History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c62.s9.1

v4.c62.s9.1

Such a kingdom was in no position to refuse any Mughal demand. Aurangzib wrote censuring Dilir Khan for not having exacted the terms of the treaty of Kulbarga. The most painful of these, to the Bijapuris, was that the Sultan's sister Shahar Banu, surnamed Padishah Bibi, should be sent to the Mughal harem. This princess was truly the guardian deity of the dynasty and the beloved idol of the royal family and the citizens alike. Though a girl of sixteen years only, she was very wise and expert in counsel and management of affairs. All the eunuchs and maids of the palace used to obey her cheerfully and all the old servants of the State stood by her side. The wretched Masaud feared this one true soul in a corrupt self-seeking Court, and knew that his power could not be absolute while she was there. She also knew it and refused to desert her young brother Sikandar, go to Delhi, and marry the son of a bigoted Sunni who hated her for a heretic Shia. Masaud, however, influenced her through her dear nurse Taush Ma and convinced her that the safety of the State and the permanence of her brother's throne required that she should enter the Mughal family. This noble Iphigenia of an Eastern clime agreed to sacrifice herself. On 1st July 1679 she left the city of her birth,* amidst the tears and wailings of the Court and the populace. The citizens,—men, women and children,—lined the streets, to have a last look at the living palladium of their city departing for ever. (B.S. 487).