Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c15.s8.5

v1.c15.s8.5

With a creature of his own in military command of the palace, Safdar Jang began to restrict admissions to the Emperor’s presence as he pleased. "The new *qiladār* used to stand at the gate of the fort and Kishan Narayan (the son of the wazir’s agent Rajah Lachhmi Narayan) at the gate of the Private Audience Hall and control the business of entree, so that no *mansabdār* whose duty it was to mount guard inside the fort, —except the horse and foot of the artillery department then under the wazir’s son and the necessary eunuchs footmen and office-clerks of the palace, could come within the fort. Further, the wazir issued an order that no soldier should enter the fort on horseback or with arms on, and this rule struck at the escort of the nobles. They therefore, feeling insulted and alarmed, gave up their visits to the Emperor. On Friday, 14th September, Ahmad Shah rode out to offer his public prayers in the wooden mosque within the fort (enshrining the Prophet’s relies removed from the *Jam‘a masjid*), but no grandee joined his cortege and even the officers marked for guard duty that day were absent. He asked, ‘Is it that the *qiladār* does not admit them, or that the wazir has forbidden their entrance?’ The *qiladār* gave the evasive reply, ‘I admit every one who comes. If none will come what can I do?’ [*TAh.* 41*b*-42*a*.] *Darbārs* were announced for 16th and 17th September, but no noble other than Safdar Jang’s partisans attended, and when the Emperor sent for the chief absentees they begged to be excused on the plea of illness; Intizām was said to have been taking China wood for three months, and held back from the Court even after the other absentees had been induced to attend. [42b, 43a.]