The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c11.221

Language: English

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With the collapse of the Delhi empire after the death of Fīrūz Tughluq (1388 A.D.), the Jāms of Sind must have become practically independent. For their subsequent history we have to depend almost entirely on Mīr Ma'ṣum and Abu'l Faẕl. According to the former, Jām Ṣalāḥ ud-Dīn succeeded Tamāchī. He was a vigorous ruler, and is said to have undertaken a number of expeditions for the chastisement of refractory subjects. One of these was directed against Cutch. He reigned for 11 years and some months. He was succeeded by his son Jām Niẕām ud-Dīn. He ‘left the affairs of his kingdom in the hands of the officials,’ and gave himself up to pleasure. The result was disorder and rebellion in all parts of the dominion, and he died in the midst of this confusion, after a reign of ‘two years and a fraction.’ The nobles then raised ‘Alī Shīr, to the vacant throne. He was wise and brave, and soon brought Sind ‘in due state of order’ but he too soon developed a fondness for pleasure and was assassinated while enjoying a boating excursion on a moonlit night. He reigned 7 years. The next ruler, Jām Karan, is represented by Abu'l Faẕl as the son of ‘Alī Shīr; but Mīr Ma'ṣūm represents him to be one of the murderers of ‘Alī Shīr, and the son of Jām Tamāchī, probably the sixth ruler on his table. The new ruler was cut to pieces by a faction of the displeased nobles after a reign of one day and a half.

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The throne was then occupied by Fatḥ Khān, son of Sikandar and probably grandson of the same Tamāchī, one of the prime movers in the last plot. He was ‘very attentive and watchful over all affairs of State,’ and was celebrated for his courage and generosity. He is described as a contemporary of Tīmūr (1398 A.D.).¹ His reign period is variously given as 15 and 11 years and some months. He was succeeded by his brother Jām Tughluq. He appointed his brothers governors of Siwistān and Bhakkar, and spent most of his time in ‘hunting and exercise.’ He reigned for 28 years, and was succeeded by his youthful son Jām Sikandar. Rebellions appear to have broken out in all parts of the kingdom during his short reign of one year and a half, and for a time a person named Mubārak, who had been Chamberlain of Jām Tughluq, seized the throne and held it for three days. The next ruler, according to Abu'l Faẕl, was ‘Sanjar, commonly called Rādhan,’ who reigned for about 8 years. But Mīr Ma‘ṣūm gives Jām Rāi Dan and Jām Sanjar as the names of the next two rulers, each of whom, according to him ruled for 8 years. It is likely that these two names have been united by Abu'l Faẕl into one name, but the sameness of the reign period of the two rulers and the miraculous details about the accession of Sanjar in Mīr Ma‘ṣūm’s-list are suspicious. According to *Ta'rīkh-i-Ma‘ṣūmī*, Jām Rāi Dan ascended the throne in 858 A. H. (1454 A.D.)² and was poisoned by one of his attendants named Sanjar.

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Rāi Dan appears to have been no relative of the previous ruler, and seized the royal power with the assistance of his own retainers after the death of Sikandar. Sanjar is described as ‘a handsome man,’ who became king mainly through the prayers of a friendly Derwish. During his rule Sind was prosperous, and he appears to have taken steps to suppress bribery and increase the pay of his judicial and other public servants. He was succeeded by Jām Nizām ud-Dīn, also called Nanda. He is said to have reigned for 48 or 60 years. According to Mīr Ṭāhir he ascended the throne in 866 A.H. (1461 A.D.) and proved to be a very pure and virtuous ruler. During his rule the ‘Musulman discipline’ spread widely in Sind, and all the feudal princes of the land are described as belonging to this faith. Nanda is said to have been a contemporary of Sulṭān Ḥasan Lanāgh of Multan (A.D. 1456-1502).¹ Mīr Ṭāhir tells us that soon after his death 'all affairs of Sind fell into disorder.' Jām Fīrūz, the son of Nanda, 'was of tender age,' when he succeeded his father, and trouble soon ensued when the young man developed a fondness for pleasures. A rival for the throne appeared in the person of Ṣalāḥ ud-Dīn, a relative of Fīrūz, and occupied Thatta for a period of 8 months. Jām Fīrūz however recovered his power and ruled for some time till 916 A.H. (1581 A.D.), when Shāh Bēg Arghūn began to make encroachments on Sind. In 1521 the latter, being driven from Kandahar by Bābur, invaded and conquered Sind.

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Fīrūz fled to Gujarat² (1522-23 A.D.). The Arghūn dynasty was thus established and Shāh Ḥusain Arghūn, the son of Shāh Bēg Arghūn, was reigning in Sind when Humāyūn took refuge in the land in 1541 A.D. Shāh Ḥusain suffered from ill health, and on his death the royal power passed on to Mīrzā Muḥammad ‘Īsa Tarkhān, 'a member of the elder branch of the Arghūn clan,' in 1556 A.D. Mīrzā Jānī Bēg Tarkhān, his great-grandson, was ruling in Sind when Akbar invaded it in 1591 and soon after annexed it to his empire.³