Travels in India (Tavernier) 54: CHAPTER VI

Travels in India (Ball) 54

Language: English

CHAPTER VI

54.1

Concerning the prison of Sultan Muhammad, son of Aurangzeb, and of Sultan Suliman Sheko, eldest son of Dara Shah. Although Aurangzeb was considered a very great politician, and was so in fact, still he allowed himself to be deceived in entrusting a powerful army to his son under the conduct of a great captain, but one who, having already, as I have said, betrayed two Kings, his masters, ought to have made Aurangzeb fear for himself a similar treatment. This Prince, who had mounted the throne by means of many crimes, and had supplanted his father, whom he held a prisoner, and also his two brothers, one of whom he had executed, and the other of whom he had put to flight, was always justly alarmed lest Heaven should inspire his own son to avenge his grandfather. As it had been reported to him that Sultan Muhammad was extraordinarily pensive and melancholy, he firmly believed that he was meditating means to ruin him, and in this belief he sought to draw some explanation from Mir Jumla. He wrote to him that having heard that Sultan Muhammad had had some secret communications with his uncle, Sultan Shuja, it was advisable that he should arrest him and send him to court.

54.2

The letter having been accidentally seized by Sultan Muhammad’s guards, and afterwards brought to that young Prince, who was a man of sense, he concealed the matter from Mir Jumla, fearing that he might have received other more precise orders from his father concerning his life, he resolved to cross the Ganges, and throw himself into the arms of his uncle Sultan Shuja, from whom he hoped for more kindness than from his father. With this resolve he pretended to go fishing, and, having speedily prepared some boats on the Ganges, crossed with many of his officers to the camp of Sultan Shuja, who was on the other side of the river, and who had found means for assembling some troops during the time he had been meditating his retreat to the King of Arakan. Sultan Muhammad having reached his uncle’s presence, threw himself at his feet, and asked his pardon for having taken up arms against him, to which he had been forced by his father, adding that he was not ignorant of the injustice with which he had seized the throne. Although Sultan Shuja might have thought that the arrival of Muhammad in his camp was only a ruse of Aurangzeb’s, who had sent him to spy out his condition and discover his weakness, nevertheless, as he was a good and generous Prince, seeing his nephew at his knees, he immediately raised him, and embracing him, assured him of his protection against Aurangzeb.

54.3

Some days afterwards these two Princes made an attempt, and recrossing the Ganges, made a long detour to surprise the army of the enemy, who did not expect them. They attacked with vigour, and slew many; but when they saw that the enemy began to recover from this sudden attack, they contented themselves with the advantage gained, and recrossed the Ganges, being afraid of being surrounded by the multitude, and of not being able to withdraw when they wished. Mir Jumla had already given notice to Aurangzeb of the flight of his son, at which the father experienced considerable displeasure, though he dared not show it to the Mir, for fear that it might cause him to do likewise, and betray him as he had betrayed Shah Jahan, his father, and the King of Golconda. Aurangzeb merely wrote to him that he confided entirely in his great prudence and delicate tact to restore Sultan Muhammad to his duty; who was still young, and that this fit only proceeded from an age full of fire, which ordinarily loved change. The confidence which Aurangzeb showed in Mir Jumla induced that general to use all possible means to withdraw Muhammad from the hands of Sultan Shuja.

54.4

He informed the young Prince that the King, his father, had the best intentions regarding him, and that he was always ready to receive him with open arms, provided he would make good use of his retreat to Sultan Shuja, which he might make serviceable to Aurangzeb, who would love him the more, and would thus have an opportunity of praising his prudence and affection. The young Prince allowed himself to be easily persuaded; and by the same way as he had gone to the camp of his uncle Sultan Shuja, he returned to that of his father Aurangzeb, where Mir Jumla received him with honour, and with great demonstrations of joy. He advised him to say to his father as soon as he saw him, that he went to Sultan Shuja merely for the purpose of spying out his forces and the condition of his army, and that he should repair with speed to Aurangzeb, in order to tell him what he had done in his service, and to receive his reward. It was also the command of Aurangzeb that his son should be sent to him ; and Muhammad, whether willingly or by compulsion, set out for Jahanabad, where he arrived accompanied by the guards which Mir Jumla had sent with him. Their commander having announced to the King the arrival of his son, his Majesty assigned a lodging for him outside his palace, and would not allow him to come to kiss his hands. He ordered him to be informed that he was indisposed ;

54.5

and whilst this lodging served him as a prison until he was transferred to the fortress of Gwalior, let us see what was done to Sultan Suliman Sheko, eldest son of the unfortunate Dara Shah, whose head Aurangzeb had cut off. Sultan Suliman Sheko, after having been betrayed by Raja Rup, as I have above related, remained in the country of Srinagar, under the protection of Nakti Rani, its ruler. This Prince, who was courageous as well as unfortunate, was compelled to pass a wild life in the mountains in order not to fall into the hands of Aurangzeb, who with all his forces was unable to harm him there. On the other hand, Nacti Rani assured him by an oath, accompanied by all the ceremonies which could render it solemn and inviolable, that he would lose his Kingdom rather than allow Aurangzeb to do him the least violence to the prejudice of that protection which he afforded him. He went for this purpose to a river which runs through his country, to bathe his body as testimony of the purity of his soul; and being thus purified in the water, he made his promise to Suliman Sheko never to abandon him, took his gods as witnesses to the purity of his intentions, and gave the young Prince no ground for doubting his promises. Suliman Sheko, after that, thought only of amusing himself and his followers with the chase, and they, on their part, sought to amuse him to the utmost of their power, while he devoted himself entirely to pleasure.

54.6

Aurangzeb ordered troops to advance towards the mountains of Srinagar in order to compel Raja Nakti Rani to put Suliman Sheko in his power. But the Raja being able with 1000 men to defend all the entrances to his country, which are narrow and difficult, against 100,000, rendered all Aurangzeb’s efforts futile, who thereupon had recourse to ruse, seeing that force availed nothing. He sought at first to treat with the Raja, but in vain, for the Raja would not violate his oath; and moreover his priests assured him that Aurangzeb would be deprived of his Kingdom, and that Suliman Sheko would reign in a short time; this made him treat the young Prince with all possible kindness.

54.7

Aurangzeb seeing that his army was unable to advance into the country of the Raja, set himself to make another kind of war in order to obtain Dārā Shāh’s son from his hands. He forbade commerce between his subjects and those of the Raja; this was very prejudicial to the latter, who, inhabiting a country of mountains and rocks, are constrained to provide themselves from outside with whatever they want. They immediately commenced to murmur at the protection which he had given to Sultan Suliman Sheko, and cried out that it was to the prejudice of the public welfare. Their priests also began to doubt the truth of their oracles, and to believe that it was desirable to interpret them otherwise. At last they began to arrange for the ruin of this poor Prince; and what completed it was that Raja Jeswant Singh, who had betrayed Dara Shah, as I have above related, sent secretly to Raja Nakti Rani to advise him that it was for his own safety and that of his country to yield to the will of Aurangzeb, and give up his nephew into his hands. This advice of Jeswant Singh sorely embarrassed the Raja, for on the one side he had made a solemn oath, and sworn by Ram Ram to protect Suliman Sheko at the risk of his country and his life, on the other he feared a revolt in his Kingdom and the prospect of losing it.

54.8

Uncertain what to do, he consulted the Brahmins, who pronounced that he was rather bound to protect his people and his faith, which would be destroyed if the country became subject to Aurangzeb, who was a Muhammadan, than to protect a Prince from whom he could never receive any benefit. These councils having been held without Suliman Sheko’s knowledge, his destruction was settled when he believed himself to be in the greatest safety. The Raja Nakti Rani thinking to shield his honour and conscience, replied to Jeswant Singh’s messenger that he was unable to bring himself to betray the Prince, but that Aurangzeb might seize him, and so protect his reputation ; and that Suliman Sheko was in the habit of going to hunt in certain mountains in his country, taking only a few people with him, and that it would be easy for Jeswant Singh to send a number of soldiers to take him prisoner, and hand him over to Aurangzeb.

54.9

Immediately on receipt of this reply, Jeswant Singh gave orders to his son to go and execute the design as it had been arranged, so that when on a certain day Suliman Sheko, on going to hunt at the usual place, was attacked by a strong party who were in ambuscade, he at once saw the treason, and put himself in a position of defence with his followers, who were all slain on the spot. The Prince defended himself bravely, and alone slew nine of the assailants ; but he was borne down by numbers, and was carried to Jahanabad. When he came into Aurangzeb’s presence, the King asked him how he felt. “As your prisoner,” replied the Prince, “who does not expect from you different treatment from that which my father has received.” The King replied that he had nothing to fear, that he would not put him to death, but only assure himself of his person. Aurangzeb then inquired what had become of the treasures which he had carried away ; he replied that he had employed a portion to raise troops to make war against him and destroy him, if good fortune had been on his side ; that another portion had been retained in the hands of Raja Rup, whose avarice and perfidy were sufficiently well known ; and that the traitor Raja Nakti Rani had seized the remainder when delivering him treacherously to his enemies, despite his promise and pledged honour.

54.10

Aurangzeb was surprised and much moved by the noble courage of his nephew, but ambition closed his eyes and stifled in him all the sentiments of justice which a proper remorse of conscience might arouse ; and in order to secure his throne he directed that Sultan Muhammad, his son, and Suliman Sheko, his nephew, should be conducted to the fortress of Gwalior, to keep company with their uncle, Murad Baksh and some other Princes who were in prison. This was done on the 30th of January 1661. Sultan Shuja, who still lived, although in a miserable condition, was the last thorn which remained in the foot of Aurangzeb, and he who extracted it, and relieved him of this unfortunate Prince whom he had still to fear, was the King of Arakan, with whom he had been compelled to take refuge. As Shuja saw that there was now no more hope of aid for him, he resolved to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, and from thence to pass into Persia to seek an asylum with the King. Having this intention he believed he would obtain a ship from the King of Arakan or from the King of Pegu to take him to Mocha, but he was unaware that neither of these Kings had other than long and narrow much decorated demi-galleys, which they use on their rivers, and that they had no vessels capable of traversing the great ocean.

54.11

Consequently Sultan Shuja was obliged to remain with the King of Arakan, who is an idolater, and in order the better to secure his protection, asked for one of his daughters in marriage, which request was granted, and he had a son by her. But this, which should have been a strong bond of friendship between father and son-in-law, soon became a cause of division and hatred ; and some nobles of the country, who had already shown jealousy of Sultan Shuja, caused him to be regarded with suspicion by the King of Arakan, as though he desired, in consequence of his marriage with his daughter, and of the son which he had by her, to depose him from his throne. This pagan King, in whose country several Muhammadans were settled, easily believed what was told him, namely, that this Muhammadan Prince might readily induce all who were in his country, under the pretext of zeal for religion, to form a conspiracy, and place himself on the throne of Arakan, instead of that which his own younger brother had seized upon. These doubts were not altogether ill-founded, for in truth Sultan Shuja, who still had quantities of golden rupees and many jewels, easily bribed a number of these Muhammadans of the Kingdom of Arakan, and with about 200 men who remained of those who had followed him from Bengal after the defeat of his army, he arranged an enterprise of much boldness, but which was at the same time less an indication of bravery than of despair.

54.12

He appointed a day with those of his own party for forcing an entry into the palace, and after having put to death all the royal family, he intended to have himself at the same time proclaimed King of Arakan. But this great plot having been discovered the day before it was to have been executed, Sultan Shuja and Sultan Bangue, his son, had no other resource left but to take flight, hoping to escape to the Kingdom of Pegu. But the high, nearly inaccessible mountains, and the thick forests full of tigers and lions through which they had to travel, and where there was scarcely any road, made their flight useless, in addition to which the enemy gave them but little time to get away before they followed on their tracks. Sultan Bangue, who marched last, to resist those whom he believed the King would surely send to seize them, and to give his father, and his family who followed him, a chance to escape, defended himself bravely against the first who attacked, but, being at length overcome by numbers and thrown down, was carried off together with his two younger brothers, his mother, and sisters. All the members of this unhappy family were placed in prison, where they were at first treated with great harshness; but some time afterwards, the King being inclined to marry the eldest sister of Sultan Bangue, they were given a little more liberty.

54.13

They would have enjoyed it longer, but for the impatience of this young Prince, who, having an active and ambitious spirit, made a new plot against the King, which proved to be the cause of their total ruin. For the plot having been precipitated without success, the King, roused to anger, commanded that the whole family should be straightway exterminated, even including the young Princess whom he had espoused, although she was enceinte. As for what became of Sultan Shuja, who was the most advanced of all in the flight, the accounts of his fate are so different that one does not know which to believe. But, if all vary in the circumstances, they agree so far that he is no longer alive, and that he either died by the hands of soldiers who were sent to seize his person, or was torn to pieces by the tigers or lions, which abound in the forests of these countries. This, then, is what I have been able to ascertain concerning this famous war which lasted six years, and I have not met with any other version of it at Surat, Agra, Jahānābād, or in Bengal, where I was precisely informed by those who were present at its principal events, having been myself a witness of a portion of them, as I have related in this account. Let us now see what were the first acts of the reign of Aurangzeb, and what was the fate of Shāh Jahān, his father.