History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.222.4

c11.222.4

Sir Wolseley Haig cited good evidence to prove that his account partook of a myth and that Hasan was not the servant of any Brahman astrologer, eking out his little income by practising agriculture, but a descendant of the kings of Persia. Firishta does not mention the source from which he borrowed this account of Hasan's early career.¹¹⁶ Probably he relied upon some tradition which he found prevalent in the Maratha country invented by the opponents of the Bahmanids to belittle the importance of the dynasty by describing its founder as a poor man depending for his subsistence upon the generosity of a Brahman. But even the traditional accounts do not agree in all respects. No Muhammadan historian of repute except Khwafi Khan—and he is a much later authority—gives Firishta's version. There is the testimony of the author of the *Burhan-i-Ma'sir* who is a contemporary of Firishta and who had equally good sources of information at his command. 'Ali Tabātabā commenced his history in 1591 A.D. as is indicated by the title which is a chronogram.¹¹⁷ There are many discrepancies between the accounts of 'Ali and Firishta, but the evidence of coins and inscriptions and other independent authorities corroborates the former and not the latter. 'Ali Tabātabā makes the following prefatory observations at the commencement of his work:¹¹⁸ ‘Historians have written strange things about him (Hasan).