be the most eligible. They arrived at and selected the spot where Agra now stands and communicated their selection to the Sultan. Whereupon he left Delhi and as he approached the site indicated, he observed two elevated spots which seemed suitable for building and enquired of Mihter Mulla Khan, who was called Naik and commanded the royal barge, which of these mounds appeared to him the most suitable. He replied "That which is Ag-ra or in advance is the preferable one." The Sultan smiled and said "The name of this city then shall be Agra." Agra thus established, gradually grew in size and beauty. But "the old Agra of the Lodhi dynasty lay on the left bank of the river Jumna where traces of its foundation still exist. The modern city is on the right bank and is the work of Akbar. The fort was built in 1566 AD." (Ain.: Jarret II. p. 180 n. 3). Father Monserrate is substantially right in ascribing the removal of the seat of royal residence to Sikri by Akbar to the death of his sons; but for the first time we read that the death of the sons was due to the cruel spite of the evil spirits that haunted the buildings at Agra (not the fort, for he had left the place before the red sandstone fort was completed).
2.6.4
So the reason lay in the point of contrast between Agra and Sikri, the one had killed his sons and the other blessed him with sons. Sikri was a lucky place for the Emperor in as much as — to quote Abul Fazl — "his exalted sons (Selim and Murad) had taken their birth in Sikri and the God-knowing spirit of Shaikh Selim had taken possession thereof and hence his (Akbar's) holy heart desired to give outward splendour to this spot which possessed spiritual grandeur." How the 'fairy city,' which has been truly called the offspring of faith, grew up may be gathered from some passages of the Tabkat-i-Akbari. "The Emperor having visited Shaikh Selim Chisti several times, commenced a fine building there on the top of a hill, near the Shaikh's monastery. The Shaikh also commenced a new monastery and a fine mosque which at the present day has no equal in the world, near the royal mansion. The Amirs also built houses and mansions for themselves. Then was born Selim, and the Emperor made Sikri a royal abode, raised a stone fortification round it, and built some splendid edifices, so that it became a great city." born and brought up, and first proclaimed king upon the terrible death of his father. For while his father, whose name was Emaumus was walking upon the roof of his hall at Delinum leaning upon a stick, he came too near the edge; his stick slipped, and he was precipitated into the garden below. This sudden and terrible fall proved fatal.
2.6.5
He was devoted to literary studies, and was a great patron of the learned, but was not keen and active in war. Zelaldinus on the contrary, who is uneducated, has become famous for his war-like skill and courage. Hence Zelaldinus on being acclaimed King changed the seat of government from Delinum, where it had been established since the time of the Christian kings, to Agara, where he himself had been born; and built there a palace and citadel which are in themselves as big as a great city; for he included in the confines of the citadel the mansions of his nobles, the magazines, the treasury, the arsenal, the stable of the cavalry, and the shops and huts of drug-sellers, barbers, and all manner of common workmen. The stones of these buildings are so cunningly fitted that the joints are scarcely visible, although no lime was used to fix them together. The beautiful colour of the stone, which is all red, also produces the same effect of uniform solidity. In front of the gateway are statues of two petty kings, whom Zelaldinus himself shot with his own musket; these are seated on life-size statues of elephants on which the kings used to ride when alive. These statues serve both as trophies of the King's prowess, and as monuments of his military victories. If all had happened as he wished, Agara would indeed have formed a fitting memorial of the King's wisdom.
2.6.6
For it has the advantage over almost all other cities of that region in respect of its mild climate, of its fertile soil, of its great river, of its beautiful gardens, of its fame spread to the end of earth, and of its large size. For it is four miles long and two broad. All the necessaries and conveniences of human life can be obtained here, if desired. This is even true of articles which have to be imported from distant corners of Europe. There are great numbers of artizans, iron-workers and gold-smiths. Gems and pearls abound in large numbers. Gold and silver are plentiful, as also are horses from Persia and Tartary. Indeed the city is flooded with vast quantities of every type of commodity. Hence Agara is seldom visited by dearth of food supplies. In addition to this its central position (for it is, as it were, the navel of the whole kingdom) enabled the King, whenever he had the occasion, easily to go himself in any direction, or to summon his subjects to meet him. However, as so often happens in human affairs, the event proved different from what he had hoped. For, when the work of building was completed, and the King went to reside in his new fortress and palace, he found (for such was God's good pleasure) the place overrun with ghosts, which rushed to and fro, tore everything to pieces, terrified the women and children, threw stones, and finally began to hurt everyone there. Perhaps these drawbacks might have been put up with, if the thing had stopped there.
2.6.7
But the cruel spite of the Evil One began to wreak itself on the children of the King, who were slain a day or two after birth. Two or three were thus destroyed. Wherefore, greatly moved by this terrible loss, and fearing that he would be left without descendant, the king betook himself to the sage whom we have already mentioned as living in solitude on the hill of Siquiris, and told him all that he had suffered from the Evil One. The wise man bade him remove his dwelling immediately from Agara to Siquiris. The King obeyed at once, and ordered a country-house—small indeed but of royal magnificence—to be erected as swiftly as possible. This was shortly afterwards enlarged into a palace.