Promotion of Learning in India during Muhammadan Rule (by Muhammadans) c19: Chapter V. The Mughal Dynasty (continued)
Promotion of Learning in India during Muhammadan Rule (by Muhammadans) c19
- Language
- English
Contents
- c19.s1 I. Bahādur Shāh (1707–1712) — 19 parts
- c19.s2 2. Muḥammad Shāh (1719-1748) — 21 parts
- c19.s3 3. Shāh 'Ālam II — 5 parts
Chapter V. The Mughal Dynasty (continued)
I. Bahādur Shāh (1707–1712)
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THE glory of the Muhammadan rule began to decline with the death of Aurangzib. Works of public utility of Emperors and private individuals became few and fewer since Bahādur Shāh came to the throne. He was well-educated and fond of the society of learned men;¹ yet during his reign we have two instances of colleges being established in Delhi. The first was the college founded by Ghāzīuddīn, and the second by Khān Fīrūz Jang who was buried in his own madrasah in 1120 A.H. (1711 A.D.).² Ghāzīuddīn, the father of Āṣaf Jāh the founder of the Niẓām Dynasty in the Deccan, was a favourite officer of Aurangzib and was one of the principal *Amīrs* in the court of Bahādur Shāh. Near the Ajmere Gate of Delhi, he constructed a college and also his own mausoleum and a mosque—all situated within the same enclosure. These نواب غازی الدین خان کی مدرسہ
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¹ *Zubdatul-Tawārīkh*, by 'Abdul Karīm, p. 70.
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² *Mir'āti-Aḥmadī*, vol. i, p. 410.
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Nawāb Ghāziuddīn’s Madrasah. (From Āṣārul-Ṣanādīd.)
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the Athenians, who were already in the city, were not aware of the plot, but when they saw the Plataeans fighting, they did not wish to attack them, as they were friends, but when they saw that they were being attacked and killed in the city, they were at a loss what to do. They decided to run to the citadel, and some of them escaped there, while others were killed in the streets as they were caught by the Thebans. The women and slaves were screaming and wailing in the houses, and the Thebans, who were in the city, were throwing stones at them, as the confusion was great. In the meantime, the rest of the Thebans, who were outside, hearing the shouting, rushed into the city to help their comrades.
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The Plataeans, seeing that they were being attacked by the Thebans, and that the Thebans were already in the city, were in great fear. They opened the gates of the city, and let the Athenians, who were in the citadel, come out, and they also let the rest of the Plataeans, who were in the houses, come out. They then attacked the Thebans, and as they were fighting in the dark, and in the narrow streets, the Thebans were at a disadvantage. The Plataeans, who knew the city well, were able to attack them from the houses, and from the roofs, and they were able to kill many of them. The Thebans, seeing that they were being defeated, tried to escape, but the gates were closed, and they were trapped. Some of them climbed over the walls, and others were killed as they tried to escape.
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The Plataeans, having defeated the Thebans, sent a messenger to Athens to tell them what had happened, and to ask for help. The Athenians, hearing the news, sent a force to Plataea, and they also sent a message to the Thebans, telling them that if they did not release the prisoners, they would kill the Thebans who were in their hands. The Thebans, fearing for their men, agreed to release the prisoners, and the Plataeans, having received their men, released the Thebans. This was the beginning of the war between the Athenians and the Peloponnesians.
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[Figure: Nawāb Ghāziuddin’s Tomb, to which his Madrasah is attached.
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the Athenians, who were already in the city, were not aware of the plot, but when they saw the Plataeans fighting, they did not wish to attack them, as they were friends, but when they saw that they were being attacked and killed in the city, they were at a loss what to do. They decided to run to the citadel, and some of them escaped there, while others were killed in the streets as they were caught by the Thebans. The women and slaves were screaming and wailing in the houses, and the Thebans, who were in the city, were throwing stones at them, as the confusion was great. In the meantime, the rest of the Thebans, who were outside, hearing the shouting, rushed into the city to help their comrades.
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The Plataeans, seeing that they were being attacked by the Thebans, and that the Thebans were already in the city, were in great fear. They opened the gates of the city, and let the Athenians, who were in the citadel, come out, and they also let the rest of the Plataeans, who were in the houses, come out. They then attacked the Thebans, and as they were fighting in the dark, and in the narrow streets, the Thebans were at a disadvantage. The Plataeans, who knew the city well, were able to attack them from the houses, and from the roofs, and they were able to kill many of them. The Thebans, seeing that they were being defeated, tried to escape, but the gates were closed, and they were trapped. Some of them climbed over the walls, and others were killed as they tried to escape.
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The Plataeans, having defeated the Thebans, sent a messenger to Athens to tell them what had happened, and to ask for help. The Athenians, hearing the news, sent a force to Plataea, and they also sent a message to the Thebans, telling them that if they did not release the prisoners, they would kill the Thebans who were in their hands. The Thebans, fearing for their men, agreed to release the prisoners, and the Plataeans, having received their men, released the Thebans. This was the beginning of the war between the Athenians and the Peloponnesians.
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superb structures were originally outside Shāh-Jahānābād, but were included within the modern Delhi when the walls were repaired by the British Government in 1803. A handsome gateway leads into the enclosure. There are arched rooms in the outer wall of the gateway which are supposed to have been the kitchen of the students of the madrasah. The college was closed in 1793 for want of funds.¹ The college, the mausoleum and the mosque of Ghāzīuddīn within the same enclosure form one of the few remaining specimens of religious endowment similar to those of the middle ages in Europe, combining in one spot a place of worship, a tomb of the founder, and a residence and place of instruction for those who were to have charge of them,—all built during his lifetime.² The college is now uninhabited.³
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¹ Stephen's *Archaeology of Delhi*, p. 264; Hearn's *Seven Cities of Delhi*, p. 44; Francklin's *Shāh 'Alam*, p. 200.
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² Fanshawe's *Delhi Past and Present*, p. 64.
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³ Francklin's *Shāh 'Alam*, p. 200.
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During the reign of this monarch, another college existed at Qanauj. This madrasah was called Fakhrul-Marābi'. Maulawī 'Alimuddīn and Maulawī Na'īmuddīn completed their education in this institution.⁴ This madrasah should not be confounded with the one of almost the same name, viz. Fakhrul-Marābi' Rub'ul Mafākhir, which was
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⁴ *Tārīkhi-Farrukhābādī*, MS. in ASB, leaf 227.
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founded afterwards in Farrukhābād by Muḥammad Walī-ullāh, the author of the *Tārīkhi-Farrukhābādī*.¹
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¹ *Tārīkhi-Farrukhābādī*, MS. in ASB, leaf 295.
2. Muḥammad Shāh (1719-1748)
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Notwithstanding the confusion that followed in the administration of the country since the accession of Muḥammad Shāh to the throne of Delhi created by the conduct of the two Sayyid brothers and the subsequent invasion of Nādir Shāh, there was yet a brilliant feature upon which the mind delights to dwell, namely the impetus that was given to scientific education, especially to its astronomical branch by the genius of Sewai Jai Singh, Rājā of Amber and founder of the principality of Jaipur. He constructed observatories not only in Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathurā and Benares, but also in Delhi. His observatory in the capital of the Mughal empire was built in 1724, in the fifth year of the reign of Muḥammad Shāh, at the instance of the Emperor. This monument of his genius still exists outside the walls of Delhi. Though it was never completed, and was badly damaged by the Jāṭ marauders within fifty years of its erection, yet it had sufficiently advanced to fulfil the purpose for which it was constructed.² From the Athenians, who were already in the city, were not aware of the plot, but when they saw the Plataeans fighting, they did not wish to attack them, as they were friends, but when they saw that they were being attacked and killed in the city, they were at a loss what to do. They decided to run to the citadel, and some of them escaped there, while others were killed in the streets as they were caught by the Thebans. The women and slaves were screaming and wailing in the houses, and the Thebans, who were in the city, were throwing stones at them, as the confusion was great. In the meantime, the rest of the Thebans, who were outside, hearing the shouting, rushed into the city to help their comrades.
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² Stephen's *Arch. of Delhi*, p. 269; Fanshawe's *Delhi Past and Present*, p. 247.
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Jantar Mantar—the Observatory at Delhi, built by Jai Singh at the instance of Muḥammad Shāh. [From Fanshawe’s Delhi Past and Present (John Murray).]
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The Plataeans, seeing that they were being attacked by the Thebans, and that the Thebans were already in the city, were in great fear. They opened the gates of the city, and let the Athenians, who were in the citadel, come out, and they also let the rest of the Plataeans, who were in the houses, come out. They then attacked the Thebans, and as they were fighting in the dark, and in the narrow streets, the Thebans were at a disadvantage. The Plataeans, who knew the city well, were able to attack them from the houses, and from the roofs, and they were able to kill many of them. The Thebans, seeing that they were being defeated, tried to escape, but the gates were closed, and they were trapped. Some of them climbed over the walls, and others were killed as they tried to escape.
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The Plataeans, having defeated the Thebans, sent a messenger to Athens to tell them what had happened, and to ask for help. The Athenians, hearing the news, sent a force to Plataea, and they also sent a message to the Thebans, telling them that if they did not release the prisoners, they would kill the Thebans who were in their hands. The Thebans, fearing for their men, agreed to release the prisoners, and the Plataeans, having received their men, released the Thebans. This was the beginning of the war between the Athenians and the Peloponnesians.
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the Athenians, and the Lacedaemonians, and the allies of both, were all of them in a state of great excitement, and many prophecies were being recited by the diviners, and were current even among those who were not at war. Besides this, there was an earthquake in Delos, which is said to have occurred only once before in the history of the Hellenes. It was said to be a portent of what was to come, and everything of this kind was interpreted as a sign of the approaching events.
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The majority of the Hellenes were on the side of the Lacedaemonians; for they were the liberators of Hellas. The Athenians, on the other hand, had ceased to be the liberators of the Hellenes from the Persians, and were now themselves the masters of the greater part of them. The Lacedaemonians were the leaders of the Peloponnesians, and the Athenians were the leaders of the rest of Hellas, or at least of those who were their allies.
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The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful of the Hellenes, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous. The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous. The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous.
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The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous. The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous. The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous.
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The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous. The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous. The Lacedaemonians were the most powerful on land, and their allies were the most numerous. The Athenians were the most powerful at sea, and their allies were the most numerous.
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Masjid of Nawab Sharafuddaulah with attached Madrasah at Shāhjahānābād (Delhi). (From Āsārul-Ṣanādīd.)
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the observations made in this observatory, the celebrated Astronomical Tables, known by the name of Muḥammad Shāhī, were drawn up by Mīrzā Khair-ullāh and Shaikh Muḥammad Muḥaddiṣ, under the supervision of Jai Singh, and the accuracy of the Tables was proved by the conjunction of two planets in 1154 A.H. (1741 A.D.) as recorded therein.¹ In the observatory at Delhi there is a big equatorial dial which for its accuracy and magnitude was called Samrāṭ Jantra by Jai Singh himself. The gnomons and the periphery of the circle are marked with degrees for determining altitudes and azimuths of the heavenly bodies. Besides this, there are two circular buildings open at the top and a small altitude-meter.²
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¹ *Tārīkhi-Farrukhābādī*, MS. in ASB, leaf 56; *Siyarul-Mutaakhkhirīn*, vol. iii, p. 220.
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² Hearn's *Seven Cities of Delhi*, p. 45; Stephen's *Arch. of Delhi*, pp. 269 ff.; Garcin de Tassey's *Sayyid Aḥmad*, pp. 167–174; and Fanshawe's *Delhi Past and Present*, p. 247.
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In 1722, during the reign of Emperor Muḥammad Shāh, Nawāb Sharafuddaulah constructed a madrasah and a mosque close to each other.³
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³ *Āṣārul-Ṣanādīd*, by Sayyid Aḥmad, ch. iii, p. 81.
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When Nādir Shāh invaded India during the reign of the Emperor, he gave up Delhi to pillage, plunder and massacre. In the *Tabṣīrātul-Nāẓirīn*,⁴ it is mentioned that he passed this order while
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⁴ *Tabṣīrātul-Nāẓirīn*, MS. in ASB, by Sayyid Muḥammad Bilgrāmī, p. 443.
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he was seated within the "*Madrasah of Raushan-uddaulah*."¹ However, other writers state that Nādir ordered the massacre of Delhi while he was seated in the *Mosque of Raushanuddaulah*, without referring to the madrasah. Be that as it may, Nādir carried away with him the celebrated Imperial Library of Delhi along with an enormous treasure on his return to Persia. This Library had been preserved by the Mughal Emperors as their most precious possession.² By an irony of fate, some of these valuable books were afterwards sold in Persia at ridiculously low prices.
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¹ در مدرسه روشن الدوله نشست.
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² Martin's *Miniature Painting and Painters of India, Persia and Turkey*, vol. i, pp. 58, 77.
3. Shāh 'Ālam II
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It appears that the royal family, after they had been deprived of their valuable library by the rapacity of Nādir, continued collecting books, which, in the reign of Shāh 'Ālam II (1759—1806), served to form a decent library, for it is mentioned in the *'Ibrat-Nāmah* that Ghulām Qādir, the fiend in human shape, who had most wantonly deprived the monarch of his eyes only three days before, went into the Jewel-house and took out a chest and a box of jewels, several copies of the *Qur'ān*
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and eight large baskets of books out of the Library.¹
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¹ *'Ibrat-Nāmah*, by Faqīr Khairuddīn Muḥammad, Elliot viii, p. 249.
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Ḥasan Razā Khān, the minister of Āṣafud-daulah of Oudh, founded a madrasah at Farrukhābād during Shāh 'Ālam's reign; Maulānā 'Abdul Waḥīd Khairābādī was a professor of that college.²
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² *Tārīkhi-Farrukhābādī*, MS. in ASB, leaf 124.