A History of Agriculture in India v2.c69.s2: Flowers
A History of Agriculture in India v2.c69.s2
- Language
- English
Flowers
v2.c69.s2.1
Among the flowers Babur mentions hibiscus, oleander, keora, chambeli or white jasmine in the Babur-nama. These are all indigenous flowering plants of India. Babur is also credited with the introduction of the scented Persian rose in India.
v2.c69.s2.2
*Gurhal.* ‘In Hindustan there is great variety of flowers. One is the (D.) *jāsūn* (*Hibiscus rosa-sinensis*), which some Hindustanis call (Hindi) *gurhal*. It is not a grass; its tree is in stems like the bush of the red-rose; it is rather taller than the bush of the red-rose. The flower of the *jāsūn* is fuller in colour than that of the pomegranate, and may be of the size of the red-rose; but the red-rose, when its bud has grown, opens simply, whereas when the *jāsūn*-bud opens a stem on which other petals grow is seen like a heart amongst its expanded petals. Though the two are parts of the one flower, yet the outcome of the lengthening and thinning of that stem-like heart of the first-opened petals gives the semblance of two flowers. It is not a common matter. The beautifully coloured flowers look very well on the tree, but they do not last long; they fade in just one day. The *jāsūn* blossoms very well through the four months of the rains; it seems indeed to flower all through the year; with this profusion, however, it gives no perfume.
v2.c69.s2.3
The Oleander. ‘The (H.) *kanir* (*Nerium indicum*, the oleander) is another (Fig. 25). It grows both red and white. Like the peach-flower, it is five-petalled. It is like the peach-bloom in colour, but opens 14 or 15 flowers from one place, so that, seen from a distance, they look like one great flower. The oleander-bush is taller than the rose-bush. The red oleander has a sort of scent, faint and agreeable. Like the *jāsūn* it also blooms well and profusely in the rains.
v2.c69.s2.4
The *Keora*. ‘The (H.) *kiūra* (*Pandanus odoratissimus*, the screw-pine) is another (Fig. 25). It has a very agreeable perfume. Musk has the defect of being dry; this may be called moist musk—a very agreeable perfume. The tree’s singular appearance notwithstanding, it has flowers perhaps 13½ to 18 inches (35.³ to 45.7 cm) long. It has long leaves having the character of the reed (P) *gharau* and having spines. Of these leaves, while pressed together bud-like, the outer ones are the greener and more spiny; the inner ones are soft and white. In amongst these inner leaves grow things like what belongs to the middle of a flower, and from these things comes the excellent perfume. When the tree first comes up not yet shewing any trunk, it is like the bush of the male-reed, but with wider and more spiny leaves. What serves it for a trunk is very shapeless, its roots remaining shewn.
v2.c69.s2.5
The Jasmine. ‘The (P.) *yāsman* (jasmine) is another; the white they call *champa*. It is larger and more strongly scented than our *yāsman*-flower.³
v2.c69.s2.6
³ The Babur-nama, pp. 503-515
v2.c69.s2.7
OBSERVATIONS OF BABUR ON THE ANIMALS AND BIRDS OF INDIA
v2.c69.s2.8
BABUR observed the following quadrupeds in India: the elephant, rhinoceros, wild buffalo, *nilgai*, Kotah-paicheh, antelope, deer, gaugini, monkey, mongoose and squirrel.
v2.c69.s2.9
'The elephant, which Hindustanis call *hāt(h)i*, is one of the wild animals peculiar to Hindustan. It inhabits the (western?) borders of the Kālpi country, and becomes more numerous in its wild state the farther east one goes (in Kālpi?). From this tract it is that captured elephants are brought; in Kārrah and Mānikpūr elephant-catching is the work of 30 or 40 villages. People answer for them direct to the exchequer. The elephant is an immense animal and very sagacious. If people speak to it, it understands; if they command anything from it, it does it. Its value is according to its size; it is sold by measure, the larger it is, the higher its price. People rumour that it is heard of in some islands as 10 *qārī* high, but in this tract it is not seen above 4 or 5. It eats and drinks entirely with its trunk; if it lose the trunk, it cannot live. It has two great teeth (tusks) in its upper jaw, one on each side of its trunk; by setting these against walls and trees, it brings them down, with these it fights and does whatever hard tasks fall to it. People call these ivory; they are highly valued by Hindustanis. The elephant has no hair. It is much relied on by Hindustanis, accompanying every troop of their armies. It has some useful qualities:—it crosses great rivers with ease, carrying a mass of baggage, and three or four have gone dragging without trouble the cart of the mortar it takes four or five hundred men to haul. But its stomach is large; one elephant eats the corn of two strings of camel.
v2.c69.s2.10
'The rhinoceros is another. This also is a large animal, equal in bulk to perhaps three buffaloes. The opinion current in those countries (Tramontana) that it can lift an elephant on its horn seems mistaken. It has a single horn on its nose, more than nine inches (23 cm) long; one of two *qārish* is not seen. Out of one large horn were made a drinking-vessel and a dice-box, leaving over (the thickness of) 3 or 4 hands. The rhinoceros's hide is very thick; an arrow shot from a stiff bow, drawn with full strength right up to the arm-pit, if it pierce at all, might penetrate 4 inches (10 cm). From the sides of its fore and hind legs, folds hang which from a distance look like housings thrown over it. It resembles the horse more than it does any other animal. As the horse has a small stomach so has the rhinoceros; as in the horse a piece of bone (pastern?) grows in place of small bones, so one grows in the rhinoceros. It is more ferocious than the elephant and cannot be made obedient and submissive. There are masses of it in the Parashāwar and Hashnagar jungles, so too between the Sind-river and the jungles of the Bhira country. Masses there are also on the banks of the Sāru-river in Hindustan. Some were killed in the Parashāwar and Hashnagar jungles in our moves on Hindustan (Fig. 26). It strikes powerfully with its horn; men and horses enough have been horned in those hunts. In one of them the horse of a brave named Maqṣūd was tossed a spear's-length, for which reason the man was nick-named the rhino's aim.
v2.c69.s2.11
'The wild-buffalo is another. It is much larger than the (domestic) buffalo and its horns do not turn back in the same way. It is a mightily destructive and ferocious animal.
v2.c69.s2.12
'The nīla-gau (blue-bull) is another. It may stand as high as a horse but is somewhat lighter in build. The male is bluish-gray; hence, seemingly, people call it nīla-gau. It has two rather small horns. On its throat is a tuft of hair, nine inches (23 cm) long; in this it resembles the yak. Its hoof is cleft like the hoof of cattle. The doe is of the colour of the būghu-marāl; she, for her part, has no horns and is plumper than the male.
v2.c69.s2.13
'The hog-deer is another. It may be of the size of the white deer. It has short legs; hence its name, little-legged. Its horns are like a būghu's but smaller; like the būghu it casts them every year. Being rather a poor runner, it does not leave the jungle.
v2.c69.s2.14
'Another is a deer (kiyik) after the fashion of the male deer (airkākī hūna) of the jīrān. Its back is black, its belly white, its horns longer than the hūna's, but more crooked. The Hindustani calls it kalahara, a word which may have been originally kala-haran, black-buck, and which has been softened in pronunciation to kalahara. The doe is light-coloured (Fig.27). By means of this kalahara people catch deer; they fasten a noose on its horns, hang a stone as large as a ball on one of its feet, so as to keep it from getting far away after it has brought about the capture of a deer, and set it opposite wild deer when these are seen. As these (kalahara) deer are singularly combative, advance to fight is made at once. The two deer strike with their horns and push one another backwards and forwards, during which the wild one's horns become entangled in the net that is fast to the tame one's. If the wild one would run away, the tame one does not go; it is impeded also by the stone on its foot. People take many deer in this way; after capture they tame them and use them in their turn to take others; they also set them to fight at home; the deer fight very well.
v2.c69.s2.15
'There is a smaller deer (kiyik) on the Hindustan hill-skirts, as large may-be as the one year's lamb of the argārghalcha (Ovis ammon polii).
v2.c69.s2.16
'The gīni-cow is another, a very small one, perhaps as large as the ram of those countries (Tramontana). Its flesh is very tender and savoury.
v2.c69.s2.17
'The monkey is another. The Hindustani calls it bandar. Of this too there are many kinds, one being what people take to those countries. The jugglers teach them tricks. This kind is in the mountains of Nūrdara, in the skirt-hills of Safid-koh neighbouring on Khaibar, and from there downwards all through Hindustan. It is not found higher up. Its hair is yellow, its face white, its tail not very long. Another kind, not found in Bajaur, Sawād and those parts, is much larger than is the one taken to those countries (Tramontana). Its tail is very long, its hair whitish, its face quite black. It is in the mountains and jungles of Hindustan. Yet another kind is distinguished, quite black in hair, face and limbs.
v2.c69.s2.18
‘The nawal is another. It may be somewhat smaller than the kish. It climbs trees. Some call it the mush-i-khūrma (palm-rat). It is thought lucky.
v2.c69.s2.19
‘A mouse people call galahrī (squirrel) is another. It is just always in trees, running up and down with amazing alertness and speed (Fig.28).