Later Mughals v1.c6.s25: Sec. 24.—Illness and Death of Bahadur Shah.
Later Mughals v1.c6.s25
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Sec. 24.—Illness and Death of Bahadur Shah.
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Some months were passed quietly at Lahor. Enquiries were made from Inayatullah Khan about the number of stages to Kashmir. A few proposed that the Emperor should move to Kangra for the hot weather, as it was so much nearer than Kashmir, and that he should return to Lahor in the cold season. To these and other proposals Bahadur Shah's only reply was the verse "Paradise is there where no harm is received, where no one has (any) concern with any other." He would not, he said, fix any month or year for the march, the establishments had all dispersed, his days of journeying were drawing to an end, and there was only left the one inevitable journey. He busied himself in altering and improving the garden of Shalimar, although he did not live long enough to receive any pleasure from the work.* [Kamwar, Qasim.]
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would make us eat out of one platter with yourself.' At this speech he was very enraged. When they had gone he ordered 'Let all these learned men of Lahor be arrested tomorrow. I will order them to be imprisoned and afterwards I will have them executed.' He ordered that Lahor should be entitled Dar-ul-jihad. On hearing this Muizz-ud-din sent all his troops and artillery to protect the learned men, saying 'If the imperial troops attacked them I will come out myself and join them.' Hearing this the Emperor gave up his intention. But in a few days he sent for seven of the best and most noted men and put them in prison, sending them to Gwaliyar. He ordered the khutba to be read in Dihli as he had directed. Asaf-ud-daulah on seeing the order said 'This cannot take effect in Hindustan; it is not Iran,' and refused to let it be recited saying he would write to the Emperor about it. Bahadur Shah, seeing he could not enforce his change and at Gujarat and Kashmir it had ended in the murder of the reciter (khatib), felt shame and became insane. He was not able to sleep at nights and dogs became hateful to him. He ordered every one in camp to kill a dog whenever they saw it. Thousands of dogs were killed. The learned men sent to Gwaliyar prayed for the destruction of the sovereign. When they got to Akbarabad, Baqi Khan Chela, the commandant, sent for them and entertained them and sent them on and prayed them to stop those supplications and he would intercede for their release. They made evasive answers, and continued as before on reaching Gwaliyar; and a few days passed. In the month of Muharram the Emperor fell ill.
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∗ Kamraj, Ibratnama 44b. B. S. went out only once in a boat, and except that once did not go out hunting after reaching Lahor—nay, never
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About the middle of January 1712 the Emperor's health failed.* Preparations for the annual celebration of his accession were made, but he was unable to appear. It would seem that he began to be troubled by delusions, for he gave orders to kill every dog both in the camp and the city. Hundreds were killed every day. Amin-ud-din, whose tent was on the bank of the river, himself saw the city dogs at early dawn jumping into the river and swimming to the other side, only returning after dark to the houses of those who fed them. Bahadur Shah held his last audience on the 24th February 1712. The next day he was reported to be ill, but no danger was anticipated. On the 26th it was noticed that the Princes were preparing for their own safety, and on the following day it was known that there was no hope and the men in camp began to send their families and property into the city, which was about two kos from the camp. Among those who sought refuge with their families in Lahor were Wazarat Khan, Inayatullah Khan, his father, the Sadar-us-sadur, Sayyid Amjad Khan, and Ikhlas Khan, the superintendent of arz mukarrar. [Kamwar, Dastur-ul-insha 15, Siyar, Mirza Md. 126.]
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A great commotion existed during the three days of the Emperor's illness. From several sources we have accounts of the general consternation and hurrying to and fro. It is a pitiful picture! The poor old Emperor left in spite of all his worldly state, to die alone, his four sons being unable to stifle their hostility and their greed for his succession, even until the breath was out of their father's body. Nay, the dead body lay unheeded fully a month before it was sent off from Lahor for burial at Dihli. The second Prince Azim-ush-shan remained with his father till hope had gone and then left for his own quarters. As he left he directed Amin-ud-din Sambhali to
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moved once outside the enclosure of his tents. He had ordered new stones to be laid in the Shalimar bagh and his visit there was expected from day to day.
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∗ Yahya K. 116b. "They say that an inverted sore (dumbal-i-makush) formed on his stomach, and some have said other things which are not fit for me to repeat nor in accordance with his honour. God alone knows the truth!"
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remain and report from hour to hour the progress of affairs. Amin-ud-din hid himself in the tent called the kitab-khana or library. After a time he learnt for a certainty that the Emperor was dead, and that Zulfiqar Khan, Hamid-ud-din Khan and Mahfuz Khan were preparing the body for the grave. The Prince's emissary made haste to his master and told him the news. After wiping away a few tears from the Prince's eyes, Amin-ud-din asked, "Why make further delay in proclaiming the new reign?" Azim-ush-shan told him he had leave to act, and Amin-ud-din gave orders that the drums should be beaten. [Kamwar.]
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Just before sunset on the 25th February 1712, Prince Rafi-ush-shan the third son left his quarters at the mansion of Ali Mardan Khan in Lahor with the intention of visiting the Emperor. Kamwar Khan met his retinue in the sands of the Ravi and asked for orders in certain matters. After a word or two the Prince said there was then no time. Kamwar Khan returned to the ruin of which he had taken possession as his abode. Evening prayer was in progress when a camel-rider brought a verbal message from Sandal Khan, head eunuch (nazir) to Prince Rafi-ud-darjat, then with his father, ordering Kamwar Khan to join him with some of the Prince's men. Taking forty or fifty well armed men, Kamwar Khan made all possible haste towards the imperial camp. On reaching the river bed, they saw torches approaching. It was the Prince's retinue. One of the troopers rode up and told them that the Emperor had been laid up for over a day with swelling of the spleen. Prince Rafi-ush-shan had reached the Emperor's quarters about sundown. The eldest Prince Muizz-ud-din Jahandar Shah, came out of the enclosing screens (gulal-bar) in a state of the greatest consternation and bringing his litter (nalki) close to that of his younger brother said, "The time of departure." Rafi-ush-shan turned back and sent a letter from his own quarters by the hand of a eunuch asking what His Majesty's wishes were. Bahadur Shah wrote on the letter with his own hand that the Prince should hurry home to his own house. "There", said the trooper, pointing with his hand, "there is the Prince coming, with his retinue." As they were talking, the Prince arrived, and Kamwar Khan asked for orders for himself and his men. The Prince directed them to go home, and in the morning it would be known how matters stood. [Kamwar.]
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During the night of the 27th February, 1712, the Emperor died. By Kamwar Khan's account it would appear that his complaint was enlargement of the spleen.* Maulavi Muradullah, Mahfuz Khan and Abdul Qadir prepared the body for burial and laid it in a bier. It lay unburied until the succession of the throne had been decided, when it was despatched to Dihli on the 11th April in the charge of Bibi Mihr-Parwar, the Emperor's widow, and of Chin Qilich Muhammad Khan, and on its arrival there on the 15th May it was buried in the courtyard of a marble mosque erected by Alamgir near the shrine of Qutb-ud-din Kaki. As he was born on the 30th Rajab 1053 he was 70 (lunar) years, 5 months, 20 days at his death. Counting from the date of Alamgir's death (28th Zul Qada 1118), the official date of accession (18th Zul Hijja 1118), the enthronement at Lahor (30th Muharram) or the victory over Azam Shah (18th Rabi I. 1119) respectively he had reigned 5 (lunar) years 1 m. 22 d., 5 (lunar) years 1 m. 2 d., 4 (lunar) years 11 m. 20 d., or 4 lunar years 10 m. 2 d. The official date of accession to the throne was the 18th Zul Hijja 1118, the date on which Bahadur Shah heard of his father's death. His full titles were Abul-nasr Sayyid Qutb-ud-din Muhammad Shah Alam Bahadur Shah Badshah. After his death he is styled by native historians Khuld-manzil or 'Departed to Paradise'.†
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∗ Valentyn, 291, says he died at noon of 28th and the cause was apoplexy following on a cold. He also reproduces a rumour, evidently mere camp gossip, that Bahadur Shah was severely wounded in the stomach by a general "Jensiati Chan," who was surprised in company of one of the Emperor's wives. The murderer was in turn cut down within the harem by two of the guards. Bahadur Shah was supposed to have survived the wound three days. Some authorities [Viceroy of Goa] say the Emperor was poisoned, but no evidence is brought forward.
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† Kamwar, Qasim 43, Mirza Md. 137, K. K. 684, Br. Mus. Addl. 16,713 See account of annual ceremonies at his tomb carried out by Mihr-Parwar Begam, (Kamwar 115-116).
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The word Sayyid or Lord, which is confined to the descendants of the Prophet, appears in the above titles because Bahadur Shah, on very insufficient grounds claimed Sayyid lineage. This claim had never been made by any of his predecessors of the house of Taimur. The story goes that one Sayyid Shah Mir, a descendant of Abdul Qadir Jilani, resorted to the country near Kashmir which was ruled by Bahadur Shah's maternal grandfather. The Rajah became a disciple of and gave his daughter in marriage to the Sayyid. They had issue one son and one daughter. Then the Sayyid set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca and was never heard of again. The children were brought up secretly by their grandfather. Then the Emperor Shah Jahan demanded tribute of money and a daughter from that Rajah. The Sayyid's daughter accompanied by presents was sent to him. The girl was instructed by Muhammadan teachers appointed by the Emperor, and in due course married to Prince Aurangzeb. Her Muhammadan name was Kalimat-un-nissa, commonly called Nawab Bai Begam, and the sarai in Khandesh, at the foot of the Fardapur Pass, was built by her. This place was for a long time held by her in jagir. There is a ward in Aurangabad founded by her and called after her Baiji-pura. If the above story about the faqir is true, which is very unlikely, Bahadur Shah was of Sayyid descent through his mother. [K. K. i. 594.]