The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c22.1

c22.1

The ranging of an army in order of battle was known as *ṣaff ārāstan*, from *ṣaff*, a row, rank, or file; another phrase for the same thing is *parrah bastan* (Ashob, fol. 134*b*). Dr. Horn, 59—70, has worked out this section so fully, that what I have to say must be in a great measure a reproduction of his remarks. He shows that the Moghul tactics were founded on the rules laid down in Taimūr’s ordinances (Davy and White, 228 and foll., Horn, 136—151). When a great battle was imminent, it was the duty of the first Bakhshī, the *Bakhshī-ul-mamālik*, to draw up a scheme of attack, dividing the force into divisions, assigning to each its position and naming the leaders of each. The proposed distribution was laid before the Emperor and his approval obtained. The day before the battle the Bakhshī also caused musters to be made, and an abstract of this present-state was laid before the emperor. For instance, we read in Dānishmand Khān, entry of the 28th Shawwāl 1120 H., that Zu,lfiqār Khān, the first Bakhshī, drew up a plan for the battle against prince Kām Bakhsh, and presented it to the emperor for approval.