The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.329

v3.c20.329

Mubārak gained much popularity in the early days of his reign by the rescission of all his father’s harsher enactments. The compulsory tariff was abolished, with the result that the prices of all commodities rose suddenly, to the great satisfaction of the mercantile community. Some of the lands and endowments resumed by the despot were restored to the original grantees, and the possession of wealth by private persons ceased to be regarded as a crime. The sudden removal of all the harsh restraints which the people had suffered produced an outburst of licentiousness similar to that which had disgraced the short reign of Kaiqubād, and once again the king’s example encouraged the extravagance of his subjects, for his morals were no better than his father’s and from the earliest days of his reign he was entirely under the influence of a vile favourite. This wretch was by origin a member of one of those castes¹ whose touch is pollution to a Hindu, whose occupation is that of scavengers, and whose food consists largely of the carrion which it is their duty to remove from byre and field. He was nominally a Muslim, and received at his conversion the name of Hasan and from his infatuated master the title of Khusrav Khān and the office of chief minister of the kingdom.