History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c12.s1.9

c12.s1.9

The Durbār on Tuesday was not such an imposing ceremony as the durbār on other days. All the officers of the king stood around him with the exception of the Khans, the Sadr-i-Jahan and two dabirs, who alone were allowed to sit in front of the Sultan. The durbār was attended by Ḥājibs, maliks, amirs and other officers of note. The palace in which the durbār was held had seven gates one after another. Nobody was allowed to enter the durbār with arms of any kind and a careful search of the persons of the intending visitors was held at the gates.¹²⁷ At the first gate were posted a number of sentinels who blew a bugle as soon as a Khan, Malik or amir of distinction approached the palace. The bugle was sounded to inform the king of the visitor's arrival. Every one who wished to enter the palace had to walk on foot after passing the third gate and the sound of the bugle was continued until he had reached the seventh gate. The same thing was done in the case of those who were privileged to ride up to the sixth gate. When all the dignitaries were assembled, a general permission was given to the members of the public to make petitions to the king if they chose to do so. The people presented their petitions to the Hājibs who handed them over to their chief, who in turn submitted them to the Sultan for orders. The Qazis, Wazirs and Dabīrs who sat in a secluded part of the room, where the Sultan's eye could not reach them, signed the farmans and recorded all information of a confidential nature. When the Durbār was over, and the king had left, the chief Hājib took the petitions to the Dabīrs and then the final orders were issued.¹²⁸