A History of Agriculture in India v2.c71.6

v2.c71.6

THE ancestors of Farid Khan, as Sher Shah was originally known, came from Afghanistan and entered the service of Bahlul Lodi. His father, Hasan Khan, an Afghan soldier of fortune, was a jagirdar of 500 horses in the pargana of Sasaram in Jaunpur in Bihar. Neglected by his father, Farid went to Jamal Khan at Jaunpur, where he studied Arabic and Persian. He had taste for history and literature and memorized Saadi's *Gulistan* and *Bostan*, and the epic *Sikandar-nama*. He was very fond of the histories of the kings of the past.