AGRA
H ISTORICAL DESCRIP'
I‘
IVE,WI T H AR AC C OUNT OF
AKBAR AN D H I S C OURT
AN D O F T H E
M O D E R N C I TY O F AGRA .
I llusfrated w i th P ortrai ts of theMoghul E mp erors and D rawings of the P rincipalArchi tectural Monuments of that C i tyand i ts Suburbs, and
MAP D E AGRA
SYAJ) N‘IUH AMMAD L AT IF
,KH AN BAH AD UR
,
ME N BRB D E I3A S O C I E T E AS I AT I Q UE , P ARI S ; FE L L OW
,P UNJAB UN I V E RS I TY
u nu nnn, ABIAT I C S O C I E TY O F mum“ ; AUT H OR O F um “ms'rony
O F rm: P UNJAB,
” “moron O F L ABO RE ,” &c . , &c .
QIalw ttaP R I N T E D AT TH E CAL C UTTA C E N TRAL PRE SS C OMPANY, L IMITE D ,
40,CAN N I NG S TRE E T .
CAL C UT T AP RI NT E D AT T H E CALCUTT A C ENT RAL P RE SS comm“ , L I N KT R ID
40, cu smo ST REE T .
P RE FAC E .
TRULYthese Franks are a great nation, and I purpose sending myblessings to my son, the King of S pain,
”so said the great Tartar con
queror, TimurBeg, or Tamerlane, when, in 1403 , he was visited at his
far-famed metropolis, the then mistress of Asia, Samarkand, by the
good C hristian knight, D on RuyGonzalez de C lavijo, the plenipotent inty of h is sovereign, the King of Casti lle, who has left an account ofthe great C hanghattai
’
s court in that ci ty, andof his feasts anddisplays
there held. far more glowing than that painted by S harf-md-din, the
eminent biographer of Timur. The possessor of twenty-eight crowns,
the Lord of the E asternWorldwas quite unconscious at the time that,
fully three hundredyears after he had paid this publ ic compliment to
the great Franks in his grand hall of audience, where had assembled
the nobles and digni taries of his vast empire and the ambassadorsfrom the greatest potentates of the known world, a hero of the same
great nation was, on the distant soil of India, the land of the Mahabharata, to shake hands with one of h is lineal descendants and be
hailed by h im as a deliverer from his oppressors and persecutors. I t
was the Bri tish General. Lord Lake, the conqueror of D elhi , the Indra.Prastha of the H indus, and of Agra of ancient fame, who , in 1803 ,
tak ing out of his captivi ty the helpless S hah Alam, mayni homim’
c
umbra, blinded by the cruel dagger of one of his own co-religionists,and disgraced by the Marathas, gave him h is liberty, honour, andthrone. The people,
”
says the author of the Térikh-i -Muzaf ari ,were filled with admi xi ng joyand the E mperor with grateful delight
so much so that tho joyful tears shed by him restored his sight , that
had been destroyed by the steel of the hardy Rohilla fifteen yearsbefore 1
"
But it was not the great T imur alone who spoke so warmly of the
greatness of the Franks as a nation. Akbar, the seventh in descent
from that conqueror, and by far the most enlightened of the race o f
sovereigns that ruled over the destinies of India for two hundredandfiftyyears, invariably styled them the D an '
tyan-i -Fawny, or the Wise
Men of the Franks, as we find evidenced by the eloquent pages of
i i P REFACE .
Abnl Fazl. A greater sovereign, a greater pacificator a more belovedruler, or amore generous and sympathetic friend, India had never seenduring the most palmydays of her rule. And true it is, if India has
her just pride in Akbar and his mnnificent rule,Akbarabad, orAgra,
the ci ty founded by himand known after h is name, has i ts chief
g lory in i ts associations wi th that monarch—associations so intimateas to render his great name inseparable from it so long as the bright
beams of the sun shine overthe castellated battlements of the palace
he built there, and the calm, serene light of the moon enhances the
immaculate grace of the Taj , the brightest architectural jewel that
embellishes the ancient city. I t is the history of this city, of i ts
great founder. of his court there held, that I have attempted to relate
in the following pages.
And if I am called upon by the critic to reconcile the introduction,
at the outest of these lines, of the name of the nation spoken of as
great’
byT imur and by Akbar centuries ago, with Akbar’
s city at
the present time, I shall bring forward‘standing testimony to plead
mycause. Much as you may admire the matchless beauty of the Tajas you stand in wonder to gaze at it ; deeplyas you mayfeel the ex .
cellence of the P earlMosque in the famous ci tadel, described in the
enthusiastic words of Mr. Taylor as a sanctuary so pure and stainless,
as to revealan ex alted spirit ofworship ,”whenyou see it great as may
be your sense of praise when you behold the mausoleum of the great
Emperor himself at Sakandra what heart can there be which. while
i t melts at the sight of past greatness and the thought of the instabi
lity of human glory, is not equally impressed with a deep sense of ad
miration and gratitude for the P owerwhose generosity, toleration, and
goodwill to all has preservedwhat we to-day see and admire 2 I f, as
India had been accustomed to witness, the conqueror of Agra had
drawn his sword in retribution ; if fire and destruction had followed
the war, as they had done for countless ages, neither had the poet
been able to pourtray, nor the minstrel to sing, nor the painter to o
paint, the beauties of the Taj , nor its hereditary custodians to pride
themselves on the charge of it. But the British conquerors were lovers
of art and literature, and, as scientific men,’
admirers of human ski ll
and ex cellence ; hence they not only preserved these monuments of
ancient fame, but. took measures to maintain them at enormous cost.
Theygarnished, cleaned, and, as faras canbe, restorcd them. I f S hah
Jahan could come back to earth , it is not too much to say he would‘
names .i i i
thank the Bri tish rulers for the labour of love,
bestowed in the pre'
servation and restoration of the great monument of his beloved consort,
and for preserving it from the spoi ler’
s hand. May i t not, then, be justlysaid that the character attributed to the Franks by the C haughattai
conqueror at the grandbanquet of Samarkand, three hundred years be
fore, was fully confirmedon the victoryof the Bri tish , who brought for
the citizens ofAgra and D elhi , and the countless millions of the peopleo f India, the reign of peace, of law, and of good order ? Thus, the
history of Agra, faithfullynarrated, is inseparable from the history of
Bri tish greatness, as admitted by i ts founder and his great primo
genitor, andas evidenced by the victory of the i llustrious oommen
der, L ord Lake .
The condition of the country since i ts conquest by the Briti sh can
not eseape the attention of the lover of H istory. T he blazing firethat reduced to ashes the palace of the Nawab, and burnt in i ts turnthe cottage ot
'
the peasant ; the hot blasts that scorched the tree of
hope ; the sharp steel that shed the blood of the innocent, sparing
neither sex nor age , have, happ ily for the country, all disappeared,
never more to devastate the land or disturb the public peace. Where
the sword was the sole arbi ter of fate and thedreaded instrument ofdestruction, there is now the mi ld hand of the law to shelter and
protect. I n drearyjungles and desolate deserts, where not ablade of
grass ever grew, ora brook of water was to be seen to quench the thirst
of the antelope, may now be seen fields of verdant cultivation.
or trees bending beneath their load of fruit, and. by their cool shade ,afl
'
urding shelter to the weary traveller. I n village and hamlet, mirthand gladness are the order of the day. and, instead of wai ling and
lamentation, the traveller hears from afar the songs of village maidens,the sound of trumpets, and the noise of musical instruments
, to an
no nnce a coming marriage, a pending festivi ty. or some other joyfulceremonyor religious rite. T he cityenvirons. once infested by robbersandmurderers, and haunted by the jackal and the wo lf, have g rowninto rich and prosperous suburbs, where friendsmeet in pleasureo
gardensfor refreshment andamusement.
And to turn to Agra itself. For centuries it was a prey to anarchyand confusion. T he Muhammadans, on the invasion of Nadir S hah ;the Jets, during the ascendancy of S uraj Mal ; the Maratha, in thetime of S hah Alam,
—each in his turn did their work of destruction
P REFACE .
and spoliation, and rendered life, property, and honour unsafe. The
mighty change that has taken p lace is the work of Providence, through
the agencyof amightynation. I t is this nation, sent in H is all-wise
wisdom to govern us, that Timur, and later on his illustrious descendant,called Great ,
’
and trulygreat it is in the strictest sense of the term.
Much has, no doubt, been wri tten about Agrabyhistorians and
travellers, but beyondMr. Keene’
s H andbook to Agm , ameri torious
little work,intended chiefly as a guidebook for travellers, there is
no book that g ives a connected account of this h istorical ci ty, dealing
with i ts past and present history and i ts archaeological remains
and antiquities in awaywhich might commend i tself to the attention
of the student and the traveller, the antiquarian, and the general
reader. T he inscriptions, too, which form the chief value of the several
more important monuments, and help to furnish correct data onwh ich
to base the accounts, are entirely omi tted, and what is most important
seems not to have received adequate attention. namely, the associa
tion of past events with the interesting architectural objects whichmeet the view.
Again, though to the superficial observer the gloryof Agra consists
in the far-famed Taj andsome other of its chaste monuments, its real
pride to lovers of H istory lies in the circumstance of its having. for
half a century, been the capital of by far the most illustrious
and the most enlightened sovereign Asia has ever seen, the great
Jalal-ud-din, surnamed Akbar. Current histories of Indiaare full
of accounts of his wars, carried on in distant provinces, which , though
useful, are very tedious. T here was no work which dealt with the
great Emperor’s life in his capacity of reconciler of conflicting relig ions
and enunciator of those measures of amelioration and reconcilement
which bound H indu and Mohammedan alike wi th one tie of affec
ti on, or which pourtrayed his character in the various phases of his life
as he passed i t in the halls of Fatehpur S ikri , or in the ex quisite
marble chambers of private and public audience constructed by him
in the capi tal of Agra.
T he accounts scattered over various books are confined to general
descrip tions of monuments, which for the most part repeat one nu
o ther. There was li ttle in the works ex tant which could be of spe
cial value to the antiquarian, or of interest to the scholar. I
P REFACE .
have, therefore , consulted the originalPersian andArabic tex ts, some of
them rare, and have suppliedmuch information on subjects connected
with Agrawhich has not hitherto been published in E nglish.
‘
Such , then, is the scope of the present work , which, be it premised,
makes no pretentious to completeness, despi te the time and care
bestowed upon it. But if, notwi thstanding its shortcomings, the courte
ous public receive it as kindly as former attempts of a similar na
tured' I shall regard the time devoted to this undertaking as not spent
wholly in vain.
I would now ask the reader’
s permission to address a fewwords
tomyyoung countrymen, in the hope that they will prove beneficial
to
My dear young countrymen,—I herewi th present you wi th the
history of one of the chief ci ties of India, one of the most beautifuland splendid cities ofAsia, if not of the world. P osts of the East and
West have been sanguine in i ts praise ; and travellers from the
remotest parts of the earth come to see i ts beaut ies You are welcometo read the pages of this book and, having read them. to bestow the
praise justly due to the memory of the founder of the Taj , or the
architec t of Sakandra, true triumphs of Saracenic architecture and
monuments of past greatness. But remember that the real greatness of
a sovereign does not consist in the beautyof the palaces he has bui lt, intheir rich decorations and marble pavements , or in the ex cellence and
gorgeousness o i a unique and imposing monument raised to the memoryofa lov ing relation, or in the splendour o f his throne, or in the bri lli
ancy of h is crown. What is it to the world if a king slept in a hallof
a thousandmirrors, guarded in his seraglio by C ircassian, Georgian, and
Calmuck female guards, or watched at the royal gates bybrave ltaj puts
or if he sat pompously on a sumptuous masnad, reclining against a
pillow that cost a lakh of rupees, under a shami ctud, of gold-embroi
dered work that took severalmouths to produce, and wi th the lords of
great fortune and wealth and the ambassadors of foreign kingdoms
standing in his presence with downcast eyes and folded hands. T he
world is not concernedwith his big establishments ofbirds andbeasts of
I n the transliterationof I ndian names, the H unterian system of orthography hasbeen adop ted in the followi ni mace
s. ex cep t in the case of fami liar names of persons and
places, tho spelhng ofwhi ch as oms stereotyped by popular usage.
1' H istory of the P unjab H istoryof L ahore and the E arlyH istory 0]fl idtdu
v i P REFACE .
prey, or curious domesticated animals, or with the numbers of the
Burmese elephants and Arabian and T urk isténi horses in the royal
stable. T hese are not the things which make a sovereign great.
T he real greatness of a sovereign lies in the measures he adopts to
protect Go d’
s people consigned to his care ; in the peace of the
country over which he rules ; in the prosperity of the nations
committed to his charge ; in the administration of even-handed
justice to all h is subjects ; in giving them freedom of conscience ;
in short, in acting on the principles of justice and toleration, and
in introducing measures calculated to make his people contented
and prosperous and help to raise them higher in the scale of
nations. Nor does the greatness of a sovereign consist in the battles
he wins, in the number of prisoners he makes in war, or in the
countless millions of treasure he hoards up ; but in the triumphs
achieved under his sway in science and learning , in the advancement
of trade and agriculture , in the development of the resources o f
the country by the ex tension of railway communications, in the
construction of roads and the guarding of high-ways, in the break
ing down of insuperable barriers to human ski ll and energy, in
the cultivation of industrial arts, in the bridg ing of large and
impetuous rivers and streams, in the embellishment of the country
with public edifices, in the founding of chari table institutions for
the alleviation of the distress of mank ind, and in works calculated
to promote the public good. T hese triumphs of peace, these victories
of science, are far more brilliant and Splendid, far more solid and
enduring, than the victories of war, however great. I t is these
lasting v ictories that have made the E nglish nation glorious and
great, and their greatness the envyof the nations of the world and it
is our good fortune, we are proud to say, to be the subjects of a nation
so glorious and great. I f rightly read, the historyof Agra will, I hope ,
teach you, my dear countrymen, what the greatness of a so vereign
reallymeans—whether that greatness lies in the raising of a memorial
to the memory of a beloved wife that cost the public treasury crores o f
rupees; or, on the otherhand, in the inauguration of measures of publicutili tyandgood, ofwhich we see abundant evidence around us,
- aud
i t will teach you what real greatness in a nation means.
After you have read this history. you will, I hepe, no longer labourunder anymistake as to the part assigned to you in the great spectacle
P RE FACE . v ii
which this age of progress andenlightenment lays open before you. My
fri endlyadvice to you is this : S hun p leasure ; g ive up idle talk (V i r
sap i t qui pauco loqui tm'
) eschew the society of those who fill your
brain wi th an air to inhale which must prove poisonous ; imagine that
the doorway to the grand palace that leads to the summi t of human
gloryhas, by the bountyof the British, been open toyou ; but, scramb
ling chi ld as you still are, do not run out precipi tately to reach the
desired place, for, in a rash attempt to do ao , you are likely to fall
headlong and break your neck ; gain the esteem of your own country
men V i rtute ct flde et labore)and the regard of your rulers V i rtute,
non nstutid, non verbis) walk in the path of righteous men ; obey
your rulers, who are the custodians of your life and property, and to
whomyou owe all you possess of education, wealth , and position prove
the nobility of your race, and the beneficial effect of the education
g i ven to you, byacts of loyalty and devoti on to them respect your
parents and elders ; and pass your li fe with honourand credit, which
can only be done by honourable deeds. And i f you do this, I shall
feel,that a study of this book , read in the way I have enjoined, has
g iven you awholesome lesson, and great wi ll then be myjoy.
T he sources of information have, as far as possi ble, been acknow
ledged in footnotes and in the contex t. For the historical portion of
the book my acknowledgments are due to the celebrated work, the
Ferishta byMahomed Q uasam, the Memoirs ofBaber by Abdul Rahim
Khan- i -Khanan, the T uzk Jahang iri byMotamid- id-Khan, the Ain-i
Akbari and Akbarnama by Allami Abul Fazl, the Muntakhibul
T awarikh of Mulla Abdul Quader, Baduani , the Tabekat- i -Akbari of
Mirza N izamuddin Ahmed, the Shah Jahan Nama of Mulls. Abdul
H amid, Lahori , the Alamg ir Nama of Mahomed Kazim, the Moasiri
Alamgi ri of Mahomed S éki , the se Mutaakh irin of Moulvi GholamH usian Khan, the Muntakhibul L ubah of Khat
'
i Khan, the histories of
India in E nglish by the H onorable Monstuart E lphinstone, Wheeler,Keene, S ir William H unter, Murray, etc . T he descripti ve portion has
been written chiefly from my own notes taken on the sport, but I havealso deri vedmuch help from the able works of Mr. Keene, the Revd.
C . J. French, Mr. James Fergusson, Mr. Bayard Taylor and other
wri ters. The account of the Taj has been chiefly drawn up from
an oldmanuscript history of the Taj in possession of the hereditarycus
todians of theMausoleum. The materials for the C hapteron the li fe of
Akbar and his court have been drawn from the works ofAbul Fazl and
vi ii ru n es.
the historians ofAkbar before referred to, but I have also, inwriting the
chapter, been assisted by the ex cellent translation of the Ain by
that talentedOriental Scholar, the late P rofessorBlockmann. I nwriting
the last Chapter on modern Agra, I have consulted the Gazetteer
of India by S ir Wi lliam H unter, the official reports kindly furnished
by H . T . H oare, E sq Collector, Agra, and the Municipal Reports
very courteously furnished by Rai Babadur Munshi Shiv Narain,the able Secretary, AgraMunicipal Committee.
u tmnnsm
2 7th S eptember, 1 896.
LIST OF CONTENTS.
MAP or A6 11A (Cantonment, C ityand E nvirons)a u cr.
C H AP TE R I .
Acm : H I STORI C AL .
L i en uumrmsronr or AenA
Aeu an on : m x Manounnm rrs xon
Tn: s mvmn on us“
Tm: Gh onu u AN D S LAV E DYNAsrms
Tu L em D rm srr
T sz Moons ); P x nxonBaber o
H umaynn
Akbfl o
Jahangir o
“
Successors of Am ngzeb
e rsn P nk xon
C H AP T E R I I .
Acne : D nscmrn vn.
Tms F our
FA-ru znrt'
n 811ml
AN ac conx'r or S snx n SALEM C msnrx
N on e ]: or orsrn um or non :wno n onmssnn m Fu rssros
S IU N D BA
Tm: T ons or I T I I AD -UD -DAUL A
O L D Mox uusnrs m rm: C u r km) rmc 80 3 13t
C H AP T E R 111 .
A s n AND H rs C ons'r.
T sz E ursnonAKBAR 204 to 2 45
T ax 00mmor AKBARS hekh Abnl Fazl
Shekh Fyzi
Baja Bir Bar
Bahrain Khan
Baja T odarMal
Min aAbdul Rahi rn
Min aM 2 , K0“ 0 o
Mian T an S OD . o a o
Khawja N i zamuddin Ahmad o
Mulls Abdul Q uadnr, Badaoui
Urfi of Shiraz
Royal P hysicians
Tn: Mo on s Cm
I ndGX Q
L I ST O F I L L USTRAT ION S .
l .—T ss Emp nnon BAsAa
2 .—Tns E x rnnon H UNAYUN
‘
.
3 .—Tm Emp snon AKBAR
4—Tns E x rsson JAH ANGm5.—NunMABAL
6 .—Tm : E MP ERO R S H AH JAH AN
7 —Tru: 11611 9 1111011. AUBAN ezss8.—s '
rcn MAP or run Four
9.—T 1m Fen'
r (from the river si de)10.—Tm: Font (from the side of the JamaMasjid)
11 . DEWAN -l -AM
1 2 .—T 11z D EWA‘N - x -Ax (interior)
1 3 .— T 11 11 D rIWAN x KuA
'
s
14. -T lu DEWAN I KH AS (interior)15.— l
‘mi: D z‘
wm‘
Km‘
s, theT hrone dud tlie Saihmuna j
16.— Tm KnAs
'
MAnAL
11 — 1 111 : d or'
m n P ALA '
C E1 8.—T 111: Smsfi MAhAL (or Palace of Mirrors)
19. SAitx AN'
Bun?!
2 0.—T H E MARBLE T nnom:
2 1 .—Tmr. Mon MAs or P earl Mosque (ex terior)
2 2 - T 11 1' Moi ‘ x Mos (interior) .
2 3 .—JA11ANGmx MAH A' L (ex te rior vi ew)
fi —JAH ANG lh ’s P AL AC l-i
2 5.—P AL AC E or Jonn BA!
2 6 .—ABJUNAND BAN o BEGAN al ias TAJ MAH AL
2 7.— T H E GAT EWAY or run: TAJ
2 8 .—T 111: TAJ '
2 9 .—T 11 E TAJ (from the riyer side)
3 0.—T s s T ons or S H AH JAsAN
3 l .— T unMosque or run: T A:
3 2 .—s rcn P LAN or FA'r
'
r'
x-zup cn Sum:
3 3 .- Tmc K H AWD -GAH or Royal Bed-room
3 4.—T H E K H As MAH AL , Fattehpnr S ikri
3 5—T ln P ANJ MAH AL, Fattehpnr S ikri3 6.— Tm MAUsow ou or sr1s SAL E )! C H I SHT I (ex terior v iew)
3 7.—T 11n:MAvsonsnu or 8 111111 11 SALEM 0 1115111 1
3 8.- T H E T ons or NAWAs I S L AM K H AN
3 9.— T ns BO LAN D DARWAZA , Fattehpnr S i kri
40.—T H E MosQ UE bf Fattehpnr Sjkri
41 .—B111. BAs
’
s P ALAC E42 .
- Tmr. H mAN MI NARA43 .—T H E GAT EWAY or S EKAN D ARA
44. MAusonsnx o 1rAKBAR
45.
-T H E T ons or AKBAR46 .— T s s MAusO I 111 m 0 1? I T IMAD UD O UL A
47.—T 11 1 JAMA MASJU) or AGRA
AGRA,
H ISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
C H AP T E R I .
H ISTORI C AL .
AKBARABAD ,’or the city of Akbar, as Agra1 is called among
the Mnhammadans, is si tuated on the west or right bank of
the Jumna about,
the centre of the district of the same name,300 miles above i ts confluence with the river Ganges, 1 39
miles south-east from D elhi , and 841 miles by rail from
Calcutta.
T he regions of the Jumna, the Yamuna of the ancient
P urduas, are the classic spot of the birth of Vydsa (from
the S anskri t vi and (i s, literally throw in different directions,’
hence the reputed arranger of the V edas, and
the reputed author of theMahdbhd'ratd, the P urdnaa, the Brdh
ma S z’
ctras and the D harma S z’
otras, the son of the celebratedsage Parasara. Agra was then i tself unknown, and Indraprasthd
and H astinapur had not been founded. Yet the regions are
interesting, being , according to the H indu scriptures, associated
with the birth and earlyyears of a personage of no less celebritythan Vaséya, who, being aBrahman in a former life and attaining final beati tude, resumed, by special command of the deity,
a corporeal form and human shape at the period intervening be
tween the thirdand fourth ages of the present world. The hunt
ing ex cursions of Santanuprove the country to have been drearyanddesolate, inhabi ted by a numerous and powerful tribe of
fishermen who had a king of their ownandsubsistedon the chase.
According to the d shdh N dma. of Mulls Abdul H amid L ahort, the nameAkbarébéd was
’
ven to Agra b S héh Jahan,who ordered that in all ublie
correspondencegs ci ty shouldhe calle dAkbarébzid, afterthe name of the ennd
ar, his grandfather.
1' Agra. is believed to derive i ts name from the H indi word agar meaningsalt-pan ,
’
as, the so i l being brack ish , i t once used to be aPlace
.
for mull ing salt
by evaporation. Some ascribe the name.
Agra to Agarwé bum s, whose numberso much predominates in the United P rovmces.
AGBA t H I STORI C AL .
I t is remarkable that the descendants of those men, now livingalong the banks of the sacredriver, should be abstemious.
The place is also held in great reverence bythe H indus, as
the scene of the incarnation of V ishnu under th e name of Parasu
H induofisin O f the H indu origin of Agra there can be no doubt. T he
very root of its name, Ami , is Sanskrit, meaning prior, or first,
which has led some to conjecture that it was the first of the
manygroves where Krishna, the sporting shepherd-
god of the
H indus, by blowing his famous pipe, captivated alike the dairy
maids of Brindraban and the princesses ot'
the Gangetic regions.
I t is identifiedwith the Aggrames mentionedbyQuintus C urtius,the Greek writer, as a prince of the Fi rst inhabiting the countryof the Gangarides.
I tsantiquity» The antiquity of Agra is also evidenced bycertain ancient
towns comprised in the district. C onspicuous among these is
Bates“ , otherwise known as S uraj pur, founded, according to
tradition, by 1143'
s S uri sena, identified by General C unningham
as the nephew of the great King Ramaof Ayudbia. Ancient
images and sculptures have been found amidst its ruined
temples, and the remains of Buddhist structures and figures, the
remnants of ancient monasteries, have been discovered in I timad
pnr and the tracts bordering the C hambal. There is no doubtthat all these ancient towns were once dependent on the mightyH indumonarchywhich hadMathrafor its capital.
P assing from legend to history, the first mention we find of
Agra is in a P ersian work byAbdulla, known as Tdrflch-i -Ddudz’
,
being a chronicle of the Afghan L odt kings from the reign of
Behlol-i-L odi , the first king of the Afghan dynasty, to that of
Muhammad Adil-i—Sur and Band Shah, the last ruler of the race .
The authorwrites of the origin of Agra T he H indus assert
that Agra was a strong place in the days of 3 d Kane, the
ruler of Mathra, who confined everyone who incurred his dis
pleasure in the fort of that place, hence, in the course of time ,
it became the established S tate prison.
”
Invasion of According to the same author, when the Ghiznivide conqueror,
53 22‘s: Sultan Mahmfid, invaded India, his armies so devastated Agra
INVAS I O N O F MAH MUD .
that i t was reduced to the status of an insignificant village.
Th is was about 102 2 A.D .
After the departure of Mahmud from the country, Agragagiutb
dseems to have regained i ts importance and become once more a 11133 3 .
111 0
H indu principali ty, for, in the poems of Salman, written in praise
of the Gbizni vide Sulténs, Mahmfid,’ Ibrahim and Bairamshdh,
we find mention of the capture of the cityby the Muhammadan
army underMahmud.
The fort of Agra, wri tes the author, is built amidst the
sand,li ke a hill
,and i ts battlements are like hillocks. No
calamity hadeverbefallen i ts fortifications, norhaddecei tful time
treacherously dealt with it.”T he ci ty was besieged. In the
night the chiefs of Jeypal the Rajahad a dream. The followingmorning, the Baja, coming out of the fort, made obeisance
to S ef-ud-doula, who introduced him to the King. But the
K ing was determined to bring destruction on the fort, and hated
the idea of alleg iance with the unbelievers.
’ I have come,said he, to this country to prosecute a religious war. I havereduced countless forts, andwas in search of a large virgin fortress,
such as this one,and I must reduce i t and bring it under
the sway of Islam.
”T he King, with a drawn scimi tar, plunged
into the midst of the fight,‘ like a lion.
’
The falchions of the
holy warriors made the ground of Agra flow like a riverwith
the blood of the enemy. T he soldi ers of Islam, according to
the author, surrounded the fort and made the day appear like
night. The stones discharged from the mangonels ascended
to the vault of heaven li ke the prayers of saints.
”At last
th ere arose, from the warriors of Islém within the fort, the shout,V ictory to our sovereign, L ord Mahmud. The fort was
reduced, and the neighbouring chiefs sent in their presents, in
leads of gold and files of elephants, to the conqueror.
P rince Mahmfid, to whom the ode is addressed, returned to
G hizni after conquering malwaand Ujjain, having crossed the
I ndus at the point of Attock . Salman regards the act as
meritorious, and compares his ex peditions with that of Moses,who had crossed the N ile in E gypt.
Mahmhd noticed bythe poet Salman. was a great grandson of Mahmund
Ghiznewt. The author as been also quoted by Jahangir in his autob iography,as wi ll be found further on. T here can therefore be no doubt that A was animportant citybefore it became the cap ital of the bed! Afghan k ingsof elhi .
AGRA H ISTO RI C AL .
Under the Ghori , Khilji , Tughlak and Sayyid dynasties,
Agra seems to have been an insignificant place, comprised i n
the carkdr, or dependency, of Biana. O u the return of Moham
mad Ghori , to H industan, in 1 195 A.D . , he proceeded to Biani ,
took it, and conferred the government on his general, Baha-ud
din T oghral.’ T he power of the C hehan chief of C handawar,
who then occupied the country about Agra, was efl'
ectnally
crushed ; but the H indu chiefs, who had been compelled to pay
tribute to the Muhammadan sovereigns, soon returned to a state
of semi -independence. O n the invasion of Tamerlane, in 13 98 ,
the Rajput chiefs enjoyed abrief interval of independence. D ur
ing the Sayyid dynasty, the Muhammadan emperors of D elhi
te-established their authori ty in the district of Agra, but during
the latter period of the dynasty the H indus asserted their i h
dependence.
Under the Ou the accession of S ultan Sakandar L od1’
to the throne o fM dym w'
D elhi , Sultan Sharaf, Governor of Biana, on behalf of Azim
H umayun, grandson of Behlol-i -Lodi , having closed the gates o f
the fort of Biana, prepared to defendhimselfagainst the troops o f
Umar Khan Sherwani , who had been directed by the new K ing
to take charge of the fort. T he K ing, however, choosing to
overlook the circumstance, proceeded to Agra, where H aibatKbdn Jahroni , who held the fort under S ultan S haraf, also shut
the gates. This insult incensed Sakandar Lodi , who made war
on Sultan Sharaf, and the forts of both sum and Agra fell
Sultan Sbaraf, after his defeat, being banished to Gwalior.
Rem“) ledbySultan Sakandar nowdirected his attention to te-
peopling the
sumniam . town of Agra. The city of the Lodi kings, however, lay on thed 155" M L
eastern bank of the Jumna. N iamatullé, the author O f the
Tdri kh—t Khdn Jebdu Zodi , a contemporarywith Ferishta, who
compiled his work in 16 12 A.D . , or the eighth yearof the accession
of Jahangir, furnishes the following account of the founds
tion of Muhammadan Agra by Sultan Sakandar -The
Government officers and the peasantry in general in the
sarkd'r of Biana having complained to the S ultan of the
ex cesses committed by the refractory population of that
division of the empire, H is Majesty resolved on founding a town
on the banks of the Jumna which should be utilized as the
Feriehta.
AGRA H ISTORI C AL .
be struck at Nagore in the S ultan’
s name. T he report of this
submission delighted the King , who sent him a horse and bone .
rary dress. H is Majesty then left D holpur, and, visi ting Agra,
spent some time there in a round of p leasure and festivi ties, in
Who fix es h is visi ting gardens and in hunting ex peditions. I t was about th is
there. time,”
continues the author, that Agra, formerlya dependency
of Bitina, was fix ed upon as the residence of the S overeigns.
”
As“ , a naI n the time of the S ultan, Agra became a grand resort of the
thepeople of all nations, and learned men from Arabia, P ersia,
Bokhara, and other countries of Asia, flocked to h is court, and
were honourably received and handsomely provided for. I t was
from this place that the Sultan issued the many edicts having for
theirobject thewelfare of his people, the prosperityof his country,
and the suppression of crime and abominable usages in h is do
minions, which have obtained for him a foremost place among
the Muhammadan sovereigns of H industan. Among his other
edicts, may be mentioned the abolition of the annual procession
for the displayof the spear of salarMasud,’ which had become a
Muntficentmeasures of standwg nu1sance ; the proh1b1t1on of n u ts byfemales to tombs
or pilgrimage, and the establishment of factories where the
young nobles’ and soldiers’
sons were taught useful handicrafts .
The King led a most simple life, and was averse to pomp and
show.
A strange custom prevailed at this time, to ex press the awe
and reverence in which the King was held. I t was the practice
for every chief who heard of the coming of a royal mandate to
travel two or three 1008 to meet the bearer. A high platform was
then constructed, and cushions of the richest workmanship were
spread upon it. The messenger seated himself on this platform,
while the noble who was to receive the mandate, standing
beneath , raised both his hands with the utmost humili tyand res
pect, and instantlythefarmdn was placedin them, andhe kissed
it andplaced it on his head and touched his eyes with it. I f i t
was a private communication, he read i t si lently ; if it was on
public business, it was read out from the pulpit of a mosque .
This was in imitation of a Tartar custom, which still obtains in
China, but Sakandar had i t discontinued.
T he C haridn-kdtmdd.
is still held in honour of th is saint throughor tH mdustan. At this fan ad1sp lay is 111ads of long bamboos or canes wh ich are helderect and balanced on the head or the forehead, or on the teeth of the lower jaw.
H UMAYUN .
O h the 3 rd of Safer, 911 (5th July 1505M l ), Agrawas visited Oman “by a violent earthquake. I t was so severe that lofty buildings 1
were levelled wi th the ground, and several thousands of the i h
habitants were buried under the ruins.
“ Such a severe earth
quake had never been ex perienced in India before.
I n the year 92 3 (l517 the Emperor Sakandar Lodi sum 33 11211
1
of
moned all the distant nobles to Agra wi th a view to reducinglsglkmd”
Gwali or, and was in the midst of his preparations for war when7°
he was taken i ll wi th quinsy, and died in his palace in Agra, on
S unday, the 14th D ecember, 1517. H e founded Sakandra, the sauna” .
famous burial-place of one of the most illustrious sovereigns Indiaever had, and built the fine red-stone summer house which sub
sequently became the last resting-
place of Mariam Zamani ,Akbar
’
s P ortuguese wife.
O n the day on which the celebrated battle of Panipat was Agra
fought (2 9th Apri l and the Emperor Ibrahim L od1, the gz
l
igmtxy
son and successor of Sultan S ekandar, slain in the battlefield,
Mbar’
Babar pushed forward two detachments, the one to D elhi and
the other to Agra, to secure the public treasure in those ci ties.
H e himself reached D elhi on the third dayafter the battle, and
on the Fridav following, the Khutba having been read in his
name in the grandmosque, be sealed up the different treasures
there and hastened on to Agra, where he had sent Prince
H umayun in advance. Agra was taken from the house of Lodi
on loth May, 152 6.
Agra was occupied, wi thout any severe resistance, by P rince P rince
H uméytm. At this time there lived in Agra the family of Bak £95332?srama Ji t, the Raja of Gwalior, whose country had been con
H umay‘m‘
quered by Azim Buwayt'
i n S irwani , a General of the Emperor
Ibrahim. Bakrama Jit was called to service in the battle of
Pani pat and slain in the battlefield. H is wives and ch ildren and
the heads of his clan, who were in the fort, tried to escape, but
were seized and detained there. H umayun treated this ancient
H indu family wi th consideration in the hour of their misfortune,
and saved them from being plundered. I n return for thisE311? gir
th"
generous conduct, they, of their own accord, made to H umayt'
m dm ond'
a present of jewels, among which was a famous diamond which ,
Ferishm.
The greatbattle wi ththeRajputsatFatehpurS ikri , 1527.
RatjaBangs.
AGBA H ISTO RI C AL .
according to Baoar, had been acquired by S ultAn Ala-ud-din o f
Malwa. I t is so valuable,”
writes the Emperor in his Memoirs ,that a judge of diamonds valued it at half of the daily ex pense
of the whole world. I t is about eight miskals (or 3 20
Baber, on his arrival at Agra, took up his residence in the old
palace of Sultan Ibrahim. H umayun’
s first act, on his father’
s
arrival, was to present him wi th the diamond he had received
from the fami ly of RajaBakrama Jit. Bébar gave i t back to
H umayun as a present. This was the valuable diamond whichwas shown by Aurangzeb to Tavernier, the jewellerandmerchant ,and valued by the latter at nearly sterling , and is
believed to be the famous Koh- i -N fir(or Mountain of
T he Emperor pardonedMalik Daud Kurant, the chief officer
of Ibrahim in the fort, showed him favours, and permitted his
followers to retain their property. O n I brah im’
s mother hebestowed a parganaof seven lakhs of rupees, and she was con
ducted, wi th all her effects, to a place wh ich was fix ed on for her
residence about a belowAgra.
a
Babar often resided at Agra, and it was at Fatehpur S ikri ,
near Agra, that his great anal decisive battle wi th the Rajputs
was fought, in 152 7. T he Emperor has given a graph ic account
of this battle in his Memoirs. mt Sanga, si x th in descent from
H amir, who had recovered C hi ttor in the reign of Ald-ud-din
Khi lj i (A .D . and re-established the Rajput dominions over
Mewat, E astern Malwa, and Ajmere, was at this time recog
nised as the leader of all the Raj put princes. H e had opened
friendly communication wi th Babar wh ile that monarch was
advancing against S ultan Ibrahim ; but, now that the power of
the Mughal sovereign had been established i n D elhi and Agra,he began to enter into intrigues against him,
and was, on th is
occasion, joined by Mahmud, a Prince of the house of Lodi , who
had in his train a force of men. H e also found a
valuable aux iliary in H asan Khan, chief of Mewat. T he Raja,
with the combined forces of h is allies and the p icked warriors
of the Rajput tribes, advanced to Biana, with in the dependencyof Agra, and, defeating the garrison of that place, cut off all
communication between them and the cap ital. Bébar on th is
° For a full h istory of the Koh-i -Nur diamond, see my H istory of L ahore ,pp . 3 76-383 .
BABAR .
reached S ikri , but his advancedo
guard was defeated with great
loss. These defeats greatly dismayed Babar’s veteran troops,
and they began to regard the contest in a very serious light.
W hi le the Mughal army was yet in a state of alarm and panic,
Mahammad S harif, an astrologer from Kabul, foretold its defeat, T he Kabulm aintaining that at that time Mars was in the West, and that astrologer
whoever should engage coming from the opposi te quarter would
be defeated.
“Without listening to his foolish predictions,”writes
the E mperor in his Memoirs,
“ I proceeded to adopt such steps as
the emergency seemed to demand, and used every ex ertion to put
my troops in ti t state to engage the enemy.
”H e recognised the
di fficulty of his posi tion, and became penitent before God. H e P enim ce of
forswore drink ing , to which he had been so much addicted, sentBi b”
for h is goldand si lver goblets and cups and other utensi ls used for
drinking parties, broke them in pieces, and gave away the
fragments to the darweshes and the poor. H is ami rs followedhis
e x ample. T he choice wine of Ghizni , which Baba D ost, the
butler, bad a few days before brought from Kabul on three
camels,was mi x ed wi th salt and converted into vinegar. Other
wine wh ich the E mperor had, at the time, was poured on
the ground. H e made a vow to let his beard grow,and promised
to remi t the tamgha, or stemp tax , on all Musalmans. O bserv
ing that general consternation and alarm prevailed among the
ranks of h is army, he assembled all his amirs and emeers, andaddressed them N oblemen and soldiers l—E very man that H is addrm
comes into the world is subject to dissolution. When we are 3?passedawayandgone, Godonly survives, unchangeable . Whoever
comes to the feast of Life, must , before i t is over, drink from the
cup of death. H e who arrives at the inn of Mortali ty,must one
day inevitably take his departure from that house of sorrow in the
world. H ow much better is i t to die with honour than to livewi th infamy!
I t is myglory to die adeath of fame,
Rather than to'
live a life ofdisgrace and shame .
T he most high God has been propi tious to us, and has now
p laced na in such a crisis that, i fwe fall in the field, we die the
death of martyrs ; if we survive, we rise victorious, the avengers
o f the cause of God. L et na, then, with one accord, swear onGod’
s
h oly word, that none of nawill even think of turning his face
2
AGBA H lSTORlC AL .
from the warfare, nor desert from the battle and slaughter that
ensues, ti ll his soul is separated from his body.
”
The replywas a fervent about of devotion. All swore on the
Kurdn to conquer or die. T he courage of the army having been
revived, Bébar drew up his tr00ps in front of his intrenchments.
H e then gallopedalong the lines, cheering the soldiers and gi vingBu veryof instructions as to howtheywere to act. T he Rajputs fought bravethe Reupnts.
lyand desperately. Baber has g1ve11 an account of thi s great
battle in the elaborate despatch of his secretary, who thus
describes the action of the Mughal troops in the th ickest of the
fight T he warriors of the fai th , who were in the temper of self
devotion, and prepared to submi t to martyrdom, heard from a
secret voice the glad tidings, Aad be notdejectednor sorry, yem a
wait”; and from the infallible informer heard the joyful words.
Assistance is from God, and v ictory isat hand spread theglad
tidings among the Faithful} They foughtwith such enthusiasm
that praises were showered down on them from the pure above,
andthe angels, who are neartoGod, hovered like butterflies around
their heads. And between the first and second prayers, the fire
of battle blazed so that i ts flames raised the standard above the
V iew , offirmament. V ictory at last declared for Baber. H asan Khan
tho Mum . and many other chiefs fell in the action, andmaSanga escaped
with difi culty. After h is v ictoryBaber assumed the proud ti tle
of Ghdzi , or C hampwn in the cause of the Fai th. T he battle
was fought wi thin view of a small hill near S ikri . H e had
a tower constructed of the skulls of the enemies slaughtered
pu h hmm in the battlefield. T he Kabul astrologer came to congratulate
2323 3 3“the E mperor on his v ictory. I poured forth ,
”says the Emperor,
“a torrent of abuse upon him, and when I had relieved my
soul by it, although he was heathenishly inclined, perverse,
ex tremely self-conceited, and an insufierable ill-speaker, yet, as
he had been my old servant I gave him a lakh as a present.
and dismissed him,commanding him not to . l
°
omein wi thin mydominions.
”
34m »
, Fresh from a country that abounded in beauti ful scenery.
gff
fig'ét
g?
green vales, lux uriant lakes, and running waters, andgifted by
nature with a lively imag ination al genius, Bébar was
the first of the
MsAa’
s GARD EN AND PALACE .
India for laying out beautiful gardens and pleasure-
grounds,
constructing artificialwater-courses, andarranging places of public
recreation.
“We were disgusted,”observed H is Majesty, with
three th ings in H industén : one was i ts heat, which was unbear
able another, i ts strong wi hda, which carried everything before
them ; and the third, its dust, which found its way into every
nook and corner of a house.
"To remove these inconveniences,
Baber had baths constructed at Agra. We can do no better than
give the talented King’
s own description of the bath, from his
celebrated Memoirs T he bath room in which is the tub, ormug. bathcistern, is constructed entirely of stone . T he water-channel is
“t “r"
constructed of white stone ; all the rest, floor and roof. is made of
red stone brought from Biaua. T he temperature of the siren
not ati'
ect the'
bath for. when the hot winds blow, the bath can be
artificiallycooled, so that aman can hardlybear the cold produced.
”
Babar laid out a garden beyond the Jumna and founded am. cm ,“
palace. T he garden he calledGulafslcdn ; in the P ersian dialect“ dm
i t was called Chdrbdgh. The following is his description of theTM
laying out of these places and the causes which led him to
adopt such a course I t occurred to me that one of the chief
drawbacks of H industan, which provedan obstacle to the development of its agricultural resources, was want of artificial water
courses (abi -rawdn). T o remove thisdefect, I resolved, wherever Ifix edmyresidence, to ex cavate artificial streamsandwater-courses,
to cause water-wheels to be constructed, and elegant andwell
p lanned pleasure-
grounds to be laid out. S hortly after my
arrival at Agra, I made a close inspection of the banks of the
Jumna, with this object in view, and to select a suitable spot for a
garden. The whole countryappearedso ug ly and desolate that I
passed the river thoroughlydisgusted, and gave up for a time all
idea of mak ing a garden in this locali ty. H owever, as no better
si tuation presented i tself in the neighbourhood of Agra, I con
c luded that I could do no better than make the best use of the
same spot that was in my power. I began by sinking the large
well which supplied water to the baths ; nex t, I put in order the
spot of groundwhere there are the tamarind trees and the octa
gonal tank ; then I proceeded to make the large tank wi th its
i nclosure. This done, I had a hall of audience constructed in
front of the stone palace. The ball is open in front, andsupported
by p illars. Nex t, I finished the apartments and the baths wi th a
AGBA H ISTORICAL.
fine garden attached to them. Going on in this way, after the
H indu fashion, without, I must own,much regard to neatness or
order, I producededifices and gardens which , on the whole, looked
elegant andafi'
orded an agreeable and pleasing sight.”
T he Emperor’s love of gardening and planting led him to lay
out gardensafter the fash ion of Turk islan. H e observes I n
every corner I planted beautiful gardens ; in everygarden 1 sowed
roses and nareissus in a regular fashion, and in beds correspond
ing to each other.
”
H is ex ample was followedbythe ami rs and nobles of his court,who vied with each other in the ex cellence of their designs and
the elegance of their arrangements. T he suburbs of Agra looked
quite green and fresh. Wheels, after the fash ion of Lahore and
D epalpur, were constructed for raising water from wells and
among the amirs who constructedgardens and tanks on the banks
of the Jumua in th is way, Bébar mentions the names of Khali fa
S heikh Zen and Yunis All. T he men of H ind,
”wri tes the
E mperor, who had never before seen places formed after such
fashion, or laid out with such elegance, gave the name Kabul tothe quarters of the Jumna on which . tl1ese gardens and places
were laid out and constructed.
”
UndergroundO n an empty space
,
wi thin the fort of Agra, between the
cumbempalace of S ultAn I bral11 111 and the ramparts, the Emperor had
spacious underground chambers constructed, the floor o f wh ich
was on the same level wi th the surface of well water.There
were three open halls, each hall h igher than the other by three
steps, and the descent was bymeans of fl ights of steps. I n con
nection wi th the middle story was constructed a dome for the
bullocks to move round to work the wheels. T he way in which
water was raised from the bottom of the reservo irs (that had been
constructed by the side of the wells to receive water) to the
upper gardens was most ingenious, and several water-wheels were
construc ted wh ich , lifting the water from one reservoir to the
other, raised i t to a level wi th the ramparts and made i t. run
smoo thly through the various beds of the gardens that had beenlaid out.
Baber died in his palace at the C harbagh on 2 6th D ecember
1530,whi le yet only forty-eight years of age. H e died honoured
A oceu iJ“
by Shi rS hi h Sm'
Afghhn, 1540.
Anecdote.
AGBA H ISTOM CAL .
presented themselves before the newE mperor and tendered theirallegiance, moneywas scattered among the populace, publie prayers were read, and coin was struck in the name of the newPrince.
After the great discomfiture oi.
H umayun at Kanauj , S her
Shah S nr Afghan took possession of Agra, in 1540, and, seiz ing
i ts treasures and arsenals, hastened on to D elhi , whence parties
of Afghans pursued H umaytmacross the S utlej .
S her Shéh was one of the most enlightened Princes that
ever ruled the destinies of this E mpire. H is justice was
proverbial, and the impartiality wi th which be administered
i t obtained for him 11 h igh place among the sovere igns of
India. T he author of the Klmldsut ad Tawdri kh has related
an instance of his justice which will serve to i llustrate the
character of this King . O ne day his eldest son, Adi ! Khan,
riding on an elephant, passed through one of the streets of
Agra, attended byhis cavalcade. As he was making his round, he
happened to see a young wi fe of a citizen who was bathingnaked in the upper story of her house, the walls of which were in
a di lapidated condition and allowed the objects inside to be seenby a man ridi ng on an elephant. T he P rince was charmed with
her looks. The moment he saw her, he served her wi th a
betel, or bird pd”, which he threw to her to secure her afl'
ections.
S he was not awoman of easy virtue, and, when her husbandcamehome, narrated the circumstance to him. T he husband, feelinghis honour wounded, laid h is complaint before the Emperor, who
was convinced of its truth. H e gave it as his verdict that the
principle of retaliation enjoined by the Muhammadan Law
should be enforced I t was directed that the complainant, seated
in his turn, on an elephant, should pass through the street and
see the Prince’s wi fe when undressed and bathing . Great was
the ex citement that prevai led in the court, and the alarm caused
in the King'
s harem at the prospect of a female member of the
royal household being thus publicly dishonoured. The King
was inflex ible in his resolution. I n vain did his amirs and coun
sellers ex ert themselves to mollify him.
“ S uch is,”
said H is
Majesty, the lawof ourreligion, and i t must be enforced in its
entirety. That the accused happens to be a king’
s son, is no
reason whyhis gui lt should be passed overwi th impuni ty. L aw
is meant to be obeyed, and, in administering justice, there should
sass sum.
be no difference between a prince of royal blood and a peasant.T he complainant, seeing that his honour had been sufficientlyv indicated, withdrew his complaint , declari ng that he had gained
his right, and was satisfied with the S ultan’
s justice, and at his
earnest solici tation the matter was dropped. S uch was the k ind
of justice administeredat Agra during the prosperous days of
S her Shah S ti r.
S her S hah was a great patron of architecture, and of the pub Arcmmmmlie buildings constructed in his time throughout India manyex ist57:2nto this day, the admiration of the world. T he only architectural
relic of h is time in Agra is the interesting mosque of Alawal
Bi lawal, or Shah “fi layat, in Nai ki Mandi , which has sunk intothe ground up to about the middle of the walls.
T he peace of Agrawas disturbedduring the reign of the last Salem
monarch’
s son and successor. S ultan Islam,better known as
S alem S hah Sur, the second son of Sher S hah . Agra was stillS l'ah '
the D dr ul S ultanat of India. The claim of Adi l S hah, the Adil Shah ,
eldest son, hav ing been set aside on account of his weakness of
character and imbecili ty, Salem S hah was saluted Emperor of
H industan. Immediately on his accession, he invited his elder
brother, Adil Shah, to Agra, feigning a desire to tender his allegi
ance to him and telling him that he had been forced by circum
stances alone to occupythe throne, his object being to p revent
commotion, and that, as soon as he made his appearance in the
capi tal, he would resign in his favour. Adi l S hah arrived at Agra,
anda meeting between the brothers was arranged. Salem had
g i ven strict orders to the guard of the citadel that h is hrotht r
shouldbe allowed to enter i t with only two or three attendants.
Adi l Shah, suspecting the sinceri ty of Salem, pushed forward
i nto the hall of public audience with a large number of followers,
and thus the plan of Salem to seize the person of his brother was
defeated.
Undeterredbythe failure of his scheme, S alem tried to gain Resigns the
byhis eloquenceand byflatterywhat he had failedto do by stra fffx’
our of
tagem. H e renewed his formerassertions that he had been con 3 h“
strained to assume the royal titles andprerogatives against his
will, merely from political considerations and to keep the
Bat is defeated, 1545.
AGRA H I ST O RIC AL
turbulent classes of the public in check , and he loaded Adi l S hah
wi th marks of distinction and honour. Then, approach ing h im
and holding him by the hands, he placed him on the throne .
Adil was not decei ved by the apparent sinceri ty of his brother'
s
professions, but, being h imself a lover of ease and freedom, and
feeling that his situation on the throne would be unsafe,forth
with came down,and, in h is turn, seating Salem S hah on i t,
saluted h im as the Emperor, and offered the customarycongratu
lations. T he grandees of the court instantly followed h is ex amp le ,and, tendering their homage to Salem, presented h im ofi
'
erings.
Adi l S hah retired to h isJag irs at 1314114.
This didnot, however, satisfy Salem. H ardly two months had
elapsed when be despatched Ghazi Mahli , a eunuch of rank , to
Biana, with a pair of golden fetters, and with orders to seize the
person of Adi l Shah and bring him 11 prisoner to the court.
Khewas Khan, of Mewat , a partizan of Adil,whose ex ertions had
chicflyled to the late amicable settlement between the brothers,hav ing heard of this breach of fai th on the part of S alem, set out
for Agra at the head of a large army. H e was joined by Adi l
anda number of chiefs who had guaranteed the safety of that
Prince.
A battle was fought in sight of Agra (A.D . in which ,
in spi te of the ex ertions of Khewas Khan,victory declared itself
for Salem. Adil S hah fled from the battlefield, escaped to
Tabia, and was heard of no more.
After his defeat, in Monghyr, by a detachment sent by S herS hah, in Juse , 153 9, H umayun continued his flight with a small
retinue to Kalpi , with the v iew of proceeding thence to Agra.
B is army, including the best part of his father’s veterans, had
been cut off for the most part, or perished in the inundations .
H umaynn’
s E mpress, whom i t had been the last endeavour o f
that sovereign to save, hadbeen taken prisoner by the Afghans ;but S her S hah treated her wi th every mark of courtesy and
attention and sent her to Agra in safety. H umayun shortlyafterwards joined the Empress at Agra, and, after making pre
parations there, once more moved from Agra, in Apri l, 1540, to
g ive battle to his adversary, who was nowin possession of Bengal.H is army was at this time strengthened by a reinforcement
nomfl fi x .
of men belonging to Kdmrdn, who had himself retiredE1;ffif‘
igfif
t o Lahore. The final defeat of H umaynn at Kanauj has beenalready noticed.
* T he defeated monarch turned his thoughts
to S indh but, h is attempts to re establish his authority in that
part of the country having failed, he fled to Persia, where he grmgsligé
o
was magnificently received by Shah Tahmasp , the Safvi King
( 154 T he S hah sent an army, under h is son, to restore H uma
ynn, who recovered Kabul (April and marched to recover
India in January, 1555, after an ex ile often years. H e engaged
Sakandar S hah S umAfghan at S irhand, and gained a decisive 1555.
v ictory, the Afghans flying to the mountains under the H imalaya.
T his victory once more decided the fate of the E mpire of H indus
tan and established a dynasty which proved more prosperous
and enduring than any of those wh ich had preceded it. An ad
vance force of the victor immediately took possession of D elhiaovc
lh
gaandAgra (July
urn.
T he death of H umayun in D elhi , and the absence of his
successor, the young Akbar, in the Punjab, gave fresh courage to
H emn, the H indu minister of Muhammad S hah Adi ti , to recover
the capital for his master. H emu was originally a shop-keeper
who, by the force of his talents, had risen to the highest post in
the g i ft of the crown. At this time he set out wi th a powerful
army of men and elephants against Agra, and his Agra oceu.
numbers increased as he advanced through a friendly country. fly,“T he Mughal officer in charge of Agra was hardly prepared to
meet this formidable invasion and thought it his best policyto fall back on D elhi . Zamdn Khan, anotherMughal officer, at
th e head of hors‘
e, tried to oppose the advance of S hndi
Khan, one of H emn’
s Generals, but he was defeated, and almost
the whole of his force was cut off. Agra was taken, after a
short siege, by H etnu,who, now advancing on D elhi , took posses
sion of i t, and, setting aside the pretensions of Sakandar S ti r,
assumed the ti tle of Raja Bakrarna Ji t, of ancient fame.
T he Mughal army under Bairam Khan graduallyassembled T het attle of
at N owshera and advanced upon D elhi. H emu marched outF! ipac,
with a considerable army to P anipat, the old battlefield which
had so often decided the fate of the E mp ire since the age of the
See page N sup ra.
AO RA H IS TORIC AL .
Mahabharat. Benin was defeated and captured. The v ictorious
Agra t e -occu Bairatn Khan and the youthfulAkbar both displayed prodig ies of
mgwtzy1525“ velour in this battle. After the victory, Sakandar Uzbek, a
General of H umayun, was sent fozward to occupyAgra, and the
place was surrenderedwithout any resistance in 1556.
Modern Agra was founded on the west bank of the river
Jumna byAkbar, the son of H umayun, who removed the seat
of government to that p lace. The orig inal idea of the E mperor
was to bui ld his entire metropolis at Fatehpur S ikri , south-west
of Agra, in honour of the birth there of his eldest son, S alem
(afterwards Jahang ir), believed to have been born through the
blessings and benedictions of S alem C hishti , a faks'
r of great te
lig ions sanctitywho resided there at the time ; and traces o f
fortifications sti ll ex ist there. T he reason why the idea was
abandoned is ex plained further on. T he establishment of the
metropoli tan capi tal in its present locality is attributed
by some to the superiori ty of Agra on a navigable ri ver. coupled
wi th i ts salubrions climate, and by others to the circumstance
of the saint. Salem C hishti , havi ng told the Emperor Akbar
that the presence of aroyal court at the residence of the fuki r
seriously interfered with his devotions, and that H is Majestywoulddo well to remove it to some more convenient locality,
and leave Fatehpur for the undisturbed engagement of the faks'
r
in his sp iri tual pursuits.
Abul Fazl, in the Akbu'mdma , gives the following account
of the foundation of modern Agra by Akbar H is Majestymade Agra the cap ital of the Empire , and, in the third year of
the reign (1558 an), took up his residence in the ci tadel for
merly known as Bédalgarh. H e assigned different quarters for
the accommodation ofthe grandees of the realm, thusrendering the
palace the centre of wealth , happiness and prosperity. Through
the auspicious attention of H is Majesty, the ci ty, within a short
t ime, became an ornament of the seven cli znes. I t is a c ity pos
sessing a salubrious climate, the heat and cold being moderate in
their respective seasons ; the soil is congenial to the growth of the
trees and fruit of Khorasan and Iraq ; the river J{i n (Jnmna)the water of which has few ri vals for lightness and taste, flows in
the midst of the ci ty on e i ther side of it the nobles and servants
AGRA H lSTO RI CAL .
Akbar held public audience everyday, in the afternoon, in the
public hall of assembly, known as Darbdr-i -Am, which was an
open court with a royal throne set up in i t. I t was not, however,
customary with him to si t on the throne : he stood at the foot
o f i t, on a platform. still preserved in the D t'
wdn-i -Am,and gave
all orders in a standing posture, whi le all his ministers and amirs
stood before him with folded hands.
According to the testimony of E uropean travellers, Akbar
devoted special attention to the administration of justice.
" I n the
citywhere he dwelt he heard all causes himself. N o malefactor
was punished without h is knowledge.
” Mutilation of bands was
the punishment for theft and pi racy; while murderers. adulterers
and highway robbers were impaled or hanged. N o sentence of
ex ecution was carried out unti l Akbar had personally pronounced
i t three times. H e po isoned his enemies by administering to
them wi th his own hands betels, or so-calleddigestive p i lls, wh ich
he carried wi th him in a box , divided into several compartments,
and which no one dared to refuse when offered by the Badshah .
At evening a private darbdr was held in the ghusl kha’
na,
or imperial drawing-room
,at which peti tions from the V iceroys
of Provinces were read out to H is Majesty, who passed orders
on them, and other state business was transacted.
D uring relig ious discourses, or when hearing histories, Akbarsat on carpets, always accompanied by twelve learnedmen.
Ala-nd-dtn Khi lj i was the first Sultan of Indiawho married aH indu Princess, KonlaD evi , the Réjput Queen of Rai Karan,
the
Bajaof Gujrt'
tt ( 1306 S he had been taken prisonerduringthe Réjs
’
s lifetime,and so fascinated Ala-ud-din by her beauty
and talents, that she gained a great share of his favour. H er
equally beautiful daughter was married to Khizr Khan, the
E mperor’
s eldest son, and their loves form the subject of a cele
brated Persian poem,byAmtr Khnsro, the great poet; of India.
Ala-md-din, in ex ternal qualities, very much resembled Akbar,
Like h im, he married a H indu Princess. H e was the first to set
T his p ractice was followed by Akbar’
a two immediate successors. S hahJaklin caused the culprits to be bi tten by s cobra.
AKBAR .
aside the authority of the Kuran as propounded by the Ulamas ;
as also did Akbar. H e was the first Muhammadan S ultan who
founded a new religion and sought to become a prophet ; as also
did Akbar. ln Als-ud-diu’
s case i t was probably h is H induwife
who upset his relig ious fai th the same was the case with Akbar.
Both were i lliterate and of eccentric temper. Akbar married
two Rajput Princesses—first, the daughter of Bags Bihéri Malandsister o f Raja Bhégwtin D ds, and then Jodh Béi , a P rincess of
Jodhpur, the mother of Jahangir, commonly called Marian.
Zami ni . There was, however, this distinction b etween Als-ud
din andAkbar, that, while the former secured h is alliance wi th
the Ri jput Princess as the result of war and oppression, the
latter gained his bymeans of conci liation and friendship. There
was the further difference between the two, that, wh ile Alé-ud-din
was a tyrannical despot, Akbar, on the contrary, was generous,
forbearing , element and afi'
able. Akbar was no fanatic , and was
not carried away by religious frenzy. D uring the time ofboth,the wealth of India increased and led to various forms of lux ury
and improvements.
Religi ous reform was dear to Akbat ’e heart : but he hatedAfin r
’a
fno H indu orMuhammadan on aecount of his relig ion. H e raised
H indus to the highest S tate offices. H is land settlement, carried
out by his friend and minister, T odar Mal, was based on good
j udgment and humanity. According to the testimony of con H is privatelife.
temporary E uropeans, he was plai n m hi s habi ts, frugal, self
controlled and devoted to the useful arts. A sketch ofAkbat ’e
career has been separately gi ven, and i t is only necessary here
to describe brieflyhowbe closed his eventful life.
T he murder of Abul Fazl deeply afflicted Akbar. By h is H is domes
death he lost a trusted counsellor and a personal friend.
“ Other221mm? "
calami ties befell him about the same t ime. H is mother,H amida
'
Bano Begum, commonly known by her ti tle of MariamMakani,
(dwelling with the V irgin Mary) died. Prince D enial, his ownson, died of delirium tremens, in 101 3 (1604 in the D eccan.
S alem’
s jealousyof his son, Khusro, created a dispute betweenthe former and the latter
’
smother (the sister of RajaMan S ingh),
For the grief felt by Akbar on Abul Fazl’
s death, see L ife of Abul Fazl.C hap ter III .
H is death isaccelerated.
H is burial.
AGRA H I STO RIC AL .
who was so affected that she swallowed po ison, and thus a fresh
sting was inflicted on the alreadydistressed mind o f Akbar. T he
Emperor’
s own end was drawing near. H is last days were em
bittered by the rebellion of the heir-apparent, Salem. A recon-s
ci liation was effected between father and son, and S alem repaired
to the court at Agra and made submission. T he Emperor eon
ferredon him the pri vilege of using the crownj ewels, but placedhim under temporary restraint. D omestic troubles hadalreadyundermined the oldmonarch
’
s health. and he grewworse in S eptember, 1005. H e lost his appetite. andwas for the last ten
days confined to his bed. P rince Khurram (afterwards S hah
Jahan), then a mere boy, was constantly by the bedside of his
grandfather. Finding his endapproaching , the oldmonarch in
vited the nobles of his court to his chamber, together with the
heir apparent , Salem and when all had assembled, he earnest!y
looked on them all round and asked them to forgi ve him i f he
had been guiltyof any offence towards any of them. Salem now
threwhimself at his royal father’
s feet and b urst into a torrent
of tears. T he k iud-heartedAkbar, looking on him with feelings
of tenderness and afi'
ection, po inted to his favouri te scimi tar, and
made a sign to Salem to bind i t on him in that assembly. H av ing
recovered from his ex haustion, he addressed a fewwords of ad
monition to S alem. H e eagerlyasked him to look to the comfort
of the ladies of the harem and not to forsake his old friends and
dependents. H e then permi tted the ch ief mullah, who was a
personal friendof Salem,
to be brought to him, and in his presence
he repeated the confession of fai th and died in all the forms of a
goodMusalman.
T he event occurred in the Fort ot'
Agra, on 13 th October 1605,
in the six ty-thirdyear of his age and the fifty
-first of his reign.
The burial ceremonies of Akbar were performed in a simple
style. H e was interred in a splendid mausoleum in S akandrtt,
near Agra, bui lt by hi tnself.’ T he body was placed upon a bier.
Salemandhis three sons carried it out of the fortress. The young
princes, assisted bythe officers of the imperial household, carried
i t to Sakandrtl. Seven days were spent in mourning over the
I t was finished byJahang ir.—See C hap ter I I .
.Jam sots .
grave. P rovisions and sweetmeats were distributedamongst the
poor every morning and evening throughout the mourning, and
twentyreaders were appointed to recite the kurdn by the grave
everynight without ceasing.
’
The chief buildings of Akbar’
s period in Agra are his own bugldings tn
mausoleum at Sakandré, the Agra Fort, and the palaces andA
mausoleum of Sheikh Salem Chishti i n Fattehpur S iltri .
T he periodof mourning of the late Emperor being over, Salem .1d,“
entered the Fort of Agra by the western gate, and was crowned
E mperor of H industan, in October 1605, in the thirty-eighth year
of his age, under the pompous ti tle of N fir-ud-dinJahéngir (C on
queror of the World). T he people filled the air wi th acclamations
ofjoy. E verydemonstration ofmirth was made, and festivities
and rejoicings were the order of the day. The royal kettle-drum
was beaten for fortydays, and the palace was illuminated with
thousands of lights every night. Largess was profusely distri
buted. Rajas and Nawabs, grandees and nobles, prostrated
themselves before the newKing , and, to commemorate the event,an inscriptionwas cut upon the sandstone panel of the guard
-room
in the D elhi gate of the Fort, where i t is still to be seen, ending
with the prayer,“Mayour King Jahangir be the King of the
World, The newEmperor conferred the ti tle of Mahabat
Khan on his ahds'
(or ex empt), Zamana Beg, with a mamab of
fifteen hundredand appointed himP aymasterof the Royal H ousee
ho ld. H e had beenattached to thenewEmperorwhile the latter
was still C rown Prince. Another faithful friend of his early days
andh is schoolcompanio n, S hartf, son of KhwéjaAbdul Samad, was
created Ami r-ul Umra, or premier noble, with a manaab of
fi ve thousand. Salemwas much attached to him, andwhenthat
P rince rebelledagainst his father in Allahabad, he had been sent
to him to e flect a reconci liation. S hari f acted so that be widened
the breach between the father and the son, who made a rash
p romise to him to gi ve him half the kingdom on ascending the
throne. When a reconci liationwas eflected between Akbar and
S alem, S harit'
had to fly for his life ; but on hearing of Akbar’
s
death , he returned to Agra andwas honourablyrecei vedby the
new E mperor, who created him Amir-ul-Umm , and put him in
Wheeler.
AGRA H IST O RIC AL .
charge of the great seal. Nar S ingh , the murderer of AbulFazl, was made a grandee of three thousand.
Jahangir showed himself at the iharaha (window) every
morning to the multi tude who assembled beneath to offer thei r
obeisance to the Emperor, as in the days of Akbar. H e attended
the darba’
r court and the ghusl Ichdna. At noon there were
parades, games, sports, and animal fights, at wh ich the Kingattended. T he nights were spent in revelry and merriment wi th
boon companions—a strong contrast wi th the mode in which
the ph ilosophical and good Akbar spent his nights in talking
wi th learned men until earlymorning.
Jahangi r, in his Tusk, or autobiography, gi ves the followingaccount of old Agra and the foundation o f the new ci ty by h is
father, Akbar Agra is one of the most ancient and important
ci ties of H industan. I t had an old fort on the bank of the Jumna
but my father, before mybirth, having levelled i t with the ground,
built on i ts si te a fort of red sandstone so magnificent that men
who have travelled through the world maintain that they have
seen the like of it nowhere during their travels. I t took fifteen
or si x teen years to complete. I t consists of four gates and two
smaller gateways, and was constructed at an outlay of thirty-five
lakhs ot'
rupees, equal to one hundredand fifteen thousand tamans
of Iran and one crore five lakhs of khaais of a an. T he c ity
population ex tends along either bank of the Jumna. The part to
the west, which is verydensely populated, is seven has in circui t,
two loos long , and one has broad that to the east, two andahalf loos
in circuit, one kos long , and half a kos broad. T he buildings are
so numerous, that several cities of the size of those in Iraq,Khorasan, and Mahwaral Nahr could be made of them. Most
people have built their houses to the height of three and four
storeys, and the city is so overcrowded wi th populationthat one
cannot pass through a lane or street without trouble.
”
gm, T he Emperor writes as follows of i ts history previous to the
flfifizi‘zt
it’
ggf time of the Afghan Lodi k ings Before the time of the Afghan
L odis, Agrawas a large ci tyand had a fort. Masnd Sad Salman,
in a poem composed byhim in praise ofMahmfid, son of Ibrahim,
son of Masud, son of Mahmud Ghiznavi, on the occasion of the
AGRA : H ISTO RIC AL .
Then comes rai bel, which is ofa snowycolourandgives out
fragrance like that of the jasmine. T he leaves grow in several
layers, one over the other.
Another is the moulsri 1 flower, the plant of which is also of
agreeable size, symmetrical and shady. I t possesses a very mi ld
odour.
S eotz'
1 is aspecies of kawra, with this (liti'
erence, that the
latter has thorns in it,'
wh ile the former is W i thout thorns. I t is
of a yellowish colour, while kewra is of awhite colour. P roni
the flowers above-mentioned and the jasmine (the white jasmine
of V i layet) they ex tract perfumed oi ls.
”
I n 1608 C aptain H awkins wai ted on the E mperor Jahang ir
with a letter from James the Firet, King of E ngland. Mokarrab
Khttn, V iceroy ofGujrat, met him at S urat, and he was conducted
to Agra in safety. T he Emperor took a great fancy to H awkins,
who settled at Agra to promote the interest of the E nglish
Company. Jahang ir spent the earlier years of his reign in Agra.
According to Father Catron, all Franks (or E uropeans) had freeaccess to the palace during the reign ofJahangir. The Emperor
drank with them allnight, even in the month of the Musalman
fast.
According to H awkins, who was in Agra in 1608-1 1 , Jahangir
was a stout man of forty-five. C oryat, who was in Agra about
16 15, says he was fifty-three. H awkins has furnishedan interest
ing account ofJahangtr’
s dai ly life.
I n the morning at daybreak, with his face turned towards
Mecca, he repeated the different names of God on a string of
beads of pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, lignurn aloesand coral.H e then appeared at the jharoka (window)to receive the salu
tations of the multitude who resorted to the plains opposite every
morni ng. This done, he went to sleep for two hours more. H e
then took his mealswith the ladies of the seraglio. At noon he
again showed himself to the people at the baicony of the palace
iharoka (window), and sat there until three o’
clock to witness
pastimes bymen and beast. “At three o’
clock the nobles in
Jasmmum Zamhac. 1 Baulsm'
. 1 C hina rose. Rosa olamlulik ra.
JAH ANGIR.
Agra, whom sickness detaineth not, resort to the court, and the
King comes forth in open audience, sitting in his seat royal, P ublic audi
every man standing in his degree before him : the chief within
a redrail, the rest without. T he red rai l is three steps higher
than the place where the rest stand. Men are placed by officers ;
there are others to keep men in order. I n the midst, right be
fore the K ing, standeth an ofl'
icer with his master hangman,accompanied byforty others of the same profession, with badges
on; theirshoulders, and others wi th whips. H ere the King heareth
causes some hours everyday; he then departs to his house of
prayer.
”
At evening the Emperor was in the ghusl khdma, or The ”M,“
pri vate room,where ministers and selected oflicers and ami rs m
wai ted on H is Majesty, and S tate business was transacted. The
S tate writers were in constant attendance until the King slept,
and they wrote all that the King did. A rope with ring ing bells, QM“, 1,iplated wi th gold, was fastened to two pillars in the King
’
s cham m"
her, with an end hang ing over the ground opposite the palace .
Any poor man who demanded justice, shook the rope, and the
King hearing the bells ring called him forthwi th , heard him
and didjustice to h is cause.
H awkins drank with Jahangir in the ghusl klut'
ua. H e had H ostile p ro .
his enemy, Mokarrab Khdn, summoned to Agra on a charge of ex fifzflmb“
torting money and seizing a H indu girl under the pretence ofKM“
sending her to the King . All h is property was confiscated ; but
Mokarrab heavi lybribed the officials and was restored to favour.
H e revenged himself on H awkins. Jahangir was led to believe
that, if the E ng lish once got a footing in India, theywould soon
become masters of the country. Jahangir was alarmed ; and123 2
1231e
forbade them from trading in India. H awkins, wi th his Ar- mu,
menian wife, whom he had married in Agra, left that city for
E ngland in 16 11 .
Jahangir was not at Agra when S ir Thomas Roe landedat
S urat, in.
1615, as LordAmbassador from King James l. Journey Roe, 1615-5;
ing from Burhanpur, he visi ted Mandt’
l , and then C hi ttor, the
ancient capi tal of Rdjputana, and wai ted on the Emperorat
Ajmere, which H isMajestyhadmade his head quarters about that
time. Roe never visited Agra or D elhi , b be has left agraphic
and faithful account of Jahangtr’
s court he presents from the
N tir hi ahal.
T he Seraglio.
AGRA ll lSTO ltI C AL .
King of E ngland consisted of virginals, kni ves, an embroideredscarf
, a rich sword, and an E nglish coach. The ambassador hada
musician in his train, and he was ordered to playon the virginals.
Jahangir gave the coach to NurMahal, his beloved queen. T he
E nglish lining was taken otf and the coach coveredwith gold
velvet and decorat ions. Jahangir asked ltoe i f the E nglish would
gi ve h im jewels, to which the ambassador replied that jewels
came from I ndia where Jahang irwas King ; how than could the
E nglish bring back his own jewels ? ltos accompanied Jahangir
to Mdndfi and Gujrat, and left him in the end of 1618.
N fir Mahal’s influence over Jahangir was unlimited. For
twentyyears she ruled the King and the k ingdom. N o i tnportant
office in the S tate was filled without her consent, nor any
treaty with a foreign S tate concluded wi thout her appro val.
Money was coined in her name, wi th the inscription, Gold has
gained a new value since it bore the name of N t'
i r Mahal.”
H er
father became the wazfr, and herbrother, Asaf Khén, was raised
to the first rank of the nobili ty.
T he seraglio of Jahangir consisted of si x thousandwomen,
including female slaves, attendants, women soldiers and guards.
There were C hinese , C ircassians, Georgians, Turks, Pers iansAbyssinians and H indus. I n Jahangir
’
s palace, in the Agra fort,
are to this day to be seen numerous labyrinth of courts, of apart
ments and of passages, in wh ich these female servants andguards
were posted to watch the stately suites of chambers, most
ex quisitely carved and painted, that were once the lovely home
of some lady of rank or the wife of some chief.
T he part of the palace where N t’
i r Mahal Spent the greater
portion of her life sti ll stands in the fort of Agra. I t is known
as the Jasmine Bower (Samman Burj ). I t has lately been re
paired, under the orders of Lord Mayo ,late V iceroy of India.
I t still bears the stamp of Nfir Mahal’s artistic instincts, sk ill,
and refined judgment . H er private rooms and balcony may
also be seen on the high castle walls. I t was in these rooms
that N t’
i t Mahal passed the gloomydays of her widowhood, after
the murder of her brave husband, S her Afgan, and before her
mart iago with Jahzing ir, who had neglected her for four years
and even refused to see her. H ere she liYL tl quite forgotten by
u naware.
her royal lover, who had once pass ionately loved her ; but she
was kindly received by her former patroness, the good-hearted
old lady, Mariam Zamani (Princess of Jodhpur), mother ofJahan
gir. N fir Mahal had adorned these chambers with ex traordinarysp lendour and magnificence. All the designs were her own,
and
the workmanship was by the hands of her own female slaves,
under her personal direction. All the ladies of the harem con
sulted her in matters of jewellery and the painting of si lk , and
she introduced qui te novel styles and fashions into the court.
T he seraglio resounded wi th her charms and talents. I t was
in these apartments that, Jahangir happening to see her one
morning in her plain dress of white muslin, his passion for
her was renewed. Instantlyhe threwround her neck a necklace
of forty pearls which he‘
wore, each pearl being valued at
and N ( uMahal was removed to the imperial quarters and became
h is favourite queen.
Jahangir reigned in peace, but that peace was disturbed in
Agra by the rebellion of his son, S hah Jahan, in 162 3 . T he
P rince marched from Mdndt’
i wi th his army towards Agra.
Sack and outJahangir sent Asat
‘
Khan to Agra to remove the imperial treasures fizsgggh
Asm
before Shah Jahan should arrive there. S hah Jahan occupied Jahan, 162 3 .
the city of Agra andsacked i t, but he was unsuccessful in captar
ing the fort, which contained the imperial treasures. According
to the particulars furnished bv D ella Valle, a noble Italian fromltome ,
‘ who has written them on the authority of letters recei ved
by him at Surat from Agra, Shah Jahan and his soldiers com
wi tted fearful barbari ties at Agra on this occasion. The citizens’
of Agra were subjected to torture to compel them to give up
their boarded treasures, and many ladies of quality were
outraged andmangledrl'
All the E uropean travellers who visitedAgra during the time Agra during
of Jahangir have written of i ts wealth and splendour in glowing 3mm“
terms. C albanke, writing about i t to S ir Thomas Smi th, in
the beginning of the seventeenth century, speaks of it as “a
H e was a Roman C atholic , and had v isited I ndia. in 162 3 . out of ani ntelligent curiosi ty, begotten of the learning of the time
, to discover anyatii ni t that might ex i st between t he relig ion of E gyp t and that of India.
”
Wh er .
1“ Wheeler.
AGRA H ISTO RIC AL .
O fgreat and populous city entire]y built of stone, wi th a great dealof merchandise, the whole city being even more imposing than
L ondon of that age.
”Finch, noticing the splendour of its gran
dees and nobles, remarks that they never allowed the garments
of their concubiues once worn to be put on again, but that they
were buried in the ground as unfit for further use. There weremany nobles in Agra so rich that each had athousand Mashalch is
or torch -bearers in his service. Edward TerryandThomas C oryateach describe Agra as a magnificent c i ty, worthy of the cap i tal
of the great Mnghal.
E dwardTerry, who accompanied the mission of S ir ThomasRoe , as C haplain, menti ons Agraas one of thirty
-seven large Pre s
v inces under the Mughal, wh ich the traveller has described in
C hapter I I of his work . H e wri tes of Agra thus Agra.
a principal and very rich province, the chief ci ty se- called, this
great Emperor’
s metropolis in north lati tude about 2 8 degrees and
a half. I t is verywell watered by the river Jumna. This andLahore are two princ ipal and choice cities of this E mpire, betwi x twhich is that long walk which I have mentioned before) of four
hundred miles i n length, shaded by great trees on both sides.
This is looked upon by the travellers, who have found the comfort
of that cool shade, as one of the rarest andmost beneficial works
in the whole world.
”
Thomas H erbert, who v isited Agra during the reign of
Jahang ir, describes i t as semilunary in shape, like London, wi th
streets long andnarrow. Akbar ismentioned as having commenc
cd the building of the fort, after his victorious return from
Ahamadabéd, in place of the old castle, which was pulled down.
H e describes Agra as a populous and flourishing city.
O u his return from Gujrat, Jahangir visi ted Ujjain, andthence he came to Agra; where he became reconciled to his
eldest son, Khusro, through the intervention of P arwez, h is
second son. After some wanderings he proceeded to L ahore, and
thence went to Kashmir, in the hot months of 162 7. H e was
compelled by asthma to return, but death overtook him on the
wayat Kajoari , on 1 2 th October, 162 7. H is remains were brought
to Lahore, and, according to his will interred in the garden of N ( u
Mahal, on the banks of the Ravi .
A Voyage to E ast I ndia, by E dward Terry, 81.
AGRA H IS T ORIC AL .
Bolaki in triumph to Lahore, where S haharyar was taken
prisoner and depri t ed of his sight. T he youthful,
king was then
brought to Agra, where he assumed roval functions, wi th Asaf
Khan as wzzzi r. Asaf Khan was now all-powerf'
ul both in thearmy and in the emp ire. H e had by this time succeeded in fur
thering the interests of S htih Jahan by gaining over a great
number of officers and nobili tyto his side. I n order, however, better
to conceal his game and to lull the suspicion of the young King ,
who was wanting in ex peri ence, if not in intelligence, i t was given
out at Agra that Shah Jahan was dangerously i ll nex t, that be
A stratagem. was dead. he young Badshah was, according to adesire ex pressed
by S hah Jahan, solici ted to allow his burial in the precincts
of Akbar’
s tomb at Sakandra. Overjoyed at the intelligence
of the death of his rival, Bolaki gave his sanction to the wazir’
s
proposal. An emptybier, followedbya funeral cortega, proceeded
in solemn grief from Agra to Akbar’
s mausoleum. The living
dead (S hah Jahau)himself followed i t in disguise ! Asat'
Khan
impressed on the youngk ing ,
that the rules of etiquette required
that H is Majesty should come out of Agra to do honour to the
body of the deceased Prince, who was no other than the brother
of his own father, when i t should come wi thin a league or two of
the city ; and, following this advice, he came out to meet the
body, wi th a smallescort. Squadrons of Rajputs followed the bier,and S hah Jahan, having gradual]y approached i t,
'
secretlygot
into i t, anaperture sufficient to enable him te breathe having been
left in i t. T he bier .was then carried into a tent, where all the
principal ch iefs, who were acting in concert with Asaf Khan,
assembled as if to do honour to the dead Prince. I t was, says
T avernier, at this juncture that Asaf Khan saw that the time had
come for the ex ecution of his design ; he had the bier opened
before the eyes of all the army ; S hah Jahan was saluted as k ing
byall the generals and other officers.
"T he young king , whowas
sti ll on the way, finding himself deserted byalmost all the ami rs ,
wi thdrew and fled to Lahore.
Immediately the trumpets sounded and S hah Jahan was pro
claimed Emperor amidst the acclamations of an enthusiastic mul
ti tude. H e entered the fort of Agra in great state, and the same
moment began his auspicious reign. Thomas H erbert has thus
noticed the event in h is Tratsls With great pomp h e
sum JABL N.
made h is intrude into Agra, and forthwith gave orders for his
coronation, which accordingly, by a general assembly of thesfor
SO
fitinn
amras and nobles of his empire, was performed. Then by s h ut: in:
proclamation he assumed the name of S ultztn S haba'
o-ud-diuAer"
Muhammad.
"
S hah Jahan, on ascending the throne, avenged himself on the P ersecutionof the
P ortuguese, who had refused to render lnm assi stance when he P ortuguese.
was in rebellion against his father, and who had joinedthe armyo f P arwez and fought against him. Fi ve or si x hundred of them
were taken prisoners and sent to Agra. S ome were compelled to
embrace Muhammadanism others suffereddeath.
Khan Jahan L od1,who had been placed in the chi ef com gga
tffh“
mand in the D eccan by the Emperor Jahangir, asserted his {?gt Agra,
independence in Malwa. H e returned to obedience after S hah
Jaban’
s accession to the throne, and was invited to the court,
where he was treatedwi th the utmost consideration. H isdistrust,
however, having been ex cited by some circumstance, be assembled
all his troops one night soon after dark , and, placing his women
in the centre on elephants, suddenlyquittedAgra, accompanied
by twelve of his sons, wi th his kettle-drums beating and escorted
by of h is veteran Afghans. H e proceeded to the D eccan,wh ither the Emperor marched in person. After many conflicts,
K han Jahan was compelled to fly from the D eccan, but was cut
off in Bundelkhand bya Raijput, who struck him through with a
p i ke, 1630 A.O . I t was in this ex pedition that the Emperor lost new, of
h is favourite wife ArjumandBano, a niece of Nurjahan, who diedfizmmfiggm ’
in Burhanpnr at the end of 162 9. The war in the D eccan 162 9.
continued, and the Emperor returned to Agra in 163 2 , leaving
Mahsbat Khan in supreme command in the D eccan. Great S hah Julian’
return toi mprovements went on tn the palace for some time, and S hah Agra, 1339.
Jahan now commenced the construction of the mausoleum of his
deceased wife on the bank of the Jumna, which was to become thewonder of the E astern World. I n 163 9 S hah Jahan founded new23:0
0
:3tD elhi , to which he gave the name Shahjahanabad, andthe capital?&P
elhi ,
was removed there.
I n 1657 the Emperorwas seizedwith adangerous i llness , and, {Il
'
lheEmperox s
as a temporarymeasure, D araS hekoh, his eldest son, was entrusted
' m "
AGRA 2 H I STORI C AL .
with the administration of the Government. D ara Shekoh
was ahigh-spirited, generous prince, whose relig ious views were as
Wan m a broad and liberal as those of Akbar. Aurangzeb , having beenh is sons.
informed of his father’
s i llness through his sister, Roushan Ara,
marched from the D eccan, after concluding a hasty treatywi th
the King Adi l S hah of Bijapur, and left S ultanMoazzam, his
second son, in charge of affairs in the D eccan. T he Emperor’
s
two sons, S huja, V iceroy ofBengal, andMurad, V iceroyoi'
a rat ,
asserted their independence in their respective prov inces and
marched their armies to the capital. Aurangzeb marched to
join Murad. D ara marched from Agra to oppose his brothers,
The“me of and the two armies havi ng met at Samagarh, one march from
Agra, in the beginning of June 1658, D ara was totally defeated
and fled to D elhi .
Three days after the battle, Aurangzeb marched to Agra, andencamping before the walls, at once took possession of the c ity.
H e interfered in no waywith the interior of the palace, his objectbeing to finda favourable opportuni ty for seizing the person of
the old Emperor. Meanwhi le a report was assiduously spread
by him that S hah Jahan was dead, and he pretended to believei t in order to have an ex cuse for entering the citadel. S hah
Jahan, on the other hand, spared no pains to make i t known that
he was alive. E x asperated at the conduct of his son, the o ld
King sent for Fazil Khan, the grand chamberlain, andasked him
to assure Aurangzeb that his father was ali x e, and that he had
no longer anypretence for prolonging his stay at the capital, but
should retire forthwi th to his kingdom of the D eccan, in which
case all that had happenedwould be forgotten. Aurangzeb, who
had his own designs to serve, affected to disbelieve the statement
of Fazil Khan, and replied that he was qui te convinced that he
had become fatherless, and that i t was upon that ground that
he had fought for the throne, thinking that he had asgoodarigh t
to it as any of his brothers. I f, urged he, the King was alive ,
well and good ; he was his dutiful son, ever ready to obey h i scommands as an humble suppliant. But in order that he migh t
be convinced that he was alive, he desired to see him and to kiss
his feet, after which he would retrace his steps to his kingdom
of the D eccan, and implicitlycarryout the royal commands.
SHAH JAH KN .
T he reply having been conveyed by Fazil Khatn to the King , gagggegf
H is Majesty at once ex pressed his approval of his proposed inter
v iew ; but Aurangzeb , more astute and cunning than his father,
assured Faz il Khan that he would not venture into the citadel
unti l the garrison located in i t was entirelywi thdrawn. Shah
Jahan,seeing the reasonableness of the demand, orderedthe garri
son to wi thdraw. The garrison accordingly vacated the Fort.T he action of
RoushanAraBegam sent amessage from theharem. to Aurangzeb, RoushanAraBegum.
warning h im of the presence of armed Tartar women, who would
se ize and murder h im if he entered the Fort wi thout a strong
guard. Aurangzeb met device by device H e postponed his
v i s it to his father from day to day, on various pretences, pleading
at one time that he awaitedan auspicious hour for an interview,
and at another that he had important S tate business to transact.
Meantime, Aurangzeb won over anu’
rs and grandees to his side.
H is eldest son, S ultan Mahmud, acting under the orders of his
father, subjected the palace to 9. blockade. Shah Jahan saw this
from the towers ofhis palace. H e plantedcannon on the ramparts,
but these hadlittle effect on the besiegers. Aurangzeb now tried
another artifice. H e sent his confidential eunuch to Shah Jahan
wi th a message that the tr00ps hadattacked the ci tadel without
h is orders, and a request to be allowed to send his son, Mahmfid,
to tender his submission andbeg forgiveness, adding that hewould
h imself payhis respects to his parent as soon as his health showed
some signs of improvement.
S hah Jahan consentedto receive hisgrandson. Mahmtidgained
o ver the soldiers of the guard, and, entering the fortress,made
h imselfmasterof the palace withoutdifficulty. S laughtering every
one who came in his way—soldiers, slaves, eunuchs, women,—he
forced hisway into the interior of the palace with a strong contin
gent of troops. H e entered the royal chamber of S hah Jahan.
T he Tartarwomen,who surrounded the oldking, remainedmotion~
less,like statues. Mahml'
td then personally announced to S hah
Jahan Your great age, my lord, has rendered you incapable
of reigning. Retire with your wives into the palace gardens ;
pass the remainder of your days in tranquillity. We do not
grudge You the right Of the day, butyoudishonour the throne:you
must resign i t to your children.
”
Wheeler.
AGRA H ISTORI C AL .
3 1.3 1.)n a At this demand theTartar female-guards roused a great shout ;”m m"
but Mabmt'
tdwas equal to them, and Shah Jahan, yielding to cir
cumstances, retired to the innerpavilions with hiswivesandbecamea prisoner. Inviting Mahmt
’
td to a second visit, S hah Jahan
ofl'
ercd him the crown and the possession of Agra, provided be
cast off his adherence to his father, who, having dethroned his
own father, was not likely to spare the son. Mahmfid for a
time considered the matter, but resisted the temptation and
secured the palace keys from the E mperor. H encel'
orth Aurang
zeb became master of Agra and the citadel. T he prace of Agra
was not disturbed on the change of sovereigns. S hayasta Khan
was appointed newGovernor of the place.
H i. helpless S hah Jaluin, incensed at the conduct of his son, made somecondi tion.
efl'
orts to efl'
ect h is escape, and slew some of the guards who
O pposedhim. This inducedAurangzeb to subject him to a closer
confinement. T he gates and entrances were walled up and the
ex -king’
s chamber was placed under strict guard. I t is most
surprising ,” writes the traveller, Tavernier, that not one of the
servants of the grand King ofl'
ered to assist him ; that all his
subjects abandoned him, and that they turned their eyes to the
rising sun, recognising no one as king butAurangzeb S hahJahrin,
although still living, having passed from their memories. l i
perchance there were any who felt touchedby his misfortunes,
fear made them silent, and made them basely abandon a king
who had governed them like a father andwith ami ldness which
is not common with sovereigns. For although he was severe
enough to the nobles when they fai led to perform theirduties,
be arrangedall things for the comfort of the people, by whom
he was much beloved, but who gave no signs of it at this crisis."
T he traveller, Bernier, who was at the time (1658 A.D .) in
Agra, ex preu es the same surprise H e writes : I can indeed
scarcely ex press my indignation when I reflect that there
was not a single movement, nor even a voice heard in behalf
of the aged and“ injured monarch ; although the Omeras who
bowed the knee to his oppressors were indebted to him for their
rank and riches, having been, according to the custom of the
court, raised byShah Jahan from a state of the lowest indigcnce,
andmanyof themeven redeemedfrom absolute slavery.
”
B is illness.
T he funeralceremonies.
AGRA H I STORI CAL .
which the ci tadel of Agra is associated. T he following are ex
tracts from this work
I n consequence of protracted i llness, the Emperor became
very weak. H is bodi ly strength failed, and on this account he
was attacked wi th various complaints, so that the treatment of
proved directly injurious to the other. T he best physicians
thought his case had become very complicated. H is hands and
feet trembled through ex treme weakness, and medicines were
of no avail. At length, in an early hour of the night ofMonday,the 2 8th of Rajah ( l666 his case having become qui te hope
less,the signs of death became visible. H is Majesty kept h is
courage at this time of trial, and struggled bravely wi th the last
enemy. H e turned his mind to God, and, in an audible vo ice,
offered thanks to the Almighty for the thousand g ifts H e had
conferredon him. W i th all sinceri tv and humi li tyhe then prayed
forg iveness for the sins he had commi tted in the world then, in
full possession of his consciousness, be repeated the confession of
faith. While he was repeating this, his affectionate daugh ter, the
hlalika Jahan Begum (Jahan Ara), and other female members of
the family, began to weep. H is Majestyadmonished them to be
content wi th God’
s will and resign themselves to H is pleasure. H e
spoke a few consoling words to them, and, immediatelyafter, his
soul departed from the body.
By command of Mstlika Jahan Begum, Rand Andaz Khan,
the commander of the fort, andKhawja l’ hti l presented themselves
in the ghnslkhana. T he windows of the gates of the fort were
opened, and menwere sent to call the most revered SyadMuham
mad Kanauj i and Kazi Kurban, the chief Kazi of Akbarabzid, to
perform the funeral ceremonies. They came two watches before
sunrise. Although H is Majesty, since he had attained the age of
discretion, had never missed a single prayer of the prescribed five
times dai ly prayer, or a single fast of the month of 3 4111 2 60 ,
atonement for themwas g iven in a large sum ofmoney, which was
set apart for the purpose. T he two religiousmen above namedwere,
by order of Malika Jahan, called to the Samman Burj , where the
E mperor had breathed h is last. From this place h is body wasremoved to the hall(swan)close by, where itwaswashedaccordingto the form prescribed by the Muhammadan law. T he body
3m JABKN .
having then been enclosedina coffin, holy passages were read overi t. Finally, the bodywas placed ina chest or receptacle of sandal
wood, and the coffin,followed bya procession of mourners
,was
conveyed out of the fort through the low gate (darwdzd. nasheb)of the said tower, wh ich used to remain closed
, but was opened
for the occasion. T he procession then passing through S her H aj i T he funeral
gate O pposi te the low gate . the coffin was brought out of the fortprm wfl '
enclosure . H oshdar Khan, V iceroyofAgra, accompaniedbyofficers
of state, reached the bank of the river at day-break , and the
colfin, hav ing been conveyed across the ri ver, was interred with
due formali ties, by the side of the tomb ofMumtaz Zamani , in the The burial
mausoleum bui lt in her honor by the deceased E mperor, who was
now following her to the grave. T he prayers over the ootha be
fore i ts interment were read by his holiness Syad Muhammad,Kazi Kurban, and other learned and pious men.
”
Shah Jahan had lived seventy-si x years and reigned for H is age.
thirty-one.
At the time of the Emperor’
s death, Prince Mahammad Arri val ofMoazzam (afterwards the E mperor S hah Alam, Balladnr S hah), 51mm
the eldest sonof Aurangzeb, and the heir-apparent, was encamp“t Agm ’
cd at a distance of seven from Agra. T he intelligence of
the E mperor’
s demise having reached him the same night, he
arri ved in the ci ty the nex t day, and on the third daywent to
the fort and ofl'
ered condolence to the Begum Sahib, his aunt,
and the other female members of the royal family. O n that day,
under orders of the Prince, the whole Kurdn was read by the
p ions and learnedmen, and holy passages were reci ted. A meet
i ng to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet was held on a truly
royal scale, and large samsoi moneywere distributed among the
poor and needyas alms.
”
Aurangzeb was at D elhi when his father died. O u hearing
of his death . he could not refrain from shedding tears. Mulla
Muhammad Kazim wri tes Although H is Majesty possesses
a strong mind and a resolute and inflex ible temper, he wept so
bi tterly on hearing the intelligence of his royal father’
s death,
that the courtiers and nobles, who were present, were shocked.
”
Alamm'
rndmd.
AGRA H ISTORICAL .
H is Majestyand the P rinces Royal andthe ladies of the harem
put onwhi te clothes, andthewhole courtwent into mourning. T he
Emperor-elect said to h is nobles I t was my desire to be
present at the last moments of my father, to have a last look at
his face , take part in his burial ceremonies, and thus to obtainhis benedictions ; but, unfortunately, none of these desires have
been fulfilled. I shall now proceed to Akbai dbéd at once, and
pay respects to the tomb of my father, and offer condolence to
mysister and other members of the royal fami ly in that capital
city.
”
T he royal camp accordinglymoved toMustakirul Is'
hfidfat‘
(Agra). T he new Emperor, marching by stages, reached Agra
on the six th day. I t was decided that, before entering the fort,
the Emperor, on this occasion of mourning, should put up
temporarily in the house of DaraS hekoh (styledthroughout by the
historians ofAlamgiras D ara‘Be Shekoh,
’
meaning D ara,“without
dignity,
’
in contradistinction to‘ S hekolc
’
meaning
A fewmiles from the city, H is Majestywas received by H oshdar
Khan, V iceroy of Agra, and other notables and officers of the
metropolitan city. From the village of Bahddarpur, H is Majesty,wi th the royal party, came by boats to Agra, and, as previouslyarranged, put up in the house of Dara S hakoh. T he following
day he paid his respects to the tombs of his parents and read
the fateha, or prayers for the benefit of their souls. H e shed
again tears of grief at the sight o f the tombs of h is parents.
H aving then distributed twelve thousand rupees as alms amongthe servants and attendants of the mausoleum, he read the after
noon prayers in the mosque of the mausoleum. T he following
day he entered the fort and offered his condolence to the Begum
Sahib and othermembers of the harem, and spoke to themwords
of consolation and kindness. T he Begum Sahib on this occasion
presented her brother with a large golden basin full of jewels.
H e then caused the female members of the fami ly to put aside
theirmourning and bestowed on them rich dresses, in accordance
“ I n the P ersian histories of the t ime of Shah Jahan and Auran .eb, Agrais calledMunlakim l Khilafdt ; D elhi , D am! Khila/at Lahore , D arn b
’
altauat
andMultan, D arn!Anna .
1' Aurangzeb generally disregarded good or bad omens, andwas g ery scrap“.
Ions, but i t seems that he was led away bysuperstitionm regard to Ins first entryas amonarch into the fort of Agra.
AURANGZEB.
wi th their position and dignity. Two watches after sunrise,h e returned to the ci ty. Two days afterwards H is Majestywent V isi t to theagain to the fort, on a visi t to the Begum Sahib, and, at his
Begum Sah ib,
i nstance, all the nobles of the Empire and officers of state offered
their salutations to her and presented nazars, or ofierings, in
money. The P rincess was pleased to confer on them khilats, or
dresses of honor, according to the rank anddignityofeach. A few wi th
days after the newK ing again paidhera visit, and the P rincess 33 23 521221performed the ceremonies ofm
'
ssdr, namely, she offeredmoney bywayof sacrifice for H isMajesty
’
s welfare. H isMajestywent dailyto the mausoleum, andread the fatchu. Twice he held there the
meetings ofmaulzfd, or the celebration of the birth ofMuhammad,when thousands of rupeeswere distributedto relig ious people and
the poor.
I t being considered advisable that H is Majesty should prolong
his stayin Mustak irul Khil fat (Agra), he sent for the members
of his family from the D arnl Khilafat (S hah Jahéuabad), andac
cordinglyAbdul Nabi Khan, Mukhalis Khan, andKhizmat Khan,the headeunuchs, were sent to the latterplace, with a large party,
to conduct the Bcgums and ladies of the zamina to Agra on
elephants. As the I d festival of Ramzan was approaching, i t
was further ordered that the Peacock Thronebe brought to Agra,
together with all the articles of decoration and embellishment
used on festival occasions.
O h the I d festiraLH is Majestyproceededon an elephant, sur The
mounted bya golden howda, to offer prayers at the grandmosque.
m l at Ag“
Re turning before noon, he helda grand reception in the hall of
public audience andmade h is appearance wi th all the pomp and
magnificence of an E mperor, taking his seat for the first time on
Grand
th e celebrated Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan, which he hadwon durbarheld
wi th such disrepute. MuhammadKazim, the historianof Alamgir,at A3“
is here profuse in his panegyric of theKing , who bestowed honours
and rewards on the grandees and nobles with the true generosity
o f a King. A meeting was then convened in the ghuslkhana
and the business of state transacted in the presence of the officers
and nobles assembledthere. The rejoicings in honour of the first
I d festival continued for three days. H is Majestywas on this
6
AGBA 3 B ISTORICAL .
occasion, pleased to bestowone lakh of goldmohnrson the Begum
Sahib, and made an addition of five lakhs of rupees to her
annual allowance of twelve lakhs. O ne lakh of rupees was bes
towed on each of her two younger sisters, Parhez Bano Begum
and Gowher AraBegum. P rince Muhammad Moazzam received
two lakhs of rupees and a special dress of honour, wi th armlet
and bracelets set with precious jewels, and an addition of
horse to h is rank of foot and horse and
P rince Muhammad Azim,a dress, an aigrette and a dagger
set with diamonds, with an addition of horse to his rank o f
foot and horse. Then follows a long list of
grandees (Muhammadans and H indus), Rajas, and Nawabawhowere presentedwith dresses andan increase ofMansab, or rank .
I n the fifthyear of the reign, the S tate treasures hadbeen removed
from Agra to Delhi , but at this period—namely, the ninth year
of the reign—it was ordered that the treasure be again
conveyed to Agra. NfimdtSr Khan, having been presented
with a horse and jewelled trappings, was entrusted wi th th is
duty, and the treasure was brought from D elhi to Agra on
imbue, or carriages drawn by bullocks, and safely deposited in
the fort.
Agra was v isited in 1638 byWandelslo , a page to the D uke
of H olstein, who had travelled in P ersia in the retinue of an
embassy which the D uke had sent to the S hah. H e describes
i t as a beauti ful ci ty, at least twice as large as Ispahan (then
in its greatest glory). I t was the favourite residence of Shah
Jahan all the nations of the East carried on trade in Agra ; and
the streets were broad and linedwi th fine sheps. There were
eighty caravauseraz'
s for travellers, each being in charge of a
superintendent. The traveller has left graphic accounts of the
ham, the darbar court, the ghuslkhdna, the mahal (or harem)and the j haroka. Wandelslo left India in 1840, and, after he left
Agra, Shéh Jahan fix ed his capital at NewD elhi .
Francis Bernier, with more poli tical insight, was in India for
twelve years (1655 and he has given a description of Agra.
in his travels very similar to that given byWandelslo.
AGRA H I STORIC AL.
unbounded influence over the Emperor and her ascendancy in
the court have alreadybeen referred to. , According to Bernier,
she was very handsome, of lively parts, and passionatelybelove dby her father. H e reposed the most implici t confidence in h is
favourite child she watched carefully over the safety of her royal
father andwas so scrupulous about i t that no dish was allowed
to appear on the royal table that had not been prepared under
her eyes. S he regulated the humoursof her father, and themost
weighty concerns of S tate were settled through her. She drew
large allowances from the Imperial treasury and recei ved the
most valuable g i fts from the amirs, whose affairs were confided
to her charge, and was thus enabled to amass a great fortune.
fl ” She espoused the cause of her brother, D ara, and promoted h is
interests in court, while hisyoungersister, KoushanAra, supported
the party of Aurangzeb. D ara, finding in Jahén Ara a valuable
coadjutor,°
had, accordingr to Bernier, promised her that , on
his accession to the throne, he would grant her permission
This pledge, says the traveller, was a remarkable one,
the marriage of a Princess being of rare occurrence in H in
dustan, no man being considered worthy of royal alliance ;
and an apprehension being entertained that the husbandmigh tthereby be rendered powerful, and induced, perhaps, to aspire
to the crown.
”
Bomb“ Au .
Koushan Arawas less beautiful than her elder sister, and less
remarkable for wit and intelligence ; nevertheless, she possessed
sprigh tliness of temper, was not deficient in cunning, and she
conveyed, by means of spies, intelligence of the doings at court
to Aurangzeb, which was of such importance and value that
i t enabled the crafty Prince not only to escape the snare
which his father is reported to have spread for him in Agra,
but tendedmaterially to pave his way to the throne.
The battle of Samagarh, nine miles east of Agra, resulted
in the discomfiture of D ara S hekoh by the combined forces
of Aurangzeb andMurad Bakhsh . Aurangzeb duped Murad byconcealing his own ambi tions designs of sovereignty in the garb
of dtsinterestedness, sayi ng I em afaki r of the threshhold of
JAM N ARA.
God. I live as a falci r, andmy highest ambition is to die as a
fakt'
r. T he k ingdom and country is Murad'
s.
”T hrning to
Khalilulla Khan, he'
said that Murad Baksh alone was,fitted to
wear the crown, and that i t was due to his ski ll and valour that.
the victory over D ara was gained, he having onlyacted as h is
lieutenant. Three or four days after the victory, Aurangzeb andMurat]presented themselves before the gate of Agra and put up
in agarden about a league distant from the palace. A confidential
eunuch of Aurangzeb was then despatched to the old K ing , who
was saluted in the name of h is master and assured of the royal
son’
s undiminished respect and affection for his august parents,
deep regret being ex pressed at recent events,which were
attributed to the sinister designs of D ara, and an assurance
given that the Princes had come to Agra to receive and ex ecute
the King’
s commands.
Shah Jahan affected to ex press his’
unqnalified approvalS héh Jalufinand Aurang
oi his son s conduct, and sent a trustworthy eunuch, who, m zeb trr to
behalf of his master, ex plained to Aurangzeb howsensible the
King was of D ara’
s improper conduct’
and incapaci ty, and
reminded the Prince with what atfec tion and tenderness he
regarded him. H e was therefore invited to vis it his loving
parent in order that arrangements for the future conduct of
affairs might be concluded. S hah Jahan was trying byartifice
and dissimulation to entrap Aurangzeb, li ttle thinking that h is
duti ful son surpassed all men in both. Aurangzeb had been
apprised by his sister, Roushan Ara, of the presence in the font of21;
a large number of strong and robust Tartar women who acted A la.
as female guards in the seraglio ; and who would fall on him
wi th arms as soon as he entered the palace.
H e knew full well that the Begum Sahib would not quit
the King, day or night , and that he was entirely under her ia
fluence. H e knew,from the information suppliedbyRenshan Ara,
howstrongly S hah Jahan was attachedto D ara. S he had inform
cd him that, after the discomfiture of D ara, the King had sent
him two elephants laden wi th gold mohurs, and this furnished
h im with the means to collect newarmies and prolong the war.
H e doubted very much the sincerityof the old King’
s protes
AGRA 3 H ISTORICAL .
sions, though he considered i t impolitic to disclose his mind to
him. T he P rince thanked his father for all the favours he
had been pleased to shower on him,but would not venture
within the walls of the citadel, and, though he fix ed the day
for obeying the monarch'
s summons, he, day by day, deferred
T he m om. h is visit. Matters went on in this fashion for several days, when
at last the resolution and skill of SultanMahmud, son of Aurang°fAumngz°b°
zeb,drove the old lion into a cage. This intrepid young man ,
having previously posted a number of armedmen in the vicinity
of the palace, entered i t on the pretence of taking amessage to
the King. T he armed retainers immediately followed, and,
falling suddenly on the guards, who were unprepared for an
encounter, ex pelled them. Thus in a few minutes the Princemade himselfmaster of the fort. I f ever man was astonished,
”
says Bernier, that man was S hah Jahtiu when he percei ved thatbe had fallen into the trap he had prepared for others, and that
he himself was a prisoner.
”I n vain did the old King send a
messenger to his grandson, entreating him to liberate him, and
swearing on his crown and the Kurdn to acknowledge him as
King i f he served him loyally. T he young P rince, actuated
by a sense of duty to his father, disregarded these ofl‘
ers, and
even refused to enter the King’s apartments. H e asked the
King for the keyof everygate in the fort, in order that Aurangzeb
might come with a perfectly settled mind to k iss the King’
s
feet.”T he old King, seeing that his own men were deserting
him, delivered up the keys with much hesi tation after two
days. Aurangzeb appointedhis trustworthyeunuch, I tibar Khan,S heaJam“ nGovernorof the fort, andplaced S hah Jahanand the BegumSahib"mm ”
in close confinement. Manyof the gates of the fort were walled
up and communication between the King and his friends was
effectuallystopped. H is -confiuement was so rig id that the Kingwas not permi tted to leave his apartment wi thout the permission
of theGovernor.
Roushan Ara T hedeep-rootedanimositywhich RoushanArabore towards her
wreaks hervengeance on brother, D ara Shekoh, rankled m her heart when the latter hadD am .
been reduced to the condition of a helpless prisoner in the hands
of his hypocri tical brotherAurangzeb. When a second council o f
the ulemaswas convened inD elhi, to discuss the questionwhether
ROUSH AN ARA.
D ara should be sent to Gwalior to be confined in the fortress
there, agreeablyto the original plan, or ex ecutedwi thout furtherdelay, Koushan Ara betrayed her enmi ty towards him by joiningD anishmand Khan, Khalihi lla Khan, and S haesta Khan in pro . 1
eis ex ecut
e
posing the ex treme penalty of the law, which was ultimately
carriedout.
After Aurangzeb had firmlyestablished himself on the throne
of India, his sister Roushan Ara Begum ex ercised privileges and
powers very much the same as had been ex ercisedbyher elder
sister, Jahan Ara, during the reign of Shah Jahan. S he had
labouredhardforAurangzeb during his father’
s reign, andi twas in
fact mainlydue to her help that he ascended the throne. S he be Exil
e? c?cend
came now the sole mistress of the seraglio. S he was allowed an RoushanAn
ex tensi ve establishment, and like her elder sister in the days of
S hah Jaban’
s reign, drew enormous allowances from the S tate.
H er retinue and equipagewere immense, and she enjoyed all the
privi leges of aqueen of the first rank . H erpower quite cast into
the shade the influence of the first Sultana, aRajput P rincess, the
mother of the heir-apparent, S hah Alam. The traveller Bernier
hasfurnishedagraphicdescriptionofRoushanAra’
s state procession.
S he came out in state in a littergi lt andcoveredwi th magnificent
si lk nets of diversified colours, encircledwi th embroidery, fringes H er equipage
andrich tassels. This elegant li tter,which was open,was suspend“ dmm'
ed between two beautiful camels, or between two small elephants.
I n front of the li tterwalked a young , well-dressed female slave,
with a chauri of peacock feathers in her hand, with which she
k ept 011 the flies from the P rincess. O f the P rincess’
s journeyon
elephants, Bernier observes S tretch imagination to i ts utmost
limits, andyou can concei ve no ex hibi tion more grand and im
p osing than when Roushan AraBegum, mountedona stupendous
P egu elephant, and seated in a howdah blazing wi th gold and
azure, is followed by five or six other elephants wi th howdahs
nearly as resplendent as her own, and filledwi th ladies attached
to her household. The elephant of the P rincess was surrounded
by a troop of female armed retainers, Tartars andKashmirians,fantastically attired and riding handsome pad-horses. Between
these and the P rincess, rode the chief eunuchs richlydressed.
Then came footmenand lackeys, with large canes, bearing ensigns
S et ionsi llness O iAurangzeb.l664.
RoushanArn
'
s p lans
AGRA H ISTORI CAL .
of royalty in their hands. These travelled a long way before theE mpress, right and left of the road. The principal lady of the
court, mounted and attended in very much the same style as
the Princess, immediatelyfollowed the equipage of Roushan Ara.
This was followed by the elephant of the thirdlady, and that by a
fourth, and so on until fifteen or si x teen elephants, wi th ladies
of rank , passed, each having a retinue proportionate to her rank
and office. S i x ty or more elephants passed in state and royalty
with bri lliant and numerous followers, and the spectacle was so
grand and imposing that, according to Bernier, if he hadnot re
garded th is diaplayo magnificenco wi th a sort of phi losophical
indili'
erence, he wouldhave been apt to be carried awayby such
fl ights of imagination as inspire most Indian poets when they
represent the elephantsas cont eying so manygoddesses concealed
from the vulgargaze.
"
I n the year 1664 , the health of Aurangzeb seriously broke
down. H e sank into a state of debility,which made him uncon
scious for hours ofall thatwas going on. Roushan Arawas in sole
charge of his chamber, wh ich was guarded by Tartar women,
armed with swords and bows. T he strictest secrecywas observ
cd as to the state of the E mperor’
s health , and not even the
ladies of the seraglio knewwhether H is Majesty was alive or
dead. At thismoment, when the K ing’
s life was in peril, Roushan
Ara thought of plans of seif-aggrandisementf in the event of
H is Majesty’
s death. S he resolved to set aside the King’
s eldest;
O rsonqnmnm. son, Shah Alam,by his first wife, aRajput P rincess, then in his
disemeut.nineteenth year, and to place on the throne his younger brother,Azum S hah , then a boy of si x , by a Mahomedan Sultana S he
contrived to wi thdraw the E mperor'
s signet ring from his hand
and’
issned letters under th is:seal to various Rdjas , V iceroys and
Governors in favour of Azam Shah. H er po licy was to act as
regent during the long minority of her ward,and thus to secure
the throne for herselfi to the ex clusion of the rightful heir.
T he ladies of the seraglio feeling suspicions of what was
go ing ou, the first S ultanaheavily bribed the female guards over
the doors, and they allowed her admittance into the sick man’
s
room. The Rejput P rincess saw her royal husband lying
mamas“ .
unconscious, and unable to.
recognise her. Meanwhile Roushan
Ara, having observed the intruder, gave her a beating so severe
that her face was torn and she was forced to quit the room.
‘
Th is was a great insult to a Rajputéni P rincess, the wife of:
the youth of Aurangzeb, who, as the first lady in the harem,
possessed enormous influence. She was so much dreaded that
she burnt incense before her idols in the palace, and her husband,who was known to be astrict Muhammadan, never interferedwi th
her religious Observances. S he informed S hah Alam of the
treatment she had received at the hands of her aunt, and he
adopted measures for defeating the latter’
s plans. Sanguine
hopes were entertained at Agra that Aurangzeb might die, and
S hah Jahan, still in captiv i ty, be :restored to the throne of h is.
ancestors but such was the dread of Aurangzeb that there was
no attempt even at an outbreak .
Aurangzeb recovered and gave public audience at D elhi. Ad Recoveryof
mi ttance was given to the meanest of his subjects in the public“ ram “
hall, and the joyand gratification of the people at seeing their
K ing seatedon the throne passed all bounds. H e asked his sister
about his missing S ignet ring, and was not satisfied with hC '
e x planation. S he had become veryunpopular wi th the seraglio,
and the ears of Aurangzeb were filled by the ladies and the
eunuchs with all sorts of stories about her.
intrigues andambitious
designs. The emperorwas greatly incensed at the slight put byT he fall of
K oushanAra on his first Queen. To console the Sultana, be con 3 0m“ A" .
ferred on her new titles and honours and eulogised her patience
under adverse circumstances. Roushan Ara, .feeling herselfmorti
fi ed, intimatedherdesire to leave the palace and live in the town ;
but her request was refused, on the groundthat shesupervised the
tuition of the King’
syounger daughters.
Meanwhile the Emneror’
s own daughters had grown up, and
a spirit of ri valry was created between them and their aunt
Roushan Ara. According to C atron, Zebnlnissa, the eldest
daughter, was a more ambi tious Princess. S he had once proved Zebnlaissa
a valuable aux iliary to her aunt, sharing in her gallantries, butm"
daughter of
she now quarrelled with , and sought to supplant, her. S he' Aurangzeb.
Wheeler, through Manonehi .
seas : msroalcat .
supplied her father with information about her aunt’
s irregulari
RousingIii “ ties, andRoushan Ara soon disappeared for ever from the scene.
" move yI t was said she was removed by poison. This was before the
Emperor left for Kashmir.
ZEBULNI SSA Bsutm.
Zebulnissa Begum, better known by her poetical name
Mukhfi (C oncealed), now took her aunt’
s place in the harem.
She was born of a Muhammadan P rincess on 5th February163 9 .
The Emperor devoted personal attention to her studies, and she
Emma? soon became a learnedand accomp lished lady. At an earlyage
mentl she committed the Kuran to memory, and for this meritorious
act was rewardedbyH is Majestywith gold mohurs. She
was well versed in Arabic and P ersian, andwas ski lled in various
modes ofwriting , such as Nastalik,‘
'
askh1 and Shikasta; and
composed ex cellent prose and poetry. She was also the author of
some books. H er librarywas most ex tensive, containing several
thousands of volumes on relig ious and literary subjects. She had
in her employa large stat? of learned men, poets, authors, pious
men, andmen versed in caligraphy. MaliaSafi-u'l -din Arzbeg i
stayed under her orders in Kashmir, and wrote the transla
tion of Tafsi r-i -Kabir, which was, after her name, called
Zebid Tafasir. N umerous other compilations and original works
were dedicated to her. Zebulnissa ex ercised an ascendancy
in the court and overher imperial father, that was felt and known.
She was thoroughly proficient in Arabic and P ersian, and, by her
sagacity and wisdom, made herself complete master of the court
politics. According to Manouchi , she was worshipped as the
dominant star of the Mughals.”
She was now (1664 A.D .) twentyfiveyears ofage. The Emperorwas still far fromwell. Zebulnissa
advised him to travel to Kashmir for the benefit of his health
his physicians also recommended a change to that place. The
P rincess nrged~the matter from considerations of self-aggrandise
ment. She was anx ious to showthe worldher superior position in
the court andwasenvious to appear, in her turn, amid apompous
and magnificent equipage, as her aunt had done before her.
Aurangzeb was most reluctant to move to Kashmir as long as h is
A fine round hand.
T he Arabic character.
3:A running hand.
aces : ms'romcan.
Shah Mm O u thedeath ofAurangzeb, when a struggle forthe sovereignBahadurS hah, 17074 2 . tyarose between h is eldestson, P rince Moazzam, and h i s brother
P rince Azim, Agra occupied a prominent place in the conflict .
T he brothersassembled large armies in i ts neighbourhood toassert
their pretensions. The forces ofMoazzam concentratednearAgra.
H e was joinedbythe Ja chief, C huraman. Azi rruS hah advanced
from the D eccan at the head of a large army. A bloody battle
was fought not far to the south of Agra, in which Azim Shah ,
with his two grown-up sons, was k illed, and the youngest son,a
minor, was taken prisoner. MukhtiarKhan, Governor of Agra
who had taken the side ofhis father- ia-law, Azim Shah, was taken
prisoner. Moazzam proclaimedhimself Emperor under the name
of S hah Alam Bahadur Shah . The victory was commemorated
by the construction of amosque and hostel in Jajan.
’
Accession of O u the death of Bahadur Shah , the usual struggle for
giaifiiiz empire ensuedamong his sons. Azimushan, the second son of the
deceased Emperor, was defeated and put to death by the eldest
son, Jahandar S hah, who, succeeding to the throne, appointed
ZulfikarKhan, who hadbeen mainly instrumental in securing the
victory, to be hiswazt'
r.
Firokhsere, son of Azimushau, who was in Bengal at the
time of Bahadur Shah’
s death, assembled an army at Allahabadto give battle to his uncle. H e was aided in his project bySyed H usein Ali, Governor of Behar, an old adherent of h is
father, and his brother, Syed Abdullah, Governor of AllahabAd.
T he neighbourhood of Agra was again the scene of a g reat
struggle for sovereignty. Firokhsere advanced at the head of a
large army, and was met near the city by Jahandar S hah
and his wazt’
r, Zulfikar Khan, with an army of men.
The battle was fiercely contested, and Jahandar S hah was
defeated and put to flight. T he vanquishedKing fled in disg uise
to D elhi , but, with hiswaza’
r, was put to death . T he site of
the battle was Kuchbehari , identifiedwi th Bichpuri , near Agra,on the high road to D elhi ?
Aku‘
r
lzmgce of battle, according to SerulMtua is Ajaiu, close t
‘t ScrulMuta-alchirtn, C hap . I .
rtaox sssaa AND N IKO SERE .
Flrokhsere was still on the field of battle, when he resolved Fimkhm
‘
e
succeeds,at once to assume the crown. Accordingly, on l st January, 1713 , 1713 .
he ascended the throne at daybreak and gave public audience.‘
Churaman Jat, a powerful zami ndar in the neighbourhood of C hut‘
fl p gnJ“, 1414.
Agra, belonged to a fami lywh i ch had ri sen to importance duringthe time of the previous emperors. The family had attained so
much ascendancy that it had been necessary to despatch royal
troops to punish the conduct ofC huraman’
s ancestors. Churamanbecoming troublesome again, the E mperor, in September, 1717,appointed Raja Jai S ingh Sewai o i
'
Jeypur, to punish him.
T he Rdjawas on this occasion presented by the Emperor with eu.
elephant, a suit of jewels and several lakhs of rupees, and
p romoted to a higher militaryrank . Syed Khan Jahan, brother
of the wazi’
r Syad Abdulla, was also despatched to the Raja’
s
assistance with a large body of troops. T he fort of the Jats was
laid under siege for a whole year. At length the refractory
ch ieftain made his submission through the wazt’
r Abdulla, and
paired to D elhi to otter his personal submission to the
E mperor.
Firokhsere occasionallyresided in the palace ofAgra. H e was ddethroned and put to death in 1719. and was succeeded byfyl
t
gto death,
Rafi -ud-dara-jat andRafi-ud-daula, nominal Kings, set up by the
Syad brothers, who each reigned a fewmenths anddied. D uringN ikosereroclarmcd
the reign of the latter, N 1kosere, son of P ri nce Akbar, youngest son‘
mperor at
of Aurangzeb, whose sister had been married to Rafi-fi l-kadr (orAgra. 1720.
Rafl-ud-danla), having been taken out of his prison in the ci tadel
of Agra, was proclaimed Emperor by the Governor and officers
of that place, as well as by the mi li tia of the vi llages subordinateto the fortress. H is accession was announced by salvoes of artil
lery, and coins of gold and silver were struck in his names]T he P rince was also supported by the inhabitants of the ci ty of
Agra, who, on seeing the convulsions that shook the empire, gladlyembraced his cause. The Syad brothers, who had caused the
downfall of Ftrokhsere, andwho were now acknowledged as the
king-makers, were much alarmedwhen t he news of the accession
Semi Mula-akhirin. C hap . 1 .
1 Muntékh ibnl Tart’
kh of Kh i fi Khtu.
AGRA H I STORI C AL .
of N ikosere reached the court at D elhi. Ami r-ul-Umra SyadH usein AllKhan sent H aidar Kuli Khan, with a force in advance,
against Agra, and on the 7th Shabcm he himself marched to that
city, with an army of about men. N ikosere was at th is
time joined by Baja D hiraj Jai S ingh , wi th a contingent of
horse, and Raja C habi la Ram. Towards the end of
Shaba'n, Kutbul Mulk Syad Abdulla, taking with him the
young EmperorRafl-ud-daula, marched from D elhi to Agra W i ll!
23550 of the Maharaja Aj it S ingh and other amirs and an army of upwards
of horse. T he fort of Agra was besieged, lines of
approach were formed, and batteries were raised. A heavy can
nouade was opened, andmany houses, both inside andoutside thefort, were destroyed. T he siege lasted three months. At length,the provisions in the fort falling short, the defenderswere put to
great straits. A proposal to surrender was accepted and an
assurance of safety to life and honour was given. T he keys
were g iven up and possession of the fort was secured. N ikosere“
and his principal adherents were made prisoners. Mi tt S ea,the author of the revolt, killed himself with adagger.
33273 73323 After the fall of the fortress, Ami r-ul Umra H usein Ali
fm °f Khan, having entered it, took possession of all the treasures,
jewels, and valuables which had been deposited there for three
centuries, and which successive Emperors, from the t ime of
Sakandar Lodi , had accumulated.
“ There were the effects of
N ur Jahan Begum and Mumtaz Mahal, amounting in value,
according to various reports, to two or three crores of rupees.
Sheet of There was, in particular, the sheet of pearls which S hah Jahénl f
3332311 31“ had caused to be made for the tomb ofMumtaz Mahal, of thetomb o the
value of several lakhs of rupees, which was spread over it on the
anni versary and on Friday nights. There was the ewer ofN urE wer ofNurJahan. Jahanand her cushi on of woven gold and l
‘
lCh pearls wi th a
border of valuable garnets and emeralds.”
T he elder brother,Abdulla Khan, got nothing of this spoil, till after four months,
when twenty-one lakhs of rupees were grudgingly given to h im.
The quarrel between thebrothers about the treasures of the Agra
fort was settled through the intervention of Ratan Chand,
D ewan of H usein Ali Khan?
Khafi Khan. 1' E lliot.
mummisb SHAH .
O u the death ofRafi-ud-daula, theSyadbrothersraisedRoushanMuhm mga
Akhtar, son of Khuj ista Akhtar, commonly called Jahan S hah , 321
3151
8
3 3“
one of the sons of Bahadur S hah, to the throne. T he young1719.
Prince was then in his eighteenth year, and from the time of
the accession of his uncle Jahandar Shah he had lived in
obscurityin the castle of Salamgarh , D elhi. The ceremony of Seat of
installation took place at Fatehpur. T he new Emperor assumedfgxmsea"the ti tle
.
of Abul Fath Nasir-ud-din Muhammad S hah . TheA8“
seat of Government was removed to Agra, where the E mperor
remained for two years. D istrust between the Emperor and themam“Syad brothers soon arose. C hin Ki lich Khan, surnamed Asaf
Jab (whose descendants are known as the N izams of the D eccan),who had been brought up at the austere Court of Aurangzeb,defied the authori ty of the Syads, and assumed independence
in the D eccan. H e was now advancing in the direction of
Burbanpur. After much hesi tation, the brothers quitted Agra,but their troops under D i lawar Ali Khan, who commanded
the Wazir’
s army, were defeated. T he report of this tdefeat,
having reachedAgra, afforded secret but sincere satisfaction to the
Emperor and to all those who professed attachment to him, but i t
caused no small degreei
of consternation to the two brothers.
“
H usein Ali Khan was, about this time (October, assassinatedAssassination
by a hired ruflian. T he surv iving brother, Abdulla, despatched ighiiiifiizizo
i “
two noblemen ofconsequence to D elhi to raise one of the princes
of the house of Timur to the throne. Accordingly, P rince Ibrahim, A new Em
son of Rafi-ul-Kadr, grandson of Bahadur 811611 , was placed on per" 3“ “1"
the throne, under the title of Abul Fath Zahir-ud-din Muham
mad Ibrahim. Abdulla. Khan, arriving two days after, paid hishomage to the new King. H e conferred new digni ties andAbdulla
offices in his name, and began to assemble an army to sup
port him. H e was joined by Churaman, Raja oi'
the Jets,
and by manyof his deceased brother H useinAli Khatn’
s soldiers,
who deserted the Emperor. Muhammad Shah was, on the
other hand, reinforced by horse from Reja Jai S ingh
Sewai and by contingents furnished by some Rohilla C hiefs.
An armyfor the defence of the Empire was organized at Agra.
The two armies met between Agra and D elhi . AbdullaKhén
Sain tMuta-akharin.
I s defeated,D ecember,
AGRA H ISTORIC AL .
was defeated and taken prisoner. H is life was spared, probablyout of respect for his sacred lineage. Muhammad Shah, after this
v ictory, proceeded to D elhi , and the seat of governmentwas re
moved there.
After the above victory, Asat'
Jah was appointed Wazir but
a breach soon afterwards occurred between him and the Emperor,
and the Mughal monarchy ex hibited signs of rapid decay.
S tiadat Khan, surnamed Barhan-ulMulk (whose descendants
subsequently became the Nawabs of Oudh), was appointed the
first V iceroy oi'
Agra, in addition to his government of Oudh .
D esirous of visi ting h is former government, he left for Lucknow
in 172 2 , leaving as his deputyat Agra one Rai N ilkanth Nagar,
a man of ability. This deputy had some difference with a
neighbouring Jat zamiudar. O ne day, followed by a gorgeous
retinue, he had gone out on an elephant for the sake of recreation
when aJdt, who had taken his seat on a lofty tree and was
watching his opportunity, levelled h is p iece leisurely at Rai
Murderof the N ilkanth in the midst of his numerous retinue and ki lled him atD eputyGovernor ofAgra. 172 2 .
Raja JatS inghsucceedsSaadat Khanas GovernorofAgra.
P unishmentof the Jate.
the first shot. T he culprit, having accomplished his end, found
means to effect h is escape . The news of the outrage hav ing
reachedthe court, RejaJai S ingh Sewai , of Jeypur, the old enemy
of the Jats, having been appointed Governor of Agra, was sent
thi ther wi th instructions to revenge the murder of the D eputy
Governor.
RAja Jai S ingh marched against Churaman, the leader
of the Jets, and laid sieze to his fortress of Tun. By a dex terous
arrangement, be causeda dissension among the C hief'
s relations
of the blood, and secured the co -operation of Badar S ingh , h is
nephew, who joined him in the attack on the fortress. Mohkam
S ingh , son of Churaman, had a quarrel with his father and
rebuked him in open darbar. This mortified the old C hief to
such a degree that be swallowed poison and died. MohkamS ingh
gave way to the superior power and talents of IngaJai S ingh.
who appointedBadar S ingh to the zemindari of the late C hief
and got the appointment confirmedby the court.
‘
Sairul Muta-akharin.
AHMAD SH AH AND AL AMGlR I I .
I n 1736 the‘Maratha horse, under Mulhar Rae
penetrated as far as Agra. Baj i Rae, son of Balaj t'
Wiswa Natl), 1733‘
the ablest oi'
the Peshwas, ex cept S ivaj i , carried on his incur
sions and ravages in the country beyond the Jumna. Khatr i
D oulan and Kamar-ud-dlu Khan, two of the ablest Imperial
generals, marched against Baj i Rae, while Mulbar Rao wassharply attacked by Sendat Khan, the V iceroy of Oudh ,
who forced him to retreat. The V iceroy then moved on to
Agra, wri ting amagni loquent despatch to the Emperor, in which
the check was magnified into a great victory.
After the sack of D elhi by Nadir Shah, that conquerornwmon of
le vied contributions on the Governors of Provinces, and AgraShi h’
contributed i ts quota. The power of the Jats continued to goat?! of them for
i ncrease after the death of the E mperor Muhammad S hah, which Mn mmad
occurred in 1743 , and during the re ign of his son and “
successorSh
im"48°
Ahmad Shah , Suraj Mal, nephew of the famous C huraman, Ahmad Shi h
attained such power that he materiallyassisted Safdar Jung , thesucceeds'
son of S tiadat Khan, V iceroy of Oudh, who had been appointedgassing?
!
waz ir, against the Rohillas, who were defeated in apitched battle
and driven to the lower ranges of the H imalayas.
A breach soon after occurred between Safdar Jung, the
wazir, and the E mperor, who promoted Ghitzi-ud-din, grandson
of Asaf’
Jah, to the h igh office of C ommander- ia-C hief. . T he EmperorAhmad S natt
result of the measure was a civil war, but the wazi r consenteddeposed, 1745,
t o make peace . T he Emperor now,disgustedwi th the arrogance
o f Ghazi-ud-din, plotted against him, but was deposed, taken
prisoner anddeprived of his sight.
Az ud-din, son of Jahandar Shah, and grandson of BahthlurAh mflll‘ U
snceeetls,1745.Shah (S hah Alam was proclaimed E mperor, under the ti tle
o f Alamg ir II, with Ghazi -ud-din,as wazir. Safdar Jung died
soon after this revolution, andwas succeeded in the V iceroyaltyof Oudh by Shuja-ud-daula.
D uring the third invasion of Ahmad Shah D urtm'c’
, that T hird
conqueror, after marching to D elh i , sent an ex pedi tion to Agra iil
iiiiiiiln
gliah
andMathraunder his wazz'
r Shah Wali Khan, who laid siege
Alum"1757'
to Agra. Sardar Jahan Khan, one of the principal lieutenants
8
anus :
of the D urant sovere ign, was at the same time sent ' te lmycontri butions from the Jars, and he laid siege to one of the Jat
'
forts. Fazil Khan, the Mughal Governor of Agra, defended' the
citywi th great valour ; but the summer season was far advanced
and, mortality breaking out among the D urant troops, smutWali K han was compelled to retire.
The invaders indemnified themselves bysuddenlyfailing on
the neighbouring . city of Mathra, which they plundemd e t 6
religious festival, putting the helpless votaries to the swordwith
out distinction of age orsex . After these transactions, theAbdali‘ directed his
'
steps to his own nativedominions '
~Ahmad S hah Abdali, on retiring from the c ountry, had
appointed Naj ib-ud-dsula, a Rohilla nobleman oi abi lity and
character, to be Commander-in~0hief of the . imperial forces.
MarathasThis ex citedthe jealousyofGhazi-ud-din, who calledthe Marathas
gum under Mulhar Rao H olkar to his aid against the Emperors.0 ‘W W“Naj ib-ndodaula retired to his own countryabout Saharanpnr.
The t roynl : fort of - D elhi was takena fter a month’
sfsiege ;‘
the
Emperor opened the gates and received Ghazi-ud-din . as ib is
wazi r. I t was at this time that aMarathaGovernor took charge
of the Agrafort.
byGhazi-ud-dtn, the wash , nowp lotted against theEmp
’
erot‘,
“b land had h im assassinated by a savage Uzbek , as h alighted
from his palanquin to pay his respects to a hermit of'
fieculiar
sanctity, who,i t was given out, had taken up ; bis-abode in
“
the
ruined fort of Ferozabad, near D elhi , and to consultwhom the
harmless devotee hadrepaired thither.
Ali Gohar, son of the deceased Emperor, was raised to the
throne, by the title of S héh Alain II. T he power of the
Marathas had now reached i ts :zenith, their frontier ex tending
on the north to the Indus and H imalayas, and on - the tenth
nearly to the ex tremi ty of the P eninsulanl' But a fatal blow
was inflicted on them by the Abdali Ahmad S hah in the famous
battle of P anipat, fought in January 1761 . Naj ibvudwlaula.
T heMemo irs of Ab dul Kargim.
E lph instone, V ol. p . 637
AGRA H I STORI C AL .
ggOBC
IJS
-
yhu The Marathas rc -appcarcd and occupied the whole D oab in
1770. I n 1772 theysent a force from Agra, which, joining with theBhartpur Jats, forced the imperialists to retreat towards D elh i.
B‘lied
a
he T hc Maratha forces having retired southwards in 1773 , in
consequence of the death of hladho llao I’eshwa, Mirza N ajaf11118 f t
11m“Khan,a
Khau resumed his office as Minister at D elhi , and, assisted byShuja-ud-daula
, the Wazir of Oudh, ex pelled their garrison
from Agra and the provinces sti ll possessed by the Emperor?
fizfiammefl The Jats recovered Agra, but only to be finally ex pelled by
gmiflfifitf the minister in 1774. T he imperial ministerwrested from them
Am b the fort ofAgra andoccupied it wi th a garrison of h is own, under
aMughal officer, Muhammad Beg of H amadan, who held the post
of Governor of Agra for the nex t ten years. N ajat'
Khan con
tinned to live inAgra in v iceregal state, surroundedbyh is faithful
Mughals and P ersians. H is chief subordinates were Samru,Najaf Kuli , his adopted son, a H indu convert, MuhammadBegof H amaddn, andMirza Shafi, the minister
'
s nephew.
S amrudied at Agra on 4th May 1778, andMirzaNajafKhan
at D elhi , where he had been called by the facile monarch , S hah
Alam, on 2oth April 1 782 . T he Mirza had held the direct civ il
administration, wi th the receipt of surplus revenues of the P ro
vince of Agra and the Jat terri tories, for a considerable period.
O n the death of the minister, Afrasyab Khan, a near relationof the deceased, was electedminister, with the ti tle of Ami
'
r-ul
Umera, or the P remier noble.
A tr‘ ge"y.
A contest now arose among the survivors of the deceased
ministerand resulted in a tragedyas shocking as it was barbarous.
O u 2 3rd S eptember 1783 , MirzaS hafi, nephewof the deceased
minister, who was then at Agra, was refused admi ttance into the
palace as he returned after an ex cursion. S uspecting Afrasyab
Khén as the author of the afi'
rout, the Mirza assumed a hosti le
attitude towards him. A meeting was subsequently arrang ed
between the MirzaandMuhammad Beg of H amadan in the open
air in front of the D elhi Gate of the fort, wi th the avowed obj ectof settling the dispute amicably. As the elephants on which the
Taylor’
s H istory of India, p . 508, cd. of 1883 .
SH AH ALAM 11.
two noblemen were seated drew near to each other, the Mirzafrfhm'i '
stretched forth his handforgreeting ,whereupon Muhammad Beg , fiizz
zmshg .
at once seizing his p istol, firedat him belowthe arm andshot him
dead. S ome say, according to an account furnished by Prince
Jawau Bakht, eldest son of the E mperor, that the perpetrator of
the crime was an attendant who occupied the back seat of the
Iwwdalc, probably Ismail Beg , nephewof the H amadan.
I n 1784 the confederate armies of the Mughals and bladhop MuhammadBeg rebels at
S indhia marched to Agra to punish the refractory governor As“ , 173 1,
MuhammadBeg.
T he Emperor signifiedhis wish to proceed to Agra in person,
but he was dissuaded from carrying out his purpose byNaj ib -ud
daula, the Finance Minister. I n November 1 78 1, the P remierAfrasyab Khan was assassinated by Zenal-abi -din, the brother
ofMirza Shafi, who thus avenged his brother’
s death.
H is death faci litated afi'
airs and the partyhe had created lost
spirit. Muhammad Beg , being deserted by his troops, threw
himself on the mercy of S indhia. T he fort ofAgra surrendered T he fort snrrendered to
on 27th March 1785, and property of Afrasyab Khan to the value S indhia.
of 11 crore of rupees fell into the conqueror’
s hands. The power
of S indhia now reigned supreme in H industan.
I n 1787abattlewas fought between theMarathasunderS indhiagméwmand the Raj puts under the confederates Raja P artap S ingh of Rain “. 1707.
Jeypur, Rajae S ingh of Jodhpur, the Ranaof Odeypur and other
minor C hiefs of Mener. 0 11 the side of the Marathas wereAmbaJr I ngia, Apps Khandi and General M. de Roigas.
Muhammad Beg , wi th his nephew, Ismail Beg, adesperate leader,was at the head of the Mughal horse on the side of the
confederate Chiefs. The battle took place at Lal Soti, in Jeypurterritory. MuhammadBeg was killed, but the Marathas wereworsted
.
and fell back upon Alwar. Ismail Beg proceeded to
Agra wi th horse,four battalions and si x guns. O u this “1° “ l im b
S indhia made terms wi th Ranj it S ingh, the Rajaof the Jats, B is be"
and strongly reinforced the fort of Agra, the garrison of which18mm 8°
was placed under the command of Lakwa Dada, one of his best
generals.’
Keene, p . 149.
AGBA H I STORICAL .
Towards the end of the rainyseason of 1787, another per.
8011n appeared on the scene. This was Gholam Kadir, son
'
of Zébita,
Khan, a Rohilla C hief, who aspired to the digni ty of
P remier Noble at the C ourt of D elhi . Under the guise of
relig ion, he made a violent attempt to revi ve the Musaltnancause, and he was aided in his attempt by Ismail Beg . The
Emperor, who hadhi therto supported the cause of the Marathas,was, about this time, known to be 1n p
_
1 ivete correspondence
Wi th the Rajput Chiefs, who shortly after inflicted another‘ f heavydefeat on the Marathas. O u this S indhia was compelled
to fall back on Gwalior, leaving his army, under Lakwa Dada;
shut up in the fort of Agra, wh ich was c losely besieged byIanatl neg I smail
.
Beg. Following these transactions, Gholthn Kadir was,
m afia”through his‘ principal adherents, introduced to S hah Alam, who
invested him wi th the digni ty of the Premier N oble, Amz'
r-ulUmera, H isMajestyhimself binding the jewelledfillet on his head.
1, Jo ined by1 Gholam
‘
Ktfidir then proceeded to effectajunction between his
i231?“ forces and those of Ismai l before Agra, and the siege continued
:for same months. While these operations were going on, new?reached Agra, at the end of the cold season of 1787-88, of
B indhia having crossed the Chambal with large reinforcements
from the D eccan. Ismail Beg and Gholam Kadir forthwithraised the siege of Agra and marched to meet the advancing
31111, m mofMaratha army. A fierce battle took place near Fatehpur Sikri
S ikrif’i'
fss.on the Bhartpur road, on the 2 4th Apri l, 1788, in which the
Marathas under RanaKhan were defeated and withdrew to
Bhartpur under cover of night. Gholam Kadir then moved
northward, while Ismail Beg renewed the siege ofAgra.
Enticed by a handsome mum and the presentation of the
g oiden key of the fort of Ajmere by an embassy of the Béjpnt
Rajas fromJodhpur, the imbeci le Shah Alam took active step s
against S indbia and his own minister. H e appointed Min a
Jawan Bakht titular Governor of Agra. That P rince, withthe aid of Ismail Beg, made strenuous efforts to take posses
s ion of the fort and the province. H is attempts failed, and,
narrowly escap ing an attack made on his life by Gholam Kadir,
he fled to Benares, in British terri tory, where he died of a
broken heart, in 1788.
saith 11. d?)
14811364t 1116 , the 111 1111111 G‘
enera'
i,still held out 111 fi ke
fort of Agra. Rana11111 11 having joinod S indhiaon the C hambat“r
with a’
fre'
sh contingent from the D eccan, S indhia, thus reinforbed,»
onoe ’more moved to the relief of his General. The charge 011
this occasion was made from the eastward, and was met byE mail Beg with
"
a furious cavalry charge. Bet'
o'
te, howeter,’
Glmltm Kadir could cross the Jhmna and efl'
ect a junction withthe H ugh
'
s], the Maratha infantryand cavalryudder Generaldd531
3 359eaeflag
Boigua had repulsed the Muhammadan troops. Ismail Beg n é ly raised,
severely wounded in the action and fled, fording tbs swoltelti
stm m (Jone
The 0011federates, GhulamKadirandIsmail Beg , nowcollectedT ransactionstheirscattered tr00ps at Shahdara, near D elhi—the scene, it may
09 1111
be recollectéd, ot'
S 1’
1raj Mel’
s fall.
Gholam Kedir negotiated wi th Shah Alam to throw off
S indhia’
s yoke, and, the Emperor hesi ta‘
tmg to act on his advice,‘
the desperat eman, dropping all disguise, opened‘
firé‘
on thepalaoe
of D elhi . 114411051S indhia sent small reinforcements which were i ,
of no avai l, and the confederates took possession of D elhi . The
Emperor was deposed and blinded (loth August, 1888) I nEfififiefi'fi n
March following the Maratha put GhuldmKadir to death, and in
1792 Ismail Beg was sent into confinement at Agra, where he D eath of
remained till his death, which occurred the same year.
I 'm" ! Beg’
The Maratha Governor having rebelledin 1799, the fort wasT he Marathacaptured by General P erron, in the employ of S indhia, afteraggg
fm
siege of nearly two months. John Bessing ,.
e Dutch O tfiber,
was commandant of Agra for some years he died in the fort in31803 .
By the decisive victory of l l th September 1803 , gained byShah Alamrestored by
General (afterwards L ord) Lake , the British became Masters of the British.D elhi. O u the memorable 14th S eptember, the British Army
1m
under that hero crossed the Jumna and entered D elhi. T he
“unhappy blind old King, Shah Alam, was liberated fromconfinement and his freedomanddigni tywere restored. 011 241th C onflue't O f
A r b h
fi eptember, General Lake, with his army, left D elhi for Agra.Bgi t
‘
ishy181
0
13
1 For 1111 account of his tomb see C hapter I i i
MI RA H ISTORICAL .
Arriving at Agra on 4th October, he encamped within longcannon shot of the fort. T he Agragarrisonat this time consisted
of fighting men under the nominal command of the D utch
O fficer, John H essing, and other French andE uropean edveh
turers, about si x in number ; but the troops, distrusting them,
had mutinied and put them in confinement. I n addition to this
force, there were stationed under the walls of the fort three
battalions oi'
the troops that had been defeated at D elhi , and
four battalions of P erron’
s, fifth brigade, just arrived from the
D eccan, under the command of Major Brownrigg, wi th 2 6 pieces
of cannon. T he garrison had refused them admittance,because
there was a treasure of 2 5 lakhs of rupees within the fort, the
result of spoliation of the country, and it was feared that, i f they
were admitted, the spoil would have to be dividedwi th them.
The troops therefore occupied the ci ty and the glacis. Besides
these, twelve battalions of regular troops took up posi tion in the
rear of the besieg ing army, on the D elhi road, wi th the view, in
the event of the siege being protracted, of savmg the imperial city.
The consummate Bri tish General, observing the state of
affairs, resolved, wi th his usual energy and determination, to
move against the troops located outside the fort, before com:
mcncing the siege, so as to dislodge them from the cityand
the glacis. Accordingly, on the morning of loth O ctober, . he
detached two battalions of Nati ve Infantry, under Brigadier;
General C larke, to attack the city: one battalion, under C olonel
M'
C ollough, to attack the enemy to the west of the fort ; and
another battalion, under C aptain Worsley, to attack them on the
southern side. T he enemymade a sharp andobstinate resistance
wh ich lasted for some days, but they were at length defeated
and dislodged from their posi tion. T he loss on the side of the
Bri tish was 2 13 men killed andwounded; the enemy lost 600.
All their guns, 2 6 in number, were captured. The defeat
so much dispirited the enemy that, two days after, of
them surrendered to the Bri tish General, on condition that
they should be taken in the service of the British Government
on the same salaries as in S indhia'
s service.
1
21310 01 the The city being occup ied, the British General commenced
in earnest the siege operations against the fort. A promiscuous
BRIT ISH P E RIOD .
fire was opened from the batteries on 16th April ; but the
nex t day the garrison sued for terms of capitulation. Aftersome
discussion, the termswere agreed to, and the fort was occup ied
by the Bri tish on the 18th . By this victory 2 5 lakbs of
mpees that were boarded in the fort, and 162 p ieces of
cannon, fell into the hands of the conquerors. Among the latter
was a great brass gun, which was celebrated in historyas
the great gun of Agra. T he Governor-General intended to send
it to E ngland, as a trophy, to be presented to King George
III. and the gun was embarked on a countryboat, but it sank into
the deep torrent of the Jumnaand never afterwards emerged.
T he newly-conquered B1etr1ot oi’
Agra was placed underxzugmx f
aC ollector in 1805. T he head-quarters ofGovernment for the 1805.
codedandconquered provinces were fix ed at Firokh‘bad under
a Board of C ommissioners, to which the Collectorate of Agra
was made subordinate. Under the renewed Charter of the
East India C ompany, in 183 3 , the first L ieutenant-Governor C onati utton
ship in India for the N orth-Western P rovinces was constituted23 11212332.
at Agra, in 1835. The first L ieutenant-Governor ot‘
Agrawassh iv. la”
S ir Charles Metcalt'
e, and Agra‘
continued to be the capital
o f the N orth-Western P rovinces for aperiod of twenty-two years.
In 1838 agreat famine raged in theNorth-Western P rovinces T hesan d“and the P unjab, and
' it was in that year that the Christian {amm o
missionaries established the chari table institution known as the
SakandraOrphanage.
Under the strong and prosperous rule of Great Britain, the The Se
annals of Agra call for no special notice until the S epoyWarW" ’
of 1857. The Agra P residency, as then constituted, comprised
the D istrict of D elhi, and the news of theMutinywas flashedto Agra from Meerut, which was one of its subordinate C ollectorates. From Agra, as the seat of Government, intelligence
of the great crisis was communicated to L ord Canning, theGovernor-General, who received it with the utmost composure
andproceeded to concert measures to restore order in the country.
T he ruling L ieutenant-Governor was Mr. John Russell, one of
tho ablest andmost conscientious Civilians in the country, who
stoodhigh in public estimation.
AG‘RA H ISTORI CAL .
‘
Alarming.
accolnuts of mutiny having been received from
C awnpur and Firokhabad, a council of the princi pal C i vil and
Mi litary ofi cers b f the station was held at Agra, and it was
resolved to remove all the Christian fami lies into the fort. O u
the morning of the3 lst May, the nati ve regiments of the place
weredisarmed. E arly inJuly, the mutineers who hadrevolted in
N imach and N 1 3 11t advanced towards Agra. Their streng th
dousisted of infantry, cavalryand 1 1 guns. Brigadier
P olwhele, at the head of a small force, moved to -meet them,
anda brisk engagement took place at Sucheta in the suburbs
of the,city, in which the Bri tish troops were compelled to
retreat. The mob of the ci ty, tak ing advantage of the tumultthat followed. rose at once, plundered the cityand killed a num
ber of E uropeans. Bungalows were”
fired and public offices
burnt ahd destroyed ; and, on the 6th July, the chief native police
officer proclaimed the Government of the D elhi Emperor. T he
matineers, however, did not enter the city, but proceeded to
wards D elhi , to join their comrades there. The Lieutenant
Governor succumbed to the complaint of which he had been longailing , and his remains were interred in front of the D ewan
- i -Am.
The British O fficers remained shut up in the fort for three
months, though occasional assaults we'
re made against the muti
neers from various points.
O nt thef
fall of D elhi, in S eptember, the fugitives from that
city, together with therebels from C entral India, advanced to
wards Agra. About the same time C olonel. Greathead’
a column
art ived from D elhi in time to engage the mutineers, who, after
ashort contest, were utterlyrouted and broke up andfled precip i
tately. Orderwas restored in the c1tyand the suburbs. I nOctober
following, the troop underMajor C otton inflictedaheavydefeat on
the renlnants'
ot‘
the rebel fugitives from Fatehpur S ikri , andpeace
was completelyrestored throughout the D istrict.
S iboe the days of the.
Mutiny, Agra has developed into a
great Indian city and has become the centre of the Railwaysystem in Upper I ndia. I n 1 861 a great famine raged in th e
AgraD istrict. .
I n 1867, the first I ndustrial E x hibition was he ldin Agra,
in which the manufactured industries and natural p ro
ducts of the D istrict were largely'displayed.
AGE ! H ISTORICAL .
At the investiture D arbar the Mahdrdjds of JodbpurandKaraulibecame Knights GrandCross of the S tar of India. The 111 11dof Karauli had stood conspicuously loyal during theMutinyand
fought themutineers. The Mahi réjaofBalrampur had saved
the lives of S ir C harles Wingfield and others in Oudh, and the
111111 of 1101 1: Mowhaddone the same for the fugitives from
Cawnpur. Theyreceived their respective orders from S ir John
Lawrence, who in a short speech warm]y recorded the services of
each.
of For the first time in the annals of Bri tish Administration in
India, dida British V iceroyaddress the chiefs andgentrypresentin the language of the people. H is E x cellency
'
s Urdu speech
was a model of its kind. S imple in i ts character, frank and
paternal, philanthrOphic and earnest, it produced a profound
impression on his hearers andwas listened to with an absorbedattention. Afterbidding all who had assembledaheartywelcometo the famous city, renowned for i ts splendid d , and aboveall as having been, in former days, the seat of the government
of the great Emperor, from whom it derived its name Akbara
bad, S ir John Lawrence said
Great men, when living , often receive praise from their
friends and adherents for virtues which theydo not possess, and
i t is only after this li fe is ended that the real truth is told.
O f all fame that such men can acquire, that alone is worth
having which is accorded to ajust and beneficient ruler.”
The
speech of S ir John is full of sympathetic advice and admoni tion.
The names of conquerors and heroes,”he said, are forgotten
but those ofvirtuous andwise Chiefs live for ever.”The days
of war and rapine had passed away from H industan never to
return. T he time must have been within the recollection o f
some of the Chiefs present, andall must have heard of it, when
neither the palace of the ruler, nor the cottage of the peasant, nor°
the most sacred edifices of H indu or Muhammadan were safe
from the hands of the plunderer anddestroyer. I n those days
whole provinces were one scene of devastation andmisery; and
in vast tracts of country scarcely the light of a lamp was to
be seen in a single village. E nglish rule in India has put an
end to all this. No longer is the country a waste and a
BR P ERIOD .
wilderness. I t is now,to a great ex tent, covered with populous
villages and rich wi th cultivation, whi le the inhabitants live in
comparative safetyunder the shade of the E nglish power. S ir
John advised the C hiefs to refrain from wasting their time in
disputes with their neighbours, in quarrelswi th their feudatories,and in still less satisfactory ways. I t
'
a Chief neglected his
own proper duty, the care of his estate, howcouldhe ex pect that
adeputywould perform it for him ? Good laws andwell-selected
officials, carefully supervised, were necessary to ensure good
government. An efficient police and a well-managed revenue
were equally desirable, so that people might live in safety and
enjoy the frui ts of their industry. S chools for the education of
the young and hospitals for the cure of the sick should also be
established. T he British Government, said the V iceroy, would
honour that Chiefmostwho ex celled in the good management of
his country.
The speech of S ir John Lawrence laid down, in short, the
theory of government, andwill ever stand high in the estimation
of the people as a specimen of imperial eloquence.
I n 1870, Agra was honoured with a visit by H is Royal 112112 Go
ffthe
H ighness P rince Alfred, D uke of E dinburgh , second son of H er?sqaabursh t1
Imperial Majesty Queen V ictoria Empress of India, and wasreceived with everydemonstration of loyal welcome andrejoicing.
I n January 1876, H is Royal H ighness the P rince of Wales V isi t of the
graced Akbar’
s capi tal with a visit, and a most cordial and 111763sp lendid reception was accorded to h im. O u 2 6th January,
he received the respects of fourteen C hiefs. First came the
Maharao Raja of Bundi , a noted hunter, a fine specimen of
a Rajput. T he Prince won his heart byremark ing that he
heard the Maharao had attended a D arbar held by L ordWilliam
Bentinck, and badwitched him by noble deeds of horsemanship .
"
A fter him came the 1113'
s of Bikaneer, lo1°d of the desert ; then
th e Maharajaoi'
Kishengarh , whose C hief, the P rince wasglad
to hear, had devoted himself to works of i rrigation and had
ex ecuted tanks and other public works of great uti lity. Then
came the 111 111 14511 ot'
Bhartpur. After Bhartpur, the chief of
Alwar paid his respects. Then came insuccession the Nawab of
1 11111 11 13 1011101 1 ”
Tonh ; the E ana'
of D holpur; the H aharsjaofO reha,”
a 11111 11 1 11111
a sportsman ; the Nawab of Rampur, a poet and literaryman,whom the Prinée invested with the inmgnia of G.0.3 L ; the
Rae llahhraja ot'
D atia ; the Maharaja of Chihari ; the Baja of
Tehri ; the llabarajh of S halpura ; and the Jagirdar of Alipura.
The P rince the nex t day honoured these C hiefs with return
visi ts. A Civil Service Ball was organized by S ir JohnS trachey,the ruling L ieutenant-Governor, and, after bri lliant festivities
i nd ex cursions to Sakandrlt and'
Fatehpur S ikri , H is Royal
H ighness proceeded to D holpur.
Agra Water T he Agra WaterWorks were openedwi th great ceremonyby“01 111 . 18"o' Lord Lansdowne 1n D ecember, 1890.
I n October 1895, H is E x cellency L ord E lgin, V iceroy and
vifl‘
iosifi fGovernor-General of India, paid a visit to Agra. The Munici
pal C orporation presented H is E x cellency wi th an address o f
welcome, in which theydwelt on the happy co incidence that this
was not the first time Agra had been .visited by a member of
the illustrious E lg in family, for some of the Municipality could
T he M‘mi ' rememberwhen Lord E lgin’
s father, wi th an imposing militaryp 11Address.
escort, rode across the pontoon budge ln February 1863 to
preside at a D arbar. Great changes-had . occurred since then.
Agra was then the terminus of the E . I . Railway, and
the late L ord E lgin, when he left for the hills, continued his
journey on horseback. N ow three lines of railway were
uni ted under the roof of the railway station, and a survey
for a fourth line fromMathra bad lately been completed by the
Bombay, Baroda and C entral India Rai lway. S ince 1863
population had immensely increased, new hospitals opened, and
vast progress made in education and sani tation. Referring to
the relations between the relig ious sections of the nati ve com
munitywhich had been strained and formed the subject of a
speech by Lord Lansdowne when a V iceroy last visitedAgra, th eC orporation remarked that, thanks to the energy anddecision o f
those responsible for the public safety, aided by the good sense
of the bulk of the inhabi tants, no overt acts of hostilityhad taken
p lace, and the feeling on both sides wasmore pacific than before.
H is E x cellencyreplied as follbvvs
L ord E lgin’s Gentlemen of the Municipal Committee of Agra,
-I have toSwech‘
thank you for the address which you have presented to me, and
.nnmsn rnmon.
‘
l t
for the terms'
inwhich you have been pleased to ex press yonr
welcome. Theyare well calculated to rouse anewmemories'
which,
though 3 2 yearsago I was farawaya boy at school in E ngland,
I trust I mayalmost claim to share wi th you, and gentlemen, I
may also say that i f the changes which 30yearshave brought
about and to which you have drawnmyattention are such that
you couldscarcely have foreseen them, still less could I imagine
then that I should ever come‘
here as my father did to study
questions that are of interest to this great city, and to enjoythose unrivalled sights which have given i t a worldwide renown.
Gentlemen, I rejoice to observe that the record, which you are
able to submit, is one of progress. I t may be that takenby i tself
an increase of 2 0 per cent , in the population might not ,perhaps,
necessari ly denote prosperi ty. I t is no light matter to find food
for 20,000 or 3 0,000 more mouths, or employment for so many
ex tra bands, but the other facts of this case give a sufi cient and
asatisfactoryex planation. I t,was one of the chief objects of
my father‘
s journey, in 1863 , to ex amine the progress of'
the rail
waywh ich was then about to complete communication between
this ci tyand Calcutta. N othing has in the last 30years, nothing
inmy opinion will have in the nex t 30 years, so materially
afl'
ectcd and jmproved the condition of the people of the Indian
Empire as the ex tensionof i ts railways, and in respect; of railways
youare able to boast ofgreat if not‘
ex ceptioualgood fortune. Al
ready30 years ago you had tasted the first fruits of railwaycom
munication. N ow I suppose there are few ci ties in India that
in this respect could compete with you. I em well aware that
there is another side to this picture, andyou have not omitted it
from your retrospect. Increasing population and increasing
p rosperitymust always bring increasing responsibilities to.
those
1 11111 111 11 you, gentlemen, are charged wi th the’
duty of providing
for the health of the community. I knowalso well the anx ieties
that arise when we see clearly the importance of taking certain
steps and carrying out special works,‘
and the means and
ex penses are not so obvious. I em glad to see that you
frankly admi t what I believe to be the case, that the
Government of India has dealt with munici pal bodies in this
matter in a liberal spirit, and also that you recognise that the
ex tent to which assistance can fairly be claimed must be detain
mined bythe state of the imperial ex cheqner. I need not re
72 sen ms'ronrcu .
mind you as men of business that, when we speak of the state
of the imperial ex chequer, that does not imply merely counting
the cash which mayat anymoment he in the treasury, but that
we have to look to other considerations and particular!y to weigh
carefully the demands that have been made upon the general
tax -payer. Unfortunatelyduring the last two years theGovernment
of India has had to make increased demands upon the general
tax -
payer, and we have just seen in the last fewhours how that
sensitive instrument, the money market, upon which the com
mercial transactions ofmen depend,may suddenlyupset the best
calculations. Therefore, although I do notdifier from the opinion
ex pressed elsewhere that the financial prospects of the Govern
ment are brightening , I should be holding out false hO pes i f I
led you to ex pect at present anymaterialalteration in the condi
tions, fair and honourable as theyhave been,of the assistance we
can ofi'
er you. But, gentlemen, if I um obliged to say that, I
hope you will not take it as sarcasm it I ask you to persevere in
your patriotic efforts. I trust from what you have said in your
address that you will be able to successfully appeal to that
generous and patriotic spiri t which you tell me has secured you
the support of your leading citizens in the great causes of educa
tion and hospital accommodation, and, perhaps, I may be allowedto say, speaking on behalf of the P resident of the Lady D ufierin
Fund, Lady E lg in, that she sincerelyrecognises the great efforts
made here for the benefit of Indian women and their medical
treatment. Gentlemen, I feel deeply thankful that it is not
necessary for me to day to repeat the solemn warning of my
predecessor, to which you have alluded in the concluding para
graph of your address. You have given just credit to the energyof the local authori ties in fearlessly carrying out the poli cy of
impartiali ty, both in the tolerance of O pinion and the repression
of‘
the ex ecutive, which LordLansdowne proclaimed, andto which
the Government of India unreservedlyadhere. But I have equal
pleasure in joining wi th you in placing beside the action of the
ex ecutive as instrumental in the cause of peace the good sense of
the people, and I would add the efforts made in various parts of
the ccuntryby leading members of various phases of religious
thought, by whom I gratefullyacknowledge that much has been
done to promote good will and remove the causes of strife. I
trust they will never forget, but rather increasing]yappreciate
BRIT IS H PERIOD .
howmuch of the responsibility lies with them. I f, as you are
kind enough to wish, I should be in a position again to visit
Agra, I can hope for nothing better than to be able to refer to the
growth and development of this spiri t of conciliation which it
is the constant desire of mmywho love India best to foster.”
At noon the same day ( z5lib H is E x cellency 79 °
ceived formal visits from the Maharaja ofKarauli , the MaharajaRana of D houlpurandthe Nawab ofRampur. Wi th the ex ceptionof the Maharaja of Karauli , who spoke in H industani , conversa
tion was carried on in E nglish. The V iceroy visited Fattehpur
S ikri andAkbar’
s tomb at S ikandra. O u the 2 8th H is E x cellency
gave audience to the Maharaja of Bhadawar, the Raja of Main
puri , the Rain ofAwa, the Raja ot'
P irwa and Seth Lachman D an,
the celebratedmillionaire banker of Mathra. T he Rajas are the
descendants of ancient Rajput families, those of Bhadawar and
Awa having rendered good service to the Government duringthe Mahratta war and the Mutiny.
The Bikaneer Camel Corps, the only corps of the kind infiffiaflry
India, paraded before H is E x cellency on the morning of 28th camel
October. I t was 440 strong under the command of T haknr
D ip S ingh, and i ts organization was admitted in every detail to
be perfect. As it was drawn up in line 420yards long, its appear
ance struck all spectators wi th surprise. Ao eye witness writes
of it in the C ivi l and Mi li tary Gazette, Lahore I t looked
most imposing, while the smartness of the men’
s turn-out in
their neatKhaki. coloured 11'
nit'
orms, with redfacings and the gold
tarrea of Rajputana in their turbans, the ex cellent condition
of the camels, and the remarkable steadiness of their movements,commanded universal admiration.
”H is E x cellency was pleased
to see this manoeuvring power of corps and complimented
Thakur D ip S ingh on i ts general appearance and smartness.
H is E x cellency visited the principal architectural monuments
at Agra and left it forGwalioron the 3oth, carrying with him very
pleasant impressions of his first visit to Akbar’
acity.
sons : nascarr'hvn.
Between the colossal towers 1s a passage covered by two
domes, which, rising majestically from accretions of prismatic
stalactites, give succession to a beautiful range of bui ldings
comprising alternate niches and small arched openings, adorned
with carvings andmosaics. Surrounding these edifices is the
Nath r Nakkar Khana, or R iyal kettle-drum,
which announced to the
populace the functional hours of the Court. T he elegant portal
opens on a noble courtyard, and the centre of the palace, 500 feet
by 370, surrounded byspacious arcades, which formerly served
as a tilt yard.
The inner gateway, on the side of the open space between theT i” 11111111
quay and the fort, is known as the H a’
thi P ol, or E lephant
gate. H ere were placed, in the time of Akbar, two stone ele
phants p f ex quisite workmanship, with their riders Jaimal and
Patto in statues of stone representing two Rajput heroes
of C hittore, whose memory was thus honoured by the politic
Emperor.
*
£2:Dm han The gateway is the Durshan Darwaza, or the Gate of S ights
ol'
W1ll1am Frueh, who vrs1ted Agra 1n the tune of Jabaugm
H ere the King showed himself everymorning at sunrise to his
nobles and Umras, who stood on a kind of scafl'
old, and to the
multitude who assembled beneath the window. The same was
done each morning by Akbar, who worshi pped the sun at this
window, the crowdwho thronged the plain below worshippingAkbar. H ere, later in the morning , l1e appeared again, to witness
f5533 1
1
131 114the combats of an1mals 1n the plane below. H e took much dehgh t
sports in fights between trained elephants, camels, buffaloes, rams and
h um an .
ham, andwas entertainedwi th the combats ofcocks, the portom
ancea of gladiators, wrestlers, actors of comedies, dancers and
fencers. Singers, male and female, remained in wai ting , whi le
Tho storming party failed in i ts first attemp t to carrythe bu ttons, andanotherwas in women when the Em ror chanced to see Jarmal, the Governorof the Fort, d n oting the re ir oi
'e
one of the breaches by torchlight.’ B 15
Maj esty. having seizedamatc h och fromasoldierwho stood by, shot Janna! 111 theforehead. The Rajputs, seeing their leader (lead. became desperate; and reaolvrngto die the death of heroes. performed the ceremony of Jowhar, p utting themwomen and children to death and burnim'
.r themwi th their commander
’
s bodythe then retired to their tem Ice and awai ted the ap proach of the Mnham
ans. T he Emperor, seeing t e walladeserted, entered the p lace at da light.T he p tatnes of Janna]and P atto were fine spec imens of art , but were kento
l‘neceabyAurangzeb. T he fragments of one of them having been subsequently
co acted, the statue of the elephant was restored. T his statue is sti ll to be seen111 the EmpressGarden, Delhi.
TH E FORT .
clever jugglers and tumblers disp layed their dex terity and
agi lity.
’
S outh of the fort is the Amar S ingh Gate, known after th e Amar S inghGate.
name of Amar S i ngh, Raq t.
O n one side of the great court-yard is the D iwan- i -Am,or D iwan-i -Am.
H all of public audience, the judgment-seat of Akbar,where the
court receptions were heldand business was transacted. H ere
the monarch daily sat on his throne raised, on an estrade, as we
still see i t, and surrounded wi th inlaid work of marble. H ere he
gave audience to his splendid court, received the tnibutary ruling
chiefs of H industan and the ambassadors and envoys from foreign
countries, administered justice and issued orders. At the foot
of the alcove, on which the throne was placed, is an immense
slate, ofwhite marble , raised some three feet above the ground»
on which the ministers took their stand to present and hand up
peti tions to the E mperor and to recei ve and convey his com
mands. I t was formerly fenced wi th si lver rails, but theyhave
nowdisappeared. The ball is 192 feet in length by 6 1 in breadth
I t is an open portico, or loggz'
a, the roof being supported bythree
rows of high p i llars placed at regular intervals and connected by
Saracenic arches of white marble , wh ich g ive i t amajestic appear
ance. Towards the eastern side is the elevated oblong niche, or
gallery, before mentioned, in which the King took his seat on a
throne. The throne described by E dwardTerry, chaplain of S ir
Thomas Roe, was“ascended by steps plated wi th silver and
ornamented wi th 4 silver lions, spangled wi th jewels, which
supported a canopy of pure gold.
”T he pavi lion is of pure
marble, wi th beauti fully carved recesses, and inlaidwi th mosaics.
The court hall in Akbar’
s time was profuselyscented wi th sweet
perfumes and fragrant odours. O n this subject Allami Abul
Fazl writes in the Ain The court hall is continually scented
with ambergris, ale wood, and compositions according to ancient
recipes, or mi x tures invented by H is Majesty; and incense is
daily burnt in goldand si lver censors of various shapes, while
sweet smelling flowers are used in large quanti ties”
.
T he seatT he order ofrecedence inroyal was separatedbysuccessi ve rai li ngs, the i nnermost of whi ch, ihe Du b “.
raised from the ground and enclosed by a red rail, was occupied
Ain-i -Alaba rt.
AGRA D ESCRI PT IV E .
the ham was constructed for Jahangir Shah, the son of Akbar
S hah, in 1019 AJI . (1016 the year in which the Emperor
was married to N nrjahan. I had to devote some time before Icoulddecipher the following two couplets on this remarkable
c istern, which can still be read
3 1-3 fifty ! Jt
fi H? tu a“ 3
e—Jaé i ; JU am”; 4
3 51 6
s 0” assIL A],
tSfimre u
é)‘ 3 | 0
» 5 t s s.51 s: ulti
Asylum of S tate and relig ion, King Jahang ir, son of the King Akbar.
An E mperor to whose wi.dom fate owes its success.
Khizr° having been asked the date of its construction, W isdom replied
The Zumzamf. on seeing the cistern of Jchang ir, concealed i ts face out
of shame):
T o the right and left of the hallare galleries of lattice-work
through which the ladies of the H arem pecped to see the proceed
ings of the Court. A door at the back of the throne admitted the
Emperor and his confidential servants to the interior of the
Zena'na, or seraglio.
The same door leads to the Machi Bhawan. I n the
court-yard of the palace, the water of the Jumna was conveyed
byartificial channels and used to be accumulated here to form a
store-house for fishes which afiorded sportive amusement to the
Emperor and his favorite H arems and courtiers, who took delight
in ensnaring them. T he place consists of an oblong room of
white marble, most elaborately carved, and communicates wi th
an openmarble loggia of beautifullycarvedarches in the Saracenic
style. The chambers on two sides served as office rooms. Between
the Machi Bhawan and the small mosque (known as Mina
God of wood and water. A saint sk illed in divination.who is said to havediscovered the water of life . Mahomedans otter oblations to him. of lamps ,flowers, &c . . p laced on li ttle rafts launched on the river. T ravellers by boatalways invoke h im on start ing .
1 T he name of asacredwell at Mecca. called also H agsr’
s well.
i T he numerical value of the words, H ans: Jahangiri is 1113 . Wthis the numeri cal value of Zamzam (94)is taken away. the date of foundation(1019 A. H .) is found.
T he author of the T ravels o a H indu has in his work alluded to the favouri tedrink ing cup of Jahan I t ad been ecoo hollow out of an uncommonlylarge sized ruby, more t nan three inches lon yas man broad, in the fashion o fa goblet wi th the name of Jahtng ir inscri b on i t in go den letters. S ide by side
was placed a similar but smaller cap with a leg to stand on. wh ich had belongedto the cat Tamerlane. Bo th were the property of the ex -King of 0udh andwere p aced for sale in
o
one of the.
E nglish Jewellery shops in C alcuttaa fewyearsbefore 1800. Theirultimate fate ts not known.
A6“ 2 D E SCRI PT I V E .
whi ch gives entranceto another great court, which is‘
also sur
rounded bygalleries, underwhich there are also small rooms for'
soin'
e“
ofi cers ofthe palace. From this second C ourt yon pass
into'
s thirdwhere the King’s apartments are situated. S hah
‘
Jahan had intended to cover the arch of a great gallerywh ich is
ui the right hand wi th silver, and a Frenchman, named ‘
Angu’
stiaD e Bordeaux ,was to havedone the worlr. But the great
Mnghal; seeing there was be one in his kingdomwhowas capable
to'
send”
to Goa to negotiate an'
affairwith the P ortuguese, the
work was not done, for, as the abili ty of Augnstinwas feared,‘
he was‘
poisoned on his return from Cochin. This gallery
is painted wi th foliage of gold and azure, and the floor is
covered over with a carpet. There are doors under the gallery
,giiging entraace into very small square chambers._
I saw
two or three of them which were opened foras, andwe were
told that the others were similar. The three other sides of
the C ourt are altogether open, and there is but a simple wall
to the height of the support. O u one side overlooking the
river'
there is a projecting D iwc’
m, or belvedere, where the Kingcomes to sit when he wishes to enjoy the pleasure ot
'
O
seeing
his.
brigah tines and making his elephants fight. I n front of
the D iwan there is agallery which serres as a vestibule, and
the . design of S hah Jahan was to cover. i t throughout by a
trellis ,
of rubies and emeralds which would represent. after:
naturet green grapes and those comniencing to become red ;but thisdesign, proving too ex pensi ve, had to be abandoned.
”
Nex tg
tothe D iwan-i -Khas, overhanging , the ri ver, istheZenana, or H arem, before alluded to, called the Khas Mahal, or
the privateapartments of the ladies of the Royal H arem. The
substructures oi‘
the palace are . of red sandstone, the Jnmnawashing the walls seventy feet below; but the whole oi its
chambers, corri dors, and pavilions are of pure white marble,{post elaborately carved, and ex quisitely ornamentedwith flowers
M. V elant, C hief of the D utch factory at Agra, as soon as the King hadleft. went to salute th is noble and to make h im a present accordin to thecustom. Comp h xhenth havmg on both sides. the Governor as cd Mr.
V olant what he desi red h im to o to serve him, and. he hav ing prayed h im tohave the goodness. as the C ourt was absent, to permit him to see the interiorof the palace, at was granted h im and si x menwere given to accompany
as.”
Travels in I ndus by Tam wr, V ol. L . 108. T he account has clear erence
ib ths traveller’
s second voyage when e visited Agra froma ionrneyto Shu tin 1640, when Shah Jahtn was cmoying a peaceable reign. See Introduction.
and testoons. This lovely mansion was built by Shah Jahan
before new D elhi ; and its lux urious pavilions, with gilded
roofs anddomes, are all of the rich style of Florentine mosaic,
and of singular elegance and beauty. They glitter all over
with jasper, cornelian, lapis-lazuli , agate and bloodstone, and
the balconies and terraces are wrought in open patterns of
such rich designs that. according to an American traveller,“they
resemble the fringes of lace when seen from below.
”The
adaptation of one part to another, the perfect harmony
prevailing in the various sections of the bui lding, the richness
of style, and above all its elegance, are proof of the taste
of the authors, and fill the curious observer with asense of
admiration and awe. N o chamber, no pavilion, no terrace or
window is wanting, and i t seems as i i‘
the imperial halls
had just been vacated by their occupiers, and were ready to
be repeopledwith the household of the great Emperor. T hey
bring vividly before the eye a living p icture of the dai lyroutine
of his public duties and his private pursuits and domestic life.
I n a balconyoverlooking the river are marks of blank spaces, TheM oon"I n these spaces were p ictures of the Mughal Emperors fromT imfir, mounted on glass placedagainst the walls. Suraj Mal,the Jci t, Raja of Bhartpur, took away these p ictures, and
the spaces are left blank as signs of spoliation of the Jets.
T he injnrious etiects of time and spoliation are visible hereand there. A cannon ball burst through the marble trellis
work in a small courtyard in front of the D iwan-i -Khas,causing a rent in the screen of the royal pavilion. T his was
the result of the cannonade by General P erron, Commandantof S indhia’s troops, who besieged the fort in 1803 , and selected
that side as the most assailable. Many flowers and blossomsof cornelian, with leaves of bloodstone and gems, inlaid in
the marble, have been wantonly dug out, and the polished
fountains and tanks are dry.
T he following P ersian poems are beautifully inscribed on the
walls of the KhasMahal.
b & f “ 0L}? Ml ) . gi lt
Jan; W .)
M ei" em ” ali bi : n
‘ s ’e'
room,while the carving in bold reliefand the superior polish of
the marble used contributed to the perfection ofthe work. Two
passages from the H ammam, both of red sandstone, lead to the
Jurnna, which washes the walls. O ne of these was a passage for
the Royal ladies and their fair concubiues, and the other for Jodh
Bai , the H indu Queen ofJahangir. From the balconies of the
P alace Royal, a beautiful viewofthe gardens and pahn-
groves
on the Opposite bank is'
obtainedl while about a mile down the
stream is to be seen that wonder of I ndia, the Taj , shining li kea palace of ivory and crystal.
The nex t C ourt is paved with squares of white and blackmarble so as to represent a P ach isi board. The game is a kind of
Eastern backgammon, or trictrac. E ach square in this spacious
boardis wide enough to allowaman to sit wi thin i t. I n ordinary
games‘
ivory p ieces or figures are used. But it is saidAkbarand his wives played on th is boardwith gaily clad girls, distin
guished by badges to specify their position in the game, who
trotted from square to square, according to the movements of a
wand used bythe players.
The Pachisi .
O u one side of the court of the P achisi board is the Samman3mm "Bur], or octagonal tower, the boudoirof the chief P rincess. I t is
the work of Shah Jahan, and i t was here that that Emperor
breathed his last with his eyes turned towards the glitteringmausoleum oi
'
the wife of hisyouth and his afl'
eetionate daughter,
JahanAra, si tting by his side.
“ The mansion is of pure marbleand most elaborately carved and inlaid. I n the midst is a
small but neat reservoir ofmarble in the shape of a rose. Th iswas the reservoir used byArjumand Bano Begum. the King
’
s
favouri te wife, and the lady of the Taj , for washing her face ,hands, and feet. I t was decorated wi th precious stones, all of
which were carried away by the Jdts. Two small windows
higher up the wall are pointed out as having been used by thechief Sultanaas a repository forher jewels and ornaments, accessto which was obtained by a golden staircase. I t was from this
tower that the Royal ladies witnessed the animal fights in theopen space below. The King sat on the marble throne opposite.
Badahah Nama, p. 933 .
TH E FORT .
'
The open terrace facing the ri ver, where'
the marble throne
now is, was originally roofed, andformed part of the D i sband
Khas. But, the hall having been dismantled by the Raja of
Bhartpur, the materials were removed byhim. Five marble
blocks oi'
the material were sent to London as a curiosity,
while seven are lying on the spot at the moment of wri ting.
“
To the north of the white rharble palace, called the D iwan
i -Khas of Shah Jahan,'
ia to be seen a rarity of the sculptor’s
art, via, a black marble throne, hewn out entire, with i ts four Thegilack
mar 0
legs, from one block. I t is 10 feet 75 inches long , 9 feet 10 throne.
inches broad,and 6 inches thick. The stone is 1 foot 4 inches
in height and is supported by octagonal pedestals, or feet. I t is
completely penetrated by a long fissure, which is ascribed to
i ts hav ing been profaned by the feet of the Jet usurper,
Jawéhar S ingh , Rajah of Bhartpur, son of S uraj Mal 1 111,
who was in temporary possession of Agra in 1765. T he
credulous maintain that, having been profaned by the Jzit
chieftain, not only did.
i t crack from side to side, but bloodrushed out of it 1n two places. T he usurper was
‘
shortly
afterwards assassinated in the palace, whi le his father was
slain in the battle with Naj ibuddaula. T he presence of
red marks on the throne 13 , however, due to am1neralsubstance.
T he throne was used by the Emperor Jahangir in pri vate
audiences with his ministers. An inscription in large P ers1an
letters runs rouu
ndall the four sides of the thickness of stone
and 18 as follows
ai
l?g t: w e) ev e n“0113) ( U U y ’)
l b , 3 1-3 U) ?
a?6 1W 9 -131 u m: 1:
r. L»
:
3 6 3 f f t; )13 10. 3,
A 13) - Lu fi af95 t:
re f 19 5-1 11K ag ii '
s-
saa-fri v.3 1
(52 ; y ; 3 ?
it ; 9
-3 lao 1:
ré ‘a
93 la:
_) l 6 - 13 M —3J!" g ti
(5
{Alas
J"J
hf m a ] M 3 b ; 3 s fi 13
When Shah Salim, the heir to the crown and seal,
Set on the throne and administered the world,
September 1802 .
AGBA D ESC RIP P IV E .
The prett iest‘
str ucture in the fort is the Mali Nusyzd, or
P earl Mosque ,as i t is poetically and justly called. I t stands
north of the D iwan-i -Am, on a lofty plateau, to which access
is obtained by a long flight of steps. E ntering a sirnple gateway
by steps oi.
free-stoue roughly hewn, and ex pecting nothingvery grand, one is surprised by coming suddenly in sight of a
structure at once grand, fascinating and sublime, which, withmajestic and colossal form, combines ex quisi te simplici tyrefined taste and elegance. I t is, as a writer says, an agreeablesurprise ,
”filling the curious observer wi th a fervour of admiration.
You see before you a sanctuary of whi te marble rising grace
ful ly over the silvery surface formed by its lovely court. T he
mosque measures 187 feet by 2 3 4 feet. T he square court is
paved with large white flags, and is surrounded bya chaste
gallery and colonnade of the same material. The beauty of
the mosque,”says Fergusson, resides in i ts courtyard, which is
wholly of whi te mai ble from the pavement to the summit of
the domes.
”At the ex tremity of this spacious court, and te
moved about 100 feet from the gateway, is the noble mosque ,
comprising a single room, 150 feet by 60, supported bya triple
row of p i llars, joined to one another by the most ex quisitely
proportioned Saracenic arches. T he three lovely domes 0 1'
white marble, wi th their g i lded spires spring ing gracefully from
the pavilions. rise considerably above the ramparts, g iving i t a
truly grand appearance. I n the enthusiastic language of Mr.
Taylor, in all distant v iews of the Fort these domes are seen like
silvery bubbles which have rested a moment on its walls, and
which the nex t breeze may sweep away.
”
E uropean artists and travellers have pronounced the archi
tecture to be absolutely perfect, and, while i ts style is the purest
Saracenic, it possesses the simplici ty of D oric art. T he
whole design is instinct wi th life, and, whether judged from the
ex act proportions of i ts dimensions, or the admirable sk ill of
i ts design, the mosque is justly the admiration alike of the
student of art, the traveller and the spectator. I t is truly
the gem of mosques.
”
O ne eminent authori ty writes of its
surpassing beauty“ Any woodcut cannot do i t justice ; it
must be seen to be appreciated.
”
Another writer, comparingi t wi th the grand mosque of Shah Jahén at D elhi , ex presses his
92 sens : nascmmVE .
14 1825“$ 111
5;w J”u “9 ~
u3l1b l+ age g t. w 9
J.» ”J 10V" t
b s: )l44 agar) li dJ oli?
.bfc u gnsfi le
le dew v ‘ hs‘ fl w wu b o d b “
W t“? Utu
~
Juo w si u w s if t
o
)
“
11 1 !
s -w d ’ [53 13 8) ,0~M j lt lj
fl j l af l‘ll 1 9 51-11, u n fl i r
fi s
Jyrssé t j l: 8M 1
4 J u vfi f ly
1913 15 e lt-x s lo! ui fihi 1
" te
U.“ W 59 1 (bu tdab e lh la : (W
e i s tale
113» 69. lla-t JB-ztm 1
8 stai r};
3“ ulA-i f i) el k ).
99W } ; Rtns o -"b JAG U se f
.
(yum) wJ 1a: v i eu‘
lai s t: ass) 11 Ue lu i M
“
1 53m? J“ M due ls1) 4 10 1” Le ?meusx . as
W )) Lu 1 4s JJA JJl‘ w w) : )J) u ""u Q Jlt ah
W ) “ "a U” U j ’b‘ Jlt ’l0 3 19 ‘s
“ ) ea “ ! J“ Ji bl
efi l-azs
’
jfr fi (
lus t ( 13 ”a ( Lynnsg tfi bg fl
” l"u's. )
1)U ta“ ai d 1313, valw éyb C,
“1114-9
‘gn l ts)J e
ep
Dal w i les! ) ° J¥Jfi lj 110! 19 1351)» ep l£ u
c.12 3 7, cp lz lbAldl
dgnl GU la]
! tbl w i g )cfi J
; )13 1
12.
This bright Katiba and second Tabernacles of Bliss is so
pre-eminentlyluminous that, compared to it, the bright dawn of
morning looks like the dusk of evening ; the efi'
ect of i ts great
brilliancy is such that the sun, compared to i t, is like an eye
that is dazzled by brightness. I ts firm foundation is as high as
that of the highest heaVen. I ts bounty-showering towers are as
loftyas the porticoes of paradise. I ts grand foundations indicate
that it is amosque founded on the basis of piety; and its turret!
m row. 93
via in brilliancy with the meridian sun when passing through
thezodiac. whi le theysurpass it in height. E ach of i ts flower
pinnacled shafts is like a bunch of light connectedwi th a cluster
of bri lliant stars, or likea fountain of beneficent rays emanating
from the sun. E ach of its gilded pinnacles affords light to the
heavenly luminaries ; each of i ts resplendent arches resembles
the newmoon, and is everhailed as the festival of I d.
O u either side of i t is the fort, built of red sandstone, of the
metropolis ofAkbarabad ; the Masj id is to this fort as the seven
planets are to the sky one may say i t is a halo round the moon,
which is sure proof of the advent of clouds of mercy or i t is a
circle round the luminous sun,which is an unmistakeable sign of
the coming fall of beneficent rain. V eri ly, i t is a loftymansionof
paradise, made (as i t were)of one precious pearl, for from the
beginning of the inhabited world the like of a mosque built
entirely of pure marble was never produced and since the crea
tion the parallel of a temple so brilliant and bright from tap to
bottom has never appeared.
Built by the command of the potentale of Solomon’
s magnifi
cence the Sultan of Abraham’
s honour ; the embellisher of the
countenance of Islam ; the founder of the Empire ; the king of
kings, whose court equals in digni ty the highest heaven ; the
shadow of God ; the asylum of . the people ; the strength of the
pillars of State ; the prop of the basis of justice and benignity;the earth, being blessed with his footsteps, feels more dignifiedthan the heavens in a thousand ways ; through the profusion of
his gifts the heavens are compelled to acknowledge the earth’
s
superiority; prosperi tyandwealth, through love of service to him,
are ever awake to their duty; S tate and religion are greatly
attracted by the beautyof his countenance ; the zephyrs of Paradise crave the dust of his Sanctuary;dignified as the heavens; the
destroying fire of hell solicits a stipend from the polish of the
steel of his sword, which destroys the enemies ;
T he foundations of S tate receive streng th from him
The basis of justice obtains duration from him
H is v ictorious sword
E verdespatches the infidels
H eaven is one of his slaves ;
The dawn of day is amirror-holder for his countenance
AGRL nrscmr'rrvs.
H e is the supporting ax is of the heavenly faith and of the
laws ; the centre of the circle of justice andadministration the
father of victory ; S hahabuddin Mohammad, the second lord of
the fortunate conjunction of the planets, the valiant King Shah
Jahan.
This building was completed in a space of seven years,at a
cost of three lakhs of rupees towards the end of the 2 6th year of
the fortunate reign corresponding to the year 1063 H ijri.
May it so pleaseGod, the Godwithout compeer, that, through
the blessings of the good intentions of this sovereign, the de
fender oi'
the Faith, all people may have an increased desire
for performing devotions and doi ng virtuous deeds ! And may
the direction and guidance in the right way have as their result
the salvation of this righteous King. the accepted of God 2 0
L ord of the universe Amen l”
A passage to the north-west corner of the Machi Bhawan
leads to the Nag ina Masj z'
d, a small but veryhandsome mosque,
60 feet square. I t was founded by Aurangzeb for the ladies o f
the Zenana, and, being built entirely of white marble after the
fashion of the Moti Masj id, may be called i ts smaller counter
part. C onnectedwith it, on an elevation overlook ing the waters
of the Jnmna, is a set of chambers in which Shah Jahan was
kept in honourable confinement byhis ambitious son Aurangzeb,
and the room is still pointed out where he used to live, with
little to console his heart ex cept the sight before h im of the
monument raised by his own genius to the memory of the
wife of h is youth, the renowned Lady of the Taj . I n a wall
opposite is a cavitywhere used to be stored warm water for the
purpose of ablation before going to prayers.
The apartments which were the actual quarters ofS hah Jaheln
while reigning E mperor of H industan are also noticeable for
containing the reputed“ Somnath
”
gates. T he aveng ing army
of Lord E llenborough, under the command ofGeneral Pollock ,brought these gates from Ghazni , as a trophy of British success
in Afghanistan. T he gates are 12 feet high by 9 in
breadth, and are elaborately carved and inlaid. They werethe subject of a. proclamation from the Governor-General
AGBA D ESCRI PT IVE .
and piercing. The passion was mutual. T he court is now
used for lawn-tennis.
To the south of the Khas Mahal, and close to the Amar S ingh
Gate, is a massive building in redstone, called the Jahangiri
Mahal, or the P alace of Jahangir, a singularly elegant and
beautiful structure. I t is a two-storeyed building , most
ex quisitelycarved and inlaidwith reliev ing lines ofwhite marble,and two courts paved in red sandstone, the largest of which
is seventy feet square. T he peculiari ty of the structure lies
in the general avoidance of arches, the roofs resting on flanks
of free redstone, supported bymassive but singularlyhandsome
andrichly carved p illars of the same material. T he structure
ismost perfect, and, as Fergusson remarks, is singularlyelegant
in detail; and having escaped the fate of so many palaces of
India, time has only softened, without destroying; the beautyof its features.
”The stones on the interior and ceiling were
once covered wi th lovely paintings in gold but these have all
been obli terated through lapse of time. T he H indu brackets,ex quisitely carved, the moulding of conventionalised lotus
flowers, supported bya pair of birds on either side, the carvings
of elephants on the roof of the building in red sandstone,
facing the river, are all unique decorations in the Saracenic
style, andex hibit H indu proclivities. This was the palace , the
residence of Jodh Bai, the wife of Jahangir, and daughter of
Moth, the RajaofJodhpur, called byMohammedan historians.
Mariam Zamani . I n a niche in one of the walls was placed
the image of H anumanj z, one of the principal gods of H indu
mythology, which was destroyed by Aurangzeb. Behind the
ladies’
chambers is a covered passage, separated from the rest
of the building by lattice work . This was the place for the
female guards who performed watch and guard duty to the
royal personages when they retired to rest. There are cham
bers of peculiar construction in which the game of hide-and
seek was played bythe royal inmates.
The upper storeyconsists of two pavilions, of massive style,
elaborately carvedand ex quisitely ornamented. O ne of these
has been modernized, andhas been converted into a residence for
awarrant officer, and the other is still perfect. O u the roof there
88 sens : nmcntr'nvs.
comprises four gateways, wh ich open the door of wealth and
prosperityon the four quarters of the world. A number of
to masons andartisans was employeddailyon the work ,
and it took eight years to build the fort.
T he superintendent of the architecturewas Qasim Khan, the
L ord of the Admiralty. The cost was 7 krore Tankas, or 3 5
lacs of rupees.”
Bvalsn Tomas mscovsaso i s T H E Four.
According to Mr. Deal, the author of Miftahal Tawarikh ,
when, in (1803 the Fort of Akbarabad (Agra)came into the possession of the E ast India C ompany, the Jadgo
’
s
C ourt was built in it. Forty-two years afterwards, or in 1845 1 . D . ,
orders were received for the demoli tion of the old court-honse,
anda newone was built in its steal on the same spot. O u
digging the foundations of the old walls, four tombs were found,
at adistance of one hundred paces from the tower called .Ihan
Jka'n Katora. Two of these were without inscription ; bnt the
other two containedmarble sarcophag i with Persian inscriptions.
O ne of these inscriptions shows that the tomb belonged to some
grandee who died in the 46th year of the I lahi year of Akbar, or
1010 A. H . (1601 A. This was the time when Akbar was
occupied in mili tary operations in Khandesh, and Salem, the
Crown P rince, had rebelledagainst h im. Both tombs, from their
locality in the fort, seem to have belonged to some beloved
members of the Royal family who died a premature death, thus
causing intense grief to their relations.
One of these inscriptions was thus
k in g ’s W au gh ; 0° e l i la 0735 ileum?
te) A W } c)‘ t.:W A r
i s que dtc
UJJlJ azj l 015Ar v.9 3 ) c)“J) ? u J-p ') w 1 )l 1 79.
115 JJU end W h y 11 w as05um;
Ls dlt use w areN 6 M .
’ £ 75dt é ‘ l) u“L: U )
In the 2 111]year of the reign Q aslmKhanwasmade Governor of Agra. H oconqueredKashmi r for Akbar. andwas s
ggfintedGovernor of Kabul in the 34th
year. li ewas assassinated at Kabul in l s. n.
TH E FORT .
Ah 1 Alas mybeloved
llas departed subjecting th e to grief .
When I asked Iteason the year of his death,H e replied,
‘0 poor unpretentling man !
I t was 1010 of the H ijra
That he proceededto the paradise fromthis mortalwerhl.’
L isten anotheryearof S laum'
H e diei in 46th of I lab'
.
With perfect sincerity I pray for his sacred soul.0 God1may it find place in the paradise of Aden
The sarcophagus containing theabove inscriptionwas in the fortat the timewhenMr. Ben]wrote hiswork in 12 64»A. B. (1847A.
The other tomb has the following inscription on it,
Alas ! the life of the world has departed from the world
Without him the body is without soul and life ex tinct.
lt believes that 1 should weep bitterlyand cry out, H at lai .’
For he was like the moon and has diedyoung .
My son,who was as dear to me as life,
“as hadno mercy on me, and prose. (led towards H im.
When I asked reason the date of his death,he repliec}
Both the branch of the rose and its leaf have left the rose-garden.
’
P ut an end, it behoves, to thy life, 0 writer 1
For the sweet-tongued and sweet-beaked parrot has gone.
The above poems seem to have been written by a lovingfather to commemorate the monrnt
'
nl death of a youthful son
who pre-deceased him. H ow short and unstable human life
is, and how changeable and uncertain are its afl'
ai i s, when it is
seen that the afiectionatemourner, towhom lifemusthave become
amisery, as his poetic effusions show, is no more, too, nor the
dwellers in those high palaces and gorgeous edifices, lifting their
heads to the sky,which are left on the spot forsaken andforlorn. as
amark ofworld’
s evanescent and transient nature ; and further,
what trace had been discovered of a dearlybeloved during life,was bymere accident, centuries after he had shrivelled into dust
and clay! Temporamutantur et 1108mutamuria“lie.58 1 3 2 9 3
T H E TA].
ABOUT a mile distant from the Fort is that wonder of the
E ast, the jewel and glory of Indian arch itecture, the far-famed
Taj . Being situated on a bend of the river Jnmns, it looks muchnearer the direction of the city than it really is. T he road
is by the river strand and was constructed by the labour of
The .umd.
the destitute poor in the famine of 1838 . The strand, eighty
feet wide, is ex cellent, and the beauty of the town is cubano
T be bath ing cd by the c’
ommodious bathing Ghdts along the river bank .
ghatl . t
T he numerous temples, towers, summer houses, and other
elegant buildings on the ri ver side render the sight of the city
ex ceedingly sham ing and picturesque. T he space between the .
Rain, 0, old East and t he T4]was once studdedwith . the villas of the nobility,"in“ the state]yedifices,
and superb palaces and garden houses of the
O nnerahs ot'
the Moghal E mpire but nothing new remains of
themex
‘
cept’
hage mounds and shapeless masses of earth. Bernier,
whosaw‘
t hese buildings, describes them as a row of newhouses
with arcades resembling th ose of the principal streets in D elhi .“
They have been also noticed by contemporary h istorians, Mnlla
Abdul H amid. author of d uhdh Name , and Mohammad.
Satleh , author of Amal- i -Sdleh. There were ex tensive Bazars
in which commodities of all descriptions were sold by mer
chants from various parts of India and distant countries
and the merchant classes had built edifices of solid masonrywork and shops in which they ex hibited the articles for sale.
I n making the strand, old masonry works and foundations,
sometimes ten feet thick, were found, and they were so solid
that theyhadto be blasted by powder.
mm ofArjnmand Bano Begam, surnamed Mumtaz-nz-Zumani , or
firjnnignd
°
Mnmtaz, Mahal, was the daughter of MirzaAbnl H asan Asif“ 0
°
or Asi l’ ‘
Jéh’
,the son of Mirza Ghias Beg I timtidnd
danla, whose daughter, N t'
i r Jahan, was the wi fe of Jahang ir.
S lie’
was thus niece to N nrjahan, the step-mother of S hah
Jahan. As the aunt was famous for her surpassing beauty
and“
accomplishments, so was the niece ; as N (i r Jahdn had
fascinated the libertine Jahang ir with her charms so Mumtazsubdued the stern S hah Jahan with her loveliness. Both,
Bernier’
s Travels in the Moghal Empire, p . ens.
ms T its.
i n their turns, ex ercised great influence over their lords and
husbands.
JahtingirbetrothedMumtaz-uz-Zamani to Shah Jahdn when H ermarriage
the latter was fifteen years and 8 months old. After the rivaling
“
ex piry of five years and three months while S hah Jahan was
twenty years . and eleven months old, he was married to
Mumtaz . The bride, at the time of marriage, was 19 years
eight months and 9 clays old. T he marriage took place on
the night of Friday, the 9th of Rabt-ul-Awal, 102 1 A. H .
(161 2 A. The affectionate royal father, at a propitious
moment, bound the wreath of pearls to the turban ot'
the bride
groom with his own hands. T he nuptials took place in the
palace of I timad-nd-daula, the Emperor Jahangir gracing the
occasion with his presence. The dowry was fix ed at five
lakhs of rupees. T he couple remained on terms of deep affection
throughout their lives.
I t must be noted that Shah Jahan was already the hnsShah Jam“
band of a wife when he married Mumtaz-as-Zamani. O ne “h“ WM ”
year and eight months before that marriage, he had beenafiianced to the daughter of a afi
'
ar H ussein Mirza, son of
Sultan H ussain Mirzi , son of Behram Mirzai , son of S hah
Ismai l Safvi , King of P ersia. T he marriage took place in
Rajah , 1019 A. II , when Shah Jahan was above 19 years of
age. T he result of the union was P urhnnar Bane Begam.
born 1 2 th Jamadinl-Akhir, 1020 A. H . Five and a halfyears
after his marriage with Mumtaz-nz -Zamani , he was married to
the daughter of Shah Nawaz Khan, son of Abdul Rahim
Khan- i -Khandn, out of,”according to Abdul H amid, motives of
policy.
”T hemarriage took place in Agra, and
'
the result_ of the
union was a son named P rince Jahan Afroz,who died in
Bnrhanpurat the age of oneyearandnine months. N otwithstand m, “m ,“
ing these two'marriages, H isMajesty was so much attached to m “ t°
Mumtaz-nz
Mumtaz-nz-Zaunam, that she was h is i nseparable compani on, and Zam b i
he could not part with her even when engaged in mili tary ex pedi
tions in remote parts of India such as the D eccan. What she
wanted was never refused. She, in particular, acquired great
fame for obtaining the free pardon of persons sentenced to under
go the ex treme penalty-of the law, and manywhom she
, cut of
AGBA 3 D E SC RIPT IV E .
compassion, recommended for the ex ercise of the King’
s preroga
tive, owed their life to her.
Shah Jahan had fourteen chi ldren by Mumtaz-uz-Zamani, of
whom eight were sons and si x daughters ; of these seven were
alive at the time of the Empress’
s death.
The following are the names of the ch ildren
1 . H nrnl-N isa (daughter)born in Agra on 8th Safar 102 2
A.H . ; died in 1025 A.H aged three years and one month.
2 . Jahan-Ara-Begam (daughter), commonly known as the
Begam Sahib, born on Saturday, the 2 l st Safar, 102 3 when
S hah Jahan was engaged in an ex pedi tion against the Rana of
Mewar.
3 . Mohammad D araS hekoh (son), born in Aj rnir after the t eturn of the Emperor from Mewar, on the night of Saturday, the
2 9th of S afar 1024 A.H .
4. Mohammad S hah Shuja (son), born in Ajmir on the
night of Sunday, the 18th ofJamadinl-Akhir, 1025 AH .
5. Roshanara Begarn (daugh ter), born in Bnrhanpur on the
2 nd of Ramazan 102 6 A.H .
6. Mohammad Aurangzeb (son), born on the night ofSatur
day, the 15th ofZ ikad 102 7
7. Ummed Baksh (son), born in the neighbourhood of Sar
hand on 11th Mnharram 1029 A.H . ; died in Bnrhanpnr
103 1 A.H .
8 . S nrinBanoBegam (daughter), born 2 oth Rajah 1030 died
103 7 at the age of seven years.
9. Another son, born 103 1 A.H .,but died a few days after.
N o name hadbeen gi ven to h im.
10. Mnrad Baksh (son), born in the fort of Rohtas on
Wednesday. the 2 5th of Z i lhij , 103 3 A. H .
1 1 . L ntl‘
nllah (son), born in Safer 103 6 ; died in Ramazan
1037, aged one year and 7 months.
D anlat Afza (son), born in 1037 died the following year.
A daughter, born in 1039 A. H . died the same year.
AGRA D ESCRI PTWE .
the garden of Zenabad across the Tapti river, in Burhanpnr, where
the king was then encamped, prosecuting the war against Khani
Jahan Lodi in the D eccan. T he bodywas interred in a plot of
ground in the midst of which was a beautiful fountain which
adorned the garden palace of Zenabad.
O n the afternoon of Thursday, the 2 5th of the month before :
mentioned, H is Majesty, having crossed the Tapti , visited the
gardenofZenabad to recite the Fatiha, or prayer, on the temporary
tomb of the Empress. H e made it his rule, as long as the camp ,
was in Burhanpur, to visi t the tomb every Friday. Grief so over
whelmed him that fora week he refused to see any Amir of
the Empire and did not appear at the Jharoka windowof the
Rhés Am,or transact any business of S tate. H e was more than
once heard to say that, i f the burden of an E mp ire had not lain
on his shoulders, and i f the precepts ofMohammedan law (S hara)had not strictly forbidden demonstrations of sorrow on the death
of anyone which in anyway infringed the rules of resignation
and full reliance on the will of the C reator, so overpoweredwas
he with grief, that he would have at once resigned the Empire
and diadem andmade a parti tion of the countryamong his sons.
For two years he abandoned all sorts of pleasurable pursuits,
especially the hearing of music and musical instruments, the
wearing ot‘
jewels, the use of perfumes, the partaking of rich food
and the wearing of precious costumes. O u the I d festivals and
other festi vities when the ladies of the royal householdassembled,
according to custom, about 11 18 person, the E mperor, missing his
beloved wife among them, could not help shedding tears. When
ever he went to the apartments in which the deceased had lived,not finding the object of his heart there, he invariably for a long
time afterwards could not help bursting into tears. Mulla Abdul
H amid, who has furnished these accounts , says that, at the time
of the death of Mumtaz -uz-Zamani , there were not more
than twenty white hairs in the king’
s heard, but in a short
time after the Queen’s death the number of such hairs greatly
increased.
According to Mulla Mohammad Saleh, for a long time after
the death ofMumtaz , mourning was observed in Court for the
whole month of Zika-ad each year, when the Emperor put on
ran TAJ.
white garments and all the Omerahs dressed themselves in
mourning costume.
T he Emperor was much attached to his eldest daughter, grgflf eslm
Jahan Ara Begam. O i the jewels, ornaments, andgoldand silver
coin, all valued at more than a karor of rupees, the Emperor
gave one half to the Begam Sahib and the other half to the
other chi ldren. All the household establishments previously
in charge of the deceased Empress were put under the control
of the Begam Sahib. The annual allowance of si x lacs, allow
cd to the deceased, was, on her death, transferred to the Begam,
with an addition of four lacs, half of which was cash and half
represented byajagir, or royal grant of land. Mirza Ishaq BegYezdi , the Mir Sdmén of the deceased, was appointed D iwan to
the Begam S éhib, and Basti-ul-N isa Khanam was, as in the
time of her mother, appointed to the charge of her seal and
the household affairs.
S i x months after the melancholy event, or on Friday, the Roman. of
17th of Jamadiulawal, 104 1 A. H . (163 1 A. the mortal $333“
remains of the deceased E mpress were sent to Akbarabad (Agra),1°
the D am l-khi lafat under charge of Prince Mohammed Shah
S huja Bahadur, Bastinl-N isa Khanam, the head of the Royal
household in the time of the late Empress who enjoyed her
fullest confidence, and in the words of Abdul H amid, understood
her temper,’
and who now was the head of the Royal house
hold affairs under the Begam S éhib, and Wazir Khan,‘ the
Physician Royal. Under orders of the Emperor, food and cash
in silver coin were distributed to the poor .and needyall the
way from Burhanpur to Agra, the last resting place of the
E mpress. T he si te selected for the mausoleum was to the south
of the city. I t was originallya palace ofmaMen S ingh but where they
i t was°
now the property of his grandson, Raja Jey S ingh.afthjgmggH is Majesty gave the Raja a lofty edifice from the Khalsagag?”
M“
estate in ex change for this bui lding , and the spot was used for
the mausoleum of the deceased Empress. T he interment at
this spot took place on 15th Jamdi -ul-Sani , 1041 A. H . At first
a temporary dome was built over the tomb , so that i t might
H is name was l lmuddin, a native of C hiniot in P unjab. H e founded thecelebratedmosque beari ng his name in Lahore.
T he famousmausoleumbui lt.
AGRA D ESC RI PT IV E .
remain concealed from the public view ; but, under orders of
the Emperor, an edifice was built over and around it which to
this dayremains the wonder of the world. The ex penditure on
this building was estimated at fifty lakhs of rupees.
A large outer gateway opens on to a spacious quadrangle,
surrounded byarcaded rooms of solid masonry and adorned by
T he C aravan feur gateways. This is the C aravan Serae where the travellersBerna.
and the poor were accommodated and entertained at S tate
ex pense. I t has been aptly remarked by the best of judges
that ‘ beautiful as i t is in itself, the Taj would lose half of i ts
charm if it stood alone.
’I t is the combination of the most
chaste structuresandofdiverse beauties andplans each subordinato
at to the other in the most ex act and perfect preportions that
have rendered the Taj , as a whole,what it is and such as the
world cannotmatch.
’
As you attempt to see i t, on entering the
caravan same, i t does not burst upon your v iew all at once, but.
like a coy maid, conceals i ts face, the grand portal opposite
serving as a veil to cover its transcendent form P assing over a.
broad pavement of stone, you enter a great gateway of red free
stone, a noble structure most elaborately carved and i nscribed
wi th sentences from the Koran. I t is surmounted by 26 wh ite
marble cupolas, wh ich rise over an octagonal room of about
45 feet square, wi th a roof like the inverted curve of a dome
and galleries disposed in the most appropriate manner. Righ t
and left of the inner passage are platforms, raised about eigh t
feet from the ground, on which merchants ex hibi t articles
for sale.
T he gateway opens on to a spacious quadrangle , feet
from east to west, and feet from north to south . I t is
surrounded by lofty red sandstone walls,with turrets at the
anglesandagatewayon three sides, and the fourth facing the river
Jumna. S lowly, as the demi - vault whose arch hangs high aboveis passed, a descent bya flight of steps reveals before your eyesthe lovely Taj wi th i ts thousand charms. You see before you
a sanctuary, pure and spotless as the sanctuary of heaven, dis
playing at once in the grace and symmetry of its form, th e
chasteness of its appearance and the majestyand efl'
ulgence of i ts
style, the lofty spirit of its founder. A long and wide pathway,
TH E TAJ.
‘
paved'
wi th square stones anddi viding the whole at thegarden
into two equal parts, now lies before you. I t is shaded by‘
a
delightful avenue of tall, dark cyprus trees, all in ex quisite
harmonywi th the solemnity of the scene.
After advancing a few paces towards the garden, the visitorgm°
°l fat.
would do well to turn round and view the back portions of the{1
31
3' to
1 oor.
architecture, which he will find as splendid and,
magnificent asthe front in all i ts detai ls, from the columns to the . arehi traves
and the cornices. O n either side of the pavilion along . the garden
wall, are a series of wide galleries, supported by lowcolumns.
According to Bernier, the poor were admitted into these galleriesthree times a week during the rainy season to recei ve the -alms
founded in perpetuity by S hah Jahan. T he traveller was an
eye-wi tness of the distribution of these chari ties, and thousands
were the needy fed here and to whom cash moneyand clothes
were also g iven by the State officers.
Between the gatewayand the Taj i tself is a spacious marble The Taj
platform, in the centre of wh ich sparkles a lovely little fountain“m um
of the same material and a long row of j ets déau placedsomefeet from each other and carried from end to 011 11. T he beautiful
walks on either side of this row of fountains,‘
eaeh ofwhich sends
up a single slender jet, branch off in difi'
erent directions andate
shaded by trees of various kinds. The stately palm, ,the
feathery bamboo , the handsome green‘banian and the shady
orange tree mingle their lux uriant foliage, whi le the odorifgrous
lemon flowers, roses, jasmine and other fragrant shrubs and
plants sweeten the air. T he garden is most tastefullykept up at
Government ex pense. T he eye thus cooled and refreshed, the
mind thus cheered and enlivened, a gentle walk of a quarter of a
mile through the principal avenue, brings you in contact wi th a
dead wall of whi te marble, to the right and left of which are a
double flight ofmarble steps of great smoothness and elegance.
These marble steps lead to a p latform,18 feet high and 31 311.
square, in the midst of which stands the mausoleum i tself.
Arri ved at the terrace or platform and pausing here, one Theplatform.
is lost in admiration at the beautyandmagnificence of the struc
ture. At everystep he discovers newbeauties. As one ex amines
AGRA 2 D E SC RI P T I V E .
each part, he is left in astonishment at the grandeurof the soul
that planned and the genius that ex ecuted so marvellous a
task. The tesselated pavement of black and white marble, form.
ing amosaic of great neatness and elegance, is surrounded on all
sides by a low parapet about two feet high . At each angle
Theminarets of the terrace stands a minaret,13 3 feet in height, of most
ex quisi te proportions, built of whi te marble, surmounted by a
light, graceful cupola supported on eight elegant p illars and
reached by a spiral staircase. I n the centre of the platform
stands the mausoleum,a square of 186 feet, encircled bya num
ber of turrets, all of the purest marble, descending one below the
other in regular succession. From the centre springs the princi
paldome, 3 8 feet in diameter and 80 feet in height, surmounted
bya gilt crescent, about 2 60 feet from the ground level. T he
upper terrace round the spring of the dome is protected by
a higher parapet of about 6 feet, each angle being surmountedby
cupolas supported on slender p illars ofmarble. These structures,
v iewed from the garden below, g ive the tout ensemble a light
and aerial appearance, affording ,on comparison with the bulky
dome near i t, a relief to the sight ; for wi thout them the vast
swelling wouldwear a heavy look .
The sides of the central octagonal room, about 60 feet in
diameter, face the four cardinal points and contain entrances,
each about 130 feet long. There are suites of octagonal rooms
all round, to the number of eight, having
.
direct communication
with the centre apartment. I n these rooms the Koran was
constantlyread by the Mullahs for the benefit of the soul of the
royal couple whose ashes lie buried here. Bernier, in his travels,
has referred to the reciting of the Koran by these Mullahs.
Tavernier, noticing the same subject, writes —“ From time
to time, theychange the carpets, chandeliers and other ornaments
of that kind, and there are always there some Mullahs to pray.
”
The elliptic arches forming the doors are each 18 feet h igh ,
and above each is an elli ptic window. The grand entrance is
formed ofa single pointed arch rising nearly to the cornice. T he
entrances and arches from the top to the basement, the
dome and the upper galleries of the minarets, are decoratedwi th
flowers in relief, cut out of marble in various patterns and inlaid
with ornamental designs in marble ofdifferent colours, especially
AGBA D E SC RIP T I V E .
wi th such ex actness and accuracythat they comprise tittyorsix tyvarietiesof stonesof difi
'
ereut colours wi thina space of less thanan
inch each , and with such finish anddelicacyof ex ecuti on are they
blended together that, seen with the naked eye, they produce the
appearance of natural flewers truly imitated. I t is only wi th
the aid of a microscope that they can be distinguished. Tho
eenotaphs are surrounded with an octagonal screen eight feetp ar.
high , carved out of solid blocks of white marble, highly polished,
the doorway to the enclosure, in the shape of an are, being a
couple of feet higher. T he carving is open tracery in ex cellent
devices, the li lies, irisis and other flowers being inter-wrought in
the most intricate ornamenteddesigns. T he surface of the walls
internally is highly polished and furnishes evidence of sculptural
art in its greatest intricacy, minuteness and elegance. All the
spandrels and angles are embellished with wh i te marble oi'
the
purest description, inlaid with precious stones such as bloodstone,
jaspers, agates and the like, representing wreaths of flowers,
scrolls and frets, and set in a hundred ways, forming , according'to the best judges, the most beautiful and precious style of
ornament ever adopted in architecture.
”
“The judgment, indeed, says Fergusson, with which this
style of ornament is apportioned to the various parts is almostone remarkable as the ornament itself, and conveys a high idea
of the taste and sk ill of the Indian architects of that age.
I nscriptions The following is the inscription on the tomb of Shahon th e tomb .
018116“
upM l f lash; gau dulyé)3 L
:
dqj th ‘
11} uyu—‘g j li sLi-J
'
ealta sl itsV300 bi b le l
fi
l u mI 5« Li n
«1 12 0 1 1 130 67»
9 4 1 1 13ffi ': W m u v
a' 1 9
-1 “119 11
N .)J! Jli sii l g
in J la. 3 Kc k"3 1.5 U lfi j l 4 1 9
0
The illuminated sepulchre and sacred resting place of H is most ex alted
Majesty, dignified as Razwan,° hav i ng h is abode in paradise and his
dwelling in the starry heaven,1' dweller in the reg ions of bliss, the second
lord of constellation, Shah Jahan, the K ing valiant, may his mausoleum
:rRszwan is the name given by the Mohammadans to the guardian cf
ra use.1»'l' T he word is I llim
'
n. some reg ionabove the starry heavens. where . accordingto t he belief of the Mohammadans. all souls of the pious assemble afterdeath.
T hese are th e regionswhere only the angels have access.
The E cho .
AORA D ES C RIPT IV E .
The following is inscribed on the Emperor’
s sarcophagus in‘
the real tomb
The sacred sepulchre of H is most ex alted Majesty, dweller of paradise,
the second lord of constellation, the King S luih Jalu’
m,may h is mausoleum
ever flourish, 1076 A. H (1665A.
T he inscriptions on the tomb of the Empress are the same as
on the upper sarcophagus.
T he vaulted chamber was, during the lifetime of Shri h Jahtin
opened once a year, namely, on the anni versary of the death of
the queen Mumtaz Mahal, wi th great ceremony, and professors
of other religions were not admi tted into i t. Bernier,in h is
travels, has thus referred to this prohibi tion of a(lmissionz—“Asno
C hristian is admi tted wi thin, lest its sancti ty should be profaned,
I have not seen the interior, but I understand that nothing can be
conceivedmore rich andmagnificent.
The stately dome of the Taj produces an echo at once pure ,
sweet and prolonged. A single tone floats and soars in the vault
overhead in a delicious v ibration ; reverberated echoes augment
into a volume of harmonious voices, fading away graduallyunti l
they are swallowed up in the blue vault o f heaven. Writers are
most enthusiastic indescribing the effects producedby the nadnla
tion. I pictured to myself,”
says one, the effect of anArabic or
P ersian lament for the lovelyMumtaz sung over her tomb. T he
responses that would come from above in the pauses of the song
must resemble the harmonies of angels in paradise.
"Another
, re
ferring to the vibrations caused bya low sweet song of praise and
peace, says,“ I t is as though some congregation of the skies were
chanting their earnest hymns above our heads.
”T he masterly
pen of Raynor thus paints the majesty, the awe, and the pro
found and dignified stillness of the vaulted chamber
The ball, notwithstanding the precious materials of which i t
is built, and the elaborate finish of its ornaments, has a grave
and solemn effect, infusing a peaceful serenity of mind, such as
we feel when contemplating a happydeath. S tern, unimagina
tive persons have been known to burst suddenly into tears on
even after death. But his subsequent capti vityprevented the
ex ecution of his design, and, when he died, his austere son,
Aurangzeb, as has been alreadynoted, buried him by the side
of his wife, observing My father entertained a great affection
for my mother ; so let his last resting place be close to here.
"
Thus, in the words of Mr. Taylor, Fate conceded to L ove what
wasdenied to vanity.
”
T he sight of the Taj bymoonlight ismost entrancing. The
whole structure appears to sparkle like a diamond in the brightslanting rays ; and the pure white dome, raised on amarble pave
ment, viewed from a distance, looks like abrilliant pearl on asilveryplate.
"
The decorations on the marble wall seem like so
many gems set on an ornament, while the calm stream flowingbyits side, coupledwith the soft shadowcast aroundby the trees,
adds to the loveliness of the scene. Nothing but a whisperingbreeze breaks the surrounding calm.
Recent writersdiffer as to the or1gin and conception of the
design of the Taj . S ome suppose that i t was planned byan
Italian artist and others that aFrench artist was the author offl fi fl fl “
the eaisite inlaid work on marble which xs to be seen here 1n
the highest perfection. The court of S hah Jahan was visi ted by
the French travellers,Bernier andTavernier, and theyhave given
a full account of the building in their respective Travels.
Tavernier sawthe commencement and completion of the Taj . andBernier came to India onlyfive years after it had been finished.
I f any of their countrymen, or if any E uropean artist, had been
the author of the design, i t isnot at all likelythat theywould
have omitted mention of i t in their chronicles, and would not
have been the first to give them the credit which might have
been justly due to them. But not even an allusion to i t has
been made by them in the accounts they have furnished to
posterity of the results of their inspection of this wonderful
building. Moreover, the Taj itself aflords the best evidence thati t owes its ex istence to no foreign design. O ne look at it,
”
writesan E nglish author, ought to assure any intelligent man,
that this is false, nay, impossible from the verynature of the
thing . The Taj is the purest Saracenic in form, proportions and
ornamental designs. I f that were not sufficient, we have stil
mmm .
the name of the Moslem architect sculptured upon the building .
Another E nglish writerobserves T he idea stamped upon the
building is entirelyMohammedan andOriental.”The idea is in
perfect accord wi th the love of symmetry characteristic of the
Moslemnations, and the Taj is most assuredly the highest work
of art of Saracenic style, the verymarvel of mausoleums.
The building of the Taj was commenced in 1630, or one year D upe p f
after the death of Mumtaz Mahal. T he date of the completion
of the building. inscribed on the front gateway, is 1057
I t thus took eighteen”years to complete. The cost was three
millions sterling.
T he silver gates of theMausoleum, which were removed and S i lver gates.
melteddown by the Jats, alone cost Rs. l ,27,000.
We are told'
in the Badshak Namah that , in 1042 (163 2 Solid gold
a fence or enclosune of solid gold studded with gems was“009 °
placedaround the Empress’
s sarcophagus. I t was made under
the directions of Bebadal Khan, the Superintendent of the
Royal Kitchen (Khdsd, Shdrifd), and was a perfect specimen of
the art of Indian jewelry. I t weighed forty thousand tolahs of
pure gold andwas valued at sixlakhs of rupees. The interior of
the Mausoleum was decorated with a variety of chandeliers,
candles, andornamental lamps, lanterns of various sizes, shadesand
colors, which had cost lakhs ofrupees, andwhich, coupledwi th the
highly-finished carpets of Tehran and Constantinople that were
spread on the floor, made the place resemble a fairyscene, or
a paradise on earth.
I n the year 1052 Al l . (1642 AD .) the golden palisade above
mentionedwas removed, as it was feared that gold in such mass
wouldbe ex posed to the dangerof theft byill-tlisposedpeople, and
in its steadthe present not work of marble, previously referred
to, wasput up.+ This structure, which in elegance and beautyis amaster-piece of sculp ture, was, according to the Badshah Nama,
prepared in a period of ten years, at a cost of fifty thousand
rupees. I n 1720 a sheet of pearls, made by Shdh Jahan for
According to Tavernier, 2 2 years, which , 110'
doub l d t
the construction of the bui ldings attached to the Taj , thet’drfagag
a
Selxofg
izd 0!
See page 110ants.
AGBA W W I }.
covering the tomb of Mumtaz Mabel, at a cost of lakhs of
rupees was removed.
I witnessed, says Tavernier, the commencement and
accomp lishment of th is great work, on which they have
ex pended twenty-two years, during which twenty thousand
men worked incessantly; this is sufficient to enable one to realise
that the cost of i t has been enormous. I t is said that the
scaffolding alone cost more than the entire work , because, from
want of wood. they had all to be made of brick , as well as
the supports of the arches ; this has entailed much labour and
a heavy ex penditure. Shah Jahan began to bui ld his own
tomb on the other side of the river, but the war which he
hadwi th his sons, interrupted his plans, and Aurangzeb, who
reigns at present, is not disposed to complete it. An eunuch
in command of men guards both the tombs of Begam and
the Tasemacan, to which it is near at hand.
”
The artists; T he P ersian historians of Shah Jahan have given full lists
of the workmen from diverse countries who assisted in the
building of the T i j , and of the materials used, as well as their
dimensions and price. We gi ve only a summary of these here,
from a manuscript Persian work called the Tafi kh-i -d Mahal,
1n possession of the Khddims, or hereditary custodians of the
mausoleum.
“a emf T he chief”
archi tect was Ustad I sa, called the Naksha Nawis,
or the plan-drawer ; his salarywas Rs. a month. H is son
,
Mohamed Shari f, was employed as an archi tect on Rs. 500 a
month. The passages from the Koran in the Tughra characters,
inscribed on difi‘
erent parts of the bui lding, were ex ecuted bythe Illuminator, Amanat Khan oi
‘
Shiraz, who received a salary
ofRs. a month . H is name is found inscribed in bold
Tughra characters on the right handside as the tomb is entered.
I t is thus given after the date, A. H . lo48. The humblefakir
Amanat Khan of Shiraz. The mastermason was one Mohamed
H anif, from Baghdad. also on Rs. amonth . There were
also Ismail Khan, the architect of the dome, a resident of Rum
(Asiatic Turkey). on Rs. 200 amonth ; Mohamed Khan, writing
See page 54 ante.
No building in the civilized world -bas beenthe subject Ofso much enthusiastic admiration on the part of writers and
trxi vellers of diverse conntries and nationalities as the Taj at
Agra. H uman taste and human ideas alwaysdifi'
er. . Yet historians of the E ast andpoets of theWest have united in .eulogrung
i t ssplendouras the most magnificent architecturalmonument ever
raisedby the yanity ofman. Travellers from the remotest parts
of the globe have been equallyenthusiastic in its praise .
I t maybe interesting to know, first of all, what the opinion of
the founder himselfwas of this edifice, which he left in the world
asagloryandmonument of his genius, thus leaving aneverlastingstamp of his passionate love for his departed wife on the earth
’
s
surface, and also of his pride and vanity.
The following eloquent poems of Shah Jahan’s own composi
tion in praise of the Taj are reproduced from the pages of the
Badshah Nama ofMullaAbdul H amid of Lahore
aw lz M as H Q ),
H owex cellent the sepulchre of the lady of Bilqis'
s ' fameT hat a cradle for the body of the P rincess of the world became.
Bilqiswas a ueen of the cityof Saba inYaman in th ti f SolP ro hot. She was amons for her beauty andwas afire-worzhig
l
n. 801m:$13so
ito theMnssalmanwri ters, sent her a letter inv i ting her to m enace the
fai th 0 herancestors and embrace that of h is own. H e sent this letter through ahoopoo bird which acted as a messen r. T he neen resented h ItP rophet and became a convert to his ai th . S he
Qbeoanibthe wh ogms c
t»?
P ro het. H afiz, the celebrated t of Shi has said'
thmeezage of hoopoo to the cityof baz
M an reference to the
MT“ . Q -s j lfa tfifi M M Mfg
Lyn ch Jr.)“J‘ i l go)
.
H ai lmind for once more has blown themorning bassesT he hoopoo from the ci tyof Saba has brought the happy tidings.
L ike the garden of heavena brilliant spot,
Full of fragrance like paradise fraught with ambcréris.
i n the breadth of its court perfumes from the nose-gay of sweetheart
rise,
The nymphs of paradise use their eye-lids for cleaning its threshold.
I ts walls andgates glitterwith gems,The air is there fresh and delightful like the bri lliancyof pearl.
The architect of this sacred edifice
Brought water for i t from the fountain of grace.
Ou t his sacred edifice orhigh renownShowers of mercyare ever pouring .
Should guilty seek asylum here,L ike one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to th is mansion,All his past sins are sure to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs
And makes sun andmoon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world th is edifice has beenmade
To display thereby the C reator’
s g lory.
Aswas to be ex pected, Shah Jahan, in praising the edifice, his
own creation, has written in hyperbolic style, and, according to
the fashion of the time, composed his poems i n figurati ve
language ; nevertheless, theyshow the warmth of his heart, and
that he fully realized the idea of the greatness of the mau
soleumwhich he has left to posterity, awonder of the world, and
a gorgeous and glorious gift to this splendid E mpire.
S irWilliam H unter takes the beautiful domes of the Taj for
adream ofmarble.
”The Taj , says he, represents the most
highly elaborated stage of ornamentation reachedby the Indo
Mohammedan builders, the stage in which the architect endsand
the jeweller begins."Bayard Taylor describes it as a thing of
perfect beauty and of absolute finish ; in everydetail it might
pass for the work of geni i who knewnaught of the weakness and
i llswith which mankind are beset.
I t is too pure, says a writer,“too holy to be the work of
human hands. Angels must have brought i t from heaven, and
a glass case should be thrown over it to preserve i t from every
breath of air.
”
A Russian artist describes it as a lovelywoman, abuse her as
you please, but the moment you come into her presence, you
AGBA D ESCRI PT IVE .
submit to its fascination. Mr. Keene on this remarks Admit
ting that there is°
something slight and efl'
eminate in the general
design which cannot be altogether obliterated or atoned forby
the beauty of decoration, the simile seems just and calls to mind
the familiar couplet in the Rape of the L ock.
I f to her share some female errors fall,
L ook in her face and you’
ll forget themall.
I n the words of Bishop H aber, though everything is finishedlike an ornament for adrawing room chimney-piece, the general
eti‘
ect produced is rather solemn and impressive than gaudy.
"
Mr. James Fergussonwrites of i t, With i ts puri tyofmaterial
and grace of form, the Taj may challenge comparison wi th any
creation of the same sort in the world. I ts beauty maynot be
of the h ighest class, but in i ts class i t is unsurpassed.
”As oh
served by awri ter, while the sepulchral works adorning the
valley of the N ile will be regarded aswondersof art for their soli
dityof construction and sublimity of conception, the Taj at Agrashall always call forth the admiration ofmankind for i ts beingthe most ex quisite specimen of human architectureand the most
gorgeous romance ofwedded love.
” I asked my wi fe,”
says
S leeman, when she had gone over it, what she thought of the.
bui lding ?‘ I cannot,
’said she,
‘ tell you what I th ink, for Iknow not how to cri ticise such a bui lding, but I can tell
you what I feel ; I would die to-morrow to have such another
over
I t has been truly said of the Taj that i t is in architecture
what the V enus de Medici is in sculpture, or Shakespeare in
poetry.
N o description, however vivid or precise, observes the
Reverend French, no colouring , however brilliant or varied,
even i f supplemented with paintings or drawings, can give one
a correct idea of the Taj for i ts nobleness, an edifice unparalleled
in the annals of E astern architecture.
”
£220 p
arting H aving once come in contact wi th this marvel of monuments.it is not without some reluctance that one severe hi mself from a
spot made so lovelybyart and so rich andattractive bymemorien .
AGRA 2 D ESCRI PT I V E .
No Eastern p i ince forwealth orwisdomfamed,N o mortal hands this beauteous fabric framed.
111 death’
s cold arms the fairMumtaza slept,And sighs over J11mna
’s winding water crept,
T ears such as angels weep, with fragrance filled,
Around her grave in pearlydraps disti lled.
There fi x ed for ever firm, congealed they stand,
A fairy fabric, pride of I ndia'
s land.
The first anniversary of the death ofMumtazMahal took place
in the month of Z ikad, 1041 A. H . (163 1 According to
theBadshahNama, grand preparations were made on the occasion
in the Taj Mahal. The officials of the Royal household
(Mutasaddian - i -Bayutat), acting under the k ing’
s order,
adorned the courtyard of the mausoleum with superb tents and
costly Shamia'
nas. All the princes of blood royal and the Ami rs
and grandees at the metropolitan ci tyassembled to do honour to
the occasion. S o did all the learned men of the fai th, the
S hcikhs, the Ulamas andthe H afizes (those who recollect the
Koran by heart). T he grandees took their seats according to
rank under the Shamia'na, and the Emperor graced the assemblywith his presence. At H is Majesty
’s command, Yaminuddoula
AsifKhan, the fatherof the lamented Empress, took his seat alongwith MohamedAli Beg, the Persian envoy. A table-cloth having
been then spread, the most magnificent dinner, consisting of a
variety of delicious foods, sweetmeats, and frui ts, was served to
the guests assembled, and verses from the Koran were read and
prayers offered for the benefit of the soul of the deceased. O ut
of one lakh of rupees set apart fordistribution as alms to the poor
assembled on the occasion, fifty thousand were distributed the
same day, while the remaining fifty thousand were distributed 0 11
the following day. I t was also ordered that, on the anniversary
of each successive year, fifty thousand rupees be spent in alms
when H is Majesty should be in the metropolis, but when he
should be out in camp , then a sum of rupees twelve thousand
should be spent for the purpose.
S hah JahAn’
s Whenever the King was in the metropolis, he attended thev isits to themausoleum. annlversary of h1s queen 1 11 the company of hls afl
'
ectlonate
daughter, the Begam Sahib, and the ladies of the harem. T he
Anonymous.
FATI ‘E H PUR S IKBI .
lad1es occupied the central platform, being concealed from the
i mblic gaze by Kanats, or screens of red cloth and velvet, while
the Ami rs assembled under Shamianas which were p 1tched for
the occasion. The fix ed sum of rupees fifty thousand was on
each occasiondistributed 1n alms,half on the day
‘
oi the anniver
saryand half on the following day.
People assembled on the occasion of the anniversary from all
parts of India.
FAT T E H P UR S IKRI .
About 2 3 miles south-west of Agra and 141 mi les from the51h
Bha1 tpur fort lie the magnificent ruins of Fattehpur S ikri, the S ikd .
Windsor ofAgra, the imperial residence ofAkbar. I t 1s situatedon the same line as the oldMoghul road, and crosses, on the way,some ancient irrigation works and bridges now no longerm use.
Fattehpur S ikri, nowamunicipal town of the Karowli Tehsil, or
S ub D ivision of Agra, derives i ts name fi om two vi llages that lie
close to each other. S ikri, once a lonely hamlet, is adorned with
substantial buildings, prominent among which is that belonging tothe descendants of the chief architect who superintended the
construction of the palaces for which Fattehpur is justly famous.
Fattehpur was the name given to i t bythe Emperor Akbar, inhonour of the birth there of his son Salem, afterwards Jahang ir.I n the Ain- i -Akbari , Fatehpur, alias S ikri , is mentionedas one of
th e 42 Parganas, or Sub-D ivisions, of the Suba (P rovince)ofAgracalled the D arul Khilafat.
I t was a dependency of the S irkar of Biana, comprising 3 3 Account 11
mdltals. Abul Fazl thus notices it in the Ain-i -Akbari 21
1213121
.
1.
Fattehpur S ikri, a vi llage ofBiana, issituatedat a distanceof twelve kos from the D arul-Khilafat. Through the auspices ofH is Majesty i t has become one of the most magnificent cities of
the world. A fort of sandstone has been founded here, and on
one of its gates have been placed two elephant statues. I t has
been embellishedwith lofty edifices. O u the summits of billshave
been constructed the Royal palace and the houses of the grandees
of the Empire, while the plains overlooked by the hills are
adorned with numerous summer houses and sumptuous gardens.
Bythe commandof H isMajestyamosque, school.
andmausoleum
sans D t scan’nvn.
have been built on the hills, and theyare of such beauty and
elegance that, according to personswho have travelled through
the world, there are fewedifices on earthwhich can equal them in
magnificence. Close to the cityare ex tensive hunting grounds on
which H is Majesty has laid out a cricket ground and built
a tower from which he witnesses the con:bats of elephants.
H ere is a mine of red sandstone out of which stones for
pillars and flanks can be cut in such quantity as mayhe wished. Through the auspices of the Asylum of the
Universe, cloth and silk tex tures of ex cellent quality can be
manufactured here, and the artisans ofall classes are thriving.
I n the record of the l6th year of the reign (1571 AD .)Abul
Fazl gives an account of the bui ldings at Fattehpur S ikri . H e
writes z—S ikri , adependencyofBiana, became the chiefcity(Misrijama). The Emperor of the world, who has the good of his
subjectsat heart, directedhisattention towards the embellishmentof this place. S ikri being the fortunate place of the birth ofRoyal
Princes and being the residence of S heik Salem the chosen of
God, H is Majesty resolved on fix ing his royal residence here, as
wellasmaking it theabode ofthe grandees of the Empire. Accord
inglyunder orders of H is Majesty, royal palaces of great beauty
and magnificence were built here, and the nobles of all rank
constructed elegant edifices for their residence. Order was also
given to lay the foundations of a fort of red sandstone. In
a short time, S ikri became a great city with mausoleums, college
and public baths a bazarwas built of stone, and the grounds in
the environswere laidoutwith fine gardens, canals andaqueducts.
The city became the envy of the great cities of the world. H is
Majestygave it the name Fattehabad, but the place came in time
to be calledFattehpur by the people, and the Emperoraccorded
his sanction to that name.
The fort ofAgrawas commenced in the loth year of Akbar’
s
reign, or in 1566 A.D . , and it was not until the commencement
of the 14th year of the reign, or three years later, that Fattehpur
S ikri was selected as a royal residence. Traces of fortifications
that had been begun are still to be seen at the last-mentioned
place, and itwas the intention of the Emperor to build his entire
metropolis there. For the nex t 17'years, or until the ai st yea; Q t
ransares smart
the reign (1586 he heldhis court at FattehpurS ikri , which 18 called andbeoo th
came to be styled in public correspondence the D arul Khilafat, and11232
153:6
Agrawas thenominalcapital. Wheneverthe Emperorset out on 1509 to 1586
ex peditions, he left hiswives and familyat Fattehpur S ikri , hisA'D '
favouri te place of residence. AbulFazl in the Akbmmamah gives
a graphic account ofthe arrivals of H is MajestyatFattehpur after
long journeysand the wayinwhich hewas greetedby themembers
of his household, the royal princes and the nobles on such
occasions. When, afterquelling the distnrhenes atGujrat, raised
byMirza H ussein (when he performed the marvellous journey of
more than 450mileswith such celerity that, in spite of the season,
he collectedan armyand reached the seat ofwar on the ninth dayfrom leaving Agra), he returned to Agra, after an absence of only43 days (on Monday. the 6th ofOctober the return of the
royal camp was made an occasion of great rejoicings. As the
Emperor approached his favourite residence, S ikri , he mounted
his war-horse, a grey chargerwith henna-stained mane and tail,
gracefullyholding his spear in his hand. Before himmarchedhis
body-guard and his royal comrades with lances adorned with
golden balls on the top. The entire royal household and the
Ami rs, who hadbeen left behind, came out to the foot of the bills
to greet him. Intense was the joyandenthusiasm that prevailed.
The uproar of the acclamations and the strains of music from the
portals oi the grand mosque filled the air and announced the
news of victoryfar andwide. I t may be interesting to describe
the event in the author’
s own beautiful language. Abul Fazl
says
0 00 C JJ) ul-zaJd o ” 1: u) ?
L0 b fr j u j lwit ” rim
s?
At one watch before sunset H isMajesty came to Fattehpur,
the seat of the Emp ire, like health in life and soul in body.
Fresh waters came into the brook, and the world became like
a garden. Their H ighnesses the Begams, the princes of high dig
nity and the secludedinmates of the chaste household, gained
Adm : D ESCRIPTIVE .
honour and prosperity by beholding H is Majesty’s countenance .
T he ceremonies of offering were performed in the best style, and
the eyes of those who had longed for an interview acquired in
creased brightness.
”
An arrival afteranabsence oftenmonths in the Punjab is thus
celebrated in the poems ofMullaFyzi quoted byhis brotherAbul
Fazl in the same work
—da fli ot ‘gj lt d gay fl wai rl lae clg w
The breeze of joy is scented fromFattehpur,For my King is coming from a long journey.
H ow prosperous H is Majesty’s arri val, for every moment
from the heart of the people
A thousand joys are displayed.
May h is arri val be fortunat e to the world, 0 Fazi .
For the whole people are coming to greet him.
H isMajesty entered Fattebpur through a via tri umphatis o i
nobles and elephants, and was greeted by troops, dancers and
performers andmoved to the sound of the martial drum.
T he rebellion ofhis half brother, Mohammad H akim Mirza, towhom Akbar hadgiven the kingdom of Kabul, and his incursions
into the Panjab, compelled Akbar to move from Fattehpur to
Lahore, which for fourteen years enjoyed the di stinction of beingthe capi tal of the Empire. I t was not until the 43rdyear of the
reign, or 1598A.D .; when the E mperorreturned to H industan, that
Agra became the real capi tal. The reasons which led H is
Majesty ultimately to choose Agra for his metropolis have been
described From 1598 to 1605, when Akbar died, he
held his court at Agra, though Fattehpur continued to be h is
favourite residence. Fattehpur was, properly speaking , Akbar’
s
Windsor, Agra his London. The gateways are called respectivelyTheGates.
D elh i, Lal Agra, AJmere, Tab1ra, S uraJpol and C handanpol.
Birth ofSalemAllami S heikh Abul Fazl, in giving an account of the
affix?“ 14th year of Akbat
’
e reign, informs us in the Akbarnamah
See the closing portion of these accounts.
128 AGRA 2 H ISTORI CAL .
saints of India, H is Majesty, in order to gain the desired end,
conceived the idea of having recourse to his blessed threshold.
H e therefore made a vow to himself that, should God the
Most H igh endow him wi th a son, he would travel on foot
from Agra to the mausoleum of his holiness, a distance of 140
kos, to pay his homage to it. I t so pleasedGod that I wasborn on Wednesday, the 17th of Rabi ul Awal 977 A. H .
D uring the time when myfatherwas desirous of being endowed
with a ch ild, there lived on a hill near S ikri , a village of
Agra, a D arwesh, S hekh Salem, a perfect devotee and a
man of very advanced years. P eople living in the vicinity
of the hi ll had great respect for his Spiritual powers. Myfather, who had much confidence in the D arweshes, made the
acquaintance of the Shekh. O ne day, as the Shekh was in a
state of ex cessi ve enthusiasmandrapture, he asked him howmanysons hewould have. The Fakir answered The bestower who
maketh his gift unsolici tedwill endow thee with three sons.’ My
father rejoined I make avowto place myfirst born son inyour
lap and consign him to your care, so that you may become his
protector and guardian.
’
T he S hekh consented to this and
ex claimed : ‘ H ai l ! I , on my part, give him my own name.
’
When mymother was about to be confined, she was sent to
the S hekh’
a house in order that my birth should take place
there. When I was born, I was named Sultan Salem. But
I never heard my father call me, either in a state of
consciousness or unconsciousness, by the nameMohammad Salem.
or S ultan Salem. While speaking to me, he always called
me Shekhu Babe.
Myrevered father, regarding the village of S ikri, mybirth
place, as fortunate for himself, made it his cap ital, and in the
course of fourteen or fifteen years the hills and deserts which
abounded in beasts of prey, became converted into a magnificent
citycomprising numerous gardens, elegant edifices and pavilions
and other places of great attraction and beauty. After the
conquest of Gujrat, the village was namedFattebpur.
Akbar fulfilled his vow by performing a pilgrimage on foot
fromAgra to Ajmere, where the shrine of the saint Moinuddin
Chishti is.
In modern times Fattehpur S ikri is famous as the seat 910 11 5114debts!ruins.
onset the grandest groups ofancientarchitecturalremains inUpper
India. N owhere in the whole of India is to be found coileeud
in one spot such a collection of ancient buildings andmonuments
of all shapes and sizes and of such solidity, massiveness and ex
cellence. still, fm the most part, in astate of perfect preservation,
as is to be seen at this place. Their stability is accounted for by
the circumstance that theyare built of the most substantialmate
rials anddurable cement. According to one authority,‘theadhesive
qualities of the latter have surprised engineers and puzzled even
chemists in their endeavours to analyze the various ingredients of
which it is composed.
’The deserted palacesand court rooms are
specimens of the most elaborate carving . As remarked by an
acute observer : I t is awilderness of sculpture, where invention
seems to have been tax ed to the utmost to produce new combinaq
tions of ornaments. E verything i s carved in a sandstone so fine
that, ex cept where injured byman, it appearsnearlyas sharp as
when first chiselled.
’
I t is a dead city an unburied P ompeu. Although the build. The balm.
ings have stood deserted for nearly three hundred years, they
are still in a state of perfect preservation, and produce the most”mm “
v ividimpression on themindof the visitor. T he gracefuloriginali ty
of the design and the splendour and beauty of the architecture
create an ex alted idea of the founder and bring before the eye
a lively image of the splendour of the great Mugbal. The
animated picture of ancient grandeur thus brought before the
observer requires no great force of imagination to picture Akbar,h is harm and his court in occupation of these lovelycourts and
palaces.
The architectural remains of Fattehpur S ikri , about si x or Their ex tent.
sevenmiles in circuit and surrounded by a battlemented loftywall of red sandstone, are situated on the ex tremity of a low
range of bills. Approaching the ruins from the Eastern, or Agra,
direction over a fair road which is easily traversed by dawk.
ghary, the first object which greets the traveller’
s eye is aspaci
ous gateway, on either side of which are dwellings in a state of The p m ".
dilapidation and long since deserted. Musing on the sad
aolemnityof the scene, you toi l up a deep ascent, with long
17
ranges of ruins and the remains of palaces and habitations ; some
in tolerablygoodcondition, others sbapelessmasses of bewn stone.
Ou one side are a series of vaulted chambers, known as the mint,of andon the other s ball, said to be the H all of Accounts. To the
left of the mint isa spacious quadrangle, 860 feet by 180, with
a series of cloisters on i ts four sides, supported by columns of
free sandstone. This forms the court of the D ewan-i -Am, or
the H all of P ublic Audience, a small ball with awide verandah
overlook ing the court. The colonnade afforded accommodation
to the vast multi tude who assembled here to pay their homage
to the E mperor, or to present petitions before him,or represent
the1r g nevanees, or wi tness the administration of justice byone of the greatest monarchs who ever wielded the sceptre of
this great Empire. Akbar took his royal seat in the small
oblong balcony on one side of the court or stood, as he whs
accustomed to do, in the vestibule, to receive the salutations
oi'
the crowds who assembled there, thus gaining the confidence
of all his subjects. H ere were also held parades of men at
arms and of animals.
P assing through a narrow passage, we come across another
wide court, to the left of which is a spacious building of red
granite, nowusedas a rest-house for travellers, but formerly the
E mperor’
s Record Ofl ce (D aftarkhana).
A little further on is a paved courtyard, 2 10 feet by 1 20, with
a corridor, or suite of chambers, supporting all round an upper
' tier, or range of rooms, havmg cupolas at the four angles. T his
1s the Emperor’
s P alace, or KhasMahal.
T he outer walls of trelliswork ofwhite marble andred grani tethat concealed the royal inmates from the public view, have
all disappeared ; but the remains of the screens are still to be
traced due east to the opposite angle. O n the south of the
t eourtyard is the khwabgah, or King’
s sleeping chamber, a square~
of less than fifteen feet, where the Emperor and his wives took
their siesta after a dinner time.
The Khawb
I t is surmounted by the royal bed-room, a small chamber of
15 feet square, but of singular beauty and simplicity. I t has
fourdoors, one on each side, over each of which is inscribeda
FAI T BH P UB BIKRI .
hemistich in P ersian, the whole forming a stanza complimentary.to the Royal occupant. I t is as follows
6 417 l} e lf ! Lfifi
M l); M ur lyh t u d ls
wfi fl i j l fl efi j fl é w M UyAS
d é. uw- é li Qwfi w é h '
The janitor of P aradise may see his face in thy chamber floor,The dust of thycourt is collyrium for the light of the eyes.
The palace of the King is in every respect better than sublime
paradise
I t is beyond question, what is heaven compared to it
N orth-west of the Khas Mahal is a small mosque intended T he Ladies’
as a chapel for the royal ladies, and a suite of chambers which 0mm"
were used as a hospital. O n the cast are the apartments known
as those of Istamboli Begam, the Emperor’
s Turkish wife. TheP alms of h ,
palace lastnamedcomprises specimens of the most elaborate carv “mm“3 °
ing andworkmanship, representing highly imaginative scenes from
nature and art. There are to be seen the forest scenery, the
H imalayas, the lovely birds of the hill regions, the wi ld beasts
of the jungle, alternate with the sprawling dragons of C hina,
the palm trees of Africa, the vine and other fruit trees of India,wreaths of flowers and bunches of grapes hanging over the doors
in festoons. The pi llars outside are decorated with representa
tions of trees andflowers of various kinds in bold relief.
T o the right of the Emperor’
s palace, or KhasMahal, and ad The Sonehri
joining it, is the building known as the S onehri Manzil, or tham‘mu'
golden palace, an upper roomed square pavilion, nowno longer
embellishedwith golden ornaments or gilt decorations. The in
terior wallsare covered with paintings in fresco. There are the
scenes o i'
the adventures of the hero Rustam, as described i n the
Shahnama; the historyof the Persian kings in poetry, byFir
donsi , the celebrated poet of Mahmud the Ghiznivide Sultan, a
work of which Akbar was part icularly fond. T he niches and
arches over the doors andwindows contain scenes and p ictures
of various character, but chiefly of religious significance. The
house was once decorated throughout wi th gildings andpaintings,
withinandwithout, the arches of the verandahs being inscribed
with eloquent couplets by‘
azi, brother of Abul Fazl, but all
18! mm :m m
these have been obliterated. T he seal of the modernMoslemshas destroyed many carved figures and images, but tracss ‘
them are still visible.
535 3
105“ The art of painting is not encouragedby Mohamadanism, on
the ground that man, however sk illed in art, is imperfect, and
his knowledge of the nature and beauties of God’
s vast creation,
however advanced in comparison with particular sections of the
human community, is defective , and that i t is idle to imitate the
m ks of Godand attemptmaking likenessesof them. Akbar, who
was aman of broad principles, did not share such conservative
views. From his early youth H is Majesty showeda great pre
dilection forthe art of painting andgave i t everyencouragement,tor he looked upon i t asameans of both culture and amusement.
Abul Fazl, in the Ain, has written interesting notes regardingAkbar’s views on theart. O ne day, at a private party, when the
subject of Musalman views on the subject was being discussed,H i Majestyobserved that painters, in his opinion, had peculiarmeans of recognising God and appreciating his perfections.
A p i nur,”continued be
, in sketching anything that has
us and in designing parts of a living subject, must come
to feel that he is incapable of real creation, and thus his
mind is turned to God, the Bestower of life, and the knowledge of h is heart is enlarged.
”H is Majesty himself sat for
his likeness andthe likenesses ofall thegrandees of the‘
realmwere
taken. H e hadmore than one hundred painters in his employ.
l.Thechief feature in the ornamentation and architecture of
the Sonehri Manzil isaGreek C ross, and the remains, on one offi e
“ doors of an Annunciation, the figure of the V irgin and an angel,
parts of which onlycan be now traced. Tradition ascribes t‘his
palace as the abode of Akbar'
aC hristian wife, one Bibi Mariam;and the guides assert she wasa P ortuguese lady. Certain writers
seem to entertain doubts, whether Akbar marrieda Christian
ladyat all. I t is not likely, they urge, that a fact so signi ficant
would have been omitted in contemporary h istories li ke the
Akbarnama and the Tabekat-i-Akbari . I t must, however, be
borne in mind that the works above referred to, notwithstanding
the elaborate manner in which they have treated their subject,eannot be assumed to contain full information ofall that Akbar
that he instructedAbul Fazl to prepare a translation of thegospel
andorderedprince Morad" to take lessons in C hristianity? The
usualMohamadan formula, Bisimullah i rrahman in chim (I commence in the
.
name of God the Merciful), was changed into 4 5
mmi tu Jesus waKrista, (Q thou whose names are Jcans and
C hrist)which means 0 then whose name is gracious andblessed.
’
To the above, S haikh Fazi added the following, to complete the
verse. Subhanaka la Biwakaya Im(We praise thee, there is noone besides thee, O God
The Fathers built a small chapel for their own use, and that
of the P ortuguese traders and residents in Agra and its
neighbourhood. The detai led narrative of D a Jerrie, one of
the missionaries, has been fortunately preserved, and it givesa clear idea of the doings at the Court of the Great Emperor
at Fattehpur. Thi ther, we are informed, came Akbar, alone,without attendants, removed his turban and offered prayers,
after he had first knelt in the fashion of C hristians, then in
his own, that is, according to the mode used by P ersian Saracens
(for he clung to the ex ternals of this faith)and finallyafter
the fashion of the heathen. H e compelled his nobles to treat
the missionaries, their pictures, booksand services wi th reverence.
A P ortuguese Christian died about the same time, in Fattehpur.
With the permission of the Emperor, his funeral procession,
after the Catholic fashion, was conducted through the streets
ofFattehpurwith great pomp. The inhabitants, both H indusandMohamadaus,were gratifiedbythe pageantryandparticipated
in the ceremonies. The Fathers were also allowed to builda
H ospital.
The Jesuits, judging the Emperor from his Christian
tendencies, urged upon h im the advisability of winning for
himself the gloryof anewhero in religion byformally embracingChristianity ; but Akbar was inflex ible. H e assured the Father
of the great respect he held for their relig ion, and that he
H e was born three months after Jahan (Salem). H aving been born in
the hills of Fattehpur S ikri, he got the nic name P ahari (hi ll man). H o wasthen onlyeight years old.
1 Badaoui I I 256.
:l:Akbar allowed the Fathers to p reach C hristianity ia.
an part of his Emp ire,but he did not embrace C hristiani tyhimself, saying hewax for the divine i mination. I t awal:ened interest in o thermen besides Akbar, and Abul Fazl and h iselder brother Abul Faiz seemed to have been greatly influenced by it. Bothmof Sufi persuasion.
mm film .
honoured their church and its many doctrines, sti ll he could
not understand the mystery of the Trinity, and asked with
much concern how i t could be that God could have a son who
was a man.
“The heathen,” argued he, believed their creed to be true, 533?
a
the Moslem the same, and ao, too, the C hristians z—whichreligion are we to believe andwhich reject The ex planations
oflered by the holy Fathers failed to make any impression
on the sharp witted Akbar. D o Jerrie laments H is Majesty’s
sti ffl neckedness and complains that he was never content with
one answer, but drove him over to further enquiries.
“T his,”he observes, is the peccadillo of this prince, as of
many another atheist ; theywill not shackle reason by obedience
to faith, because they think nothing true which does not
enter into the circle of their powers of comprehension ; wi th
the measure of their intellect theywouldmete out The Infinite,
which transcends all human understanding .
” When Aquavivaasked the Emperor
’
s permission for the three missionaries who
were then at Fattehpur to preach Christianity in all the
provinces of H industan, Akbar answered evasively that this
matter was entirely in the hands of God, who alone had it in
h is power to fulfil their wishes, and that he on his part desired
nothing more ardently. Meanwhile the attraction of novelty
having fadedaway, less attention was paid to the Fathers, who, gagt
éom
having been privately told by one of the courtiers that theyGoa. 1582
had been kept more for the sake of amusement and novelty'
than anything else, and that H isMajestyhadnot the slighteet ideaof adopting their tenets, returned to Goa in 1582 , with the
ex ception ofAquaviva, whom Akbar detained, on account of his
great accomplishments. H e was honoured alike by H indus
and Mohamadans, and he learnt the P ersian language, to
facilitate his discussions with the Mohamadans, his object beingto win over Akbar ; but, perceiving that i t was lost labor to
scatter seed on a land so barren, he too, alter some time, followed
his brethren to Goa.
Mirza N izamuddin Ahmad, author of the Tabakat, has given C eremoniaadescription of the ceremonies observedat the C ourt of Fatteh C ourt at
p'
ur S ikri . The occasionwas the arrival of Mirza Suleman, ruler
The D ewan-l
m s : DW I .
d Badakhshan, grandson ofAbn SaidMirza and six th in descent
from Timur, in Rajah 983 (1575A D ). The authorwrites, on
his reaching Mathra, twenty kos from Fattehpur, the Emperor
sent several nobles to meet him. When the Mirza was at a
distance of five kos from Fattehpur, all the nobles and emeerswere sent out to receive him. And when the intelligence of
his having left his stage was brought, H is Majestyhimself went
out on horseback to meet him. Five thousand elephants, wi th
housings of velvet and brocade, with gold and si lver chains and
with white and black fringes on their neck and trunks, were
drawn up in lines on each side of the road to a distance of five
has from Fattehpnr. Between each two elephants there was a
cart with leopards in it which had collars studded with gold and
housings of fine cloth ; also two bullock cartsdrawn byanimals that
were gold embroidered headstalls. When all the arrangements
were made, the Emperorwent out with great pomp andsplendour.
Upon his approaching , the Mirza hastened to dismount, and ran
forward towards H is Majesty but the Emperor, observingthe venerable age of the Mirza
, also alighted from his horse and
wouldnot allow the Mirza to go through the usual Observancesand ceremonies. H e fondly embraced him and then mounted
andmade the Mirza ride on his right hand. All the five kos, he
enquired about his circumstances, and, on reaching the palace, be
seatedhim by his side on the throne. T he young princes were
also present and were introduced to the Mirza, and, after a
great entertainment, he gave the Mirza a house near the royal
palace.
Orders were in the meanwhile issued to Khan Jahan,
Governor of the Panjab, to accompany the Mirza, on his
return from Fattebpur, to Badakhshan, with horse, to
recover the countryand restore it to him, and then to return
to Lahore.
O ne of the most unique of the buildings is the D ewan-ri
Khas, or Privy C ouncil chamber. I t is si tuated due north of
Mariam’
s house and west of the D ewan- i -Am. E x ternally it
appears to have two storeys surmounted by a cupola at each
corner. E ntering , however, we find’
that it is in reality of but one
storey, Open from the floor to the dome. In the centre there is
a singular massive column, richly carved, rising to the height of
the upper windows and supporting a palisaded octagonal seat,
an immense capital of the richest sculpture, three times its
diameter, with four stone causeways, each about ten feet long ,
leading to four side-entrances or corners of the pavilion, where
theymeet a quadrant which communicates with the ground floor
bya flight of six teen steps. I n times ofyore, the seat in the
middle, being covered with silk tex tures and made comfortablewi th satin and velvet cushions, was occupied by the Emperor
Akbar, the four ministers ( Khan- i -Khanan, Bir-Bal, Fyzi and
Abul Fazl) standing at the four corners to receive orders for
their respective D epartments.
The place is associated with many historical scenes. I t was D ialogue be
here that the grandees of the Empire met in Akbar’
s time andfixzndfi ‘“
talkedon religious, social and political subjects. Mulla Abdul B‘dw‘m
Qadar Badaoui , in h isMuntakhi bul Tawari kh, has recordedan
interesting dialogue which took place between him and Sheikh
Abul Fazl in the hall of the D ewan-i -Khas. The Mullawas aMussulman of orthodox type, while Abul Fazl was an atheist.
T he Mullawrites
I remember that, in the early, days of these discussions, I
happened one night to meet S heik Abul Fazl in the P rivy
Audience Chamber of Fattebpur. H e said : I have a fair
objection to make to all writers on two grounds : first, why
should they have not wri tten as detailed a history of the
older P rephets as they have done in the annals of their
own P rophet ? (God bless him and his descendants and peace
be on him I replied,‘ I n the Kassanl Aulia ample accounts
are given,
’
to wh ich he rejoined» N o, that book is too
compendious theyought to have written in detail.’
I answered,
owing to the lapse of time, that much only might have
stood the test of enquiryby the critics and historians, and the
rest remained unauthenticated.
’
H e said: This is no answer.’
H e continued, Secondly, there is no kind of handycraftsmanwho
is not mentioned in the Tazkiratul-auliaand the q ahatul
Una, Stc.’ ‘What harm had the members of the P rophet
’s own
fami ly done that no mention is therein made of them. This is
N ote that the para. in bracket is bythe author.Badaoni .
am : nm mm vn.
amatter of great surprise.
’
O u this topic whatever the time
allowedwas said ; but who would listen Afterwards I asked: O i
the known relig ions which are you the most inclined to accept ?
H e answered ‘I wish to wander a few days in the vale of
unbeliet‘
and apostasy.
’
I rejoined ironically,‘I t would not be a
bad thing ifyou removed entirely the restriction of the marriage
tie, for they have said
(M af ia ani } ! $ 4341 £ 9 02: b
“
di M u):
By the help of God the chain of lawhas removed he
From 05 the neck of the woi-ld, peace to h is memorybe l
H e smiled andwent away.
Badaoni then goes on to describe how Abul Fazl was em
boldened to ofi'
end the Ulmas, countenancedbythe Emperor, and
would listen to neither arguments nor reason in contradiction of
what he himself urged.
‘Truc is the saying’
says the author
j js j lu 9
.6L; M .lu b e,
‘Om favour qf theJudge is better than athousandwi tnesses}
I n the D ewan- i -Khas there is a beautiful side gallery identi
fiedas the I badat Kbana, or house ofworship, as no other edifice
answers the description given by Badaoui and the Tabakat in
noticing the I badat Khana at Fattehpur S ikri .
The I badat Khamawas built in 1574. I t was a place .for {he
reception ofmen of learning, genius and accomplishment.
Abul Fazl thus describes it in the Akbarnama, V ol. I I I , in
connection with the events of the 19th year of the reign
(1574 AD .)
I t consists of four .Ewam , or upost storeychambers,“ the
courtyard of which thousands of people‘from all quarters of the
world assemble and wait for the arrival of H is Majesty, who
talks to them wi th cheerful countenance, bears fi lempatientlyand answers their enquiries. H e .is accessible t to all and free in
0 The book mentioned byAbul Fazl eonh ins the'bi a tea o
'
f saints. Manyof these samts were handicmftsmen. The objection of bu Fazlwas tha whileall ln nfliomftsmen should have h enmentioned in these worhsulhe m m o
the P rophet’
s own fami hadbeen omitted. Badaoui does not what h iscrepl;to this obj ection of am: Full was; but t he reply is clear.
'
T he '
oi-bet 'or member
'seii j the P roph
tzt’
s infin
ityare tseatet
i
l;
bynwrn
tha
fians u far“ Dag
“ to We“.or n cos earn an e were no coun t cntego e
to the tophet hiniself to true believers.ry yare nex t
the wisest man of the age, pointing out that they should not
connt kings,who formedan ex ception.
O n this H akim H amam mentioned his own name and Abul
Fazl that ofJJis father, S heikh Mobarik.
T he Emperor’s visi ts to these meetings were invariablymade
occasions for the distribution of largesses and gifts, and scarce]y
anyone of the guests departedwith empty hands. T he meetings
were usually held on Friday night, and on the nights of holy
days.“
According to Badaoui , many places of worship were built bycommand of H is Majesty during the year 983 (1575 H is
Majesty passed whole nights in contemplation and prayer.
H e occupied himself in repeating the namesYaH i t (O H e—God)
andYa H adi (0 Guide). H e would sit manyamorning alone in
prayer andmelancholic meditation on a large flat stone of an
old building which lay near the palace in a lonely spot, with h is
head bent over his chest, and gathering the bliss of earlymorn.
’
T hs symgi’s I n the same court, there is a pavilion of singular structure,
”mm"where the tolerant Akbar accommodated a Byragi Fakir. I t is
a cupola forming a pyramidal canopy, with traceries and carvings
in the Buddhist fashion, supportedor. four grani te pillars, connect
cdat the anglesby serpentine brackets. T he pavi lion, although
of H indu design, is no departure from the general style of
architecture of the place, which is a massive k ind of Saracenic .
As Akbar toleratedallreligions, and wasmore particular]yinclinedtowards the H indus, a H indu friar, or priest, in the midst of the
Royal Court was not out of place.
Close by the side of the P rivy C ouncil C hamber is alabyrin
thine edifice, of curious design andconstruction, where it is re~
presentedthe Emperor played hide-and-seek with the ladies of
theRoyal household. The place consists of acentral strong room,
with two more on the south andnorth, a precipice, surmounted bya gallery, and quarters forsentinels all round. H ere are marks of
binge holes, showing that the doorways were of stone, closed
by heavypadlocks. This, coupledwith the fact that i t is situated0 Reli
'
oll l assemblies res ided over b th Em t d to IN ho
the su n mosque of Fatte pur S ikri .y e pe oruse da "1
was put under repairs at a great cost, and the ornamentation
were restoredas far as possible.
North -east of the P anj Mahal, over an ex tensive pavement of
stone, is a colossal chess board on which the game known as
P achisi was played. T he board, carved out upon stone pavement,consists of squares of unusual dimensions, each being wide
enough foraman to sit in. T he guides say that women, attired
in beautiful costumes ofdi verse colours, denoted the posi tions in
game. T he board is simi lar to that in the Agra fort wi th this
difference, that, while the one in Agra is of marble, this is of redsandstone. Quite near to the P achisi board there isa small throne
of redsandstone onwhich the dice for the game were thrown.
But the chief ornament of the whole group of buildings, and‘
indeed the paragon of the place, is the mausoleum of S heikh'
Salem Chishti, the holysaint, confidence inwhose spiri tual pom
led Akbar to found here a mighty city and embellish i t with'
royal palaces, gardens and other public edifices. I t is situated to=
the south-west of the royal palaces alreadymentioned, and forms
the nucleus for the other buildings which gradually sprung up
here under the auspices of the E mperor.
An m un, Sheikh Salem, the sonof S heikh Baha-ud-din,was adescendant“fl “Sheikh.
ofShaikh Farid S hakurgunj , the famous saint of P al: P attan, in
the Montgomery D istrict of the Paujab. H e always kept fast
andwent to Mecca three times to perform the holy pilgrimage.
After travelling all over India in the garb of a Fak ir, he came to
the vicinityof S ikri , at that time an inconsiderable hamlet, and
ensconced himself in the forest surrounding the h illocks, which,
removed from human habitations, was frequented by beasts of
prey. The spot, from its lonelyand retired situation, attracted
h is attention. H e lived here the life of a recluse, and from the
reeds of the forest and such leaves and branches as he could
gather, bui lt a hut on the summit of ahillock under a shadytree.
I n this rude and soli tary cell, he passed his days in devotion,
making
“P rayerall his businessjoall his pleasure praise
his pallet being of stalks and straw, and his pi llow of bushes and
pebbles. Akbar’
s former children had died in infancyand he'
had
been long without ason. Conscious that the Empire foundedby
FM E H P UB 81m
the enterprise and energyof his father and grandfather, which he
had'
himse'
lf taken considerable pains to consolidate, would lapse
to strangers, and his dynastybecome ex tinct i f he were not blessed
with a son, he stood in need of the prayers of the Fakir and the
pious, who, he was convinced, were nearer to God,and whose
prayers in his behalf would, he was assured, gain for him the
object of his life, namely, an heir to the throne. H e acquainted
his councillors with the distress of h is mind, and, as before stated,
they advised him to seek the spiritual aid of S heikh Salem,
which theythought would secure for him the desire of his heart.
T he Emperor acted on their advice and the result was the birth
of Salem. E ver afterwards Akbar entertained the highest es
teem for the S heikh, whose sons and other near relations were
raised to h igh honours of S tate. When the S heikh died, Akbar
built over his tomb a mausoleum, which, in elegance and beauty,is surpassed by fewedifices of the kind in India.
A magnificent portal to the east leads to a spaciousA090?“ O fbui ldi ng.
quadrangle of paved red stone, 43 3 feet by 3 66, the four sides
df-wh ich are taken up each by a lofty and majestic colonnade,
forming a verandah of arcaded chambers 50 feet high , all of
the same material as the pavement. Inclining towards the
northern angle is the tomb of the saint, an elegant structure
made entirely of the purest marble with the finest polish,
and elaborately carved. T he tomb rises on a square base and
ends in a graceful, melon-shaped dome of ex quisite beauty.
I t is surrounded by a vestibule, or verandah , of deep clipstone,supported by serpentine brackets of variegated shape and
desi gn, and projecting out of substantial columns of white
marble terminating at the base in a tulip shaped aperture.
T he marble trellis work that surrounds the sarcophagus con
taining the body of the Saint is of such surpassing beautyand
delicate ex ecution that, looked at from a distance, it resembles
lace work on the finest silk. H is Royal H ighness the Princeof Wales was particularly struck with i ts chaste vbeautywhen
he v isited the mausoleum in 1876. T he verandah encloses
an inside chamber, the walls of which are of marble up
to 4 feet from the floor and are inlaid with cornelian, onyx
and jasper.“Above that poi nt , the walls are embellished
with a highly polished stucco and wainscoted with red
T he tomb ofI slam Khan.
I nseri ptionon the tomb
L G“ 2 D I S CRI P'I'IV E .
sand-stone. The floor is of jasper, impressed with flowers o f
various colours and patterns beautifully cut out ofmarble, andthedoors are of solid ebony. T he tomb of the Saint is of pure white
marble, surrounded bya lattice work of the same material and
covered with a precious p iece of brocade. Over this is a sort bf
canopy, shaped like an oblong umbrella, supportedby four slenderstavcs, each encrustedwi th fine mother-o
’-
pearl work , carved in
various geometrical designs. O u the northern side are the tombs
of women and children ; and an enormous mausoleum beyond
that of the Sheikh , in the same direction, is the tomb of Islam
Khan, the grandson of the Sheikh, who was Governor of Bengal
during the reign of Jahangir.
T he entire structure has a most pleasing efi'
ect, and the
mausoleum stands unrivalled among similar bui ldings for the
elegance of its design, as well as the delicacy of its ex ecution. I t
is, indeed, one of the finest andmost perfect specimens of Indianarchi tecture. As originally built by Akbar, the tomb was of red
sandstone, and the marble trellis-work, the chief ornament oi'
the
tomb , was erected subsequentlyby the Emperor Jahangir. The
tomb, although above three hundredyears old, is in a state of
ex cellent preservation, which shows the ex treme care bestowed oni t by those who have held charge of i t.
Knots, or bits of string or ribbon, are bound by barrenH indu and Mohamadan women to the marble trellis surrounding the tomb of the Saint, as a vow to ofi
'
er money, sweetmeats
or bread i f blessed with a son, which it is supposed the media
tion of the Saint with God will procure for them. S imi lar
votive offerings are placedonAkbar’
s tomb in S ekandrah.
following inscri ption on the gateway of D argah
chronogram of the S heikh’
s death.
T heBek ud But the grandest object of attraction in the entire group,
indeed the marvel of the place, is the Boland D am aza, or
“ lofty gateway,”
which , according to one authori ty, is‘one
of the loftiest and most majestic in the world.
’
Fergusson
calls it ‘the finest in India.
’
I t is raised on a lofty flight
of steps, and towers 130 feet above the breast of the ridge
on the south of the Khangah. I t is an ex ceedingly im
posing and handsome edifice, surmounted with cones and
minarets ; and although gigantic in form. such is the sym
metry of i ts proportions and the sublimity and grace of its
general appearance that i t cannot fail to impress the observer
with its massive dignityand stately beauty. The borders of
the gateway are carved in granite ofa butt colour, and flewers
ofdiverse forms, cut out of stone, are arranged in it with great
elegance.
A flight of 120 steps leads to the summi t, which affords a
splendid viewof the adjacent country, with a distant glimpse of
the Taj , 2 5miles away, and the fort of Bharatpur. T he colossal
grandeur of this huge gateway dwarfs the buildings to which
it is at present attached, but it must be borne in mind that the
edifice formed no part of the original design. The Boland
D arwaza was intended to serve as a triumphant arch to com
memorate the victoryof the royal troopsunderAkbar in Khandes,andwas built several years after the Khangah and the mosque.
The following is the inscription in bold relief on a sandstone
wall to the right of the sacred quadrangle as you enter the mau
soleum.
I necripti on on the E astern wall.
sag glint; fi‘lm o
vgeJld 31: dJldi
'
: 350144 13 t lfi yf c. »
Jane .
M m N aww AM 4“g
e m ma w ww: d i er); i M :
Ja n
ix» l l s.s
0: line
w alts )e e, o; u
3 U m u 'm u (U U
elevaf eelalt
s ; I3 oleat“(a 64 W U
L GBA DW BI PT IV E .
Saidand wri tten byMohammed llasnm, poetically styled Nomi, son of
Syed Sal‘
s, of born at Bhahksr, descendant from Eyed She son of
Debt H esse Abdul of Subswar, resident of Kandahar.
E ccentric as Akbar was in religious matters, and unsettledas
was his belief as to the true religion, the pious tone of the
inscri ptions above written confirms the statement made in con
temporaryhistories, that, a fewyears before his death, he showed
adecided inclination to the faith of his ancestors, and that he
died a goodMussalman. H e died only fouryears after the above
inscriptions werewri tten.
Th‘ Gm d West of the D argah is Akbar’
s‘
grandest mosque,’
as Fer.Mosque.
gusset: calls it. I t has lofty square pillars richly carved, the
wings being of red sandstone and the inner court paved wi th
white marble. The walls and surroundings'
are painted with
rich and delicate tints, disposed in a variety of geometrical
designs, the centre being an immense vaulted chamber which
providess ccommodation for the congregation.
The following chronogram is inscribed on the main arch
M T ( 3 3 1) J o) 5] cffil l alt
s . a: g t» ) )a
MirMohamedMasum of Bhnkkar belonged to a family of the Syeds oi'
l‘
armus inBokhara. H is ancestors, two or three enerations before h im, came toKandahar, and h is tether, Mir Safe. settled in B akkar. T hrough the influenceof Mirza N izsmudm
.
Ahmad. author of the Tabhakat, he was introducedtoAkbar, who made h im a C ommander of 250. Akbar, recognising h is meri t ,became h is patron2 and, in 1012 (lm A . sent him as ambassador to T eheran,where hewas recei ved wi th distinction by S hah Abbas.
Mohamed.Mu nm enjoyed a great reputation as a pint and historian. H ecomposed under the poeti calname Narni andwas the author of the Tarik ho i -S tndhandmany other book s. H e was sk i lledas a com
goeer and tracer oi inscri p tions.
and was always accompanied on his travels sculptors. H is metrical insori ti ons adorn numerous mosques and pub i c bui ldings from I ndia
.
to
I sp n and Tabnz. Besides the cathedralm naat Fattehput , his inscri p ti onsare found over the [
rte of the fort of Agra, the art of hlandn and various o ther
p laces. H e embellis ed Sukkarwith manyedifices. and, in the midst of uO
branchof the I ndus whi ch flows roundBhakkar. he built adome (the date of wh i ch was
found in the words“ laq (water dome)giv ing 1007A. H . (1598 A. D .) H e
was ions and very li beral ‘ nd leftsoor4olm of rupees, which were inheri t“!byb s son.MirBum .
FATTE H PUR SIKBI .
learned men well versed in the several branches of lawand in the principles
of jurisprudence, andaccomplished in edicts which rest on reason and testi
mony, and who are known for their piety, honestyand sanctity, have, after
fullyconsidering the deep meanings, j irst of the verse of the Q uran (Sum
iv “Obey God and obey the P rophet and those among youwho may
he in authority,”and, secondly, of the genuine traditions, (1)
" Surely the
man who is dearest to God on the D ay of Judgment is Imami Adil (just
leader) (2)Whosoever obeys the Amir, obeys me ; and whosoever rebels
against him. rebels against me,”and, thi rdly, of several other proofs based on
reason and testimony, agreed that the rank of S ultan-z‘
-Adz'
l (just ruler) is,in the eyes of God, h igher than the rank of amuj tahid (head of the C hurch).
Wh erefore, the King of Islam,the asylum of the Nations, the Amir of the
Faithful, the Shadow of God over the people of the world, Abul Fath
JallalnddinMohammed AkbarBsdshah Ghazi , mayGod perpetuate his k ingdom,
being the most just, the most wise, the most learned and the most God
fearing , it is declared that, should, in future, a relig ious question come up,
regarding which the O p inions of the mui tah ids are at variance and H is
Majesty in his penetrating wisdom and right judgment is inclined to adapt,for the benefit of the nation and as a political ex pedient, any of the conflict
ing opinions which ex ist on that point, and issue adecree to the effect, we do
hereby agree that such adecree shall be binding on naall and on thewhole
nation.
Further, we declare that. should H isMajesty, inhis vast wisdom, be ia
clined to issue a new order, not contrary to the Q uran, which maybe condu
cive to the public benefit, obedience to it shall be binding on the whole nation,
and opposition to i t shall involve damnation in the world to come and loss
of relig ion and propertyin this life.
This document has been written with honest intentions, for the glory
of God and the propagation of I slam,and is signed byus the principal
learnedmen of Relig ion and the pious devotees of the Fai th in the month
of s ab 987 H ijri (1579 1 .
The draft of the above document was in the handwri ting of
S heikh Mobarak . The others signed it against theirwi ll but the
S heikb added at the bottom the following passage
uBlaz e )” lr’la l alt da; tel? ) a
“ w a g f t0 41)
This is a matter .wh ich 1 had desired from allmy heart andwhich for
several years I had been anx iously looking forward to.
From the moment H is Majesty obtained this legal instru
ment , the superiorityof intellect of the Imam, orKing, became
AGBA D E SCRI P H V I .
the sole law. H is Majesty, having heard that the Imamsof theage and the Khali/s of Islam had themselves read the Khutbas
(public litany) at Friday prayers, and that their ex ample
had, in later times, been followed by Amir Tymur the Sahib
Kiran, and Mirza Ulegh Beg of Gorgon, resolved to do the
Appears same, with the object, according to Abul Fazl, of ‘taking upon
{N
}; his own shoulders a pious duty for the benefit of the Moham“m ‘ madan community,
’
but, according to the malcontent Badaoui ,‘of
appearing in public as the Muj tahid of the age.
’
Accordingly, onFriday, the 1st Jamadiul awal, 987, mount
ing the pulpit of the grand mosque at Fattehpur S ikri , he read
the following Khutba, wh ich, at his instance, had been composed
byShei kh Abnl Fyz Fyzi
The L ord to me the kingdomgave,
H e made me prudent, strong and brave,
H e guidedme in fai th and truth,
H e fi lledmy heart with right and truth
No wit of man esn sum H is state,
Alla ho Akbar l God is great !
H e cited passages from the Koran and offered thanks to God
for his benevolence and mercies ; then,repeating the Fatiha, he
came down from the pulpi t and readhis prayers wi th the congre
gation, standing behind H afizMohammadAmin, the Imam oi'
the
mosque, who conducted the service.
About this time, H aj i Ibrahim, of S irhind, produced beforeBelieves theao-called the Emperor an oldworm-eaten manuscri pt m queer characters,
said to be in the handwriting of S heikh S her-i-Arabi , in wh ichIf?
"
3'
t it was predicted that the Sahib-i -Zaman (Lord of the period)pm“ would have manywives andhave his beard shaved. T he charac
teri stics mentioned in the book were found to agree with the
usages of Akbar. Other proofs were brought to show that in
990, aman would rise up who would remove all differences of
opinionamong the seventy- two sects of Islam. KhawajaMaulana
of Shiraz produced an old pamphlet quoting the tradition that
the promised appearance of Imam Mahdi would immediatelytake P laces
The Saint’
s
me kindwords and spoke of me in most flattering terms to the
people assembled, and gave particulars of myself which were
even unknown to me.
g l j u fl é i l p-
fi aha b ef
H e began to relate my circumstances to the people present
in the assembly in such a way that even I was not aware of
them.
’
The kindness and consideration paid me by H is Majestywon my heart. From that moment royal favours increased, and
from day to day I was raised in the estimation of my august
master and sovereign.
”
At about this time, a section of the nlema charged the
Emwrorwith apostacy. AbulFazl, in the Akbarnama (V ol. I IL),devotes a whole chapter to refuting the charge, and shows that
Akbar never laid claim to become God, or the apostle of God,
though he received H is Light from the S upreme Being above andwas directlyguided in all his afi
'
airs by H im.
At the back of the mosque is an enclosure, containing a small
tomb of an infant. This, the legendgoes, is the tomb of an infant
son of S heikh Salem, aged si x months,who, having talked to his
revered father in amarvellous fashion, sacrificed his own life for
that of a son to the Emperor, whose children were fated to die
in infancyunless some one gave a child of his own to die instead.
N ine months after the generous infant died, prince Salem came
into the world. I n the debris about herewi ll be found adoor
leading to a cave which was the original abode of the Saint before
the spot attracted the attention of royalty. The place is also
pointed out where he used to teach his pupils, as also the place
where the holyman persuaded the royal couple to take up their
abode, in the neighbourhood of his own but, and where the
prince who bore his name was born.
N orth of the D argah are the houses of Abul Fazl and hisbrother Eyzi , both almost united. The drawing-rooms and the
Zama'na of the Royal courtiers have been new utilizedas English
class rooms ; the other bui ldings were used by the erudi te
brothers as audience chambers and public rooms.
sot veit .
AGRA : D E SCRI P'H V E .
in the description of the Fort. From i ts being the central
gorps dc log is, Keene conjectures that i t was the palace occupied
byZan- i -Kalan, or Akbar
’
s chief wife, Boquina Sultana Begam,
the daughter of Mirza H indal, the E mperor’
s uncle. But,
from the H indu nature of the building, i t is most probable
that it was the dwelling of Akbar’
s H indu consort, the daughter
of Raja Bihari Mal, known as Mariam-uz-Zamani. There are on
the walls the carved images of H indu gods andgoddesses—Maha
deva the great grandfather of gods, Lakshmi the goddess of
fortune and prosperi ty, and elephant-headed Ganesh , who has
power over ci vi l matters. Some of the fragments found in this
palace seem to have belonged to a H indu temple. The quarters
are the most ex tensive and spacious of the bui ldings which stand
here, almost in a line from west to east, and were intended as
special apartments for the Emperor’
s chosen consort, or the
Emperor himself. E ntering from a lofty and ex quisitely carved
gateway, one comes on a platform, or open gallery, 177 feet by
57 feet, paved with sandstone flags and surrounded on all
sides bya colonnade wi th two-storeyed and three-storeyed rooms
on the north and south, the roofs being of sloping slabs, covered
with blue enamel. In another court close by, is an elegant
reservoir of water crossed by four raised passages wh ich meet in
the middle. This was, no doubt, a place of recreation for the
Emperor and the ladies of the royal household.
T he palace of the H indu princess, with those of I stamboli
Begum and the S onehri Manzil already described, are the
most superb of the whole series of bui ldings in this quarter.
Fergusson thus describes them The richest, the most beautiful, as well as the most characteristic of all his (Akbar
’
s)buildings here are three small pavilions said to have been
erected to please and accommodate h is three favourite Sul
tanas. They are small, but i t is impossible to conceive anythingso p icturesque in outline or any building carved and ornamented
to such an ex tent without the smallest approach to being overdoneor in bad taste.
”
S urrounding a quadrangular courtyard, north-west of the
H indu Princess’
s palace, are the stables for the accommodationof horses, elephants and camels. Like the other structures, theyare made of red sandstone andare ofmassive construction. The
Tho Sensin I n the vicini tyof the E lephant Gateway is a splendid bastion
called the Swngin Burj , the remnant of fortifications commenced
on a grand scale by Akbar, but discontinued subsequently,owing to the disapproval of the holyman, Salem Chishti , of thedesign to make Fattebpur a royal residence.
The 00mm“ Between the H athi P 01andSanginBurj isan ex tensiveCaravanSm'ae where resortedmerchants from distant parts of the E mpire
and from Afghanistan and the countries ofAsia, with their goals
for sale. H ere is aclosed gallerywith abeautiful pierced networkof stone, used by the ladies of the harem as a passage for com
munication with the difl'
erent apartments of the palaces. H ere
were displayed for sale to the fair residents mercantile stores con
sisting of embroidered silk fabrics, muslins, shawls and other
tex tures, and here are also pointed out jewellers’ shops, where
were ex hibitedpi les of goldand silverornaments andof the jewels
which embellished the royal dresses and robes. These, however,are all buried in their own debris, and only vestiges of them can
be seen here and there to showwhere they stood and wi th what
object theywere built.
Nothing is more depressing than the solitude of the dessrtsfl
dwellings and palaces once full of vi tality and the seat of a
literaryand lux urious court.
Under the higher parts of the rock to the westward, and
below the gateway of the great mosque is an elaborate system
Wm“.worn .ofwater works
, bywhich water was raised by means of a system
of P ersian wheels, and brought and collected in aseries of re
servoirs, and then distributed by means of conduit p ipes to
difierent parts of the residences on the hi lls.
Amongst these is a wide oblong masonry ham , or reservoir,from which coolwater was drawn up through a trap door in the
hot weather.
The H ans:
The height from the summit of the wall is about 100 feet,and
men and boysarealways foundreadyto amuse the visitorbyaleapfrom the t0p for a small gratuity, which is much valued by them.
Badaoni makes mention ofAnup Tatdo , or° Anup
’
s Tank in
Fattehpur S ikri , where the Emperor invited learned men and
the lawyers of the realm to hold meetings on religious questionl .mfih d
One night he invited Qazi Yalmb, Sheikh Abdul Fazl, H aji
I brahim and a fewothers, when a lively discussi on took place on
the legality, or otherwise, of a muta marriage (a temporary
agreement of matrimonial alliance I t was urged that, ac.
cording to the traditions of Imam Mali]: and the Shins, the
main marriage was legal, but that. according to the doctrines of
Imam Shafai and H anfiah , it was i llegal. Mulls Abdul KadirBadaoni gave it as his opinion that
,shoulda Q uazi of the Malki
sect decide that mute is legal, it is legal, according to the com
mon belief, even for Shias and H anfis. H is Majestywas much
pleasedwith this opinion.
I n the midst of a series of arcaded buildings, not far from
the D argah of Salem Ohisti , is aBaoli . a large pond, construe
ted ofmasonry. T he water of the pool is now stagnant, and
the cloisters or galleries all round Open towards i t. A. long
flight of steps leads to the cistern, and the place is so constructed
as to secure perfect privacy on the door leading to the steps
being properly closed. This was the bathing place for the ladia
of the royal household.
N orth of the hills there was, in the time of the Moghul Em The ancient
peters, a large lake closedbya huge embankment on one side, and
a range of bills on the other. This formed a large sheet of
water, six miles in length, by two in breadth, which, in Akbar’
s
time, supplied water to the inhabitants of the place and irrigated
the neighbouring fields and gardens.
Abul Fazl informs us, in the Akbarnama (V ol. I I I ), thatAbul M ’s
on the banks of this lake the princes and grandees of thedm ripm
Empire had their palaces and summer houses, which served as
retreats during the hot weather, where various sorts of pub
lic amusements were held. T he Emperor joined in these festive
entertainments, and the Amirs played chess and Ganjgia, agame
of cards. In the 2 7th year of the reign (1582 AD .)the embank
ment broke up , the water of the lake overflowed, the houses on
the bank were swept awayand great damage to property was
done, though no liveswere lost. The Emperor hadanarrowescape,
and offerings were made as a thanksgi ving to the Almighty. for
Tu t s i!
the safety of the King. The nobility followed the ex ample of
H is Majesty in this respect. The water was drained 03 duringthe administration of the H on
’ble James Thomason, Lieutenant}
Governor, N . W. P rovinces. The soi l has turned out most pro
ductive, and the culti vation of cereals is carried on very success
fully on i t. Chili is very ex tensi vely sown in the neighbourhood
of Fattebgur, the soil being particularly favourable for its growth.
The quarries of Fattebpur supply stone p illars, columns and
slabs for roofs of edifices in Agra and elsewhere in the N orth
Western P rovinces, while an ex tensi ve trade is carried on in
chakki s, orhandmills for grinding grain, which are articles of
household use and forwhich the demandis universal.
D uring the time ofAkbar there was an Imperial workshopin Fattehpur on the same scale as in Agra and Lahore, andaccording to the Ai n, carpets ofwonderful varieties and charm
ing tex tures were manufactured here . All k inds o f carpet.
weavers settled here and they produced masterp ieces. I n this
workshop skilfulmasters andworkmen were employed to teach
people an improvedsystem ofmanufacture, and not only were
hair-weaving andsilk-sp inning brought to perfection, but a taste
for fine materials became general.
S peaking of the trade in red sandstone, Abul Fazl writes in
chapter 86 of the Ain I t is obtainable in the hi lls of Fattah
pnr S ikri , H isMajesty’
s residence, and may be broken from the
rocks of anylength or breadth . Clever workmen chisel i t more
skilfully than any turner could do with wood ; and their works
vie with the picture book of Mani (the great painter of the
N ot far from the embankment of thedry lake previouslymen
tioned, andon the bank andin theneighbourhood of the Uta'ngm
Naddi , or rivulet, wild bogs in large numbers are found. The
Naddi produces large fish of fine flavour which are brought
into the streets of Agra for sale. P ea fowls, aquatic birds and
blue pigeons are also plentiful. They are entrapped by a race
of degenerated Indian gipsies called Kanja'rs, who subsist on
the flesh of the fox , jackal and beasts of prey, and eat lizards
mdother reptiles.
AGRA D ESCRI PTIV E .
reduced to ruins in fiftyyears. Akbar was the first to occupy i t
andthe last to build there, not asingle building hav ing been erected
after him. I ndeed, when Finch visi ted i t, in the early part
of thereign of Jahang ir, the son and successor of Akbar, he founr
i t hlmost deserted. H e thus describes the place
lying'
lik-
ea waste desert and very dangerous to pass thr'
ongl;~
in the night.” When Fnttehpur had reached the height of i ts
magnificence, the saint Salem C hishti found i t must inconvenient
to live there . H e had been attracted to the spot by i ts loneli
ness, and now, having attracted the attention of royalty, i t
hadbecome one of the most populous cities of India. T he bustle
of the busy ci ty, the gaieties and pageants of the court,interfered
with the saint’
s devotions. At last the Emperor, unaware of
the feelings of his spiritual guide commenced to surround the
hi lls wi th a chain of massive fortxfications. T he holyman could
then no longer restrain himself. H e told his royal disci ple that
he had travelled twenty times on p ilgrimages to Mecca. but his
peace had never been so much disturbed ; accordingly he ex press
cd h is wish that ei ther the E mperor or he should depart. I f i t
be yourMajesty’
s will, replied the E mperor, that one should go,
let it be your slave, I pray.
”Akbar removed to Agra, which city
he rebuilt. T he court and the townspeople‘
were transplanted to
the latter place, at that time a desolated spot ; and Fattehpur
S ikri, with its stupendous and p icturesque palaces, i ts elegant
mosques, described as the goodliest in the east, i ts unrivalledmau
soleum, i ts sumptuous residences and i ts deserted streets, remains
to this dayamonument of the splendour andwealth of i ts founder
and a testimony to the despotic power which a reputation for
sancti ty has in all ages conferred I n the eloquent words of the
practical Fergusson“Taking i t altogether, th is palace of P atteh
pur S ikri is a romance in stone such as few,very few
, are to be
found anywhere and i t is a reflex o i the mind of the great man
who built i t more distinct than can easily be obtained from any
other source.
S H E IKH SAL E M C H I S H T I .
T he circumstances under wh ich Sheikh Salem C hi shti settled
in Fattehpur S ikri , and the incidents which caused that
place, from being once an insignificant hamlet, to become one
SH E IKH SALEM C H ISH T I .
of the most flourishing cities of India and the cap ital of the
E mpire, have been already mentioned. A brief account of the
family of the saint who held so high a place for sanctity in India
during one of the best periods of i ts history will, no doubt, be
read with interest. Shaikh Salem. son of Sheikh Bahauddin,and
called C hi shti after the name of the vi llage in Persia whence
h is father came, was a lineal descendant of S heikh Farid-ud-din,
surnamed S hakargunj , son of Jamal-nd-din Salman. According
to the Alcbm'ne tm t of AbulFazl, Sheikh Farid traced his descent
from Farukh S hah , King of (‘
na I n the time of the great
Tartar conqueror, C hengez Khan, one of his ancestors, Q uazi
S hoeb, came to the D istrict of Lahore and settled in the
town of Kasur. H e was much respected by Sultan Balham and
subsequentlywent to Multan. S heikh Farid-ud din was born
i n Khotowal, in Multan. H aving heard of the religious sancti ty
o f Khawja Kntb-ud-din usi, the Khulifa,
or successor, of Khwaja
Moin-ud-din,he went to D elhi and became his disciple. O u his
death the Sheikhs of the time unanimouslyrobed him with the
as intly cloak of the deceased saint, and Farid-ud-din settled in
P ak P atten ,then known as Ajuddhn,
where he died, on 5th
hi ohurram 668 H (1 2 69 A. D .)
According to the ?abalcati Akbari , S heikh Saleni S ikriwal
was one of the most revered S heikhs of India and surpassed all
the devotees o f his time in sancti ty and austerity. H e possess
ed the power ofmiracles (se the author says)and had performed
p i lgrimage to Mecca twenty four times in his life . H e then
travelled to H lJaZ. Once he remained in Mecca for fifteen years.
H is Majesty the shadow of God (Akbar)made Fattehpur his
capital for his sake. H e died in 979 H . (I571 A.
Abul Fazl, in the Akbm'nama mentions Sheikh Ahmad, the
second (mi am'
) son of Sheikh Salem. E u was possessed of
h igh virtues, never spoke i ll of any body and was never seen in
anger. H e was of reserved habi tsand dignified demeanour.
’
H e
was created an Ami r (noble of the E mp ire) and was honoured
with the distinction of becoming the Atka to the heir-apparent.
H e caugh t cold in the campaign of Malwa, and, arriv ing at
Fatehpur S ikri , had an attack of paralysis. As the Royal campA Turki word meaning husband of wet nurse.
AGBA : D ESCRI PT IV E .
was about to move to Ajmere, he came to pay his last respects
to his Majesty, and, immediately on his return to his house,
breathed his last .
T he event occurred in the 2 2ndyear of Akbar’
s reign (985A. H .
or 1577 A. H e served in the court with Sheikh Ibrahim.
Sheikh Ibrahim was son of Sheikh Muss , elder brother of
S heikh Salem,who lived a retired life in S ikri . Ibrahim li ved
chieflyat court, in the service of the Princes, and in the 2 3 rd
year of the reign was appointed Governor of Fattehpur S ikri .
In the 2 8th year, he served with distinction under Khan- i-Az im
Mirza Aziz Kokah, in Behar and Bengal, and when, in the
3oth year, Akbar went to C abul, he wasmade Governor of Agra,which post he held until his death, in 999 (1590 A. D H e was
also son-in-lawof Sheikh Salem.
Sheikh Bayazid (Moazzam Khan)was grand son of Sheikh
Salem. Bayazid’
s mother nursed P rince Salem (Jahang ir) on
the day of his birth . I n Akbar’
s time he rose to the command
of but after Jahangir’
s accession, he recei ved the rank of
with the title ofMoazzam Khan. S oon after, he was made
Governor of D elhi , and in the 3 rdyearof Jahangir’
s reign he rose
to the command of and 200 horse. H e died at Fattehpur
where he was buried.
Islam Khan Sheikh (Alauddin) another grand son of S heikh
Salem,married the sister of Abul Fazl. H e was Governor of
Bengal, where he died°
in 102 2 (1613 A .
Mukarram Khan, son of Sheikh Bayazid, married the daughter
of Islam Khan, whom he served in Bengal. H e was made
Governor of Orissa, and in the 2 1st year of Jahangir’
s reign was
made Governor of Bengal, vice H asan Ali Turkoman .
I t wi ll be interesting to know what men renowned in the
political history of Akbar’
s time lie buried in the oncemetropoli
tan city of Fattehpur.
1 . Sultan Khwaja (Azam Khan), son of Khwaja Khawind
D ost , is described in the Tabakat as a saintly philosopher. H e
enjoyed in a high degree the confidence and friendshi p of the
166 1am : bmcmrrm t.
incidents known to E astern history. Jahangir, when a prince,
became enamoured of Mehr-ul-nissa, the beautiful daughter of
MirzaGhias Beg Tehrani , Lo rd H igh Treasurer of Akbar. S he
had been previously aflianced to Ali Knli Beg I stalju (S her
Afghan Khan). a a lcoman nobleman who was S q fctrchi or
table attendant of Shah Ismail II, King of Persia. After the
King’
s death , Ali Kuli came to India, and at Multan met Mirza
Abdul Rahim, Khan-i-Khanan, son of Behram Khan, the general
and tutor of Akbar. D uring the War at Thatta, he rendered
distinguishedservice underthe Khan- i -Khanan
, and,on his rocem
mendation, was created anoble of the E mpire. T he treasurer’
s
wife had access to the Queen Mariam Zamani , Akbar’
s wi fe, and
at her palace the eyes of Salim and Mehrnlnissa met. T he
passionwas mutual. Akbar, having heardof the amour, honour
ablyresolved that his son’
s passion should not interfere wi th the
completion of the union. S he was married to her betrothed and
sent wi th him to Burdwan, h is Jagir.
T he young nobleman accompanied the prince on his ex pedi
tion against the Rana of Mewar and for h is gallantry in the
fieldreceived from him the ti tle of Sher Afgan,or the lion ki ller.
Jahangir, on ascending the throne, sent Ali Kuli to h is Jag ir.
H is passion for Nnr Jahan rev ived, and he charged his foster
brother, Kutbuddin Khan,to rid him of his hated rival. Kutb
ordered Sher Afgan to C ourt, but the latter refused to go .
Kutb then sent Ghiasa,his sister
’
s son, to Burdwan, to persuade
S her Afgan that no lumn wouldbe done to him. H e himself
followedGhiasa to Burdwan. O u his ap proach , S her, ex pecting
no treachery, went to receive him, accompanied by two men.
Kutb, seeing him, lifted up his horse whip as a signal to his
followers to cut down S her. What is all this ex claimed S her.
Kuth ,advancing towards Sher, np
'
oraideJhim for h is disobedience.
T he royalists nowattacked S her, who killed si x men wi th his
own hand. Rushing then wi th his sword against Kntb, he
gave him a deep wound in the abdomen. Kntb, who was a
corpulent man, seizing his protruding bowels wi th his hands,
called on his men to despatch the scoundrel. Ambah Khan, a
Kashmerian noble of royal blood, thereupon advancing against
S her, inflicted a sword cut over the head, but S her cut h im
through with his sword at the same time. Seeing that he must
S IKAND RA.
fall a victim to the number of his assailants, be challenged
them to single combat ; but this was an invitation which they
were ill-prepared to accede to.
S her dismounted from h is horse, and turning his face to
wards Mecca and taking up earth, threw i t on his head byway
of ablation, for want of water, and stood his ground firmly.
H is bodywas p iercedbybullets discharged by the crowds of assai l
ants who surrounded him,and he fell like a lion, as his name was.
N ot a single man of his numerous assailants dared to approach
the corpse of the fallen hero, such was the terror inspired by his
bravery, unti l they had actually seen h im in his last agonies.
Kutbuddin was sti ll on horseback when he heard that Sher had
been killed. H e sent Ghiasa to bring the effects and family of
S her from Burdwan. H e was then removed in a palanquin, but
died on the way. H is corpse was taken to Fattehpur S ikri ,
where it was buried.
A handsome domedmausoleum sti ll stands in the neighbour
hood of Burdsan, and marks the last resting place of the hero,
S her Afgan.
3 . Quadri of S hiraz . H e was an ex cellent post and came Q uadri
from Mecca to India, where he was well recei ved by Akbar. H e
subsequently fell into disgrace and died at Fattehpnr S ikri .
S IKAN D RA.
At'
some little distance from the right bank of the Jumna is
the old military road used by the Mughals in travelling north
west to Lahore and Kashmir, now converted into an ex cellent
h ighway by Bri tish enterprise. I t has been aptly called the
App ian way’
of Agra, being traversed by culti vated fields,strewn for miles with the remains of oldmonuments which recall
to mind ancient ages. There is the old D elhi gate of the
i mperial walls, a massive structure of red sandstone, sti ll in a
g ood state of preservation, and some of the ancient mile-stones.
O n one side is the D istrict Jail and on the other the Lunatic
Asylum, both on sites of ancient buildings of which nobody
The designthemausoleum.
AGRA D ESC RI PT IV E .
knows anything now. Amidst thesemuti lated remains of ancientmight and greatness is the vi llage S ikandra,
‘ in the vicinityof
which, in the garden of Bahisht Abad, stands the singular andof solid tomb of Akbar, amonument of surpassing beauty. I t was
designedand commenced by the great Emperor himself and is
the most characteri stic of Akbar’s bui ldings. Though apparentlyafter a H indu, ormore correctly Buddhist, model, i t is quite
singular in shape, and, according to the best judges, unlike any
othermonument erected to the memory of man in the oriental
world. A recent German wri ter has justly observed, as Akbarwas unique amongst his contemporaries, so was his place ol
burial amongst other Indian tombs—indeed one may say, with
confidence, amongst the sepulchres of all Asia.’
Like the count
less memorials of his beneficent rule, like the numberless goodworks of h is long and happy reign, the stone symbol of his
creative genius which enshrines his mortal remains wi ll ever
stand the admiration of the whole world. Lofty as was Akbarin soul, great as was his might and magnificence. he has left a
monument to himself equally great, rich in variety of detai l,
copious in i ts amazing beauties, charming in the jux taposition
of its various parts. I t is due to the fertile imagination and
broad mind possessed by this great-souled man that, centuries
after his death, travellers from the remotest regions of earth are
moved to enthusiasm by the mere sight of h is mausoleum,
the monument of his own genius. What power of conquer
ing men’
s minds must not this great dead have possessed
in life
The tomb stands in the m1dst of an ex tensive square garden
(forming an area of about a mile or more in circuit), g irt bya battlemented wall, each side of which has in i ts centre a
lofty gateway of deep-toned red sandstone. T he red colour o f
these structures is delightfully broken by delicate minareta
of white marble at the angles, as wellas bydecorations of glazed
blue tiles and other inlaywork of ex quisite beauty. The state ly
height and magnificence of the gates is such that each in
itselfmight be mistaken for a palace.
According to common accounts, it is named after Sikandar Lodi , t h esecond Emperor of the Lodi dynasty.
BIKANDBL
LOng before the mausoleum is reached, its tall, slendermina
rets andwhite domes greet the traveller’s eye from afar. Reach
ing it, you pass thewestern or principal portal, upwards of
seventy feet high, w1th mutllated turrets and double arches, one
facing the entrance and the other one of the four grand cause
ways of hewn stone, that converge to the central platform on
which the monument stands.
Above the grandportal is the Nakkdr Khana, ormusic gallery, T he yak“,
a spacious arcaded chamber, with a balcony, fromwhich , at oneKm ‘
watch after sunrise and at dawn, kettle—drums were beaten inhonour of the dead, together with their accompaniments, the
Kmma, Nafi'
ri ,1' 8ad and other instruments. The room
whence once issued royal music is now occupied by a Bri tish
sergeant. There are also quarters for the custodians of the tomb,and the mtuas, who perpetuallyrepeatedthe Kordn at the grave.
T he interior spaces of the four wide sections are laid out as
gardens and filledwith frui t trees of all sorts (among which the
tamarindand some other trees are almost as old as themonument
i tself); but the gardens are entirely neglected now, and the
immense tanks andelegant fountain basins, in the centre of the
causeways, and th e water-courses which transect the beds of
fragrant flowers and odorous forest creepers that were once the
charms of this abode of paradise,’
are dry. T he platform of
whi te marble which terminates these magnificent approaches
forms a base of above 400 feet in length and breadth, and on it
rises the curious structure of red sandstone in fine terraces in
a pyramidal form. The lower storey, 3 0 feet in height, measures
3 2 0 feet on each side, ex clusive of angle towers, and is composed
entirelyof wide and Open arches, ten on each side surroundedby
rows of cupolas, the three to the east, west and north being large
and lofty, and the fourth to the south, facing the sarcophagus,
loftier still. A sloping passage leads from the main entrance to
the mortuaryhall, a vaulted chamber in the pavement, 3 8 feetTh M
square, and here, under a plain unpretending tombstone, almost mfg Hall.
sublime in its simplicity, repose the mortal remains of the great
Emparor.
A kind of C itrone.
1:A kind of pipe.
1m : nmomrrwn.
The ball is covered with dark blue plaster and gold. In
opposi tion to the prevai ling Mahomedan custom,which requires
the dead man’
s face to be turned in the direction of Mecca, thetomb of Akbar
’
is so situated that his head is to the west. C onse
quently his face is to the east and the rising sun, therebygivingindication of the Emperor
’s H indu proclivity. O u the tomb are
always lying wreaths of flewers, and L ord Northbrooke, the late
Governor-General, has given proof of his sense of admiration for
the great-souled dead by providing it wi th a gorgeous covering
at his own ex pense. Welldoes the memoryof Akbardeserve such
recognition byall lovers of true merit in the departed great.
T he fervour of a noble German mindwas ex cited as he laid his
roses on the grave of this bigh-minded king ; as the following
passage from the pen of P rince Fredrick Augustine of Schleswig
H olstein,C ount von Noer, will show Then there came vivid
ly to my mind some words of the amiable and open-minded
S leeman, considering all the circumstances of the time and
place, Akbar has always appeared to me among sovereigns as
Shakespearwasamong poets, and,feeling as a citizen of the world,
I revered the marble slate that covers his bones, more perhaps
than I should that one of any other sovereign wi th whose h is
toryI am acquainted.
’ I too could say that no other burial place
had so movedme as this of Akbar.
”
Bythe side of the tomb lay the books, raiments and armour
of the Emperor, ready to his hand if he were to rise ; but these
were, during the last century, carried awaybythe Jets ofBharat
pur, and i t is conjectured that some of these relics might still be
traced somewhere in that S tate i f a search for them were
made.
T he various Above the first terrace rises another, 14 feet 9 inches high ,
£ 21
3 23
“;sandmeasuring 186 feet on each side. The thirdis 15 feet 2 inches,the “hen
and the fourth 14 feet 6 inches high, all composed of turrets,
columns, arches and p illars of red stone, each terrace gradually
diminishing in size, but in open arched galleries, till they
terminate on the summit in an open enclosure 157 feet on
each side, which is just half the size of the lowest terrace.
T he whole mausoleum thus formed rises to the height of
100 feet.
AGRA 3 D ESC RIP TIVB.
At the head of the tombstone are inscribed in bold relief in the
P ersian characters the words
God is Great.”
and these two simple words are enough to tell who lies below.
At the foot of the tombstone appear the words
u se rs
Magnificent is H is Glory.
O n either sides of the sarcophagus are inscribed the ninety
nine attributes of the D eity, in raised Arabic characters of
elaborate scroll-work. At the four angles are turrets of white
marble, the domes of which are covered with g ilded and
enamelled Chinese tiles. The block at its base is surrounded by
a Mosai c pavement of white and black marble, while at its
head is a sort of half pillar, with a circular cavity of a few
inches in diameter at the tap, where formerly was kept a golden
001183 12
T he mm The two minarets on either side of the main entrance to there“
garden of Bah ishtabad had their tops blown away by the Janwhen theysackedAgra in 1764, andamark is thus left on these
elegant structures of their wantonness. T he minarets were
formerly coveredwi th domes and open pavilions which have longsince been destroyed. Fergusson thinks the highest storey was
never finished, and, from the traces of foundations on this
terrace, conjectures that it was intended to have a Splendid
ceiling and adome of considerable size over the present marble
enclosure. H owever that may be, there is nothing to detract
T he words serve the double purpose oi.praisin God as eat and pointing
to thegorsen (Akbar, meaning great) enshrmed in t e mauso cum. In an other
sense, yomitting the adjunct, theymean that God is Akbar,”namely Ak bar
is God’ wh1ch was the essence of the new D ivine fai th created by Ak bar.
This is, however, susce
gti ble of an ex p lanation that, according to the S ufi
doctrines followed byAir ar, God
’
s hght or sp irit is in every obyect . animateor inanimate, and t na Akbar
’s followers argued he was the s in t of God
,or
God himself, for, as k ing , he wasshadow ofGod and recei ved light from on h igh .
The ambiguity of'
the ex presaron. nevertheless,is qui te obvious, thoug h an
attemp t has Men in emously made to ex p lain 11; b the words inscri bed atthe foot which ra the magmficence of H is 3 ory, wh ich could on] bethe attribute of od. T he Emperor caused the same words (A11ah-o—Akbar
Ml “UI to be engraved on his seal and had them inserted on the heading of
all ublic correspondence. At one time he ordered them to be substi tuted fthe 3rdinary salutation Salam-alabum (peace be wi th you)to which answer 172:given JamJalalo 1m M a
,
» (magnificent is H is Glory).
from the intrinsic value of the reali tyas it now ex ists. P eculiar
in style of architecture, unique in plan and ex ecution, it is a
perfect work of art. As remarked by the German Prince
alreadyalluded to, it is only in the closest neighbourhood to thebui lding that one receives a just impression of it as a whole,with its magnificent height and wi th its amazing wealth and
gracious variety of detai l. Such is the enhancement of this
reali ty that one seems face to face with some fairy castle of
ancient legend.
’
The noble P rince thus concludes his eloquent
notice of thi smonument : To me i t was all like a dream, but
on myreturn to Agra, I formed the resolution to hold in remem
brance Akbar and the age of Akbar.”
Although the mausoleum was designed by Akbar himself,who had great part of it constructed in his own life-time, there is The bui ld
no doubt that it reached completion m the time of his son andmy
wmugm
successor, Jahangir, who modified the buildings. That emperor Bi l”
has given the following notice of the mausoleum in the M k,
his autobiography, in connection with the events of the 3rdyear
of the reign :
O uMonday, the 17th of Jamadi -ul-sani , I started on foot
(from Agra)to paymy homage and reSpects to the illuminated“hand"
resting-
place ofmy father, the dweller of the 9th heaven Arsh aceonntof the
ashywni )! H ad it been possible for me, I should have
traversed this distance walking bymy eye lids and bymy head.
Myrevered father, to fulfil a vow which he had made for mybirth , travelled on foot from Fattehpur to Ajmir, a distance of
1 2 0 kos, to pay his respects to the mausoleum of H is H oliness
Khawaja Moin-ud-din Sanjri Chishti . Were I to traverse the
distance on my head and on my eyes, what act wonderous should
I have performed ? H av ing acquired the honour of a visi t to the
i lluminated tomb, I ex amined carefully the buildings which had
been constructed on it. I t struck me that these were not such as
I should have wished, formydesire was that the edifice should
be such that travellers from the remotest corners of the world
should confess that the equal of it theyhad never seen anywhere
on the earth’
s surface. While the building was in progress, the
unfortunate Khusrow rebelled, and I was‘
under the necessityof
Thiswas the ti tle gi ven to Akbar after death.
AGBA 3 m m .
proceeding to Lahore. The architects, according to their own
understanding . progressed with the work in a fashion which
seemed to them best. They made certain innovations, until
the whole of the moneysanctioned for the building was spent in
a space of two or four years. By my orders other artisans,
well-versed in the art of architecture, in consultation with skilful
engineers, rebuilt certain parts, according to models that were
approved oi. Bydegrees amagnificent bui lding was constructed.
Aroundthe illuminated mausoleum ex tensi ve gardens were laid
out, anda lofty and stupendous gateway, comprisirig minarets
of white marble,was constructed.
I t was reported to me that, in all, fifteen lacs ofRupees
equal to fifty thousand Tomans of Iran, and forty-five lacs of
Khani , the current coin of Turan, had been spent on the building .
”
Thomas H erbert, who visited Agra during the reign of
Jahangir, has given the following notice of the S ikandraMauso
leum in his Travels.
At S ikandra, fivemiles from Agra as we go to L ahore, is the
mausoleum or burial-place of the great Mughal, the foundation
of which was begun byAkbar, the superstructure continued by
Jahangir, his son, andyet scarce finished, albeit theyhave already
consumed fourteen millions of rupees in that wonder of India.
O i this noble fabric I maysaysuch amonument
The sun through all the world sees none more great.
The following is the inscription on the grand southern portal
leading to the mausoleum
rb f 's“ 1"“U‘f“ !
w e t.“5! P fi gl ‘a‘ ufi lau r
(M calyé) “i n an ly ln l é é
“ yu lw a l fl i l “25”
w b l fi‘l av
:de n )!
V J? “ Je l‘l g d bfi (
b ej l néu ls
T his is a niche h igher in loftiness than the highest henn a,
I ts shade has given lust re to the sh ining stars.
T o the nine heavensand seven climes this niche has g iven their grace,
Fo r it belongs to the King Akbar'
s illuminated resting place.
12 th Jnmadi-ul-Ahhir.
1014 A.H . (1605
The following poems are inscribed on the arches of upper
most storey around the sarcophagus of the tomb. There are 3 6
archeddoors, nine on each side, one couplet being inscribed on
each arch
p a: 5! s)e Tyg w xsd
0 &5 ) w fl ) { l o fl
'
l
dyead e-t fl-l’u' fi cvlit dfi
v yi l J)! uati j r
l lt re
a: a ui i l m u
)K at&alJu j u f
v i fl é ’)
JKJ U JJ
J
Q M. ) afie y‘t
J“ N ) M: w? M y
!)
c eas afi -i ob .(I
dldj du j lw l ) l§ 3l 'u lve
IU J-(Jfi fi ugm i d lz j
a
J li h’ajiai c—AJ J "J?“
G10 “ l b w é i j
f
af fi lc yl t Lfi .
slid 4
Jr), 8K) M
Ou account of the faithlessaess of this world,
Be proceeded to the world of eternity.
fl ayGod ever keep his soul happy,
Andm yheaven’s domain ever flourish through him
Tomb of I n a room to the east of Akbar’
s tomb is the tomb of h is
daughter, Aram Bano Begam. T he marble sarcophagus is o f
ex quisite beauty and adorned with carved ornamentation of the
most chaste workmanshi p. At the head of the sarcophagus is
the inscription
0 God, forg ive my sins.
And at the foot the inscription
T his is the tomb of Arum Bsuo.
D a either side of the sarcophagus is inscribed in the P ersian
characters the passage from the Koran known as the Ayatul
The m l, of I n another room,to the west of Akbar
’
s tomb, is the tomb
S h imof Shakurulnissa Begam, another of Akbar
’
s daughters.
’ I n
elegance of style and ex cellence and puri ty of construction i t
resembles ex actly the tomb of Aram Bano. At the head of the
grave is inscribed the prayer
?o’séjfi lfrui
0 God, forgi ve my sins.
And at the foot is the inscri ption
This is the tomb of Shakurnlnissa Begam.
The tomb of Close to the tombs above mentioned is ‘the tomb of Mirza
mhsiku
fi.
Suleman S hikoh, son of the Emperor S hah Alam, and own
brother of Akbar Shah II, who died in Agra in 1 253 A. H .
Shewas married to Shah Rukh Mirza. son of Mirza I brah im, son ofMirzaSnleman, generallycalled Walt of Bsdakhshsn. See C hapter I I I .
SIKAND BL .
(1837 A. D .)andwas buried here. T he sarcophagus, which is of
marble, bears the following inscription :
yr “, wm a aas i gaae u n lw : 5 ,1 1 » ,s
laa w fl u fi sjl g g é u j d gll lé »! u s uj ps uhe
sh amhg l rf l 0 14 }.t Jul x él) d f j r
e c yl
-
g jts su alg r
i le
God, Mohamed, Ali, Fatima, H ussan and H ussuin.
WhenMirza Suleman Shikoh departed
From this transitoryworld to the world of eternity,I t was then the year twelve hundred and fi tty
-thrce,
And the date twenty-ninth of Zitaad.
At that time the inv isible voice was heard saying,
Say, God has hadmercy on the king .
’
The illuminated sepulchre of P rinceMirzaSuleman Shikoh ,Mohamed Shah Alam,
the k ing valiaat.
To the west of this tomb is another tomb, highly interesting Anotherfor the chasti ty of its design and the richness of i ts ornamen
tations. I t is not known to whom this tomb belongs. Mr.
Bea], in hisMifta- td-Tawar ikh, conjectures that it is the tomb of
Rukia S ultan Begum, the daughter of Mirza H andial, the senior
wi fe ofAkbar, who died at Agra in 1030 A. H . T he Arabic iacrip tion on the sarcophagus is as follows
firfl'w j '“l"r‘“e
.
fiu l yum wi l d l t -W l as s." dwarfism»
s! I ma , NWall ll “J! Art! Jig " amAll 3
£ 537 M u lwl é . bbo " J=~ awl )'
d‘
sw yl rs fl lg b fi a fl ”ai llwn w
182 mm : nnsemm vs.
la the name of God themerci ful and compassionate.
There is noGod but God, the L ord true andmanifest there is no God
but God. the C reatorand possessor of knowledge there is no God but God ,
the God Almighty and helper. H ereby I witness that there is no God but
H e : H e is the onewith no compeer : hereby 1 Witness that Mohammed is
the servant andmessenger of God; hereby l witness that the uni ty of God
is true that the death of the dead is true ; that the fire of hell is trurc that
the O ld and New Testaments are true that the P salms of David are tme
that the Alkoran is true that the scales of the D ay of Judgernent are true
and the bridge of the Day of Judgemeut is true. V erily the D ay of Jndgment
is to come there is no doubt regarding it. And verily God shall make to
rise those in the tombs . In T hymercy alone I rely, 0 H ost Merc iful
God !
T H E T OMB O F IT IMAD -UD -D AUL A.
Across the pontoon bridge, on the left bank of the ri ver, is
the garden tomb of I timad-ud-D aula. I t stands within a quad.
rangular enclosure, in the centre of a garden, upon a sandstone
terrace 149 feet square and 3 -4 feet high from the ground,
The garden is well kept and stocked with flowers, plants, shrubs,andtall cypress trees. T he lower, or central, hall standing on this
terrace is a parallelogram, measuring 2 2 feet 3 inches on each
side. T he floor consists ofmarble, richly decorated with mosaic
work. The real tombs of the Wazir and his wife are in this hall.Theyare of a yellow variety of porphyry, of high polish and
surpassing beauty and elegance. O u the walls are inscriptionsin the Toyhra characters from the Koran, Sums, I m mP atelma, Mozamblc and Taba
’
rakal L azi , boldly carved out
of beautiful stone. The hall is surrounded by small chambersin which are the tombs of other members of the same fami ly.
I n the centre of the structure, on the first floor, is an elegant
pavilion, reached by a sandstone staircase and coyered byoblong dome, topped with two pinnacles of gold. The
cenotaphs in this upper room are of plain marble, but containno inscriptions. At the four corners of the second storey are
four round towers, about 440 feet high surmounted by marble
TH I TO H B OF IT IH AD -UD -D AULA.
kiosques. The whole structure is ofwhi te marble, inlaid wi th
coloured stones and representing in arabesque beautiful patterns
of flowers, cypress trees, vases and other decorations formed
of gems, as in the Taj , but of lessdelicacy, though producing
a most agreeable general effect. These ornaments are dis
played to the best advantage by the light thrown from marble
lattice work on the walls, which are of ex quisi te beauty and
elegance, admitting free passage of air and light and, by their
delicacy ofdesign and combination of artistic meri ts, contributingmaterially to the beauty of the building .
The walls of I tirnsd-ud-D aula to the west are washed by
the waters of the river Jamna, and a fine viewof the river
front ofAgra C i ty is obtained from the summit of the miners
on the four corners.
I timad-ud-D aula, after whom the garden-tomb is known, H istory of
is the surname of Mirza Ghias Beg, a P ersian adventurer fromgifi’
ff'm'
Tehran, father of the celebrated N ur Jahan and of her brother
Asaf Khan,whose daughter, Mumtaz Mahal. the lady of the
Taj , was the Queen of the E mperor S hah Jahan. From the
post of Lord Treasurer to the empire, he was raised to the
digni ty of Wazir, which he held unti l his death, which occurred
at Kangra, on his way to Kashmir, in 162 1-2 2 . H is bodywas embalmed and brought to Agra by his imperial daughter,who raised over i t the present mausoleum. H is son was
,
on his death, appointed to the vacant ofi ce, under the
title of Asi f Khan. Jahangir, in his autobiography, has g i ven
an interesting account of his father-ia- law. H e was a poet,
and imitated the old classics. H e was genial and jovial, of a
lively and humorous temperament, punctual in his habits
and anx ious to do good to the people. H e was liked by every
bodyand had no enemies. H e was never idle, and his oflicial
accounts were always in the greatest order. The dutiful son- ia
lawalso places i t among the revered old man’
s merits that he
“ liked bribes and freely and without reserve asked for them.
”
When the oldministerwas on the point of death, the EmperorH is km
and his wife, N ur Mabal, happened to be byhis bedside. Themoments.
daughteraskedher father if he recognized H isMajesty. Instantly,
L GBA D ESC RII T IV I .
the dying Minister repeated the following verse from a P ersian
poet
E ven if aborn-blindman should happen to be present,
110 willat once recognize t'
1e chief by the splendour of h is brow.
A short time afterwards, the old man died. T he tomb was
completed by the Wazir’
s imperial daughter in 162 8. T he
Empress at first proposed to bui ld over his remainsamausoleum
of solid si lver ; but she was dissuaded by her archi tect from car
rying out her resolution, on the p lea that silver was like]y to
ex cite the cupidity of thieves and of beholders, and that marble
would be more beautiful and lasting, whi le less portable and
less costly.
O L D MO NUME NT S [N T H E C ITYAN D T H E
SUBURBS .
T ,“ JdmdOpposite the princi pal gateway of the Fort, on the north
west, stands the Jam Masj id, or the C athedral Mosque. I t was
built byJahan Ara. Begam,the elder daughter of S hah Jahan
,
called the Begam Saheb, whose modest epitaph in D elhi has
been often noticedby travellers. H er influence over her father,
whose captivityshe subsequently shared, was known and felt
to the ex tremi ties of the Empire. S he drew enormous allow
ances from the Imperial Treasury, and the nobles of the
empire gave her costly presents. T he mosque is bui lt of red
saud-stone and is situated on araised platform, surrounded by a
colonnade of the same material. I t is reachedby a broad fligh t
of steps, eleven feet high. T he main building, 130 feet long by
100 feet broad, is to the west. I t is divided into three compart
ments panelledwi th white marble, with red stone borders, and
supported byrows of arches, there being five archways in th e
front, and one large and two smaller ones on each side, all open
ing on a spacious courtyard. The central archway is over 4-0
TH E JAMA MASJI D .
feet in width. At each corner of the roof stands an octagonal
domedcupola, and the front is adorned wi th a row of smaller
square cupolas, of great beauty. From the four corners of the
roof of the central apartment rise four slender minarets, and
from its rear three large domes, inlaidwith wide bands alternately of sand-stone and white marble.
The mosque is a fine structure of bold design, ex cellent finish
andmagnificent proportions.
The cloisters on the east side,together with the eastern gate
way, which were very imposing, were destroyed during the
mutiny for strategical reasons.
As the inscription shows, the mosque was bui lt in 1058 A. H .
(1648 AD .)at a cost of five lacs of rupees, and i t took five
years to complete.
O n the top of the central arch is inscribed the following
passage in Arabic :
I “ , I 16 o 1 1 , a v g I o I
JW'J L
i” L"
fi ll L
1 u “1
I l'
p l f
l! I o l ' o’ 05
as !» u, ma n
,~ l
vab lel ‘1g l,
6 0 I 6 0 6 0 l l 9 0 fl I 0 1 00 1 0
I o’ l l l ' l g ’ I d o I f a w ’ 0 I I I I I I
a 0
C
. 0.a
Q
n “Lynn»
, fi llu b si lldf “) (7
, dis: traw l
l l g ’ l l " 9 o f ofu 'o 0" Av" , 1 0
In the name of God the merciful and compassionate.
By the sun, and i ts rising brig htness ; by the moon. when it f 1 llowethh im ; by the day, when it showeth h is splendour ; by the night, when it
cov ereth h imwith darkness by the heaven and H imwho built it ; by the
earth and H im who spread i t forth by the soul, and H im who comp letely
T his is the Sarah Sh mms (the sun of the Alkoran, C ha ter XC I , lat Mecca. According to Zamakhshari , t e Mohamedau who a all devo ti
e
tlye
aae‘
dth i l M shall be rewarded as if h M 1) to d
'
l 11themoon enlighten in theircourse.
we m m‘ a “m “Wm “ d
24
186 AGBA : nsscatm vn
formed i t and insp ired i t with its faculty of distinguising and power of
choosing between wickedness and p iety now is he who hath puuified the
same, happy but he who hath corrupted the same, is miserable.
'
l‘
hauuiel
accused their prophet Ssleh of imposture, through the ex c ess of their
wickedness : when the wretch among them was sent to slay the camel ;
and the apostle of God said unto them, L et alone the camel of God and
hinder not her drinking .
" But they charged him with imposture and they
slew her. Wherefore their L orddestroyed them for their crime,and made
their punishment equal unto them all and he feareth not the issue thereof.
I n the middle of the arch is inscribed the Ayat-ul-km'
si , a
passage from the Koran. The passage is as follows .
5 g: l ” g :o ’ OW O ao 0 ' C I p "Lo
’ t ‘:
’f °: g 5 0 0° 0 ’ p
’l nu t: 83
"galls w 3 o tynJ
Lo l u -Jl JLo U
9 9 a 1 l 0 o a (. a p o o " 0 '
a” o J, o ’ 9 , ’5 o; 0 I l l 0 6
“t 80 l” law} es , su b ) ’1 h i s
4 I 0 I'f 4
5 . 9 . r
y‘ a
God,there is no God but H e the ever-living and the self-subsisting ,
neither slumber nor sleep seizeth H im to him belongeth whatsoever is in
heaven and on earth. Who is he that can intercede with H im, but throug h
H is good pleasure ? IIe knoweth that which is past and that which is ( 0
come unto them, and they shall not comprehend anything of H is knew
ledge, but so far as H e pleaseth. H is throne is ex tended over heaven and
earth ; and the preservation of both is no burden unto H im. H e is the
h igh and mighty.
Around the arch is inscribed the following P ersian passage
w e. W ) l) g t”) 9
3 J ) c) “Stat. J afw eow 'o
g el
v135! w fi ej
li im l)a£'
jf w ale: u l~
JUU é aw d o
'
é r
M E; g li ) ts W 1 .) w h e y t ) ai i t u r
e a” )
u la zs l 4 &3 ) ’i u ua le d —I ) aea
« h e t fh u") lart tsu a fl u i j lj
irsmw s u e b
AGRA D E SC RI PTN E .
Bylalmamur and the palace of the firmament, and mayGod ever render
this holy place, founded for public worship, an object of blessing . C om
pleted in 1058 A. H . (1648 A. D .)
The mosque was closed to the Mohamedans after the mutinyof 1857, on the ground that it was too close to the fort and
might be used for the purposes of a popular rising.
Lord John L awrence, as Governor-General, acting in the
same honourable spirit of toleration which characterised his°
whole career, finding, in 1858, that i t was still shut up , gave
orders that it should at once be thrown Open and restored to its
rightful owners. Great credit is also due for this benevolent
and just measure to Mr. John Batten, who, as C ommissioner of
Agra, brought the facts to the notice of the V iceroy and for
many years afterwards, writes Bosworth Smith, the Biographer
of John Lawrence, the names of Jan Battan’
and Jan Larens’
might have been heard in the prayers of the faithful in the
mosque, and they thus afl'
ordedone proofmore that it is toleration
and not intolerance which strengthens our hold on the country.
”
From the Railway S tation, a few minutes'
dri ve along a
metalled road to the north-east of the ci ty wi ll lead the visitor
to another place of recreation, the Rani Bagh , called by
some the Aram Bagh (the garden of repose), but better known
as the Rem Bagh. This is one of the oldest garden
enclosures in Agra in which was the garden palace of Nut
Afshan, noticed in Baber’s memoirs. I t was the scene of
many imperial p ic-nics in the time of Baber and his successors,
and served, as i t does now, as an orchard and pleasure ground.
The jovial emperor, wi th his gay courtiers and jolly companions
of both sex es, spent his leisure hours in revels, si tting in the
moon-light and open air, on the banks of a fountain, filled with
grape wine, and giving a personal ex ample of merry-making in
the fash i on described in the well-known Persian couplet of h is
own composi tion
L ’s )“UJQ J) g
‘ J Jl‘t' i ’3, USN “
“ ? t fl u dfl le a‘ afi f u
tw fi I4
The BytazMamur. believed to be the temp le of angels, is.according to thebelief of the Mohamedans. above the seven heavens.
m m mien.
H ow delightful are the clouds,the new spring, the wine and the
company of a sweet-hsart l
T ry, 0 Baber ! to be merry, for we cannot again some to this world
when from it we once depart 1
I t was the temporary resting-
place of the body of the
Emperor Baber before i t was removed to Kabul. The name
Ram Bagh was given to i t by the Mahrattas.
T he gardens are ex tensive and comprise difierent terraces
wh ich rise one above another and are di vided into square beds,
with stonc and marble pavilions. T he garden is well stocked
with frui t trees and bordered with flowering shrubs and plants.
I t is well looked afterand serves as a pleasant p lace of retreat for
E uropean residents'
during the scorching heat of summer.
O i the old bui ldings, some subterranean vaulted chambers
looking out on the'
river, sti ll ex ist. Two well furnishedsuites of
apartments, with glazed doors and commodious furniture,
and hav ing two storeys, will be found at one ex tremity of the
garden as one enters i t to the left. These serve as a favorite
resort for holidaymakers, or thosewho v isit the place for tempo
rary change.
Though there is little attractive in the bui ldings, the placenevertheless possesses an antique interest, for, where many a
newlymarriedcouple now pass their honeymoon and where resort
many worn-out men, to gain renewed breath and vigour,
over the same spot walked, three centuries back, the tall thin
figure of the adventurous Baber, that knight errant of Asia
who, with his hosts of beautiful Tartar damsels and jolly com
panions, forgetting for a time the concerns of S tate, drowned in
the favourite cup all the anx ious cares of a vast and tur
bulent empire.
About half amile from the north-eastern end of the pontoon C hint h
bridge, on the left bank of the river, is the OMai -ka Rouse , hfimmfiso called from the beautiful porcelain or glazed ti les which
Km "
decorate the ex terior of the bui lding . T he mausoleum is sacred
Th is was the P ersian couplet inscribed b Baber on the banks of themarble fountain in his ace garden in Kabul. w
'
ch he was accustomed to fillwi th wine at times of estive entertainments.
AGM D ESC RIP TW E
to the memory of Afzal Khan. originally named Shukrulla, a
native of Shiraz, who came to India in the 17th century. As a
li terary adventurer coming byway of S urat, he entered the ser
vice of Jahangir about the year 16 17. H e won high favours
at the Imperial court and succeeded in obtaining the appointment
of D iwan, oraccountant, under S hah Jahan. H e died at Lahore
in 163 9 and was buried at Agra, in the tomb built by himself
during his own life-time . Thiswas the time when the E mperor
Shah Jahan was busy in founding new D elhi and the palace
there.
The building is quadrangular, nearly eighty feet square,
surmounted, bya bulbous dome, with a spacious central octago
nal domed chamber, having in the centre two brick cenotaphs,with four-side chambers one on each side. The dome is in the
old Pathan style. O u the top of the inner chambers are ia
scribed passages from the Koran, but these are now rapidly
peeling
O f the ancient buildings across the Jumna, the fo llowingalso deserve mention :
3335112111111. 1 . The garden of Buland Khan, a eunuch of the court o f
Jahangir. I t has an ex tensive tower, supported by thirty- two
p illars, and seven large wells are attached to the garden.
Zohragardea. 2 . The Zohragarden, betweeu the Ram Bagh and C hini-kar
Rouzé , thought to have been a garden of Baber’s daughter,with i ts dependent wells and pleasure houses. The building is
in transition style between the Pathan and the early Moghal
period.
Mott Bash . 3 . Moti Bagh , opposite the tomb of I ti znad-ud-dauhi , believed
to have been founded by S hah Jahan,but nowquite modernized.
Nawah Gani. 4. N swab Ganj , an enclosure with high walls and towers, said
to have been built by Nawab Salhbat Khhu, the paymaster of
Shah Jahan, nowused as a residence.
5. I n the small village ofKachpura, nearlyoppositethe garden
palace of Baber, on the south-east side of the Jumna, is a ruined
mosque, built by the Emperor H umayun. T he building is 93
monument, a counterpart of the Taj , on the Opposite bank , andto connect the two monuments bya marble bridge. The founds
tions of the western tower are still to be traced, while the eastern
tower, with its decorations, is almost perfect.
8. Achauak Bagh, one mile east of Kachpara, said to have
been founded in the time of Baber bya princess whose name i t
bears. Nothing is now left ofthis garden ex cept some chambers
Opening on the river.
C hatri of 9. Chatri Raja Jaswant S ingh . T he walls are beauti fullycarved and decoratedwith figures of vases and flowers. A good
v iewof this handsome building is obtained from RamBagh on
the opposite side of the Jumna.
O f the old interesting places near the Taj maybe mentioned
the H aveli of Nawab Khan-i -D auran Khan, the mausoleum ot‘
Shah Ahmad Bukhari , the bastion tower known as L at D iwar,
the small mosque near the south-east enclosure of the Taj , and
the remnants of some ancient palaces in the quarters known as
Tilyar-kaBaghicha.
Between the Taj and the cantonments, in a larg e walled en
filfif
‘ tclosure, is the garden ofMahabat Khan. Close to i t, in the v1l
mm Jl.lage of Basai , is the tomb known as Rouza D ewan Ji .
O n the Khair Garb road is the Idgah of the time of Shah
Jahan, said to have been built in fortydays. I t is built of red
sandstone and is 159 feet in length by40 feet in breadth. I t con
sists of six high arches, of which the central one is very lofty,
and is enclosed byawall of great height, surmounted bya cupola
at each of the four corners, the enclosure being 570 feet by
530 feet.
This mausoleum is situated close to a village called Khawfi aki -Serac between the Malpuraand Fattehpur S ikri road
,near
the Arti llery practice-
ground, Agra. I t was originallya square
building of 78 feet each side ; but a great portion of i t was
blown up by the Government, about 183 2 A. for the purpose
of building barracks in the cantonment. The gates, the walls and
the towers of the outer enclosure were all pulled down. T he
MAUSOLEUM OF JODH BAI .
mausoleum i tself, saysMr. Beglar, was too tough, too hard a
nut to crack , for that purpose, and i t was therefore left as i t is,
after being blown up ,—a huge shapeless heap of massive frag
ments of masonry, which neither the hammer of man nor of
time can dissolve or destroy!
Jodh Bai , or the princess of Jodhpur, was Akbar'
s RajputQueen, the mother of Jahangir and the daughter of RajaMaldeo Rae of Jodhpur. As Akbar’a mother had the title of
Maryam Makani , so was Jodh Bai called Maryam Uzzamani .
T he real marble tomb, or cenotaph , of Jodh Bai is below thefloor of the building , in a large vaulted underground chamber
,
descent to which is obtained byfour passages like the passagesi nto Egyptian pyramids. Three of these passages are closed with
debris the fourth maybe entered by crawling.
About a mile to the north of the S ikandraroad andAlam ommb,s ofGauj . and immediately behind the C andahari Bagh, there is
great walled enclosure, of red Fattebpur sandstone, each side iffbgi-l
i‘
ilfh
measuring 3 35 feet, with a grand and lofty gateway. T he walls
have crenelated battlements, and there are towers at the four
corners. T he old bui lding was completed in 1004 (1595 A. D .)T he enclosure contains a garden,
wi th a raised platform in the
m iddle. This is the tomb of L adli Begam, sister of Abul Fazl,
Akbar’
s famous friend and counci llor. She was the wife of Islam
K han, the grandson of S hekh Salem Chishti , of Fattebpur, who
was V iceroy of Bengal under Jahangir. S he died in 1017 A. H .
(1 608 A. or five years before the death of her hq and.
W here the platform nowstands in the middle, there was formerly
a grand mausoleum,built entirelyofmarble ; but i t was destroyed
by L akhmi Chand S eth , of Mathra, who purchased the ground
from Government, and, having dug up the marble stones, sold
th em. T he newowner has built, instead, an ornamental pavilion
on light arches.
The enclosure also contained the tombs of Sheikh Mubarak
and his eldest son, Fyzi , the brother of Abul Fazl, but these
haveb een destroyed by theMathraS eths.
Outside the grand gateway there is a large well, the grandest
anywhere in Agra or its neighbourhood. This has a splendid
25
AGBA D E SC RI P T IV E .
Baori , or underground room, round the shaft of the well, which
is reached by deep and broad galleries, affording a pleasant
retreat in the hot weather.
Over the entrance of the high walled enclosure, the followinginscription in the Tughra characters may still be seen
us es
)"k ill
(a s:
ilM l r. i j .mgit," 1 .h
Una
:
q
(MW L ian.“ 5 3 3) t)uL i
nd ; 3 1”Q ty. e
ta}. ”1!”l
ma. dawn u h Jsb g g
sw anw w lflni g
4m41; we tust flslMall than o‘" Jam sq .”
J ug s“ ; u -Kj g l“ aw ai ts r
an t i ngs. Jill?» J“I
In the name of God the Merciful and the C ompassionate, in Whom alone
I trust ! Th ismausoleum was constructed for the divine scholar. the holy
sage, the most learned Shekh Mubarak ; may his last resting -
place be
sanctified ! I t was founded by the ocean of knowledge, Shekh Abul Fazl
(mayGod the Most H igh preserve h im 1) under the Royal shadow of the
just k ing, whom honour, prosperityand graces follow, the splendour of the
world and relig ion, Akbar, the king valiant,may God the Most H igh ever
perpetuate his kingdom ! Built under the superintendence of Abul Baraki t
in 1004 A . 11. (1595 A. D .)
T he Kanzah was completed in the same year in which Fyzi
died.
According to theaccount furnished byAbul Fazl in the Ain, h is
father and elder brother were originally buried close to the man
soleum of Sbeikh Ala-uddin Majzab, in the Chair Bagh of Baber,
opposite Agra, on the left bank of the Jumna. T he bodies were
removed to this side of the river byAbul Fazl h imself, who bui lt
the Rouza. But when that occurred, does not appear.
To the south -west of Akbar’a tomb, between the road used
by the oldMoghals to go northward to Lahore and the river, and
after passing the old D elhi gate of the imperial walls, is the tomb
of Mariam Zamani , a P ortuguese lady, one of the Queens of
Akbar, who doubtless ex ercised great influence over that emperor
in inducing him to tolerate the Christians, as he is acknowledged
T omb of O n the right of the Gwalior road, at about the same distance
as the RousePahalwan, is another mausoleum of an early style,
andthe most beautiful in the neighbourhood. This is the tomb
of Firoz Khdn, the chief of eunuchs in the Court of Akbar.
I t is an octagonal edifice, of red sandstone, and is raised on a
high platform of the same shape. The entrance to the enclosure
of this elegant mausoleum is by a fine gateway on the east
side. The front of this portal is elaborately carved and orna
mented. The dome is decorated wi th abundance of glazed ti les
of various colours, andmany other parts of the bui ldings are simi
larly embellished. The walls are covered with sculptures of the
richest andmost elaborate style in relief. Firoz Khan, who lies
buried beneath the dome, is the noble who founded Firozabad,andwho gave his name also to Tel Firoz Khan
, an ex tensi ve
masonry tank which lies in the immediate vicinity of the tomb.
Four miles fromAgra, on the S ikandra road, is the S erai of
I tibar Khdn Khawja. I t was once an open summer house, but
the doors have nowbeen closedwi th masonry.
N ear the garden of Suraj Bhan on the way to S ikandra,
and about two miles from Agni , on the left hand side of the
road, is a full size statue of a horse, made of red stone. Opposi te
this is a tomb cl"
puccamasonry. N o authentic accounts of
this statue have been preserved. The story told by the people
is that a certain horse-rider was coming to Agrafrom D elhi .
When he reached this spot, he asked an old woman how far the
city of Agrawas. S he replied As far as you have travelled
from D elhi.”The horse-riderwas struck with dismayand forth
with died. A statue of a horse was constructed in memory of
this event by a certain sympathizing rich man, and the tomb
quite opposite is pointed out as the disappointedman’
s last rest
The following architectural monuments in the city deserve
mention.
I . The Akbari Masyrd, near the Kinari Bazar, originally
built byAkbar. I t has recentlybeen entirelyremodelled. T he
length of the building is 84 feet 6 inches and its breadth
25 feet.
onemosou‘
ss. 197
2 . The masj id of Mohtamid Khdu, Treasurer of Jahangir, Mfihfl ihdid
in the Kashmiri Bazar. I t is of red sandstone, with'
some ex Khan
quisito carvings. T he dimensions are 53 feet '
by 20‘
feet.
3 . The Kali Masj id, or black mosque, otherwise known as Kali orKalcm Masj id, or the grandmosque, near the Government
'
D ismill.pensary. The domes look black through age, hence the name
given to it, Kali Masj id. The mosque is believed to be the
oldest in Agra. I t is built of large and flat bricks and mortar
but was originally facedwi th sandstone. There are fine arch
ways, of equal width in the front, surmounted by five domes, of
which the central one is the largest. I t measures 1 28 feet in
length and 3 3 feet 9 inches in depth . The mosque is a specimen
of the early H industani style approaching the P athan period,
and is a fine specimen of architecture.—The mosque was founded
by Mazafiar H ussein, grandson of Shah Ismai l Safvi , King of
Persia, so oftenmentioned byAbul Fazl in the Akbarnama’
, and
father of the wife of S hah Jahan, buried in the Kandahari
Bagh, the town residence of the Maharaja of Bharatpur. Mazafl'
ar
H ussain held the rank of anddied a disappointed man in
1600, or about five years before Akbar. H is character is des
cribedas trickyandwavering’
.
4. The Mamd Mukhan nisan, or mosque for eunuchs, 18
situated in L oha lei.Mandi , or the iron market, in the western,
hart of the city. I t is built of pale red stone and is a very
handsome bui lding. I t has three domes, that in the middle
being the largest, with an octagonal tower'
at each end of the
front wall. H igh up in the wall, to the west, are two large
windows, of stone lattice work, of great beauty and elegance.
The mosque is said to have been bui lt by Akbar in honour of
a favouri te eunuch, named Yatim, whose prayers, in a season of
drought of unusual severity, brought down rain from the heaven
when all other means to alleviate the distress'had “failed and
who was so indifferent to worldlyriches that he refusedtd‘
receive
arewardwhen one was offered to him.
5. The D argah and mosque of Shah Ala-ud-din Majmb,commonly called
’
Alawal Bilawal, or S hah Wilayat, son of Syeddin.
Suleman ofMedina, inmohallaNatl ki -Mundi .‘The‘tflmensionsare
seas : nsscmrrrvs.
46 feet by 19 feet. These are the oldest buildings of the Pathan
period in the city. The saint flourished in the time of Sher
Shah Sur, Afghan, and came to India vid Khorasan. H e established a school of Mohamedan lawat Agraand built the mosque .
H ealso foundedamonastery, which is supportedbyan endowment
and is still kept up. The mosque is sunk into the ground up to
the middle of the walls, and a curious story is told about it.A camel-driver in the Imperial service wished to use i t as a
stable and even tied his beasts in the sacred edifice. The holy
man ex postulated, upon which the building began to sink , thus
crushing the unfortunate beasts to death and did not cease des
cending till the saint bade it stop .—T he holymandied in the reign
of Salem Shah, in 1546. The mosque has three plain domes
d is a fine specimen of Pathan architecture of a later period.
m of The H ammam, or bath house, of Allah Wardi Khan is situ“ p
ated on the left hand side of the Chipi Tola street. A handsome
red sandstone arched doorway, with elaborate carvings, leads
into the great quadrangle of the H ammam, surmounted by a
dome, the diameter of which at its base is 30 feet. The gateway
has on it the following inscription in P ersian verses
0 K J ls N 4 13 U g ag lad MQ s —u lt j fi )) ut
g uo
ge l” ' L‘
Ji fl J pn » : rifl ‘wf u -‘wwi cr j
ru y ua n U r
l s gfid lsletuu fi
D uring the reign of the Emperor Jahangir,
Who is fittingly called the Asylum oi theWorld
In the city of Agra, the Dar ul Khilafat,
Which is the seat of the Kingdom’s throne
By commandof Verdi Khan, Kherullah founded,
A Bath as chaste as one could wish .
I ts cleanliness equals the shining face of the moon,
I ts appearance isas spacious as the sanctuary of heaven.
Ou account of i ts rippling waters and the reflection of the orb oi the
moon in them,
soars: nascarm vr.
the timeof theking. Nur-ud'dinMohammedJahang ir, this contemptible
slave, H aj i Sulemau. built this mosque and dome, in the year 103 1 (AD .
162 1
There is no dome at this spot, however. The stone origi nally
belonged to an old mosque in the Mohammedan burial ground
south-west of the Ajmere gate, which having fallen into ruin,
the stone was removed and fix ed in the wall of a small mosque
near the gate previouslynamed
TheMosque I n the quarter of the town known as Alamganj is theO f Alums“.
mosque of Aurangzeb, surnamedAlamgir ; but it has now been
completely remodelled and is uti lized as the C ollector’
s emee .
Mr. Blunt, the late Collector, built around it a number of shops,which have been rented to traders.
The following passage is inscribed on this mosque.
utt
n-ewa ula )l I
? J L; sf-
ew u i ttn ud gl M
. "nu
fi l e !fi le glans C
‘
y-‘
j l 1‘ ~M ufii eeju ueai e
- fi eé to tear )!
AGRA D E SCRIP T IV E .
Mohammad Aurangzeb Alamg ir. Should we style th is foundation as of
world-wide fame (Alamg ir). it is most befitting ; its foundations are the
foundations of the perfect Faith furthermore, he who beheld i t never went
in the wrong path. lts date is to be found in a passage that is the mainstay
of I slam. namely, in the words, I witness that there is no God but God.
H e is one, and Mohammad is the servant andmessenger of God.
’ This is
the date of i ts foundation.
The date found is 1082 A.H . (1671 when Aurangzebwas engaged in warwith S ivaj i , the Mahratta.
Nazir was a great Urdu poet of modern time. H e was con
temporarywith the celebrated Urdu poets Zafl'
ar, Zouk , Momin
Khan andGhélhib of D elhi . H is dictionwas graceful and simple,
and he had a particular genius for describing nature and its
beauties. H is descriptions ofyouth and old age, life and death,
seasons, fairs, wealth and poverty, Fakirs and Calandars, are
particularlystriking, and his poems are on the tongue of old and
young, rich and poor, in the country. H is tomb in Agra is the
resort of people ofall sects, and a fair is also held at it.
The tomb of Samru is in Padri Tola, at Agra. H is original
name wasWalter Reinhardt, and he held command at Agra in
the time of Najafl'
Khan' and was the founder of the nowdefunct
principalityof S irdhana. H e diedat Agra on the i th May, 1778,
andwas succeeded in his vast estates by his widow,known as
the Begum Samru, who also succeeded to the command of his
forces. The Begum figured prominently during the accession
of Ghulam Kadir the Rohi lla, son of Zabita Khan, and, when
that chief entered D elhi in 1787, she hastened from P anipat With
her forces and appeared before the palace. Overawed by this
loyal lady and her E uropean O fi cers, the Rohilla chief retired
across the river. For her service to the Imperial cause. she was
publicly thankedbyS hah Alam and proclaimed the Emperor’
s
daughter under the ti tle ofZeb-ul-N issa (ornament ofwomen).
The quarter known as P adri Tola is situated in the rear of
the courts of justice and forms part of the original area attached
to the neighbouring township of Lashkarpur. I t is one of the
most ancient Christian cemeteries in Asia. P roprietary rights
Foran account of 8m msee page 59 ante.
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
C H A P T E R I I I .
AKBAR AN D H I S C O URT
T H E EMP E ROR AKBAR.
AFT ER h is defeat near Kanouj by S her S hah, in l54l ,
S indh , 1541. H umayun proceeded to S indh , wi th a view to establish himselfthere, andstaid in that country for about two and a half years.
At Patar, about twenty miles west of the Indus, he met his
brother, H andal, who was accompanied by h is nobles and his
seraglio. H nmsynn recei ved his brother wi th great ceremony.
D uring the course of the festi vities, H andal’
smother,who
,i tmaybe
observed, was not the mother of H umayun, gave a grand feast to
the Emperor and the ladies of the court. At this entertainment
H umaynn happened to see a girl of ex quisite beauty, called
H amida Bano . So fasc inated was he wi th her person that he
enquired on the spot who she was, and, being inf ormed that she
was a daughter of a nobleman who had been H andal’s preceptor,he asked whether she had not already been afl
'
ianced. H e was
informed,in reply, that she had been promised, but that no
betrothal ceremonies had yet been regularly gone through.
H umaynn asked her in marriage for himself. The idea was
disliked byRandal, and the brothers quarrelled and even came to
a rupture ; but, H andel’
s mother being in favor of the match,
H umayun was married to H amida Bano, who hadjust then com
pleted her fourteenth year, and, a short time afterwards,the
couple repaired to the camp at Bhakkar. H andal, irri tated at
the marriage, deserted H umayun and repaired to Kandahar.
0
T he result of the union was the birth of Akbar, on 15th
October, 1542 , at Amarkot, on the edge of the deserts ofMarwar,
whither H umayun had been compelled to fly, dri ven by the i h
hospitali ty of Mal D eo. Raja of Jodhpur. H e was hosIfitably
received by Raja Rana Parshad, the ruler of Amarkot. Fourdays
previous to Akbar’
s birth, H umaynn had left Amarkot to invade
the D istrict of Jno . T he E mperor, on hearing the joyful tidings,
prostrated himself on the ground to thank God for the birth of
Re'
a son and heir. T he nobles and commanders assembled round
zbéiifi’
fiegfm‘"him and offered their congratulations. I n default of the custom
ow 'p '
ary largesses, the E mperor ordered his ewer-bearer and secretary
TH E EMP l ROR AKBAR.
Janhar (the historian, author of Tazkarat ul Waqiat) to bringhim a pound of musk . This he broke on a C hina plate and
divided among h is nobles, saying : This is the only present ]
can nowafford to make to you on the birth ofmy son,whose fame
wi ll, I trust, one day ex pand throughout the world, as the perfume
of the musk nowfills this apartment.”KettIe-drums were then
beaten and trumpets sounded to celebrate the auspicious event.
T he Emperor named the child Jalaluddin MuhammadAkbar.
When the Emperor H umayun, with the aux i liary army of
S hah T ehmasp , of Persia, was about to invade Kandhar, Askari ,
H umayun’
s brother, who was then holding that city, at Kamran’
s
request, sent the little Akbar and his half-sister, Bakshi Bane
Begam, from Kandhar to C abul. After the fall of Kandhar, in
March , 1545, H umayun marched to C abul,which he occup ied
in N ovember, 1546, amidst the rejoic ings of its inhabitants. H ere
in addi tion to h is success in the field, H umaynn had the gratifi
cation of being. after three years’
separation,reuni ted wi th his
beloved son, Akbar. As the Empress had also, by this time,
arri ved from Kandhar, the circumcision ceremony of Akbar, whichThe circumo
had been deferred byci rcumstances, was performed, i n accord canton care.
ance with the injunctions of the law, amidst great rejoicings and?fl‘
fizrf'f
wi th great splendour.
"E
' Moulvi (now S ir) 8 ad Ahmad at the instance of S ir John Ka the
eminent h istorian of the snag.War, wro te a note on the subject 0 the
c ircumcision oarsmen of the ozbel E mp erors. I n i t the writer maintainedthat all the Moghal imperors up to the time
.
oi H umayun had been actuallyc ircumcised. Akbar owing to the adverse ci rcumstances of h is father. whenhe was bor n, could no t be c ircumcised
.
When H umayun regained the
throne of H industan, Akbar was fully thirteen years of age and far advanced
for the c ircumcision ceremon T he H indu connections of th e EmperorAk bar and his descendants m e them look upon the circumcision ceremonywi th disfavour. and it was made a condi t ion of all H indu marria es that
the ofl'
sprin should not be circumcised. T he minute was written b i t Syadwhen Baha ur Shah . the last nomi nal k ing of D elhi , shortly before t e mutinyo f 1857, raised the question of succession to the pri vi le se emcéy
ed bxhim
and was anx ious for the succession of the younger son, awain akht , y his
favouri te Q ueen Zinat Mahal, to the ex clusion of MirzaFakhr-ud-din, al ias
Mirza Fakhru, h is son by another wife. The old k ingmaintamegi that the ounger
son was intended for the succession, not havnng been circumc i s wh ileFak hr-ud-din had been subjected to the ceremon and was therefore unfit
for the honour. I t was ascertained that Fak hr-u ~din had been ci rcumcisedfor hysical reasons. S ir Syad
’e statement . so far as it concerns Akbar, is wrong ,
BothAbul Fazl and Mirza N izam-ud-din Ahmad, the author of the Tabakat ,notice the circumcision of Akbar. T he Mirzawri tes
rah é igrb) Jets l .)
0) K4
re)» “9 49 1 4 1 10 -o l3 )‘olg U,»
v ? platdue as lflfv u
rn: w : “259.
9 93} ruler!»Mirza Yadgar Nasir came to C abal in attendance on the E mpressMariam
Makani (H amida Bane). Great rejoicings were made in these da 3 and the
cremony of circumcising the ybung p rince was performed. E lliott V . Akbar
was than four years two months and five days old.
H is marria 0
wi th aB inprincess ofthe house ofAmber.
AKBAR AND H I S C O URT .
After the circumcision ceremony andwhen Akbar was in
his fifth year, he was, according to Abul Fazl, “ first brought
to the school of human knowledge,’
andMoulana Azam-ud-din
was selected to be his tutor. Akbar learnt nothing from
his first preceptor, and Monlana Bayazid was, after some time,
appointed to replace him. Later ou, Moim Khan was appointed
to prepare the prince for his sovereign ofi ce and he was
trained in the use of arms, in riding, in the management of
the bow and lance, the sword and the matchlock, but he
never learnt to read and write. O u Byram Khan becoming
the regent of Akbar, the young sovereign was put under the
tutelage of Mir Abdul Latif, of Kazwin. Akbar studied the
mystic ghazals from his erudite master and committed the
odes of H afiz to memory. T he motto of the Mir was “ Peacewith all, and there is no doubt that Akbar owed much o f
the enlightenment and toleration which characterised his career
to the early teachings of h is generous minded tutor.
I t was Akbar’
s highest aim to treat the two opposed creeds
of India on terms of perfect equality and to make no dis
tinction between H indu and Mohammedan. H e wished to
convert India into a garden in which the H indu banyan, that
tree of vitality ever fresh and vivid, might flourish and stand
side by side with the slender and aspiring palm of the Moslem,
which had journeyed with him from the deserts of Arabia tothe sources of the N ile and from the highlands of Iran to the
shores of China and the P acific. H e had been born under the
sheltering roof of a H indu and from the time he ascended the
throne he showed a decided inclination to form intimacywith
the t us.
This was, indeed, hereditary with him. When his grand
‘1 father, Baber, was forming plans to conquer India, he entered
into negotiations with Rana Sanka, a Rajpoot chief, to dethrone
S ultan Ibrahim Lodi . H is father, H umayun, elected to
become the Rachi band bhai (bracelet-bonnd brother) o f
Karnavati , the noble mother of Ude S ingh, Rana of Chittor,whom be assistedagainst Bahadur S hah. Akbar allied himself
with the Rajpoots, and it was from this martial race that he drew
AKBAR AND H IS C O URT .
the amelioration of the two chief sects of the population of India.
O u arrival at the capi tal, Raja Behari Mal was made a O ommen
der of Five Thousand, and h is son and grandson recei ved high
mi litarycommands.
H iso
inventive Akbar possessed an inventi ve genius and amechanical mind.
genius’H e was ski lled in various mechanical arts and had a knowledge
of casting cannon and making heavy weapons of war and
ordnance.
H e had his workshops in the immediate vicini ty of the
palace and looked with great scrutiny into the working of hi s
arsenal. H e introduced new methods, which he reduced to
practical form.
Invents g uns,H e devoted special attent ion to the manufacture of guns and
matchlocks and regarded the efficiency of this branch as one o f
the higher objects of a king.
’
H e invented a gun which , on
marches, could be easi ly taken to p ieces and put in order again
when wanted. By another invention, seventeen guns could be
fired simultaneously wi th one match . There was a kind o f
gun which could be easi ly carried by a single elephant, and
another of such enormous size and proportions that the ball
weighed twelve mannds, and several elephants and a thousand
cattle were required to transport it.
Matchlocks. A matchlock was invented by H is Majestywhich could be
fired bya slight movement of the cock. H e also invented a
wheel which could clean si x teengun-harrels in a very
‘
short time.
‘
Term H e invented several tents andmade great improvements on
fashions then ex isting. T he tent called Gulabdar, covered wi th
red cloth and tied with tape, was his invention. I t was never
less than one hundred yards square and had strong doors,
secured with locks and keys. H is camp was a moving city, and
he had pavi lions of enormous size, wh ich , in journeys, served as
pri vate and public halls, as jharoka, as places of worshi p , and
for various other purposes.
In the department of i llumination, he invented several
candlesticks of the choicest patterns. H e worshipped fire
T he wheel is illustrated by a plate in the Aino i -Alxbnri .
TH E EMP EROR AKBAR.
as an emblem of the deity, and at sun-set twelve candle
sticks of gold and si lver were brought before h im, when
a singer of sweet melodies, wi th a candle in h is hand, sang
a variety of songs in praise of God, beginning and concluding his
tunes with a prayer for H is Majesty.
H e made many inventions for reducing unruly elephants to
obedience. H e inventeda charkhi,ora piece of hollowedbamboo, Method for
covered wi th sinews and filled with gunpowder, an earthen
part ition di viding the powder into two halves. O u fire being
put to both ends i t turned round andmade a fearful noise, which
frightened an elephant and thus quieted him. Previouslyfire on a large scale was lighted to separate two elephants that
were fighting, but that caused much trouble and seldom had the
desired effect. The method devised by Akbar to quiet the
animal was of great utility.
H is Majesty invented ex traordinary carriages, among them
being a cart drawn byan elephant, and so large that it contained Invention of
several bath rooms. I t was a travelling bath and could also be“ rim“
easi ly drawn by cattle . Water-wheels and carts of different
fashions were constructed,and a machine was invented which
drewwater from awell and at the same time moved a mi llstone.
Akbar invented the game of chandal mandal and could play
i t in several ways, which are all detailed in the Ain. H e made And of
severalalterations in the game of cards and was agood player at“m“ ’
chess ; his chief object in amusing himself with these games,”
according to his historian, being to test the value of men and
to establish harmonyand good fellowship at court.”
Akbar, though born aMohammadan,was giftedwith an inquir
ing mind. H e was aseeker after truth , and his ideawas to unite Akbarall h is subj ects, whatever their orig in and creed, into one com “em ” “ft“
truth .
mon nationali ty. H e did not favour the Mohamadans because
they belonged to the ruling race. H e collected the opinions of
the professors of various religions and sectarian beliefs, weighedth em carefully, retained what be approved and rejected what he
considered unacceptable. From his earliest childhood,”
wri tes
Badaoui , to his manhood, and from his manhood to old age,
H is majestypassed through the most various phases and through
97
AKBAR AND ms C O URT .
all sorts of religious practices and sectarian beliefs, and he
collected everything in a spirit of enquiry. These enquiries
created a strong conviction in his mind that there were men of
mental and moral accomplishments and abtruse thinkers in all
Abomheg the religions, and he believed that there were men in all nations
who possessed miraculous powers. H e abolished the Jazz'
s, or
tax on infidals.
Believes.
in H e rejected the tenet of resurrection, and believed in the
2M doctrine of the transmigration of souls. H e hearti ly approved
ti“of the saying :
“ There is no religion in which the dogma of
transmigration of souls has not taken firm root.”
Brahmans com
posed treatises in order to find evidence for this doctrine. H e
imbibed his H indu notions at the relig ious meetings of Jog‘ipura,
the I badat khana, and other places for such assemblies. H is
desire to gather knowledge regarding religions was not confined
to public meetings. E ven in his sleeping apartments, when he
H is Brahman retired from all public functions, he was not without the com
pany of the learned. H e ordered a Brahman,named V asn
Khotam, to compile a vocabulary in Sanskrit of all things in
ex istence. Another Brahman,named D ebi , used to go to the
Emperor in his sleep ing apartments in quite a novel way.
Admittance ofmenbeing strictlyp rohibited to the H arem, he was,
according to Badaoui , pulled up the wallofthe palace on a charp oy
(cot) ti ll he reached the balconywhere the Emperor slept. While
thus suspended between heaven and earth, be instructed H is
Majesty in the secrets and legends of H induism, in the manner
of worshipping idols, the fire, the sun and the stars, and the chief
H indu gods, Brahma, Mahadeo, Bishen,Kishen, Ram and
Mahama. H is Majesty worshipped the sun as the greatest light,
of which all lights were subjects, and be adopted costumes of
seven difl'
erent colours, which were worn by him on particular
days of the week according to the seven colours of the seven
planets. H e interdicted the use ofbeef, believed i t was wrong to
kill the cowand regarded cowdnng as pure. T he doctors pro
duced passages in their books , showing that the use of beef was
injurious to health and producti ve of vari ous diseases.
And fire .Akbar believed in Zoroaster’s doctrines. and regarded fire as
one of the manifestations of God and a rayof H is rays.
’
From
AKBAR AND 1118 C O URT .
a l l
There is no God butGod andAkbar is H is v icegerent.
For the fear that the new formula might ex cite discontent
among the masses of the Mussalman population, its use was res
tricted to the palace.
At this time (990 A. H . , 1582 A. D .) MullaSheri composed
a poem of ten verses ofwhich the following are some
JI l W
Ji -O
eas
es ba lsa Jsb , N
o
“Ca f f w mu f g lf ee l g x u a
I t is utter confusion of the brain if a fool should think in his mind,
That love of the P rophet can ever be banished from mankind.
I cannot suppress laughter at the couplet which on account of a nov el
plan,
Will be recited at the feast of the rich and become a watch-wordwi th
starv ing man.
The King has laid claim to be a prophet this year.
After the lapse of ayear, please God, his own divinityhe will declare .
The D in-i -Ilahi , founded by Akbar, had an important poli ti
,cal significance. I t was a religious community, uni ting in a
political fraterni tya body of men the members whereof bound
themselves by oath to stand by the Emperor in good and evil
fortune, in happ iness and in woe. D uring the year 988 (1580
AD .) the four degrees of faith in H is Majesty were defined.
These were (1)readiness to sacrifice to the Emperor property, (2 )life, (3)honour, and (4)religion. Whoever sacrificedall fourthings
possessed four degrees and whoever sacrificed one possessed one
degree. All the members of the court had their names enrolled as
faithful disciples.
TH E EMP EROR AKBAR.
All public correspondence and other writings commencedwi th
the words Altah-o- Akbar (God is great), associating Akbar’s name
with God and the use of the time-honouredBismi lla (in the name
of God) was discontinued. T he Islamitic prayers were rejected
as illiberal and inaccurate, and the taste put down as Taqlid'i ,
or relig ious blindness. Prayers partaking of the nature of those
of the fire-worshippers of Iran and the followers of the Brahma
were introduced as more comprehensi ve and efi cacious. Man’
s
reason alone was acknowledged as the fundamental basis of all
relig ions. A new era, according to the new fai th, was introduced O rdinmm of
in all Government records, and the mode of salutation was the “ W hm"
changed. A member of the D ivine Faith, when he sawanother,
saidz—Allah-o-Akba'
r (God is great) to which the otherresponded,Jaui -Jalalo-hu (magnificent is H is glory). T he moti ve of H is
Majesty,” writes Abul Fazl, in laying down this mode of salu
tation, is to remind men to think of the origin of their
ex istence, and to keep the D eity in fresh , lively, and grateful
remembrance .
”
The members abstained from eating flesh ; they
were not even to approach it during the month of their birth.
Instead of a dinner given in remembrance of a man after death,
each member was to give adinnerduring his lifetime. H e was
also to arrange for a sumptuous feast on the anniversary of his
birth day. I t was absurd it was argued, to offer food, wh ich
was material, to the spiri t of a dead person, since he could not
be benefited by I t ; i t was more reasonable to have a grand feast
on the day of one’
s birth. E very member was to fast duringthe month of his birth.
An interesting essay byMr. E . D . Maclagan, I . C . S on T he Jesuit
the Jesui t Mission t i the Emperor Akbar”and based on notes
13541333233 ?
recordedby the late General B. Maclagan, was read in a month b “
ly meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, held on 1st April,
1 896. I t describes fully the proceedings of these Missions
furnished by the Jesuits.
A letter from Father Aquaviva, written on the 2 7th of
S eptember 1582 , furnishes an interesting account of the final
stage of the firstmission. I t says T he Emperor brings con
fusion into the C ourt by the many novelties dai ly introduced,
among other things. the giving praise to creatures as the Sun and
Akbar as sp iritual guide.
AKBAR AND H IS C O URT .
Moon, and abstaining from meat from S aturday night and all
S unday. I have certain information that manyof the heathen.
out of superstition, because it is the day of the Sun and Moon.
eat absolutely nothing . I n general, i t is forbidden to kill anymeat in the market , and we are generally unable to get any to
eat on Sundays. Two or three days after their Lent has com
weneed a new Easter has been introduced called Merjan,
”on
which it is commanded that all the chief'
s be dressed out in S tate,
and listen to music and dances. I enquired of the Emperor’
s
astrologers, and they told me that i t was a feast observed by the
ancient fire-worsh i pp ing Kings of Persia. T he Mahammadans
were veryscandalised andwould not imitate the observers of thefeast , - they cannot understand whether they do these th ings
because they like them or whether they do them by way of
ex periment. I n truth , I also cannot understand the matter,
for the E mperor converses with me fami liarly, as he has done
this rainyseason, always enquiring i nto the faith, and yet he
seems confused with other things, and confessed to me one day
that he would be much surprised i f one could really discern the
truth . Ou Tuesday, the 2 4th of S eptember, the E mperor came in
the afternoon to see the marriage of D omingo Fires in our C hapel.
We decorated the chapel verywell and painted two trophies in
his honour, and D omingo Pires ordered a Portuguese banquetto be prepared for him at our house. T he Emperor was deligh t
cd wi th everything , and showed me much affection for entertain
ing him to the best of my power. At the marriage, I preached
a sermon to the couple ; the woman did not understand me, and
the Emperor interpreted to her i n her own language what I was
saying in Persian. The Emperor remained in our house till
nearly8 o’
clock at night. With great pleasure he brought to
the house all the principal chiefs of the Mahammadaus and the
heathen. One of the heathens, a ruler in these lands, was much
amazed, andmade a jest of the chapel. Others, children of the
E mperor, were present and dined at the house, as well as two
of the princi pal Mahammadan chiefs whom the Emperor sent
for.
Akbar, as a spiri tual guide of the nation, took people to dis
cipleship . T he offering of a vowto H is Majestywas looked upon
as the means of solving difiiculties. S treams of sick and indigent
AKBAR AND H I S C O URT .
beautified, were brought before H is Majesty.
“ C ases between
H indus were to be decided by learned Brahmans, and not by
Mussalman Q uazis and Muftis. Instead of the usual oath,
ordeals were prescribed, to determine the guilt or innocence of
accused persons heated iron was put into their hands, or they
were made to put their hands into hot, liquid butter. I f they
were unhurt, they were declared innocent ; i f hurt, they were
considered guilty. Another form of trial was to make the
accused jump into deep running water if he came to the surface
before an arrow had returned to the ground. wh ich had been
discharged when the man jumped into water, he was considered
gui lty.
T he shaving of the heard was looked upon as the highest
sign of friendsh ip and afi'
ection for the Emperor ; and the
custom thus became general. E veryth ing repugnant to H indu
taste was gi ven up. T he ringing of bells was introduced.
I n opposition to the tenets of Islam, swine and dogs were no
longer looked upon as unclean, but kept in the H arem and in
the vaults of the castle. The saying of some sages that a dog
has ten virtues, and that, i f a man were possessed of but one of
them, he wouldbe asaint,’was cited as an argument for consider
ing the dog clean.
Flesh ofwi ld The flesh of the wi ld boar and tiger was permitted, on thebeasts.
ground that i t would impart the courage possessed by these
animals to the person feeding on i t. I n favour of allowing the
use of forbidden animals and insects, the fo llowing two verses
from the Shahnama of Firdousi were constantly quoted at
C ourt
JK M e w e - Lw l flu r s emf fa
yum; t,” m i sai l) rs: elm :
Anti -I slamiBy tak ing the mi lk of she camel and eating lizards,
t ic orders. The Arabs such prOg ress have made,
That they now asp ire to the throne of P ersia,
Fie upon fate Fie upon fate
T he wearing of gold and si lk dresses at the time of prayer
wasmade compulsory; the Islamitic prayers, the fast and the
C hapter 81. on the Muster of C attle, A in-i -Alabari .
~$itgfimage were forbidden ; circumcisionbefore the age of twelve
" ‘
I as'lleld to h iunlawful, and was’
then left to the wi ll of the
personswhowere tobe operatedupon; the H ijrayearwasabolishedvan! theyeareemmeneiug with the Emperor
’
saccession introduced
' tit‘wascalledtthe Tm'i lch-i -I lahi the reading and learning of Ara
3 ‘h ieby‘the common peoplewas prohibited, because such people
were’
t he cause of‘mueh mischief; the studyof theMohammedan
J -L awwasdisapproved ; astronomy, philosophy, medicine, mathe
matics, poetry; historyand novels "were studied and considered
necessary.
H isMajesty; having been informed of the feasts ot'
the Jem resets.'
sheds and'
the festivals of the P arsis, adopted them and made
them occasionsfor conferring benefits on the people. T he people
hailed these occasions wi th rejoicing, and there was a display of
splendour‘at the court, whi ch
' became a scene of,
gaiety and
merryxma'hing.
"
The most important feast was new year’
s
day, which lasted fromt he beginning to the 19th of the month
oft Farvardin. On’
the first days of this feast coloured lamps-were
{ ligh ted in the'
palace' for three nights, and on the second forfimi
”one night, and
'the joywas general. The last day of Jdshn-i
M e; on tvhich‘the sun entered the nineteenth degree ofAries.
~ su swnsideredparticularly holy by'H is Majesty. O u
'
this 'day“the ‘
grahdeeswere promoted, or received Jagirs or horses and
draeeso f honour; aceotding to‘
their respective ranks.
Again‘
, H i'
s’
Majesty, following the custom of the ancient Parsis, B‘nqnwo
h eld s‘
plen'
did banquets on those days the names of which coin
cidedwith ‘
the name‘
of amonth. Thus, banquets were‘ held on
the1 9th Farwardin, 3 tdUrdibahisht ; 6th Khurdad ; 1 3 th T ir ;
7 th‘
Amurdad ; 4th S hahriwar ; l 6th Mahir ; loth Aban 9th
Azar ; 8th, 15th, 2 3rd D ai , 2 ndBahman ; 5th I sfandarmuz.’
Feasts
d wereheld’on each of thesedays. Playing wi th dice,and the taking- 'ofl nterest 'on money loans advanced were held to be lawful.
“ d
ffl e Eu pemr encouragedusuryby building a gaming house at
’the'eourt andadvancing moneyfrom the ex chequer on interest
stunt eaployers.
0 11 new year’
s day fancybazars were, under the orders‘
ofFancyBazars.’H idMajesty, opened fora stated period, for theamusement of the
“Begum and ledies of theRoyal H arem andalso of othermarried
ladies. The EmperorwasM ac in spending money on such
28
AKBAR “ D H IS C O URT .
occasions. Important afl'
airs of the H arem people were decided,marriage contractsmadeand betrothals of boys andgirls arranged
at such meetings.
With a view to establishing harmony among people of
different classes, Akbar held social meetings, called feasts of
frienth hip and union,’
to which large numbers of people were
invited. Theyall partoolr of H is Majesty’
s hospitality, and he
cheered them all with his affable disposition. Through the
discipline and careful arrangements of H is Majesty observes
Abul Fazl in the Ain, the court was changed from a field -of
ambitious strife into a temple of a higher world, and the egotism
and conceit of men directed to the worship of God. E ven
frivolous and worldly people learnt zeal in their private life and
attachment and loyalty to the throne.
’
O u the htat feast day of every month, the Emperor held a
large fair for the purpose, according to Abul Fazl, ‘o i enquiring
into the manywonderful things in this world'
. Merchants ex hi bi
ted their articles for sale. The members of the Royal H arem
graced t he fair wi th their presence and the ladies of the nobili tywere also invited. Buying and selling was the order of the day.
B isMajesty Belected articles for purchase at fix ed prices, thus
adding greatly to his knowledge. T he secrets of the Empire,
the character of the people, the conduct of the ofi cials and the
state of each etfice and workshop were fullyknown.
’
Alter the
Fancy bazars for ladies, bazars for men were held, and in them
merchants from all countries produced their wares for sale. All
sorts of people were freely admitted to these fairs and men
having grievances against any official had free access to the
Emperor to lay their complaints before him, without hindranc e
from the maoe-bearers.
H indus who had been compelled to become converts to
Mohamadanism, while sti ll too young to understand the nature
of their set, were left at liberty, on reaching the age ofdiscretion ,
to return to the faith of their ancestors. No man was to be
molested or interferedwith in anyway onaccount of his religion
everyone was allowed to renonsee his own religion and embraceanother, as suited his taste and convenience. I t
‘
a H indu woman
fell in love with aMohamadan and changed her religion, she was
CMDGGI‘ 84. Ain't’AkbOfi o
AKBAR m ars count
go:mad.
Ao instance of .the Emperor’s tenderness. .of dispos
'
uimmis» .
gi ven byBadaoni When H is Majesty reached FatehpUt -S ih in’
from Ahmedabad, in June 1573 , H usain K'
uli Khw xgeumu sof'l
the Panjab, brought to him three hundredprisoners iron the stri p s
of the rebel, Ibrahim Mirza, whom he had deh htsdtneanrl i uh l s
Ah ong these prisoners was Masud H usein rgenemh e i s
I heahim. Masud’
s eyes were sewed up, but Ak baI -erdend -thm e
to be opened. The o ther captives were all covered with ! th e
skins of hogs, asses and dogs, but the Emperor gave a free
pardon to them all, including Masud, and liberated them.
The Jcauit Father who visisted Akbar in Fattebpur S iktim
in 11582 , has recordeda story of the Emperor’
s gentle tampem
Once, when H is Majestywas on the Jhelum, twelra abu d eu u
were produced before him for puni shment : H aving :ha ui nlth
case personallyand gi ven it his mature consideration, hen osdeld -‘ l
sems ot'
them to be beheadedand others to be kept in confine
ment. Amongst the first, a convict begged H is Majesty‘
ta be
allowed-to speak. O u being permi tted, he begged the k ing that .
he might not be killed, as he possessed an art in which no bodyin the world ex celled him. O u the k ing
’
s asking to what art he
referred, he replied L ord of the universe, I sing better than
any . one.
“Then sing ,”said the Emperor. The poor ,devil
began h is performance so wretchedly that the Emperor eould-not
suppress his laughter. O n this the prisoner Asylum
of the world, pardon me ; I em very hoarse today, and eanmt
sing.
” This remark pleased H is Majesty so .well thatzshe l1ai t
only forgave the man, but also modified his order condemningthe deserters to death, and theywere kept in confinement unti l
he should order further enquiry into their ofl'
ence.
Akbar disliked the custom of H industan whereby .a mauriszs
married to awoman whom he has never seen, and with . whom"
he:has not associated. H e maintained that the . consent 0 2 1 th
bride and the bridegroom, and the permission of themaroon; aif the couple to be bound by marriage tie wensmitten ; swan zud-r
cessary to render a marriage contract lawful. H e .disnppnou i u
ofmarriage between a man andwomen befa'e theyfihedtm hfi 0
years o£ discretion, maintaining that such a union causeth‘
een'
mo z
Akbar byCount of Noer, V ol. I I , p . 57-0
wanl '
ol ese when athe 'couple ri pened into manhood zand mada f
thu'
r house: eitherdesolate or unhappy in after life. Marriamwwnwm y for the stabi li tyof the human race; the , durability
andW ei the world I t.acted aaa . preventive against the
outbreak . otx evil passions,~ as a check against wicked and .
sinful human propensi ties ; it led to . the establishmentv of
homes and promoted happiness and comfort. But peop le, in
contracting meni nges, must‘
be actuated by higher motives
than mere sensual gratification ; they must be imbued ' with
notions of spiri tual union, and this could only be attained
by equality of essence in marriages. H e passed’
ao edict Regulations
prohibiting marriage between ' first cousins and . near relafor
tions, because it was destructi ve of sex ual appetite. Boys
were not to marrybefore thaage of ‘ 1 6, or g irls before fourteen,
because the, ofi'
spring of early marriage was. weakly. Bis
appointed ofi eers called Tavi Begi , or masters; of marriages, ,to
regulate , and arrange marriages. Theymade enquiries into the
circumstances of the bridegroom and bride, .and they were paid.
by a tax levied from both the contracting p arties. Acem'diug t o
Abul Fazl, the payment of this tax . was . looked upon .as‘aue
picious’
, aud it was levied to enable people to showtheir .grati
tude’ Mansabdars commanding from five to one thousand-paidd
ten gold mohurs ; Mansabdars of one thousand to five hundred t
paid four mohurs ; C ommanders of one hundred, two mohurs ;
C ommanders"
of forty, one mohur ; C ommanders of '
ten,four
rupees; The latter ' fee was also paid by rich people. The
midde classes paid one rupee and the common people one
dam. The common people were also to cause their marriages tot
be registered in the Kotwalfs ofii ce. ‘
H is Majesty disapproved of high dowries, fix ed ex travagantlyM m .
without regard to the means s ot? the contracting parties, the: .
afi'
air being a mere sham ; but he admitted that high dowries r
acted. as a preventi ve against rashvdivorees.
H e didm ot approve of amammarrying more than one Wik ibpolyp ny.
forspelgtgamyruinedaman’
s health aud-disturbed the psaee-of tho
hon e.» Intercourse .with apnegnant womau, or .with 000 -O ld’0l drl
bam et mith g irls under'the age of puberty, was» prohibited»
W idow
H ismeals.
AU AR AND 1118 00m .
H e censured old women who took young husbands, because this
was against all modesty. S imilarly, women whose period of
fertilityhad ceasedwere not to marry; but widows, i f they li ked,
might, subject to the above provision, marry. No one was to
marry more than one wife. ex cept in the case of barrenness in
all other cases the rule observedwas one God and one wife.
’
A H indu girl who lost her husband before consummation of
marriage was not to be burnt. But a H indu woman who wished
to burn herself on the funeral pyre of her husbandwas at libertyto do so ; but she was not to be forced to commi t the act.
Akbar was strict in the administration of justice. H e heard
all causes and investigated everything which required his
orders, himself personally. T he Jesuit priest from Goa who
visi ted the C ourt at Fattebpur in 1582 , says : H e can neither
read norwrite, but is ex tremely eager after knowledge and has
always learned men about h im whom he invites to discuss or
narrate one thing or another. While he halts i n any .place, no
person may be put to death without his permission. H e also
has all the facts of important civil suits communicated to him
H e patientlyheardmatters of all kinds and he found time for it.
I t was a pleasure to him to work in order to dispense justice
between man andman.
Akbarwas abstemious and sparing in hisdiet. H e abstained
from flesh, and whole months passedwithout his touching it.
H e lived mostly on rice, mi lk and sweetmeats and never made
more than one meal in the course of the twenty-four hours.
The foodwas first tasted by the Mir Bakhawul, or master
of the ki tchen, served up in dishes of gold and silver, stone and
earthenware, and tied up in red orwh i te cloths and sealed and
then carriedto the apartments of the Emperor, guardedbymace
besrers. Bags duly sealed, containing various k inds of breadsauces of curds, plates of p ickles and various greens, were for
warded in the same manner. The servants of the palace again
tasted the food, and, the dishes having been arranged on a table
cloth spread on the ground, H is Majestypartook of them. After
he had dined, he prostrated himself in prayer. I t happened in
1580 that, while Akbar was si tting at his table, an idea oman od
t KBAB AND me GOURT .
secessieneW m of‘
Statewere brought ibrwal-dsadorders spam d.
Fourwatches before sunrise; he retired to his private-ap rtments
for the purpose o f‘
cmtemph tien and prayer, and, abeut -a'antch
h hefore day-bréak‘,hewas entertained bymusicians who sang songs
and religious strains. Soon after daybreak, he' appeared at
the ' balcony and received the salutations of the multitudewhosteedbelow. This, in the language of the country, was
‘
edled
D arshrm (view). H e then received the meinbers " tof ‘ l he
H arem and transacted some business. Then . he retired to h is
private apartments for a . little repose. Towards evening , , he
appeared at a window which opened : into the S tate H all and
here he transacted-business and dispensedvjustice.
l h D ress. Following t he practice of theSuite (from 8 14 , wool), Akbarpre
ferred .to wear woollen stutl‘
s, especially shawls. H e changed
the names of many garments and invented his own termsand
names for them.
To an indomitable courage and inv incible bravery, Akbar
.m added prodig ious bodilystrength,which, with his great presenceof mind and ex traordinary tact and personal dex terity, neser
failed him . in the severest trials. H e was fond of,sport and
of witnessing animal fights and took .great .delight . in the
combats ot'
elephants, which he at times conductéd . personally,
himself acting in the place of theMahawat, or elephant driser,and making the rival animals fight. Ao
'
incident of the 6th
year of the reign, which took place at Agra, is descri bed .
by
Abul Fazl in the Ahharnama ; it strikingly illustrates the
chivalrous spiri t and prowess possessed by this remarkable
man. f I n the chaugan‘! grounds outside the Fort ofAgra, whi ch
had .been laid out for H isMajesty’
s pleasure, two S tate elephants
of themost fierce type, namedH awai andRan Baltic, wh ich could
not be managed by the most skilful tamers. were made to fig ht
with each other. The entire courtassembled to wi tness the scene.
Whi le the elephant H awai was in the height of ferocityandex ci te
ment, Akbar mounted i t andmade it charge the rival e lephant,
which was equally frantic. rand impetuous. T he pdnees . . and
aaobles .sssembbd, t consideri ng that the . life of .their . Ki ng uas
by
A game resenibling cricket or tennis, but played onhorseback .
( Tm: EMP EROR AKBAR . 2 2 5
endangered, became alarmed, and the greatest consternation
prevai led. N one of the men present, even the greatest Lords
however, had the courage to represent to the K ing the fears
they entertained for his life. At length they commuxi icated
their apprehensions to Shamsuddin Mahomed Atgah Khan,
“E
who was in high favour wi th the E mperor. This noble, app roaching the E mperor
’
s elephant, representedto H isMajestywith
fo lded hands the anx iety and dismay the nobility were feelingat the sight, and begged of h im to dismount. Akbar threatenedt o throwhimself off the elephant i f Atgah persisted in his request,
and bade him depart. Then, wi th a turn and twist of the driving
i nstrument, andwith a ski ll which astonishedall the by-standers,
h e made H awai strike the ri val elephant with his head, and, the
attacks being continued amid uproar of the populace, Ran Bakh
gave wayand fled in the direction of the river. T he Emperor
with his elephant followed him. T he worsted elephant made h is
way to the bridge of boats. [Iawai was close on his heels. The
e normous weight of the huge animals caused the boats (if which
the bridge was formed to shake violently,which createdfresh alarm
for fear the bridge should give way. T he bye-standers threwthem
selves into the ri ver on both sides of the bridge, and, swimming
in the water. followed the running elephants wi th the object of
assisting the E mperor, who was still on the back of H awai . Both
e lephants crossed the bridge insafety, and, thedefeat of RanBuick
being completed, all cause foranx ietywas removed. T he Emperor
came down andwas hai ledwith feelings of intense joy by his
Amirs, who congratulated him on his success. S hekh Abul Fazlh ere wri tes, H is Majesty had repeatedly told him in private
audiences When I mount a furious elephant which has thrown
i ts driver, I do so wi th an unshaken belief and trust in God who
h as gi ven me life andmai eme prosperous and strong , for without
H is grace I could not do anything .
”T he Shekh, in h is zeal to
flatter the King , assigns the Emperor’
s feats of valour displayed
o n such occasions, to H is Majesty’
s i lluminated and enlightened
m ind,which enabled him to see future events and to judge with
h is ex traordinarywisdom about them’
.
H is wi fe became wet nurse (AMala)to Akbar when the latterwas born atA qi erk o t . H umayun conferred on h im the t itle of Ji Ji Annals. H e was ap
somted Governor of t he P u
'
ab by Akbar. H e defeated Byram Khan nearallandhar before Ak bar co (1
,f e Akhar h
wi th the title of Azam Khan.
“ °°me W "°h 8 m “ him
Sp ider fights.
H unting .
AKBAR AND H I S C OURT .
Akbar rode everykind of elephant andmade i t obedient to
his command. H e put his foot on the trunk andmounted i t
quickly, even when the animal was in the rntting season, to the
astonishrhent of all the spectators. O ne swift-paced elephant ,
with a comfortable turret on its back , was always ready at the
palace for H is Majesty’s use. Courier horses were simi larlv
kept in readiness at the palace.
Akbar took great delight in a variety of games and fights
between animals, from elephants to deer and rams, and from cock s
to nightingales. H e was fond of witnessing the performances o f
wrestlersandkept in his court notedwrestlersand box ers from Iran‘
and Turan. E veryday two well matchedmen fought with each
other. We find among the wrestlers the names of Mirza Khan
of Gilan ; Mohammad Kuli of Tabrez, to whom H is Majestygavethe title Sher H amla, or lion attacker ; Sadiq of Bokhara
Murad of Turkistan Mohammad Ali of Turan Shah Knli of
Kurdistan ; H ilal of Abyssinia ; Sri Ram.Mange], Kanhia, Ganesh ,
Anba, Nanak , Ballabhader, 8m , of H industan.
Out of curiosity, Akbar liked to see even spiders fight. H e
hadan enquiring mindand his object was to acquire a knowledge
of nature'
and to see the wonders of creation.
H e was fond of hunting . H e kept hunting dogs,’and
tamedantelopes and panthers to hunt other wild beasts. N ets
were fastened to the horns of tamed antelopes to entangle
wild animals. H e remembered the names of all his elephants ,
gave names to his horses, wild beasts, antelopes and pigeons
and knew each of them by its name. The Ain contains
regulations for the management of the numerous departments o f
domesticated animals and birds and the establishment attached
to each. Akbar closelysupervised each department and took a
keen interest in it. In the midst of these di versions he des
patched important State business and passed orders on serious
S tate questions ofan urgent character, which were brought before
h im.
Abul Fazl has given several instances of Akbar’
s physical
activity, courage and ex pertness of mind. Once information was
Akbar’s hunting d cagne mostly fromKabul, es ly from the H u m
D iggiot.mirth of Rawal ndi . D ogs were ornaments and names were g iven
to t em. m.
AKBAR AN D H I S C O URT .
soon as the place should fall. H e constructed two sabats or
zig-zag approaches, formed bygabions and trenches thrown up
to reach the walls of the fort, to be breached by mining. Akbar
cheered his soldiers to deeds of valour, and his presence ex ercised
a magic influence over them. Akbar’
s own intrep idi ty and
contemp t for danger set a living ex ample to his followers and
spurred them on to deeds of bravery. O u one occasion as he
was directing the siege operations at a place where a lively fire
ofmatchlocks and arti llery was maintained by the enemy,
cannon ball from the fort fell near him, but left h im untouched,
although i t stretched twenty of his followers on the ground.
O u another occasion his general, Khan-i -Alam,
was standing
by his side when a bullet hit him and passed through his coat-of
mai l and tunic, but i t was checked in the inner garment and
caused no injury, and it was considered that he owed his life to
the good fortune attendant on the Emperor’
s presence. Akbarwa s
so unremitting in h is zeal and activity that he would often take
up agun and fire at one of the enemy on the ramparts o f the
citadel with effect. O ne night, as he was visi ting the trenches,
he perceived, by the fitful light, among the host of Rajpoots, a
person of commanding aspect armed inmai l directing the repairs
of the trenches by torch-light. .
Forthwith the E mperor snatched
Sangram,his favori te gun, from his attendant and shot h im in
the forehead. At this time Akbar was not aware who his v ictim
was. Presently, he turned to Raja Bhagwan D as and remark
cd that he felt afraid from his steadines of hand that he must
have hit his mark.
”I n truth, he had brought down his for
midable fee, for the fallen here was no other than the lion of
C hittor, JayMal, governor of the place, a chief of great courage
and abili ty. T he garrison,on seeing that their gallant leader
was no more, lost all heart, and abandoning the trenches, with
drew to the interior of the fort. T he body of Jay Mal was
carried to the tomb, where the women commi tted themselves
to the flames with their leader’
s body. N ine queens, fi ve prin
cesses, with two infant sons, and many wives of commanders
immolated themselves on the burning pyre. The men ran out
to meet death , and, the Mohammedans mounting the ramparts
unopp osed, a desperate fight took place, inwhich eight thousand
Rajpoots fell. By day-break Chittor was reduced and Akbar,
TH E EMP E ROR AKBAR.
mounting his elephant, Asman Shikoh, entered i t in triumph.
From the ramparts of the fort there waved nowin the place
of the sun banner of the Rana, the green standard of Islam.
Ou 8th February 1658, Akbar, in pursuance of his wow
travelledbarefootedand in homelygarb, wi th a small retinue, to
wards Ajmera, to payh is homage to the shrine of the saint. H e
had travelled as far as Mandelgarh when one of the disciples at
the shrine heard the Saint in his dream saying that H is H oliness
hadbeen strongly impressed wi th the sense of p iety and devo
tion which the Emperor entertained for him, and that conse
quently he was pleased to direct that his Majesty should,
dispense wi th continuing further a journey so inconvenient
to himself. Accordingly, the Emperor performed the remainder
ofhis journey on horse-back until wi th in one stage of Ajmerewhen he alighted and resumed his journey on foot, reach ing
the mausoleum safely on Sunday, the 6th March , 1658 .
In commemoration of his victory at C hi ttore, Akbar caused
a pyramidal column of whi te stone , 3 5 feet high, to be erected
on the spot where his tent had stood. The summit was crown
cdwith a huge lamp , access to which was obtained by a sp iral
inner staircase. I t is called Akbar’
s dya, or Akbat ’e lamp .
Another measure which Akbar adopted to commemorate the
event was the construction of two gigantic stone elephants wi th S tatue, of
the figures of JeyMal and Patta, the Rajput generals of C hittor, {fi tyfl “ d
sitting on each . T he Mahrattas when they captured D elhi ,
towards the end of last century, wreaked their vengeance by
breaking them to pieces and burying the p ieces underground.
After the Mutiny the E nglish found themuninjured, but riderless,buried 1 2 feet underground. They were disinterred, and one
of them now stands in the public garden at D elhi .
Akbar generally hunted leopards thirty or forty kos from H unting
Agra. H e had the faculty of taming a newly caught leopard forlwmrdso
the chase in the short space of eighteen days. The royal leo
pard-keepers (of whom there were some two hundred) with dith
culty trai ned it in a space of two or threemonths.
Two remarkable stories of leopard-taming are mentioned byRemark ableAbul Fazl, and are credited as miracles of Akbar. Once afgfi dgim.
leopard which had been caught, at amere hint from H isMajesty,“3 °
I ts sagac ity.
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
and without any previous training , brought a prey for Akbar.
Those who were present had their eyes opened to truth .
’
At an
other time,‘attracted bythe wonderful influence of the loving
heart of H is Majesty,’
a leopard followed the Imperial sui te with
out collar or chain, and obeyed every command like a sensible
man. Once a tame deer made friendship with a tame leopard.
They lived together and enjoyed each other’
s company. The
leopard, when let loose against otherdeer, would not molest them.
Previously leOpards were never allowed to remain at libertytowards the close of the day ; but, in consequence of the practical
rules of training framedbyAkbar, theywere, in his time, let loose
in the evening andyet remainedobedient. The practice ofblind
folding them was discontinued, and they were kept without
covers for their heads wi thout becoming unmanageable ormolest
ing by-standers.
D eer were hunted bytamed leopards. They got the scent of
the prey and indicated its position. They were taught,
after having been shown a deer from a distance, to lie in
ambush until the time came for them to spring and catch
the animal. The feats performed by this animal show
what artifices he resorts to in capturing h is prey. I n order
to conceal himself, he wouldraise up dust wi th his fore feet and
hind legs, or lie down so flat that it would be impossi ble to distin
guish him from the surface of the ground. Akbar was great]yski lled in deer hunting . H e could tell, by merely seeing the
hide, to what hunting ground the deer had belonged.
D eer were also hunted wi th deer. A tamed and trained
deerwas let off, with a net put over his horns, which in the course
of the struggle with the wild deer caused the latter’
s born, or foot,
or car, to be entangled in i t, whereupon the hunters, who lay in
ambush, came and caught it
Many stories are related of the sagacity and fidelity of deer.
Abul Fazl gi ves an account of one trained deer which caused
much sensation at Court. I t had run away from Allahabad,where it had been taken from the Punjab, and, after crossing
ri vers and plains, returned to its home in the Punjab and rejoined
its former keeper. The sound ofmusical instruments fascinates
deer, as also does singing. Akbar, however, disapproved of
these methods of hunting deer.
AKBAR AND H I S C O URT .
attack others. Under the Mir S hi lmrs were Ahdi s and other
soldiers and foot tnen,mostlyKashmiris and H industanis. Birds
were also received in the Imperial aviaryas pash-kwsh (or tribute )
the aviary being in the charge of an ofi cer called Q ush Beg i
(superintendent of the aviary).
H unting with partridge afforded much amusement. A train
cd partridge being put in a cage , hair-nc ts were placed round i t.
O u a signal from the fowler the bird began to sing ; and its vo ic e
attracted wild birds, which ,coming to par it a friendly visit, we re
entangled in the snares.
H unting The hunting of water- fowl also afforded much entertainment .
wawr' foww They were caught by hawks, or has falcons, whi le swimmi ng
about, and were kept down ti ll the hunters, wi th their boat, came
and seized them. A rather curious way of catch ing them is
mentioned by Abul Fazl. An artific ial water-fowl of sk in, wi th
wings, beak and tai l, was made. T he bodywas hollow, and two
holes were left in the skin to look through. T he hunter put
his head into it and stood in the water up to his neck , so that the
figure of the bird only could be seen. H e then went slowly to
wards the birds, who took the figure for one of their own species ,
whereupon the fowler pulled them, one after another, below the
water. Other devices were also employed in the catching o f
birds.
Frogs were also trained to seize sparrows, which affordedmuch
amusement.
Akbar was fond of all manly sports and ex ercise } . H e was an
ex cellent player of chaugan (hockey) and encouraged his Ami rs
to play it. According to his historian, he‘
saw in it the means o f
acquiring promptitude and decision.
’ ‘ I t tested the value of a
man and strengthened the bonds of friendsh i p .
’
I t revealed
concealed t alents. I t taught men the art of riding ; i t promp ted
courage ; i t accustomed animals to perform feats of agi lity and
obey the reins. H is Majestyastonished the spectators by th e
quickness of his motions and the ease andprompti tude wi th wh ich
he hit the ball. H e hit i t in various ways and struck it whi le’
i t
was still in the air. H e could play chaugan in the dark o f the
TE E EMP EROR AKBAR.
night, which caused no less astonishment to those wi th preten
sions to being well versed in this art.
Akbar called p igeon-flying I shqbazi (love-
play). H e oc
cupied himself in this amusement with a sense of appreciation
of the mysteries of nature which gifted a little creature like
the pigeonwith asagacitypeculiarto i t, andwith a viewof setting
an ex ample to men of obedience to the commands of authority.
I t was, so his biographer maintains, from h igh motives that H is
Majesty paid so much attention to this amusement.
P resents of pigeons for the Emperor were sent by the kings
of Iran and Turan, while merchants also brought many varieties
from different countries. Akbar was fond of p igeons while very
young ; be discontinued pigeon-flying on growing to manhood,
but on mature consideration again took to i t.
A beautiful and well trainedpigeon of bluish colour belongingto Khan-i -Azam Gokal Tash Khan, Akbar
’
s foster brother, fell
into H is Majesty’
s hands. I t was named Mohna, and the Em
perorwas so much pleased with its beauty and colour that he
made i t the ch ief of the Imperial pigeons. S everal ex cellent
pigeons descended from i t and got the names Ashlci (weeper),
P ari zad (the fairy), Almas (the diamond)and Shah ludi (Alo
Royal). These, again, produced the choicest pigeons, and the
species are mentioned in detail in the Aim. Akbar was an
ex cellent judge ofpigeons and carefullydistinguishedtheirseveral
classes, for each of which seperate aviaries were con
structed.
P igeonswere taught various feats, besides flying in the air in
large numbers together, such as ascending anddescending, now
moving in one direction and now in another, at one time sitting
on the umbrellaand at another flying and beating the adversary’s
flock of p igeons, also in the act of flying, all at the whistle of the
players, oron signsmade bymoving backward and forwards a flagattached to along bamboo. Theywere made to perform the bazi
,
or lying on the back wi th the feet upwards and quicklyturninground, and charkh (a rap id movement ending with the pigeon
throwing i tself over in a full circle)andmany other interesting
A tragedy.
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
feats. P igeonswere kept for the sake of such sports as much as
for the beautyof their plumage. T he ex cellence of the form and
the diversified hue of the birdswere always objects of gratification
to the Emperor.
According to the Aim, there were more than twenty
thousand pigeons at the court, five hundred of wh ich were of
the finest breed called khach. These were held in great repute
for theirskilland for theirmany colours, which were verypleasing .
Tumblers were much admired. The E mperor was so fond o f
pigeons that hewould take them to his camp on cots carried by
bearers. When the camp broke up, the pigeons followed. H e
improved the species of pigeons by cross-breeding , a thing nev er
practised before. H is intimate knowledge of the breeding o f
these birds caused no small amount of astonishment and admira
tion to his courtiers.
Akbarwas promp t in punishing enemies and showed them no
mercy ; but he was ex cessi vely kind to friends for whom be en
tertained feelings of atfection. This feeling was mutual. Abul
Fazl gives several instances of this. An incident is related in
the description of the 7th year of the reign, 1562 A.D . , the
scene of the tragedy connected with i t being the ci tadel
of Agra.
Adham Khan, son ofMaham Angah , was a noble of Akbar’
s
C ourt with a rank of H e and Monim Khan, Khan- i
Khanan, both envied and hatedMohammadS hamsuddin AtgahKhan, the foster father of Akbhr. O n the night of 1 2 th Ram.
zan, when Monim Khan, Atgah Khan, S hahabuddin AhmadKhan and other grandees, were holding a S tate counci l in the
D ewan-i -Khas of the fort,AdhamKhan suddenlyentered the hall
with a number of followers. All rose to greet him,when Adham
Khan struck Atgah Khan wi th a dagger and made a sign to
Khusharn, one of his armed retainers, to despatch him. Khusham ,
having drawn his dagger, struck Atgah a blowwith i t on the
breast. Atgah fled in the direction of the door-way, but fell down
in the court-yard of the D owlat Khana and instantly ex p ired.
Adham, wi th drawn dagger in his hand, then repaired to the
sleening apartment of the Emperor, who hadbeen awakened by
AKBAR AND H I S C OURT .
Khan was removed to D elhi and hurried in the village of N izam
ud-din Aulia.
’
With a viewto keeping himself informed of the real condi
tion of his people, and as a safeguard against the mal-
practices of
his officials, that the weak might not sufl'
er at the hands of the
strong , H is Majestyused to visit the difl’
erent quarters of the
ci ty and suburbs in disguise. I n connection wi th the events of
the 6th year of the reign, Abul Fazl notices an interesting
incident relating to the E mperor’
s appearance in disguise in the
suburbs of Agra, related to him by H is Majesty himself. I n the
town of Bharaicb, in Oudh, a grand fair is held annually at the
tomb of SélarMasud, ageneral of the armies of Mahmud, who
fell amartyr in one of the battles fought in India by that
conqueror, and spears are displayed on the occasion in honour of
the saint’
s memory. Large multitudes of people joined the fair
from Agra. I n the suburbs of the ci ty i tself a large ,fair was
held in memory of the saint ;1' Akbarj oinedone of the Agra
fairs in disguise , and was walk ing at random, when he was te
cognised by one of the roughs. This indiv idual informed his
associates ofwhat he had seen, and the men began to look at the
king wi th marked attention. Akbar, noti cing this, instantly
changed his face with such a ski ll that the fellows who
had observed him fell into doubt regarding h is identity,were
puzzled and confessed that they had been mistaken and the
person seen bythem was not Akbar. T he E mperor’
s own account
as given by him to Abul Fazl and quoted by the latter in his
book , is h ighly interesting. H aving noticed what the men
said, I instantlymoved one ofmy eyes, so as to appear squint eyed
and changedmy face in such a manner as not to be recognised
by any body who had ever seen me. H aving thus changed my
features, I continuedmyrambles through the fair quite unconcern
cd and with the utmost composure ofmind, look ing at the objects
in the fair. T he men, having scrutinised me carefully, said to
each other : C ertainly, the king has not such eyes or features.
T he tomb of MirzaAziz Gokal T ash , the foster brother of Ak bar, is si tuatedabout 2 0yards from the tomb of Azim Khan, h is father. in D elh i . I t is a 69 feetsquare hall, of si x t four i llers, and is hence called C honsath Khm ba. I t wasbuilt by the Mirza imsel during h is life-time. The p i llars, screens, floor andceiling of the tomb are all of marble .
1' Th is fair called C harion Ira meta. is still held in Agra. I t is also held inmany other large townsof India.
TH E EMP EROR AKBAR.
H e is not the king.
’ I then silently retired from the scene and
entered the place.—Abul Fazl wri tes that, as H is Majesty nar
rated the story to him, be, bywayof illustration, movedone of his
eyes and changed his face just as he had done at the fair.
thus affording amusement as well as instruction to his learned
friend and prudent minister.
Akbar possessed awittygenius, and his familiar conversation H e iswitty.
was full of humour. Once Shah Fani , a poet and a C haughattai
Turk of noble descent, said in Akbat’
e presence that no one
surpassed him in three O’
s—chess, combat, composi tion—,where
upon the E mperor replied that he had forgotten a fourth, viz ,concei t. Fani was distinguished for personal courage in war and
was proud of i t.
H e was a good physiognomist and had the power of seeing Alnd a good
through men at a glance. H e was a believer in lucky andhdimm
unlucky days. This was due, of course, to his friendship wi th
the Pandits andBrahmans.
Akbar could nei ther read nor write, but he was g ifted with a“ bu t, L t
marvellous memory, penetrating judgment, quickness of
and wise forecast. H e had an ex tensive library, both in the
Assembly H all and the H arem,which was divided into several
parts. The books consisted of H indi, P ersian, Arabic, Greek and
Kashmerian works. H is Majesty had every book read to him
from beginning to end. At whatever page the reader stopped
daily, H isMajestymade a mark with his own pen, and the readingwas renewed the following day from the place so marked. H is
Majesty rewarded the reader with gold or si lver coin, according
to the number of pages read to h im. H e was never tired of
having a book read to him over again, but took renewed
deligh t in rehearing i t .
Akbar observedno class or race distinction in bestowing S tate S tate offices.ofiices. From the lowest to the highest appointment in the g ift
of the C rown, everypost was O pen to all h is subjects, whatever
their creedor nationali ty. H induswere promoted side byside wi th
Mohammedans and enjoyed equally his confidence and regard.
H epaid no regard to hereditary influence or genealogy, or ances
tral fame, but favoured those who ex celled in manners and
Donationsand presents.
Q 8 m m AND ms com .
attainments. H e employed in hismi litaryservice people of all
classes, Jews, P ersians. Turanis, Georgians, P athans, Afghans,Kashmeris, 8m because,
’
maintained he, one class of people, if
employed to the ex clusion of others, would cause rebellions, as
in the case of the Uzbecks and Q uazilbashes, who dethroned their
kingsand raised the stand of revolt.’
H igher O fficers of S tate who held grants of land and enjoyed
high monthly salaries, might require money to meet their wants,
or fall into pecuniary embarrassment. Under such circumstances,it would be contrary to Government rules to ask for a present.
T o provide for this contingency, H is Majesty appointed a trea
surer and a separate Mir Arz, who were to advance money to
officers on loan, wi thout prejudice to their dignity and honour,
andwithout the annoyance of delay. N othing was charged for
the first year ; in the secondyear the debt was increased by a
six teenth in the thirdyearbyoneoeighth. I n the tenth year the
sum was doubled, and after that there was no further increase.
H isMajestyalso made donations and gave away elephants, horses
and valuable articles as presents to officials and others. A trea
surerwas always in wai ting at court, andaims were freely g iven
to needypeople, who also haddai ly, monthly, oryearly, stipends
assigned to them.
H is Majesty was weighed twice a year against each of the
following articles, namely, gold, quicksilver, perfumes, copper
drugs, ghee, iron, rice, milk, seven kinds of grain and salt, which
were all given away in alms. S heep , goats, and fowls, to the
number of years H is Majesty had lived, were also gi ven away as
charity. O u the lunar birthday he was weighed against eight
articles, silver, tin, cloth , lead, frui ts, mustard, oil and vegetables.
O n both occasions the birthday ceremony was celebrated wi th
great eclat, and donations and grants of pardon were bestowed
on people of all ranks.
Much has been said about the religious views of Akbar, but
the question nevertheless remains unanswered, what relig ion he
really professed. There is no doubt that his tolerant notions
and indep endent ideas displayed themselves in his early years.
Theydid not proceed fromcontempt for the relig ion of the Q uran,
AKBAR AND ms C OURT .
T he whole conduct of Akbar through life shows that he really
professed no religion. The whole aim of his li fe seems to have
been to beat peace with all and respect so much of each religion
as seemed to him to be based on just principles. H is disgust
with the Mullahs was caused chicfly by the machinations of
S haikh Mobarak and his two sons, who had sufiered personal
wrongs at their hands before theybecame the chief favouri tes of
Akbar. H is love for the H indus was real. I t was based on
policy, and he was greatly influenced by his H indu wives,‘
whom he desired to please . H e believed in the ex istence of
Godand respectedmen of pietyand sancti ty in all religions. H e
was susceptible of flatteryand thought there was no harm i f he
gave himself out as a v iceregent of God upon earth , a posi tion
which, asa king , he actuallyheld. H e believed in the omnipotence
of God, and thought that, as the one favouredbyH im, his actions,
which he understood really proceeded from H im, might afi'
ect
the welfare of the community in matters yet in the womb of
futurity. H ence his declarations as the leader of nations and
his taking people into discipleship .
T he Empire under Akbar was divided into fifteen Subas or
P rovinces,1' which were subdivided into 105 S irkars, which, again,
were split into Parganas, orMahala, regrouped into dasturs,
oradministrative jurisdictions. Agrawas a Saba, as well as a
S i rkar. T he Sh 'kar ofAgra, a tract of square miles, com
prised 3 1 P arganas, which were grouped into five Bastare, via ,
H awai i , Agra, E tawa, BianaandMandawa.
The royal princes held Mensabe, or military ranks, from
10,000 to horse. After them came 3 0Mansabdars, varying
from 5,000 to 10. The soldiers under the Mansabdars were
recruited from the clans of which they were the head. The
monthlypayof a commander of varied from Rs. to
Rs. of from Rs. to Rs. of a captai n
of 100 from Rs. 3 13 to Rs. 760. The rank-holders had to provide
horses, elephants, camels, arms, 8m out of their salaries. Each
Mansabdar was to provide horses in proportion to his command,
Mam bdars.
Salaries.
Akbarmarried two H indu Rajpnt p rincesses.
Th Allahabad, Agra, O udh , Ajmere, Ahmedabad. Behar, Bengalp hat, fi bhf
r
iahore.Multan, Malwa, B’
em , Khandas and Abmednagar.
T H E EMP ERO R AKBAR.
so that a H azari , or commander of was required to
bring
According to Abul Fazl, the local Mi li tia of the provinces
under Akbar amounted to but this is probably an
ex aggeration . According to Badaoni , the standing army, via,
troops under the Emperor’
s pay, numbe red of whom
were troopers and artillery and matchlock-men.
T hese troopers were paid from the royal treasury and formed the
E mpero r’
s bodyguard.
T he revenue system o fAkbar was essentially the same as that
introduc ed by S her S hah Sur, Afghan. H e only carried that
erstem i nto efl‘
ect which S her S hah as unable to ex tend to all
parts of I ndiaduring his short re ign. T he objects of this system
were three- fold
1 . T o obtain a correct measurement o f all lands.
2 . T o ascertain the pm duce of each br’
gha of land,and to fix
the Government re venue on it.
3 . T o settle in money the Government share of the
produce .
H e wo rked out this system under Todar Mal andMozafi'
ar
Khan, both eminent financiers. H is estimated annual gross Annualincome, according to Edward Thomas, was
Akbar’
s H arem, according to the Ain , comprised more than Imperial
fi ve thousand women, for each of whom a separate apartmentho usehdd'
was allowed. T heywere di vided into several sections, and there
were female D arog has to superintend each section. T he women
o f the h ighest rank each received from Rs. to rupees
per mensem. Under S hah Jahan and Aurangzeb, the Queensand Princesses drewmuch larger salaries. Mumtaz Mabel, wife of
S hah Jahan, was allowed ten lakhs, and the Begam Saheb, sister of
Aurangzeb, twelve lakhs per annum. T he inside of the H arem,
in Akbar’
s ti me, was guarded by chaste and sober women, the
most trustworthy of them being placed about the Emperor'
s
apartments. O utside the enclosure were placed eunuchs,and
3 1
AKBAR AND 1118 C O URT .
beyondthem Rajput guards, the watchmen at the gates being thelast of the guards.
’
The Imperial householddid not differ materially from that o f
the later sovereigns ; the ex penditure in 1595 was Rs.
although the salaries of several ofii vers of the court figured in
the military budget.
Akbar had eight wives
1 . S ultanaRaqia Begam, daughter o fMirza H ands], uncle of
Akbar. S he was Akbar’
afirst wife . S he tended S hah Jahau and
N urjahan, after the murder of S her Afgan, staid with her.
Akbar had no children by her. S he died in her 84th rest , in
1035 (162 5A. or the 2 oth year of Jahaug ir’
s reign.
2 . S ultana Salema Begam, daughter of Mirza Nuruddin,Mohammad and Gul Rukh Begam (a daughter of Baber).
Behram Khan married her in the beginning of Akbar’s reign.
After the death of Behram Khan, Akbar married her, in 968
(1560 A. H er poeticalname was Mukhfi (concealed).
3 . T he daughter of Raja Behari Mal and sister of Raja
Bhagwan D as, married to Akbar inSambhar, in 968
4 . The beautiful wife of Abdulwasi , married in 970
5. Jodh Bai , or princess of Jodhpur, the mother of Jahang ir ,
calledMariamulZamanisl' S he died in the month ofRajah, 103 2
(162 2 A. or the 17th year of Jahangir’
s reign.
6 . Bibi D oulat S had.
7. A daughter of Abdullah KhanMoghal.
8. A daughter of Miran Mobarak S hah, of Khandsa.
Akbar had three sons, S ultan Salem (the Emperor Jahangir)S ultan MoradandS ultan D ania] and three daughters, S hahzada
Khanam,born three months after Salem S hukrunnissa Begam ,
who, in 1001 was married to Mirza Shah Rukh ; and
Aram Bane Begam, both born after Sultan D aniauT he Moghal Emperors lived in the same style as the old H indu Rojas .
T hey kept ex tensi ve seraglios, went out in camp with their armies, took thei rwi ves wi th them to carn
gand were guarded by armed women. T hey also took
their trained beasts wi t thei r camp .
'l' Akbar’s mother had the title Marian Makani .
3 For an account of their tombs see C hap ter I I ,“S ckandra.
H is idea ofthe H indus.
T he E mperor
'
s illness.
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
helddiflerent notions from those of his father on religion, thus
describes Akbat ’e views on the subject in his autobiography.
H aving on one occasion"
,writes he, asked my father Why
he had forbidden anyone to prevent or interfere with the bnild~
ing of these haunts of idolatry ( i . e. H indu temples ) his reply
was in the following terms z—‘My dear chi ld, I find myself a
puissant monarch, the shadow ofGod upon earth . I have seen
that H e bestows the blessings of H is gracious P rovidenee upon all
h is creatures without distinction. I ll should I discharge the
duties of my ex alted station, were I to withhold compassion
and indulgence from any of those entrusted to my charge.
Wi th all of the human race, with all of God’s creatnree,
1 em at peace ; why. then, should I permit myself, for any
consideration, to be the cause of molestation or aggression
to any one? Besides, are not five parts in si x of mankind
ei ther H indus or aliens to the fai th ; and were I to be
governed by moti ves of the kind suggested in your enquiry,
what alternative could I have but to put themall to death ? 1
have, therefore, thought i t mywisest plan to let these men alone .
N either is i t to be forgotten, that the class ofwhom we are speak
ing , in common wi th the other inhabitants ofAgra,are usefully
engaged, ei ther in the pursuits of science or of improvements for
the benefit of mankind, and have in numerous instances arrived
at the highest distinctions in the S tate, there being , indeed, to be
found in this city men of every description and of every
religion on the face of the earth .
’
The causes of the Emperor'
s illness have been ex plained in
the chapter on the history of Agra.
‘ I t was chiefly brought
about bydepression of spirits andvex ation. O ne immediate cause
was the worry and ex citement caused by the conduct of Khns
row, the eldest son of Salem (Jahangir), at an elephant
fight. Salem had an elephant known by the name of 6 13mm
bar which was supposed to be a match for any elephant
belonging to Akbar’
s stables, but whose strength was believedto be onlyequal to thatAbrup , one of Khnsrow
’
s elephants. Akbar,therefore ordered a fight, to see wh ich of them would prove the
champ ion. A fight was airanged. T he custom in such combats
See pages 2 1 and 22 ante.
TH E EMP E ROR AKBAR.
between two elephants was to keep a th ird in readiness, as
Tabancha, t.e., to assist anyanimal when it was severely handled
by i ts adversary. At the show, Akbar and Khuram (S hah Jahan)
sat in one window. Salem and Khusrow were'
on horse back
in the maida'
n. Gimnbar completelydefeated Abrup ; and, as
he was being wors ted, the Taba'ncha elephant was sent forwa
rd
to assist Abrup . Salem’s men, anx ious to see the final victory
won byGi ra'nbar, pelted the Tabancha
with stones and wounded
the driver. Akbar was annoyed at this, and sent Khnrram
to Salem to ask him not to break the rules, as all the e lephants
would be eventuallyhis. Salem said that the attack with stones
had not received his sanction, and Khurram, satisfied with th is
answer, returned to his grandfather. An attempt was then made
to separate the elephants bymeans of fireworks, but in vain. I t
so happened that Gi ranbarbeat the Tabancha elephant also, and
the defeated elephants, running awayworsted, threw themselves
into the river Jumna. Akbar was more annoyed at this ; but
his anger was intensified when Khusrow openly abused his
father in unmeasured terms in the hearing of the E mperor
Akbar rose andwithdrew,in great disgust, and, nex t morning, he
sent for h is physician, Ali , and told him that the bad behaviour
of Khusrowhad caused him much vex ation and made him i ll.
H e was attacked bydysentery, or acute diarrhcea. H is physician
refrained for eight days from administering anymedicine, heping
that the Emperor’
s strength of constitution would overcome the
disease. But, the hope not being realized, recourse was had to a
most powerful astringent. This had the effect of putting a stop
to the dysentery ; but fever and strangury supervened. Purga F&d“ ‘h
t ives were administered, but these renewed the first ailment, to
which the Emperor succumbed. The event occurred on 13 th
O ctober 1605. As stated elsewhere he died in all the forms
of a goodMossalman.
See page 2 2 antea - O ur account receives further corroboratinpm ti ve o i the 3rd mission despatched to Abhar
’s C ourt b the Jgs
‘
ii i tf?ti
x
tihciil
i°
ti esat Goawhi ch succeeded i n establi sh ing C hurches in L a ore and Agra andwhi chpersevere’gh
i tl labours frmq l595 to a time considerably later than the.
Emp emrs death. 0 head of the missi on was Father Jerorne Xavier. a nep hew ofS t . Franci s. .
T he mi ssi on fai led, m converting the Emperor. T he nature ofAkbar s end i s clearly shown m a manuscri p t report wri tten byFather AntonyBo telho. who was P rovmcral some years after Akbar
’s death . In this re ort
the Father narrates a conversati on.wh i ch he held with the Adel Shahi P rince
o f B spur and in wh i ch the p’
rtnce had said to him.“ Sachehe ui bars Betzs
H eel . K hm tan lnuhaqul nan? ’
(S uch hai h i barn badshah Ah r Khristanmus kgnahin
‘?I s i t true or not that the great Emperor Ak bar died a C hristian’
T o y hlch.
the ether rep li ed, Sure I would it were se , but the Emperor whi leli v ing gallad to
.
be converted, an at the last died. as he was born aMuhammadan. Jasuxt mission to the Emperor Akbar,
”by E . D . Macl
'
agan. E sq
AKBAR AND H IS C O URT .
Tar. 00 0m 0 1?
AKBAR.
T he chief friend and minister of the E mperot Akbar was
8mm: ABUL Fazn.
H e was born at Agra on 6th Moharram,958 ( 14th January,
during the reign of IslamS hah S uz' P athan.
Abul Fazl has devoted a chapter in the third volume of the
Ain-i -Akbari to an account of his family.
Fy
‘
amlly home, I had intended, he says, to wri te a book on the history of
Autumbi:
l
li'ializr. myfamily; but the demands on my time have been so great that
this intention could not be fulfilled. I therefore take this
opportunity of g iving a brief account of my family at the con
elusion of this work and trust i t will be read with interest.”
T he S haikh then informs na that h is ancestors were originally re
2 53 3. sidentso amauorArabia Feli x . She ikh Muss ,h is fifth ancestor
having emigrated from the country in the 9th century, settled in
S ludhv a place calledRié in S iwistan (S indh). Although he had come
from a desert to the city, he did not gi ve up his habi t of seclusion
and devoted his time to contemplation and prayer. H is children
followed his good ex ample in p iety and devotion, and the whole
fami ly lived in happiness and peace in their ad0pted home.
S bejkhTowards the beginning of the loth century, S heik Khizr, the
ight
‘
fz’
fmfiy.
then head of the fami ly, after a sojourn in H ijaz in Arabia and
ffifi‘mmtgrenewal of his acquaintance with the people of his tribe , emi
“ nm'
yA Hgratedto India, with a number of relations and friends, and settledat Nagor, north-west of Ajmere. H e was a p ious devotee. and
his mind was imbuedwith mystic lore. H e li ved in the society
of pious and holymen and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of
personages renowned for p iety, like SyadYahya Bekhari of Uch ,
the successor of MakhdumJahanian, S heik Abdul Razzak Quadri
of Baghdad, the descendant of the great saint,Syad Abdul
Q uadar ot'
Jilan, and S heik E usui of S indh, all men of great
accomplishments and erudition.
Shaik h Mo. S heik Mobarak , the father of Abul Fazl, was born at Nagor
of Abul Fazl. in 91 1 At the earlyage of four,signs of wisdom were
xr
fifm
apparent from his forehead and he gave abundan t proof of
AKBAR AND H IS C O URT .
to Agra, the cap i tal of the Indian Empire. The advice of his
S hei khs was that, if success should not attend his undertak ings
in Agra, he should then make his way to Turan and Iran. Mo
barak arriveda t Agra onWednesday, the 6th of Mohanam, 950
S‘
ettles in (1554 and had an interview with S heikh Ala—ud-din Maj zub,ihi
‘
ii ifhbma holymanwho, says Abul Fazl, knew the secrets of the heart and
°f ‘he Jumm '
the mysteries of the grave.
”T he saint predicted a great and
bri lliant future forMubarak on the so il of H ind. Gladdened by
the happyprophecyof the holyman, Mobarak settled on the left
bank of the Jumna, opposite the ci ty ofAgra, close to the Charbagh villa of Baber, then called N ur Afshan, but now styled
H is acquaint Ram Bagh , and in the neighbourhood of Mir Rafi-ud-din Safv i ,
mfixtifii'nw'
a saintly man,who recei ved him wi th great kindness. T he
S ‘M ' Mohalla was inhabited by a Kuresh tribe, among whom
Mobarak made many personal friends. T he Mir was
a nati ve of Iuj li , in S hiraz, and lived in Agra on a magnificent
scale. H e'
had travelled in H ijaz, Arabia and E gypt and was
a disciple of Moulana Jalaludin D awami . I n E gypt he took
to the disciplesh ip of S heikh Sakhawi , of Cairo, the follower
of S heikh Ibni H ajar Asqalani . Mobarak secured a conspicuous
place among the Mir’s disciples, and when the Mir died, in
954 he embarked on his career of diffusing knowledge
by becoming a teacher of sciences. H e had a large number o f
pupils, while hundreds were benefited by his oratory and preach
ings on difi'
erent subjects. This was the time when the P athan
E mperors heldswayoverIndia, and, as the fame ofMobarak spread,
h is friends made a proposal to have an allowance fix ed for him
from the 1mperial court ; but, possessed as the S heikh was of a
lofty sp irit, he declined the idea. I t was about this time that
Mobarak’
s two eldest sons, Abul Faiz and, four years later,
Abul Fazl, were born. Abul Fazl says in his description of Agra
in the Ain‘O u the other side of the Jamna is the C har Bag h
villa, founded byFirdous Malcani (the Emperor Baber). There
Birth of Abulthe writer of these pages was born, and there are the
figs}? f“ resting places of his father and his elder brother.
‘ S heikh
Alaudin Majzab and Mir Rafiuddin Suf wi also lie buried
there.
’
T he bodies were subsequentl removed to the ot her side of the Janna but"
when that was, does not appear. ee C hap ter I I .
SH E IKH MUBARAK.
The eucycldpaedic knowledge possessed by'
Sheikh Mubarak
and the uni versality of his erudition are apparent from the 93323225; ofinstruction he gave to his sons, Fyzi and Abul Fazl. I t was
his
this early instruction that implanted in the minds of the brothers
the anti -Islami tic views which so much influenced Akbar’
s life. T heir antiI 13
e
tc
There are numerous passages i n Abul Fazl’s works i n Wt ll he view?1°
speaks of his father in terms of filial piety and devotion. H e
possessed a comprehensive genius and a wonderful memorywhich served him as a reposi tory of his vast learning .
H itherto S heikh Mubarak had devoted his time to teaching T he teach ingsf S h
°
khsc i ence ; but, on H umayun
’
s reconquertng India, he also made gj obare
aik .
theologyand a discourse on the mysteries of nature the theme
o f his teachings. Public peace was disturbed in 1556, when
H emu occupiedAgra. S hei kh Mubarak wi thdrew from publiclife temporarily ; but his influence at the court of the usurper
'
of
the throne of India was still so great, that, on the S hei kh’
s
recommendation, a number of Ulemas and notables of the city
who had been captured by his men were released, and H emu
ofl'
ered h is apologies to the venerable Sheikh through a deputa
ti on of his officers sent to him.
T he first year of Akbar’
s reign was marked by a severe Fi rst year of
drought, which caused great ravages throughout the country. fififiti'
fiemigm
T he population dispersed, and in Agra only a few fami lies of anydmnght‘
importance remained. This was followed by a plague, which
desolated the country, andmany ci ties were depopulated. N one
of these calamit ies led S heikh Mubarak to desert his adopted
h ome. Abul Fazl writes that » he was at this time in his fifth And p lague.
year. H e had a perfect recollection of this great calami ty, in
which family after family perished. I n the once flourish ing
v illage in which S heikhMubarak hadsettled, onlyseventy personsof both sex es were left. These dragged on their ex istence on a Jealousy of
few si re of boi led grain obtained wi th much difi culty, and tothe Ulemas‘
some only its juice could be served to keep flesh and soul
together. When order and prosperi tywere restored in the coun
try, people as usual flocked round Sheikh Mubarak to receive
from him lessons in science and theology. Wi th the fame of
h is learning, the number of his disciples mcreased and the
importance and influence he gained created jealousy among
AKBAR AND me C OURT.
rival Uletnas. H e was charged with being a follower of the
Mahdawia sect which had found a zealous supporter in S heikh
Alai .
Am na‘m There is a tradition among the Mohamadans of a prophecyi th M3M:“ 0: in by Mohammad oi
'
the appearance of the Imam Mahdi , or thek m mm
L ord of the period.’
towards the end of the world’
s ex istence.
This Mahdi is to be of the family of the P rophet, a descendant
of Fatima, daughter of the P rophet and wife of Ali . H e is to
appear in the latter days of Islam, when there shall be a general
decadence in political power and in morals in the Moslemworld.
Towards the beginning of the loth century, of the Mohamadan
or the beginning of the 15th century after Christ, several
Mahdis of great pretensions arose in India. Foremost amongMirMohm them was Mir Mohammad, son of Mir Syad Khan of Jaun
mt
llfecha: pur. H e announced to the world his mission that he had
Mahdi oi the been sent to this earth to determen from sin and wickedness
and leadthem to the path of virtue and righteousness, and that a
voice from heaven had whispered in his ears the divine errand,
Anta Mahdi , thou art Mahdi. ’ Thus declaring himself oom
missioned, he embarked on his career as a public preacher andteacher of religion. H is great oratorical powers gained for him
many followers who believed in h is miracles. H e found a zealous
follower in Sultan Mohammad I , King of Gujrat, but was subse
quently compelled by his enemies to leave forMecca, whence he
m. du th , proceeded to Baluchietan,where he died in 91 1 A. H . (1505A.
“05A'D '
H is tomb became a place of great pilgrimage, and after his
death the sect founded by him continued to flourish.
Another Mahdi who appeared about this time was S heikhAlai, aBengali Musulman, who settled in Biana. in 935 A. H .
(152 8 A. H is fame reached Islam S hah, who summoned
him to Agra, and although the King was resolved at first to
put him to death as a dangerous demagogue, he was so charm
cd by the eloquence of an address which Alai delivered, in the
presence of H is Majesty, on the vanity of the world and the
instability of earthly riches, that he not only pardoned the
Sheikh, but sent cookedprovisions for him from the royal ki tchen
Mubarak I t was about this time that S heikh Mubarak became attached to
mm? the Mahdawia sect ; and an influential body at court, namely“mm“
the learned men of the Empire, became bitterly hostile to his
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
ffhfiafifit' to proceed to Gujrat. Mubarak, seeing that S heikh Salem took
“ 4 hi” no interest in his well-being, returned secretly to Agra, where
he went to the house of a friend to seek protection. Thatfriend,
’
writes Abul Fazl,
‘stood up in dismay and fear
’
,and
pointed out to Mubarak a dark and small inner room of the
house , in which he lived for two days with his sons Fyzi and
Abul Fazl, sufiering much trouble and inebnvenience. The
friend ultimately showed the cold'
shoulder to his uninvited
g uests, who now went successively to the house of a second and
third friend, who each of them harboured them for a day or two
and then turnedthemout. Theythen fledfrom Agra andwent to
avi llage where theywere hospi tably receivedbya friend]yZamin
dar. The king was at this time at Agra ; and Fyzi went to
Fattebpur S ikri , and induced some of his father’
s friends there
to make representation on his behalf to H is Majesty. Mubarak
and Abul Fazl, after remaining for amonth in the village, return
ed to Agra and concealed themselves in the house of a friend.
The representationsat C ourtmade inbehalfofS heikhMubarak
byhis friends had the contrary effect. The King’
s wrath against
the Sheikh was renewed. H e severely censuredthe men who had
mediated, and, addressing them, said: D o you think I em
ignorant of his whereabouts ? I knowwhere he is. But don’
t
you know the Ulemas have passed fatwas (or relig ious sentences)against him, and I em unable to pass any orders contrary to
their decree.
”
Amm o, first The above incident shows howstrongly Akbar was attached
St
afz‘m‘“
to the party of the learned, before Mubarak and h is sons, hav ingmm “
gained the ascendancy, turned the scale in their favour, a
complete change was effected in Akbar’
s mind and so severe a
blow was inflicted on the Ulemas that it resulted in their
final downfall.
When the news from court reachedMubarak , he was again
compelled to fly from Agra to save his li fe. This time he sought
protection wi th an Amir in the king’
s service who was just
then in camp , a few miles from the metropolis, and in whose
friendship he reposed some reliance. T he fugitives (father and
sons)reached the Amir’
s camp at night. N ot knowing the state
SH E IKH MUBARAK
ofafl'
airs at Court, be accorded them a warm reception but H i !,
anfi h issons mi sfor
when, after three days, he learnt howmatters stood, he assumed atune
gland88 .
dubious attitude. O ne morning , without g iving his now unwel
come hosts any notice, he left his camp, and his servants began
to take down the tents. T he tent in which Mubarak and his sons
he'
d been accommodated, was also taken down, packed up on the
backs ofmules and taken away, while Mubarak and h is two sons
remained sitting on the bare ground. T he fugiti ves walked to a
village on foot, but, on reaching i t, found, to their dismay, that
there was an enemy of theirs in it who would seize them instantlyif he knew of their v isit. Tired of life. they fled to another
village, but found themselves unwelcome there also . They there
fore retraced their steps to Agra at night and took refuge with
a friend bywhom theywere well treated. They remained in his
house for two months, during which time their friends at Courtseized favorable opportunities of speaking to the king in their be
half. Theywere much assisted by Akbar'
s foster brother, Khan- i Khan-i -Azim
Azim Mirza Kokah , who allayed all doubts in the E mperor’
s mind. flififiififi'ifi
beh If toH i s Mayestys displeasure abated bydegrees, and hewas so far con iii; Emgem .
ciliated that he ordered Sheikh Mubarak to attend the C ourt.
The S he ikh repaired to the C ourt, accompanied by his son, Fyzi ,
and had the honour of an audience with the Emperor. Abul Fazl
was sti ll too young to be introduced to H is Majesty. Akbar re
ceived S heikh Mubarak honourably and spoke to him wi th kind I s introduced
ness. From this time Mubarak embraced the S ufi creed andfisi?m "
pro fessed to be of C hishti’
s persuasion. When the Court was at
D elh i , he paid regular v isi ts to the Mausoleums of Khawaja
Kntabuddin.BukhtiarKaki and KhawajaN izamuddin Aulia, the
celebrated saints of D elhi this may have been due to policy, for
Mubarak had no religion. H e regularlyattended C ourt and in one
of his visits introduced Abul Fazl to the Emperor, who was much Youthfulstruck by the youthful sc
holar’
s address and the great intelligenceAbul Fu r"first inter
he showed in his conversation. From this time Akbar began to ffiggi th
look on Mubarak andhis sonswith much favour, and his regardfor
them increased. Abul Fazl, having beenbrought up in the school H ow,
Abul
of adversity, learnt to be politeand forbearing . H e Writes : a I gei-
Z
ivfih‘m '
made a vow to the C reator not to be revengeful to my enemies,
f°rm°d‘
but to forbear and be forgetful of their vicious acts.”And be it,
said to his honour that he kept his word to the last. H e rose to
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
the highest ofiices in the realm and enjoyed the most valued
privilege of the king’
s confidence, yet he behaved mildly towards
his enemies ; when hotwords occurredat religious gatherings, his
speeches were characterised bymoderation, and he never lost
his self-control. There are several passages in the d i n ,
the Akbamama and his famous t arhiat, or letters, in
which he hasdealt with the question of religious controversy
but even towards the worst enemies of his family. like S heikh
Abdul Nabi and Makhmdum-ul-Mulk, who had persecuted them,
brought ruin on them; andall but killed his father, he has used
temperate language, and, in commenting on their actions, never
ex ceeded the bounds of fair criticism. H owmagnanimous Abul
Fazl was, may be judged from the circumstance that when
noticing , in his great work, the Akbam ma, the banishment
of these men, he has used not aword indicative, even indirectly,of hispersonal grievance.
At the earlyage of fifteen he showed signs of development
of mental powers and had completed the course of study
in the branches of knowledge known as maqul and manqul,namely, those based on reason and testimony. L ike his father,
he commencedhis career bytaking to the profession of teaching
at the age of twenty. As an instance of his ex traordinarymental
powers, it is related that a manuscript of rare value, composed
by Isphahani , a celebrated poet, was handed to him inadamagedcondition, onehalf of each page vertically from top to bottom
being efi'
aced in most parts, or burnt, and the passages in them
being eitherwhollywanting or unintelligible. Abul Fazl, wi th
asagacityandskill peculiar to himself, restoredthe passageswant
ing in each of the half lines so precisely and accurately that
when, several months after, a complete copy of the work turned
up, so remarkable an agreement was found, on comparison, that
it appearedas if the author himself had beenrestored to life and
rewritten the manuscript frommemory. H is friends were not a
little struck by the wonderful acuteness, quickness and soundness
of perception possessed by the youthful scholar.
AbulFazlwas so completelygiven up to study that he though t
little of the outside worldand was indifferent to the afiairs of
court, where his father had numerous enemies. I t was not
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
the Imperial Court, as an interview wi th the Emperor was
calculated to relieve me ofmuch ofmyanx iety. I was indifl'
erent
at first to their admonitions, but at last yielded, proceeded to
Agra, the capi tal, and there had the honourof anaudience with the
Emperor. H aving no riches to present,‘
I laid before H is
Majesty the commentary on the Ayat ul Kure'i of the Koran,
as a present. T he oflering was graciously accepted and a
favorable reception accordedme. Thus, I was, for the first time,introduced to C ourt. I need hardlyadd, the affable and court
eous manner in which I was received, and the frank and kind
conversation H is Majesty had with me, acted on me like magic,
and produced in my mind a deep impression of affectionwhich
I have ever since cherished for him.
Fyzi aecom Soon after this (1575 A. the Emperor embarked on h is
mili tia great enterprise, the subjugation of eastern Bengal and Behar.
Fyzi accompanied the royal camp, wh ile Abul Fazl st aid
M b” in Agra. T he Emperor asked Fyzi after Abul Fazl in camp ,
and so the latter presented h imself before H is Majesty as soon
Abul Fazl’
s as the Emperor returned to Fattebpur S ikri . H ow the Emperor
iiiitii‘
gighar noticed him in the grand mosque of Fattebpur S ikri and wasi" the m ud
presented wi th a commentary on the opening chapter of themosque of“mu“
Koran, entitled Sarah Fath, or the chapterof victory, has been teS
'
kl n
lated in the account of Fattebpur S ikri .*
I t was soon after the Emperor’
s return from Bengal that the
memorable Thursday evening relig ious controversies, in which
H is Majesty himself took a prominent part, were instituted.
T he leader of the E mperor’
s partywas Abul Fazl, who succeed
ed in break ing the union of the Ulemas, who nowwere di vided
among themselves. Abul Fazl so skilfully shifted the disputes
from one point to another that the dissensions among them
reached the highest p itch. I t was at this time ,that Akbar
Akbar as was persuaded to assume the sp iri tual, in addition to the
:gfiffufiiw
temporal, power, and the famous document, drafted by S heikh
e.
“Mubarak , was promulgated in which the rank of Muj tahid,or infalliable authority on all matters relating to Islam,
was assigned to the Emperor, and the power of the C hurch
concentrated in the person of the Just King , who alone
See C hapter I I . , page 153 ante.
ABUL FAZL.
hadpower to leg islate, the learned and the lawyers of the faith
being bound by his dec ision. T he document,”says Abul Fazl,
was productive of ex cellent results.—(l ) T he court became the
resort of the learned men and sages of all creeds and nations
alities ; (2)peace was given to all, and perfect toleration prevai l
ed ; (3) the disinterested motives of the E mperor, whose labourswere directed to a search after truth, were rendered clear, and
the pretenders to learning and scholarship were put to shame.
”
The brothers now enjoyed the personal friendship of the T he brothers
Emperor, who placed implicit confidence in them. I n those days i 313
33 1tutorship to the royal princes was considered an othee of great
trust and distinction. T he degree of confidence enjoyed by £ 33233fl “
Fyzi maybe judged from the circumstance that, when, in the
2 i th year of the reign 1579 A. D . Kutb-ud-din Khan Behari
was appointed to the tutorship of the heir apparent, Prince
Salem, Fyzi was appointed to the same office, to educate Prince
Murad, who had then reached h is eighth year and had just re
covered from a long i llness. Kutb-ud-din Khan was an old
and confidential servant of the royal family, and the appoint
ment of Eyzi to the office of tutor to Prince Murad showed that
he was taken into the Emperor’
s personal confidence like an old
family dependent. I f Kutb-ud-din Khan for his services re
cei ved the distinguished ti tle of Beglar Begid' Fyzi was, two F
years after, ex alted to the omce of Sadat to Agra, Kalpi and to Agra, “
Kalinjar. I n the beginning of the year 1585, Abul Fazl was Abul Fa ]
promoted to the rank of H azari , or Commander of one thousand
horse, and he was, the following year, appointed D ewan of theD-d hi pm'
V incee
prov ince of D elhi .
T owards the end of 1589, Abul I‘azl lost his mother. H e
has recorded the following simple poems in the Akbarnama
ex pressive of the intense grief felt byhim on this occasion
N hlA T urk ish ti tle, tantamount to the Indian Amir-ul-Umera, or the P remier
0 e .
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
Because my mother is bnnied in the earth,
S hould I (out of grief) throw dust on my head, what is the harm
By thus raising tumult and noise I know,
She cannot return from the place whereunto she has gone.
But what can I do mymind has no rest,
H av ing an ex cuse to make I allowmyself to be deceived.
To console his friend, the E mperor paid him a visit of con
dolence and thus spoke to him.
n“ ;
L ! lts gO
J? ) é ld [Bi j i j
b 0 13 3 i t, 0
a i
um at )fl -Jy}3 '
Jf(ala s) 0 JJ “ri 0 17W ”
a b sJ, “
5mm u utejfi 53 as
)” v. 9
3.» t,
l f tho people of this world had been endowed with immortality and
they had not been subjected to death sooner or later,friends wi th th e
knowledge of God would not have learnt resignation to H is will and trust
in llim. Whetcas, in the C aravan Sa me of this world, permanent life has
been g iven to none,nnthing is left for the affl icted but to accept
consolation.
This prudent advice,”
wri tes AbulFazl, “ took a deep holdon my mind which was rclievcd of i ts distress.
L iteraryI t was about this period that literary undertakings were
undertak ing!! commenced under the ausp ices of the E mperor h imself. Thus ,L i lavati , a H indi work on Arithmetic, was translated into Persian
byS heikh Fyzi , who was also appointed to translate some chap
ters of the Mahabharat. H e also translated, in metrical form,
the H indi story of the love of N al and D aman after the Masnawi
metre of Lai la-o-Majnun. I t was composed in1 003 A. H . (1594
A. and comprises about verses, and, according to
Badaoni , i t took Eyzi only the short space of five months to
compose th is admirable work. I t was presented to the Emperor
by the author wi th a few Ashrafis, or GoldMohurs, and H is
Majestywas so much pleasedwith .it that be appointed N aqib
Khan to read i t to h im. Abul Fazl translated the Kalelah
D amna under the ti tle of Ayari D ani sh.
I n the beginning of 1592 , Abul Fazl was promoted to the
rank of two thousand horse. H e now belonged to the circle of
the great Amirs of the Empire. D uring the same year S heikh
AKBAR AN D H IS C O URT .
Another date was found in the words
M clad]zeal;
The institute of atheism is broken.
’
When he was in the agonies of death , the E mperor went to
him at midnight, and, raising his headgentlywith his own hands,
cried outmany times, Sheikh, Jio ! S heikh, Jio ! I have broughtH akim Ali with me ; whydon
’
t you speak to me As he was
unconscious, no reply or soundcame. Again did the Emperor put
the same question, but no replywas returned. Upon this H is
Majesty, overpowered with grief, tore 03 his turban and threw it
on the ground. H e then spoke some words of consolation to S heikh
Abul Fazl and withdrew. S oonafter this, the death of Eyzi was
announced. T he event occurred on 5th October, 1595. Abul
Fazl’
s account of h is brother'
s death , gi ven in the Akbarnama, is
naturally more favourable than that of the h istorian Badaoui .
According to Abul Fazl, when the Emperor cried out, Fyzi . in
his last moments, he opened h is eyes and looked on the Em
peror with despair, but could not speak"
?
Unpopulagri ty Abul Fazl was now promoted to the rank of two thousand
of Abul Fazlin C onrt. five hundred horse. But he had many enemies at C ourt, and
theywere anx ious to see him deputed on some mi li tary ex pedi
tion ina distant reg ion like the D eccan,where he might mis
manage the campaign, or show want of skill in administration,
and thus incur the royal displeasure. But the real reason, in
Abul Fazl’s own words, was that he never decei ved Akbar, andwhat he ‘ knew about others he represented fai thfully to him
whenever H is Majesty had occasion to ask him.
’ This waswhat made him unpopular at C ourt, and the heir-apparent ,
Salem, belonged to the party of the disafi
'
ected. Towards the
close of the forty-third year of the reign (1597 A. Abul
H e is
t
sent out Faz l was, for the first time, sent on acti ve duty. H e was sent01] ac [V B
serv ice toD eccan. 1' T here is a section of the Mohamedan wri ters who
.
have tried to save Fyz if(om the charge of apostacy, and assert that he p rai sed the P rop het befo reh i s death . I n the same way, i t is related of Abul Fazl that. when S hah AbulMoah Q uadri. of L ahore. once denounced Abul Fazl as an unbeli ever he sawthe P rop het in h is dream holding a meeting in P aradise: Abnl
_Fazi . l o th e
story goes, came to the meeting , when the P ro het made h im to si t down andsaid T his man did for some t ime during h is ife evi l deeds, but one of h i s hook}commences wi th the words, O God, reward the R001!» for the sake O f thetrri ghteousness and help the wicked for the sake of T hy love,
’and these words
have saved him.—Blochmunn.
ABUL FAZL.
to the D eccan,where P rince Murad, the Emperor
’
s second son,
had,wi th the assistance of Mirza Abdul Rahim
, Khun -i -Khana,
assembled an army. H is instructions were that, should the
Ami rs of the D eccan undertake the protection of that
country, Abul Fazl was to bring the Prince to C ourt. I f
not, he was to send the prince to C ourt and himself remain in
the D eccan in command of the troops under S hah Rukh Mirza,the E mperor
’
s son- ia-la The Prince, however, died of
deli ri um tremens, in 1066 (1597 A. on the banks of the
Puma, twenty kos from D owlatabad. Abul Fazl arri ved at
Burhanpur, where Bahadur Khan, king of Khandes, whose
brother had marriedAbul Fazl’s sister, and who was unwilling
to aid the Imperialists in their war on the D eccan, tried to
bribe the minister by sending him a rich present, which ,
however, Abul Fazl refused, saying that the favors showered on
h im by the E mperor had ex tinguished in h im all desire o f
receiving presents from others. When Prince D aniel, third son
of the Emperor, was‘
appointed to the command of Ahmad
nagar, Abul Fazl, at Akbar’
s request, left Mirza S hah Rukh,
and, the E mperor hav ing now himself proceeded to the seat of Akbar pro
war, Abul Fazl met H is Majesty at Khargon, near Bijagarh . fififitwi’fAkbar received him with the following verse
4- 1-2J' J
'
l(if we ua f le6 4- 14? dy e s5 : ma
);
Fortunate is the night and Welcome the moonlight
\Vhen I should talk with thee on difl'
erent top ics with delight.
Abul Fazl’s rank was raised to the command of fourMee ting between Akbar
thousand horse. H e disti ngui shed hnnselfm war and recei ved and AbulF
the commendati on of h i s royal master.“ 1
Meanwh ile Prince Salem,who had been sent against the
ReunionSalem.
Rana of Udepur, wi th RaJa Man S i ngh as L ieutenant, rebelled
against his father. H e assumed regal functions at Allahabad,se ized on the treasury there, which contained and
co i ned si lver and gold money in h is own name. Akbar, who hadreturned from Burhanpqr to Agra, irri tated at the conduct ofAkbar
’
s re
turn to Agra.
2 H ewasmarried to ShakrnnnisaBegum in 1001 A. H . (1592 A. H e wasmade governor of Malwa and distinguished himself in the con nest of theD eccan . H i s randfathes, Mi rza S ulelpan. generally called Wali Ba akhshan as
g randson of A n Salad Muss , was 6th 19 descent from Tynmr. S hah Rukh heldarank of seven thousand, whi ch was continued in Jahangir
’
sreign.—Blochma1m.
AKBAR AN D H IS C O URT .
h is son, sent for Abul Fazl, h is only trustworthy servant. T he
minister, putting his son Abdul Rahman in charge of h is corps,and taking leave of P rince D aniel, set out for Agra, accompaniedby two or three hundred horsemen. S hah S alem
, who knew
how hosti le Abul Fazl was to h is interests, apprehend
ing , not without grounds, that his presence at the ImperialC ourt at this juncture would be productive of harm to h im and
ex asperate his father still more against h im, determined to devise
means to despatch the minister on h is way to the cap ital. H e
accordingly induced Raja Bi t S ingh, a Bundela ch ief of Archa,
whose terri tory Abul Fazl was to pass, to intercept and k ill h im ,
$ 333"
promising him a large reward, with a command of some thousand
cavalry for the service. T he Raja posted one thousand cavalry
and three thousand infantryat a distance of three or four kos
from Gwalior and lay in ambuscade. Abul Fazl continued h is
journeyunawares through Bir S ingh’
s terri tory. H e was warned
at Ujjen of S alem’
s intentions, but said that noth ing could stop
him on his way to the capi tal. H e came in sight of the Raja’
s
tr00ps near Serae Bar, si x hos from Narwar. At th is las t
moment one of his old faithful servants, Gadai Khan, a Pathan,
advised him to cut his way to Antri , where three thousand o f
the royal tr00ps were stationed under R ui Rayan and S urajS ingh ; but the high sp iri ted minister thought i t beneathhis valour to retreat. H e was soon surrounded by Bir S ingh
’
s
troops. The handful of horsemenwho formed h is escort defend
cd him bravely to the last, but were gradually worn out by
Murder ofsuperior numbers. Abul Fazl, standing under a neighbouring
Ab‘“Fm: tree, fought like a hero against tremendous odds, and his body
was pierced by the lances of the troopers. Thus, covered with
wounds, he fell to the ground and ex pired. H is head was
severed from his bodyand sent as a trophy to the Prince, who
was delighted to see i t and ordered i t to be thrown on a dirty
spot where i t lay ex posed for a long time . T he event hap
pened on Friday, the 4th Rabi-ul-awal, 101 1 AH . (1 2 th August ,
1002 AD .)
Jahamzir’
s Jahangir frankly admits his gui lt in h is memo irs and pleadsfgggini
e
ino
hiishothe mischiefdone by the S hei kh to h i s i nterests at court as th e
mcmoim'
reason of his avenging himself on him. Although my father,”
AKBAR AND H IS C O URT .
very characteristic and can be easily recognised. I ts chief
peculiarities are puri tv of ideas, perfect freedom from bias, ex alt
cd moral aspirations and refined taste. N ot a passage is to be
found in his voluminous works in which immorality is passed
Hmsmmover with indifference. T he style is unique anddignified, and,
seniul o though difi cult and perplex ing for beginners, has a beautyof i ts own. T he arg uments are weighty and the subjects
dealt wi th so admirably treated that theycannot fail to impress
the reader'
smindand inspire himwith asense ofadmiration for the
accomplished writer. H is style was much admired in the court
of Tehran, and H is Majesty, k ing Abdullah , o f B i khara, said.
H e was more afraid ofAbulFazl’a pen, than of Akbar’
s sword.
”
mlO f the pri vate life of Abul Fazl the author of Ma-a-ai r at
pri vate 0
life (Imam , quoted by P rofessor Blochmann, wri tes H e deemed to
live at peace with all men. H e never said anyth ing improper.
Abuse , stoppages of wages, fines, absence on the part of his
servants, did not ex ist in his household. I f be appointed a man,
whom he afterwards found to be useless, he did not remove him,
but kept him on as long as he could, for he used to say that, i f
he dismissed him, people would accuse him of want of penetra
tion in having appointed an unsuitable agent. O u the daywhen
the sun entered Aries, be inspected h is whole household, and
took stock, keeping the inventorywith himself, and burning last
year’
s books. H e also gave his whole wardrobe to his servants,
wi th the ex cep tion of h is trousers, which were burnt in his
presence.
H e hadan ex traordinaryappetite. I t is said that, ex clusi veE x tm rdl'
,of water and fuel, be consumed daily twenty-two seers of food.
H is son, Abdul Bahman, used to si t at table as sufarch i (head
butler); the superintendent of the kitchen, who was aMohame
dan, was also in attendance, and both watched to see whether
Abul Fazl would eat twice of one and the same dish . I f he did,
the dish was sent up again the nex t day. I f anyth ing appeared
H is rnnnifi tasteless, Abul Fazl gave i t to his son to taste, and he to them m '
superintendent, but no word was said about it. When Abul
Fazl was in the D eccan, his table lux uryex ceeded all belie£ I n
an immense tent (Chihi l Rawati)one thousand rich dishes were
ABUL FAZL .
daily served up and distributed among the Amirs ; and near i t
another large tent was pitched for all comers to dine, whether
rich or poor, and khi chri (rice and dal) was cooked all dayand
was served out to any one that applied for it.
N otwi thstanding the high rank heldby him in the realm andAkbar’a con
d Hthe confidence reposed i n h im by the Emperor, Abul Fazl never 333 th: iixiiuaccepteda title. I t is true that he is charged byall Mohamma iigiiieiii
the
dan writers with being an unbeliever, and Akbar’
s apostacy2&1?sfrom Islam is ascribed to him and his brother, Eyzi , yet the
credi t is greatly due to the brothers of enunciating , under the
guiding spirit of their great master, those principles of tolera
tion and freedom which had the happy result of reconciling
people of all creeds and nationali ties to the Moghul rule in India
and attached them strongly to the throne, thus mak ing the period
of Akbat ’e rule one of the brightest and most prosperous in the
history of native rule in the E ast.
KH AN - I -AZIM MirzaKoka found the date ofAbul Fazl’s deathin the hemistich
God doeth what H e chooses and commandeth what H e may.
T hemiraculous sword ofGod’s P rophet has the rebel’s head cut away.
The numerical value of “H g (rebel) is 1013 . T he head, or
first letter, of the word fiaghi is y wi th two for its value.
Thus, cutting off 2 from 1013 , the balance is 1011 , the H ijra
year of Abul Fazl’
s death. T he hemistich shows the contempt
in wh ich Abul Fazl was held by the orthodox class of Mohammadans. I t is said that Abul Fazl appeared to Khan- i -Azim
in a dream and said : The date ofmydeath lies in the words,Bandah Abul Fazl ” M 1731 wh ich likewise g ive 101 1
A. H .
Abul Fazl’s well known works are (1) the Ai no i -Akbari , or
the insti tutes of Akbar, which he completed in the 42ndyear?vgihliie
i iwixiof Akbar
’
s reign ; (2 ) the Akbarnama, in three volumes, con:EM I'
taining an account of Akbar up to the 46th year of his reign ;
(3) the I nshai Abul Fazl, containing letters written byAbul
Bloohmann, page XXV III .
AKBAR AN D H I S C OU RT .
Fazl to kings and chiefs. The book includes interesting letterswritten to Portuguese Fathers and the kings of Bokhara and
Persia. I t was compiled, after Abul Fazl’
s death, by Abdul
Samad, son ofAfzalMohammad, son of Abul Fazl’s sister, and
also his son-ia-law (4) The Ayar-i -D ani sh, a Persian transla
tion of Kalclah D amnah ; (5) the Riselah Munajat or treatise
on prayers’
; (6) Jami -ul L ughat, a lex icogmphical work ;
(7) Kashkol, or Beggar’
s Bowl, a collection of anecdotes and
short stories ; (8) C ommentaries on some chapters of the Koran.
T he part he took in translations from Sanskrit works has already
been referred to.
In his biographical notes, gi ven at the end of the Ain, Abul
Fazl enumerates the blessings of God happi ly enjoyed by him,
for which be ex presses his gratitude to the Almighty. H e men
tions the g ifts as an acknowledgment proceeding from a grateful
heart. Theyare as follows
1 . H igh birth and parentage.
2 . A period of blessings and peace .
‘ T he ancients have
prided themselves on the justice of the kings of previous ages.
I t I am proud of the age of harmony brought about by the
justice of the King , i t is no wonder’
.
3 . Good fortune.
4. N obility of descent on the father’
s side.
5. A healthyandwell-proportioned body.
6. Long service to the k ing , which is a source of protection
from internal and ex ternal dangers.
7. Unfailing health .
8. S plendid house to live in.
9. P erfect freedom from anx iety about means of li velihood.
10. Daily increasing desire to serve myparents and to p lease
them.
11 .
‘ E ver increasing kindness ofmy father.
12 . S uppliance to the threshold of God.
13 . Respect for those who are the beloved of God.
14. Unfailing perseverance.
AKBAR AND H I S C OURT .
As regards the relative talents and accomplishments o f
Abul Fazl and Fyzi , i t is difficult to venture a verdict as to
which of the two was the greater scholar. Both were gifted
men and possessed ex traordinary genius. Fyzi had a poetical
mind, while Abul Fazl ex celled him in prose. I f Fyzi’
s poems
command the admiration of the learned for their beauty and
ex cellence, Abul Fazl’
s prose is famous for the orig inality, purity
and nobility of its sentiments, its statesmanship and the per
fection of i ts style. Both possessed political genius. Th e
school ofadversi ty inwhich Abul Fazl was brought up taugh t
him to be polite and forbearing even beyond the ex pectations
of the time.
I t is to the greatest credit of h is father that he gave such
sound instruction to his sons, and there is no doubt that the sons
owedmuch of their learning to the great personal accomplish
mentsof their father. The lovewhich the brothers Eyzi and Abul
Fazl had for each other, and the esteemwi th which theyregarded
one another, is apparent from their respective writings.
Abul Fazl has g iven proof of his devotion to his brother by
introducing numerous passages from his works. I n a long ode
T he odescomposedbyEyzi , he thus compares himself wi th his brother
°f FM in Abul Fazlp rai se ofAbul Fazl.
Wherever a talk from loftiness and lowness is found
I count my station above the skies and again humbler than the ground.
With a fatherwhose kindness I have portrayed
In learning my pride frommy esteemed brother ismade.
ABUL FAZL .
Ornament of learning andwisdomAbul Fazl fromwhom
The brain of knowledge is hlledup with sweet perfume.
In accomplishments there is ajourney of hundred years between him and
me,
Although in age I am older to him byyears two or three.
In the eyes of the gardener its estimation cannot rise h igh ,
I t the lean branch of a barren tree towers higher up a rose standing by.
Abul Fazl, ln the Am, g i ves the followmg li st of Shei khS tileil
ifhson
i igfMubarak ’s sons harsh .
1 . Sheikh Abul Faiz, known by his poetical name Fyzi ,
born 954 A. H . (1547 A. died childless 1595.
2 . S heikh AbulFazl, born 14th January 1551 , murdered 1 2 th
August, 1602 .
3 . S heikh Abul Barkat, born, 17th Sbawal, 960 (1552 A.
“Though h is attainments are not very high , yet he is well
informed, is a good-man of business and well versed in fencing .
H e is good natured, fond of D arweshes and anx ious to be of
use .
”
S erved in Khandes under Abul Fazl.
4 . S heikh Abul Kher, born 967 A. H . (1559 A. D .)A student
ofAmir Fathullah Shirazi. S erved in the D ekkan.
5. S hei kh Abul Makarm,born 976 A. H . (1568 A. D .)
All the above were born of the same mother.
6 . S heikh Abu Turab, born 988 (1580
O i Mubarak’s daughters, Professor Blochmann mentions four aaugh .
1 . O ne married to Khudawand Khan, of the D akhan, a
C ommander of one thousand. H e was a man of imposing stature
and well known for his personal courage. H is temper was hot.
O nce Abul, Fazl invited four grandees to a dinner party in his
h o use. Among them was Khudawand Khan. D ishes of fowl
we re placed before him, but before others roastedmeat was laid.
K hudawandbecame ex citedand left the party. T he goodnatured
A kbar tried to assure him that no insult was intended, but
h e was never reconci led to Abul Fazl.
2 . O ne married to a son of Rain Ali Khan ofKhandes.
3 . O ne marriedto H isamuddin, son of Ghazi Khan Badakhshi
and a C ommander of one thousand. H e served in the D eccan
u nderKhan-i-khanan. Once he ex pressed hiswish to renounce
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
the world and turn a Fakir at the tomb of N izam-ud-din Oulia,
in D elhi . Khan-i -khanan in vain tried to persuade him to
abandon the idea. but H isarn, the nex t day. tore his clothes,
covered h is bodywi th mud and clay and went into the jung le.
Akbar permitted h im to resign. H isam lived as an ascetic at
the tomb of Nizam-ud-din for thirty years. T he Saint Khawaja
Baqi Billah“empowered him to guide travellers to the path
of p iety.
”H e died in 103 4 ( 162 4 A. H is wife (Abul
Fazl’
s sister), by the desire of her husband, gave away all her
jewels to the D arveshes. S he fix ed an annual allowance o f
Rupees for the maintenance of her husband’
s cell.
4. Ladli Begam, married to Islam Khan, a grandson o f
S heikh Salem C hishti . S he died in 1017 (1608 A. or five
years before her husband’
s death.
’
Abul Fazl’s only son was the well known Abdul Rahman,
born in 979 A. H . (1571 A. T he S unni name was g i ven
to h im by his grandfather. H e distinguished himself in the
war in Talangana. Jahangir did not transfer to h im the dislike
which he had for his father, for he raised him to the dignity o f
C ommander of four thousand horse and conferred on him the
title ofAfzal Khan. I n the third year of Jahangi r’
s reign, he
was installed in the office of the Governor of Behar, v ice Islam
Khan, the husband of Abul Fazl’s sister, and Gorakhpur was
conferred on him as a Jag ir. As Governor of Behar, h is head
quarters were at Patna. H e died in 102 2 (1613 A. in the
eighth year of Jahangir’
s reign, or eleven years after his father’
s
death . AbdulRahman hadason. Bishotan,born 999 (1590A. D .)
H e was Commander of seven hundred, with three hundred horse ,
in the time ofJahangir, and C ommander of five hundred horse
in the time of Shah Jahan. H e died in the 15th year of S hah
Jahan’s reign.
T he man nex t in importance to Abul Fazl in Akbar'
s Court
was his elder brother, S heikh Fyzi . T he events of the lives of
both brothers are intermi x edwith each other, and so much has
been said about the latter in the present sketch that i t is only
necessary to record here a brief note of his life.
Foran account of her tomb, See C hap ter 111. p . 193 ante.
AKBAB AND H I S C OURT .
(dealers in encomiums) and jesters. Accordingly, a Brahman
from Kalpi , namedBraham D as, who was by profession a Bhat,
or minstrel, came to the C ourt in the beg inning of , the reign.
fazgfigin‘ l H e was verypoor, but was smart and ready
-wi tted. H is profes
sion was to please people by facetious and humorous conversation ,
and his bon-mots and witty repartees soon made h im a general
favorite at C ourt. I n a short time he gained so much influence
over the E mperor that he became h is personal favourite and was
constantlynear him. A h igh Mamab was conferred on him, and
he became one of the trusted counci llors. H e was at first
honouredwith the title of Kab Rae, or P oet Laureate. andsoon
after received that of Bir Bar, or the valiant, with the rank o f
Raja. When Raja Jey Chand of Nagarkot (Kangra) fell into
disgrace and was imprisoned, the fort of that place was bestowed
on Bir Bar as a jag ir, and orders were issued to Russia Kuli
Khan, governor of Lahore, to take p ossession of the fort and put
i t under the charge of Bir Bar. The Khan marched to Nagar
kot with the Umcra s of the P anjab, such as MirzaYusul'
Khan ,
Jafl'
ar Khan, son of Q uazzaq Khan, and Fattu, with a large
number of cavalry, elephants, camels, ordnance, big cauldrons and
camp followers, and laid siege to the fort. T he fort was gallantlydefended byBidhi C hand, son of the Raja. Nagarkot wasa great
place of H indu p ilgrimage. Lakhs ot'
people assembled there
periodically to pay their devotions to the H indu goddess and
made large ofl'
erings in gold, coin and other valuables. T he in
vading troops slaughtered the hi ll men and p ierced with arrows
the gold canopy spread on the dome of the temple. They also
slaugh tered the cows, so sacred to the H indus, which had been
offered at the temple by the votaries of the Brahma, and coloured
the walls of the temple with their blood. According to Badaoni ,
who has described these details, somanyBrahmins andattendantsat the temple were slaughtered that theyare beyond description.
O u account of these proceedings, the name of Raja Bir Bai was
ex ecrated by the H indus, who considered all this bloodshed to
Battle of have been caused for his sake. T he city of Nagarkot was occu
Nm r'm '
pied and a huge cannon was po inted at the palace of Bidh i
C hand, a single discharge from which killed eighty men on the
spot. The invaders were on the point of capturing the fort
when Bidhi Chand sued for peace. I n the meanwhile intel
W A BIB BAR.
ligence arrived from Lahore of the adirance ot’
Mirza Ibrahim
H usein and Masud H usein Mirza on the P anjab. The royal
troops began to sufi‘
er forwant of supplies, and it was therefore
resolved to conclude peace. Bidhi Chandmade a present of five
maunds of gold, which was equal to one year’s income of the
temple, and brought a large number of valuable articles as)
ransom. On Friday in the month of Shawal, 980 (1572 A. D .
the Khutba was read and coin struck in the name of the
Emperor. O n the gateway of Raja Jey C band’
s palace a h igh
arch of amosque was constructed, and the Mohamadan victory
having been thus signalised, H usein Kuli Khan marched back
to L ahore to ex pel the Mirzas. Bir Bar thus never got posses
sion of the Nagarkot jagir which had been granted to him.
According to the Akbamama (account of 18th year of the T om , of
reign), the peace wi th RajaBidhi C hand, who was aO
minor, was
concluded on the following terms, which were accepted by Raja
Gobind C hand, uncle andguardian of the minor chief. First, that
a daughter of Raja Jey Chand be sent to Akbat ’e harem 2 nd,
that a sui table present in cash be sent for the Emperor ; 3 td, that
one of the Baja’s sons be sent to Agra as a hostage ; and4th , that, Moneyo
com.
as the Imperial orderwas to give the Raja’
s territory to Bir Bar,p ix:
a large sum of moneybe paid to the latter as compensation. Allfl“,
these conditions were fulfilled by the defeated Raja. After the
conclusion of this treaty, Raja Gobind Chandaccompanied theImperial troops under H usein Kuli Khan to D ipalpoor, near
Multan, where a battle being fought between the Imperialistsand the invading army, the army under Mirza Ibrahim H usein
was routed. H usein Kuli Khan was, for his gallant conduct,
honouredwi th the title of Khan-i -Jahan. RajaBir Bar distin
guished himself in this battle and received the title of Masahib.
i -D ani shwar, or‘the wise counci llor.
’ Ibrahim H usein Mirza,who had taken refuge with the Beloches, died, a short time
after, of grief but Masud H usein Mirza and other men of
h is partywere sewn in the hides of cows, with horns, and in this
p osition ex hibited before Akbar in the C ourt at Fattebpur.
H is Majesty, who always showed toleration on such occasions,
had the unfortunate men taken out of the cow skin, had them
bathed and dressed, and, on their being presented to him
36
u ni s am) macons'
r.
on a subsequent occasion at Court, gave them a free pardon
thus giving proof of h is high sense of honour and generous
disposition.
The following year (1573 A. whenMirza Ibrahim H usein
again raised the standard of insurrection in Gujrat and Akbarmade his famous march to that place, accompaniedbyhis nobles,RajaBi t Bar was in his royal master
’
s train. H is Majesty per
formed a journey of more than 450 miles wi th such celeri ty,
during the rainy season, with 300 of his emeers of rank on
camels, that he reached Patten on the 9th dayafter leaving Agra,
and, though his forces were veryunequal to those of the enemy,
be defeated the latter, and, tranquilli ty having been completelyrestored, returned to Agra.
Raja Bir Bar was often employed on foreign duties. Thus
we find him,in the 2 l st year of the reign (1576 A. D .)
accompanying Raja Loun K iran to D ungarpur to conduct the
Rae’s daughter to Agra, as the Rae, through sinceri ty and out
of respect for the Emperor, had offered her for H is Majesty’
s
H arem,and as a special honour to the chief, the Emperor had
granted h is request. When, in the year 977 s aRam
Chand, of Bheth, surrendered the fort of Kalinjar to Majnun
Khan, Akbat’
e C ommander, he sent his son, BirBahadur, to Court
as a hostage, but from want of confidence would not pay h is
respects personally to H is Majesty. Annoyed at the high tone
assumed by the Raja, Akbar ordered a force to march to Bheth ,
but, on representations being made to him, he changed his mind
and resolved to send a deputation of his most trustedUmeras to
Bhath to bring the Raja to the Court. RajaBir Bar and Zen
Khan Koka were selected for the duty, and the chief came at
last to the Court, where he was honourably received by the
Emperor. This happened in the 2 8th year of the reign (1582
a D .)
The Raja oi'
Bheth was among the three great Rajas of
H industan mentioned by Baber in his memoirs. H e was a
great patron of music, and the celebrated Mian Tan S en wastaken byAkbar from his service. The Baja possessed a high
spiri t and had acquired a reputation throughout India for h is
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
Azim Khan Kokaand others. O ne day, wri tes Badaoni , there
was a conversation about religion in the presence of the king .
H is Majesty tried hard to convert ~Qutbuddin MohammadKhawja and S hah Baz Khan, but in vain. Qutbuddin said
What will the kings of V ilayet, such as the sovereign o f
C onstantinople, 8m, say, when they hear all this. They all
profess the same religion as we do, be their v iews broad or
limited. The Emperor thereupon said You are secretly
defending the cause of the Sultan of C onstantinople, to secure
his confidence, so that, when you leave this country, you may
obtain employment under him without difficulty. Go away now
from India and become a respectable man there. S hah Baz
Khan thereupon got ex cited, and, when a derisive remark was
made at religion byBir Bar, be abused him soundly and said
C ursed infidel, darcet thou speak in such profane language i n
this assembly? I t can not take me long to settle with thee.
”
The situation became awkward. T he E mperor, addressing S hah
Baz Khan in particular and others in general, said I t would
serve you right that shoes filled wi th ex crement should be
thrown into your faces, and, so saying, withdrew.
Bir Bar professed to be a ready believer in all that Akbar
propounded as regards the doctrines of h is new religion, and
H is Majesty’
s faith in the sincerity of his friend’
s professions
was never shaken. Thus, when relig ious men at C ourt, like
MirFattehullah of the D eccan,who was a staunch Shia and
who could not be persuaded to embrace the new fai th, were
assailedwith arguments to convince them of the truth of the
D ivine Fai th, but did not utter a single syllable in answer, so
obstinate were they,”writes Badaoni , Bir Bar ever readi ly
bowed to H is Majesty’
s arguments and said Yea, we believe
yes, we trust’l
In connection with the events of the year 990 (1582 A.
resolves to Badaoni notices an incident showing that Bir Bar had numerousturn a
Jogi orasceti c ; but is
enemies at Court, and that, but for the personal regard wh i ch
prevented by the Emperor entertained towards him, he would, wi thout loss ofthe Em ror
from” oing. time, have been subjected to disgrace . Prosti tutes from all parts
Badaoni .
BAJA BIB BAR.
of the Imperial dominions collected in such large numbers in
t he capital as to defy all counting. T he Emperor assigned to
them a separate quarter outside the ci ty,which was called
Shetanpm'a, or D evil
’
s vi lla. A S uperintendent, a D eputyT he Devil’s
and a S ecretary were appointed for this quarter, and theywmk
registered the names of such persons as went to these people
or called them to their houses. N o dancing girl was
permitted to go to the house of any person at night wi th
out permission of the superintendent. The use of wine was
proh ibited ex cep t under medical advice, and severe punish
ments were provided for ex cessive drinking, carousals and
disorderly behav iour. N o one was to have a virg in from
the devil’
s villa without first‘
applying to the D eputy and
obtaining permission from the C ourt. Libertines did
what they liked under assumed names, or wi th the conni vance
of the ofi cials in charge of the vi lla ; several nobles of note were
severely reprimanded and punished or confined for considerable
peri ods in fortresses under commandof the King for breaking the
rules. The Emperor himself summoned some of the well-known
prostitutes and asked them privatelywho had deprived them of
their virgini ty, and, after learning their names, visi ted the
grandees concerned with all severity. Among these one men
tioned the name of RajaBir Bar, who,”says Badaoui , had the
distinction of becoming a disciple of H is Majestyby becominga member of the D ivine Fai th , and who had gone beybnd the
four degrees‘andacquired the four cardinal virtues '
l'”At this
t ime Bir Bar happened to be in his jagir, in the pergana of Kern.H aving been informed of this, he declared his intention of
becoming a jogi or ascetic, and applied for the Emperor’
s per
mission for the purpose, but H is Majesty invi ted him to court in
reassuring terms and was as kind to, and fami liarwith , him
as ever.
Bir Bar spent his time for the most part at Court. Bad 1, mu; on a
he remained at the palace ofFattebpur S ikri as a gay courtier,
all would have been well for the witty Raja. But circum“
Jiffgljf’
The four degrees of faith in H is Majesty were defined to be readiness tosacrifice to the Emperor p roperty, life, honourand relig ion, anywho had sacrificedall these four things possessed four degrees, and any who had sacrificed one
of the four essed one degree, and so ou.—Badaoni , p . 288.
1' T he azqd
-tzArba, ar the four cardinal v irtues, are wudom courage,
chasti ty, andJusti ce.
TH E . C OURT OF AKBAR.
stances involved h im in a mili tary ex pedi tion,for which his
genius was i ll-suited, and he at last fell a prey to his inex peri
ence andwant of tact in a foreign war. I n the year 994 (1585
A. D .) a military ex pedition was sent under Zen Khan Koka
to punish the Afghans of E usafzai , in Swat and Bajour. The
Generalmoved in the D istrict ofBajouranddefeated the enemyinseveral engagements. H e had to ask for reinforcements, and
Akbar resolved to decide by lot whether Abul Fazal or E u' Bar
shouldgo. T he lot fell in favour of the latter, much against
H i s Majesty’
s inclination. and Bir Bar was sent with H akimAbul
P atteh to the seat of war. T he Imperialists were defeated, and,
in their retreat, were attacked by the Afghans in a very narrow
Dmi tmmvalley. Arrows andstoneswere showered on them from all
‘
sides,(
11133 3315
1
2?and they reached the nex t station in the greatest disorder,
most of them having lost their way in the darkness of night .
The nex t day the Afghans attacked the flying columns of the
Imperialists, and menwere cut wi th 500 officers. This
was the most disastrous defeat ever sustained by Akbar’
s troops.
ggflfsggmr Manygrandees, besides Bir Bar, perished in this battle, among
them being Basan Khan, Khawja Arab, paymaster of
Khan Jahan, and Mulls Sheri , the poet. H ak im Abul P atteh
and Zen Khan, with the remnant of their defeated troops,
reached the fort of Attock .
Grief ofH is Majesty was concerned for the death of no grandee
355212231
:more than for that ofhis belovedcourtierandpersonal favourite,BirBar. H e said: Alas, they could not even get hold of his body,
that i t might have been burned. For two days he remained in
seclusion and refused to take food, but at last consoled himself
with the belief that Bir Barwas nowquite free and independent
of all worldly troubles, and ex pressed the relief he felt on h is
account by saying : The rays of the great luminary were
sufi cient to cleanse his body, and there was no need of fire.
”
H e was long mourned byhis royal master, andAbul Fazl, in his
Maktubat, has a letter addressed from the Emperor to Khan- i
Khanan, then V iceroy in the D eccan, ex pressing the intense
grief felt byhimon this occasion. BirBar died in February, 1586.
T he grief felt by Akbar for the loss of his friend, Bir Bar,
afforded an opportunity for designing men to invent stories ofali ve.
h is bei ng ah ve. O ne report spreadwas that he had been seen
AKBAR AND H I S C OURT .
Before the ascendancy of Abul Fazl and Eyzi, the man in
supreme power in India underAkbarwas his famous general andtutor, Bahram Khan.
Bu ms): KH AN .
Bahram Khan, the general of Akbar, was son of Saif Ali
Beg, andwas born inBadakhshan. After the death ofhis father"m" he went to Balkh to study. H e entered H umayun
’
s army at
the age of si x teen and fought many battles under him. T he
conquest of H industan is justly attributed to h im. I n 963
(1555)he was appointed tutor to P rince Akbar and was sent
with him to the P unjab against S ikandar Khan. O u Akbar’
s
accession at Kalanour, he was appointed Vakil, or P remier of
the Empire, with the ti tle Khan-i -Klzanan. Akbar called h im
Khan Babs, or father Khan’
. I n 966 ( 1558) Bahram married
S ultana Salema Begam, daughter of Gulrukh Begam (adaughter
ofBaber)andMirzaN uruddin Mohammad. S oon afterwards an
estrangement between Akbar and Bahrarn sprung up. Bahram,
Rebel.“theleaving Agra, broke out into open rebellion in the P unjab.
P unit b Akbarmoved against him, but, before he arrived at Jullundur ,
tidings reached him of Bahram’
s defeat by Atgah Khan. Bah
ram asked forgiveness. Akbar sentMaulanaMakhdum-ul-Mulk,Abdullah, of Sultanpur, the Shekh-ul- Islam of the Empire, to
“
persuade him to come to his camp , and promised personal .
osafetyto his old preceptor. Bahram Khan agreed to come to the
Royal camp. A procession of hobles and dignitaries went to
receive the Khan, who, however, appeared before his master in
l defeatedthe guise of a suppliant, bare-footed and with his turban folded
andw doned round his neck . H e threw himselfat the foot of the throne,
and,moved by former recollections, began to sob loudly.
Akbar’
s feelings of compassion and esteem for his general and
tutorwere aroused. H e instantlyrose from his seat, raised th e
old veteran with his own hands and seated him on his right?
H e was given adress of honour and the option of assumiti? the
government of Kalpi and Chanderi , or retiring to Makka. Bah
ram’s pride and prudence prevailed on him to adop t the latter
course. A liberal pension was assigned to him, and he set out
forMakkawith his family. H e was, however, assassinated at
BAJA TODAB MAL .
P attan, in Gujrat, byan Afghan named Mubarak, whose father
had been k illed ia the battle of tiachhiwara. The great man
died with the words Allah-o Akbar God is great) on his lipsgadu tho(3oth June Akbar took charge of Abdul Rahim, Bah
ram’
s son, and soon after married his widow Sultans Salema
Begam.
Among the ministers of state who maybe fittingly called the
p illars of the Empire, the most prominent person was RajaT ederMal, the Finance Minister ofAkbar.
RAJA TomaMAL .
This most remarkable man was a Khatri of Laharpur, in TodarMel’s
Oudh.
’ H is father died when the son was qui te young, andbirth pk “ .
left no means of livelihoodfor him, so that the widowwas in great
distress. T he young man commenced life in the humble posi
tion of awriter, but he worked his way up from that lowlystatus unti l the great Pathan, Sher Shah Sur, committed to himm, first post
under S herthe important charge of constructing the new fort of Rohtas Shah.
i n”
the Panjab, wi th the object of effectually restraining the
Gbakkars from their predatory inroads into that province, and
also creating a barrier in the path of the Moghals. Through
his judicious management, the wages of labourers were reduced
from one rupee per stone at the commencement of the work
to { 5 th ofa rupee. We are informed by the author of Tari kh-i
Khan Jahan L odi , that, when the fort was finished, Todar
Mal was highly ex tolled by the Pathan Emperor for the tact
abi lity be had displayed in i ts ex ecution. I t was under
able government of Sher S hah that T odar Mal’
s natural
talents developed. When the supreme power passed from the
house of the P athans to that of the descendants of Tymur,
T odarMal still continued in S tate service. I n 1567, he hadE nters the
v
pressed S ekandar, the rebel jagirdar of Oudh. D uring the same fig?O i
year, be distinguished himself in the memorable siege of Chittor.
N either he, nor Kasam Khan, hadany repose in their quarters,
See roceedings of Beavl Asiatic Society. Se tember 1871, page 178 gand
Im ria Gazetteer of India I I I . 401. Bait
); T odar al must not be confounded
wi t Rai TodsrMal. aKhatri of C hunian, istrict L ahore. aMsnssbdsr ofunder Shah Jshsn. S ee Badshahnama, V ol. , I I . page 72 8. T he latterwas Famdaroi Sarband under S hah Jahan.
3°
1 11111 11 asp me comm
b'
ut worked in their galleries with such zeal that for a day
gia
'
t
sents and two nights they took neither rest nor food. The Emperor
was himselfmost assiduous 1n directing the attack. Undeterred
b y the falling missiles, be quietlyand witho
composure ofmind
supervised his ranks, and the soldiers under him fought with
unswerving constancy.
p ri vilege. H e fought bravely inAfghanistan, was recalled and sent on
mnfened 0"an ex pedition to Kashmir, anddistinguishedhimself in the Bengal
war under Khan Jahan and in the campaigns of Gujrat and
Orissa. I n the 19th year of the reign he received the h igh
distinction of retaining Alum and Nakkara, or the coming out
into public with standard and drums,a privilege allowed only
to princes royal, orAmi rs of the first rank . I n the 27th year,
he was appointed D iwan of the Empire. D uring the same
law n“ year, he introduced his great financial reforms, which earned
for him and his master an undying fame. The third book of the
Aimgives full details of his newrent roll, which superseded the
assessment of Mozafl‘
ar, the D iwan of Bahram Khan,based on
the returns of kanungoes. H e also framed regulations regard
ing the coinage, full detai ls of which are given in the Akbar
nama. The most important reform carried out by him was the
introduction of P ersian in the keeping of the S tate accounts.
Formerly these accounts had been wri tten in H indi , by H indu
mohari 'irs. H e compelled his cc-religionists to learn the C ourt
language of theirrulers, and thus enabled them to compete for
the highest appointments in the S tate which the generous
policyofAkbar had opened to all.
I n the 2 9th year, the Emperor honoured RajaTodarMal wi tha visit. I n the 3 2 nd year his life was attempted by a Khatri
out of private hatred. H e was wounded on a march, at night,
but the culprit was at once cut down. D uring the same year
Tedat Mal was sent against the E usufzais to avenge the death
ofBirBar. When the Emperor went to Kashmir, in the 3 4th
year ( 1588 A. D . Todar Mal wi th Raja Bhagwan D ag and
Kalij Khan, was left in charge of Lahore. I n the same year old
age and failing health compelled the Raja to tender his resignation, which the E mperor reluctantly accepted. T he Rajawas allowed to retire to the banks of the Ganges, there to
AKBAR AND H I S C O URT .
R1 1 1 Bru cww D AB.
Raja Bhagwan D as was the son of Raja Bihari Mal, son
of P irthi s e Kachwaha, of the ancient family of Amber,
in the S ubs of Ajmere. Bihari Mal was the first Rajput who
joined Akbar’
s C ourt. H e was introduced to Akbar before the
end of the first year of his reign. At this interview, Akbar was
seated on a mast (wi ld) elephant. Bihari Mal, wi th his
whole family. attended C ourt at Sankanir andwas most honour
ablyreceived.
‘1 T he Raja’s request to be allowed to enterAkbar’
s
service and to strengthen the ties of friendsh ip by a matri
monial alliance wi th H is Majesty was granted. Akbar married
the Raja’
s daughter at Sambhar, andat Pattan he was joined bythe s e
,his son, Bhagwan D as, and grand
-son, Kunwar Man
S ingh. The whole family accompanied Akbar to Agra, where
Raja Bihari Mal was created C ommander of Fi ve Thousand.
T he Rajadied at Agra.
RajaBhagwan D as entered the Emperor’s service wi th h is
father. I n 980 (1572 A. D .) be saved Akbar’
s life near S irnal,
in the fight wi th Ibrahim H ussain Mirza. I n the 2 3rd year, he
was appointedGovernor of the P anjab, and in the 2 9th year
his daughterwas married to Prince Salim, afterwards Jahangir.
The result of the union was Prince Khusrow. I n the 3oth year
he was made Commander of five thousand. Raja Bhagwan D as
diedat Lahore in the beginning of 998 ( 1581 A. D . a short
time after Raja TodarMal. H e held the title ofAmir-ul-Umcm .
or the Premier noble.
O u the death of Baja Bhagwan D as, Akbar conferred the
title of Raja on his son, Man S ingh, and gave him the com
mand of five thousand. H e dieda natural death, in the D eccan ,
in the 9th year of Jahangir’
s reign.
Anotherman of note among the grandees of the realm was
MirzaAbdul RahimKhan-i—Khanaa.
For ticulsrs of the first interview between'
Akba dsee £ 107um .
R“ M ‘“
KH AN AZIM MIBZA AZIZ KOKAH .
KH AN - I -KH ANAN Mmzs ABDUL Bums.
H e was son of Bahrarn Khan, and was born at L ahore in H is services.
964 1556 A. D . ) H ewasachildoffiveyearswhen his fatherwas
murdered at Patten. Akbar took charge of h im, gave him the
ti tle ofMirzaKhan and subsequentlymarried him to Mah Bano,sister of Mirza A2 12 Koka. H e twice defeated Mirza Muzafiarin Ahmedabad, although in one of the engagements he had only
a contingent of while his adversaries had an army of
For these victories Akbar made him C ommander of
Five Thousand and conferred on him the much coveted title of
Khan-i -Khanan.
I n the 3 4th year he, at the E mperor’
s request. translated the T ranslates
Wakiat- i -Babri , or memoirs of the E mperor Baber, from the fitié'mi '
C hughttai language into P ersian. T he most remarkable events
of his life were the conquest ofGujrat and S indh and the defeatof S ohel Khan in Bijapur. O u the return of Jahangir from
Kabul, N ur Jahan sent Abdul Rahim in pursui t of MohabatKhan andcontributed herself twelve lacs of rupees for the ex
pedi tion but, before the necessary preparations could be made,the Mirza diedat Lahore, in the 2 l st year of Jahangir
’
s reign,
in 1626 A. D . , at the age of seventy-two. H e was buried at H is death ,
D elhi, in a mausoleum which he had bui lt for his wife.16”
Mirza Abdul Rahim was a profound scholar in Arabic and H is
Persian, andwas well versed in the Turkish andH indi languages.er'
As apoet, he wrote under the name of Rahim. H is liberali tyand love of learning were proverbial. O u the final conquest of
Gujrat, he gave the whole of his property to the soldiers, even
h is inkstand, which he gays to the soldierwho came last .
Among those to whom Akbar was strongly attached and
who owed their rise in life to him, was his foster brother.MirzaAziz Kokah, the Khan-i -Azim.
KH AN Azm M13 2 1 Az1z Roms .
MirzaAziz was foster brother of Akbar, being ao
son ol’
Ji JiTh M
Angah. his wet nurse, the wife of Shamsuddin MohammadAtgah of“3
Khan, who received the title of Atgah (foster-father) fromAm .
Musicisns.
AKBAR AND H I S C OURT .
Akbar. The Mirza grew up wi th Akbar, who was strongly
attached to him. I n 988 (1580 he was promoted to the
rank of Five Thousand and received the title of Azim Khan.
H e was twice deputed to Behar to quell disturbances there, and
in the 2 7th year of the reign moved to Bengal. I n the 3 l st
year he was appointed to the D eccan ; in the 3 2 nd year h is
daughter was married to P rince Murad. I n the 3 4th year
he was appointed Governor of Gujrat, in succession to the
Khan- i-Khantiu. H e reduced Jam and Kach to obedience.
I n the 37th year, be conquered S omnath and six teen other
harbour towns and reduced Jnus. Garb. I n the 3 9th year he
went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Akbar regretted his departure,and he had to embark for India. H e rejoined Akbar in 1003
(1594 became a member of the D ivine Faith , was
appointed Governor of Behar and, the following year, Vak i l of
the empire. H is mother dying in 10018 Akbar him
selfassisted in carrying the cofiin.
I n the 5th year ofJahangir’
s reign, Mirzs'
Aziz was sent to
the D eccan with men, and when, in the eighth year,
S h11h JabAn was sent to the command of the D eccan, Aziz was
appointed adviser to the Prince. Mirza Aziz died at Ahmad
abad, in the 19th year of Jahangir’
s reign (162 3 AD .)
MirzaAziz wrote poems and was well-known for his address,
wit and knowledge of history.
T he most favoured of the Cabinet of Akbar, whose companywas a source of pleasure and recreation to him,
was Mian Tan S en.
M11 11 TAN S E N .
Akbar was a great patron of music. that talisman o f
knowledge, in the eloquent words of Abul Fazl. H e had such
a knowledge of the science as trainedmusicians did not possess,
and he was an ex cellent performer, especially on the Naqqarah.
There were numerous musicians of both sex es at Court fromIndia, Kashmir, Iran, Turan Tabrez and a few came from
T ransox iania. The Court musicians were di vided into four divisions, one for each dayof theweek, their headbeing MienTan Sen,
of Gwalior, a renowned Rajput rhapsodist. H e was in the
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
intellect. In the 2 9th year of Akbar’
s reign, he was appointed
Bakshi of the P rovince of Gujrat, wh ich post he held for a longtime. Akbar entertained the highest opinion of his literaryattainments, zeal and integrity.
H e is the author of the Tabakat-i -Akbari , one of the most
celebrated histories of India, recognized by all contemporaryh istorians as a standard history of Akbat ’e time. H e brings thehistory down to . the 2 7th year of Akbar
’
s reign (1592 A. D .)Both Abdul Kadir Badaoui and Farishta speak highlybf thi s
work . Badaoni was especially attached to him by the ties o f
religion and friendship. H e died of fever at Lahore, on 2 3 rd
Safl'
ar, 1003 andwas buried in his garden in that ci ty.
H e was one of the finest types of Akbar’
s Court. H e was aman
both of the swordand of the pen, and was as much at home in
the saddle as at the writer’
s desk. H e was much liked by
Khan- i -Khanan MirzaAbdul Rah im,who employed him as the
chief of his staff and invariably followed his advice in matters
of war, as well as administration.
MULLAABDUL Q UAD UR BADAONI .
Mullah Abdul Quedar, poetically styled Quadri,was born
at Badaon—a town near D elhi , in 917, or 949 H . (1542 and
was thus two years older than Akbar. H e was the son of Shei kh
Mulfik Shah , a disciple of the Saint Bechu of Sambhal. H e
studied various sciences and ex celled in music, history, and
ma hich' astronomy, and, on account of his beautiful voice, was appointed
attainments Court I mam, or prelate, forWednesdays. Early in life, he was
13 3533? and
introduced to Akbar, and for forty years he was in the company
of Sheikh Mubarak and his sons, Abul Fazl and Fyzi but be
entertained no personal friendship for them, as he looked upon
m, gm“ them as heretics. H e wasstrongly attachedto theMahommedan
3310
352112 religion and absolutely disli ked the innovations introduced bymm” “m" Akbar in the Islamitic faith . H is historicalwork , the Mantahflg'
wfigf khib 111 Tawari kh, is a most valuabne contribution to the histo ryW0“ of Akbar
’
s reign up to the beg inning b f 1004 H . or
eleven years before the death of that monarch, soon after wh ich
Badaoui died. ; The style is eloquent andcannot fail to impress
LC MULLAH ABD UL Qusma Bsmom.
the reader with the vast learning and the great genius of the
author. The sprinkling of Arabic and P ersian poems composed
by the author himself and of the sayings and sentiments of
celebrated authors furnishes evidence of his ex tensive knowledge,and, although, in his zeal to support his own religion, he evinces
no indulgence towards the Opponents of Islam, yet the chief credit
of hiswork is that, contrary to the tendencyof the age, he never I ts ch ief
bestows false praise on the imperial actions or the doings of highmot“
functionaries in royal favor, but records every incident in a spirit
of perfect independence, free from learnings to particular sections
of the community or men of particular opinions and relig ious
beliefs. H is history is valuable, as furnishing amarked contrast
to the hyperbolic style of the Akbarnama and the Aimi
Akbari , andthe fulsome eulogiesot’
the Tabakat- i -Alebert ofMirzaN izamuddin Ahmad and the author of Mousiri Rahimi , and
gi ving a narration of the events ofAkbar’
s reign andan account
of his Court in the spirit of a cri tic, never concealing individual
fai lings, but still not departing from the general truth of history.
According to Bakhtawar Khan, the author of theMi rat ul alum,
his work was kept secret, and not made public till the reign of
Jahangir.
At the command of Akbar, Badaoui translated the Rameyan
from Sanskrit into Persian and parts of the Mahabharata.
I n the end, Badaoni seems to have withdrawn from public life W i thdrawsand ceased attending at Court, as the following passages in his from public
h istory showme.
I did not consider myself a fit person for favour, nor H is
Majestya fit object of service, and I was quite content
ems): j l t-i r
ef ri se 4 19 13 111
C ome that we may, all ceremonywave now,
Neither from you amessage nor fromme a bow.
‘ And at long intervals, I used to prostrate myself in the
ante-chamber of audience and stay there forawhile, as amere
looker-on, according to the proverb
www ascr u W J
C ompanionship will not arise where dispositions are not congenial.
37
AKBAR AND ms C OURT .
‘ I actedon the saying
‘ P erceiv ing that beholding thy countenance from afar was more
pleasant anaim,
I left thycompanionship andaspectator I became.
’
With such an isolated position the Mullah was qui te content,
as he ex plains in the following eloquent Arabic poem
gnu
g1 d” Log
ai -I w aW h -‘J U W W M a-na l o-U
I l n content with what,
God has g ivenme asmy share
And I commit to my C reatormy every care.
To do good in the past has been, indeed, H is Will
H e will do good as well inwhat is to come still.
The passages in Badaom s ex cellent work describing the reli
gious views of the Emperor Akbar, of which we have given ex
tracts. are of special value. The work also contains interesting
biographies of the most famous men and poets ofAkhar’
s time.
Among the poets of the Court, Urfi of S hiraz occupied the
most prominent place.
Umnor 8mm
O rig inal 0
H is name was Khawaja Syadi Mehammed, and his poetical” m of brfi '
name, Urfi, has reference to the occupation of his father, who
was deputy to the Magistrate of Shiraz, and, as such, had to
look after Urfi, or well-lmown matters of law. H e proceeded
by sea to the D eccan, where his talents were not recognised.
H e therefore went to Fattebpur S ikri , where he found a patron
in H akim Abul Fath, the P hysician royal, in whose
eulogy he has composed Kasidaa, or long poems, which form
pat t of his celebrated Q aeaid. O n the death of his patron, he
took employment under Mirza Abdul Rahim Khan- i-Khanan,
andwas introduced to Akbar. H e died in Lahore in 1582 , at
the earlyage of thirty-six years. Thirtyyears later, his bodywas
di sinterred and carried to Ispahan by the poet Sabir and there
AKBAR AND H IS C OURT .
Among the royal physicians the following deserve mention
H akim Ali of 012 0 11 . H ewasanative of Gi lan,in P ersia, and
came to Indiaquite destitute, but he wasafterwards introduced to
Akbarandbecame his trusted servant and friend. I n 988 (1580
A. D .) the H akim was sent as ambassador to king Adi l Shah of
Bijapur. I n the 3othyearofthe reign, he constructedamysterious
reservoir (hauz)which causedmuch wonderat Court. A stair-case
was carried from a corner of the reservoir to the bottom,whence a
passage led to an adjoining room, six yards square and capable
of accommodating ten or twelve persons. The passage was so
contrived that the water was prevented from finding its way into
the room. When Akbar dived to the bottom and reached
the chamber, he found that it was lighted up. I t was
furnished with cushions, carpets, pi llows and other articles, and
there were a few books for studyand amusement. A breakfast
was also furnished.
I n the 4oth year of the reign, Ali was made Commander of
700, and the title of Jali -nus-ul-zaman the Galenus of the age ,
’
was conferred on him. T he H akim became famous in C ourt
especially for his astringent mi x tures.
Akbar was treated, immediatelybefore his death, by H akim
Ali. Jahangir, in 1017 (1608 A. v isi ted Ali’
s reservoir and
made him Commander of two thousand. H e did not, however,
live to enjoy this honour long, but died in the Moham m, the
following year. H e was charitablydisposedand spent Rs.
per annum in supplying medicine gratis to the poor.
2353 Path .
H am Abul Fath. H e was a nati ve of Galen i n P ersia and
attained a high place in Akbar’
s favour. H e possessed much
influence inS tate matters and over the E mperor h imself. T he
great poet,Urfi, of Shiraz,was hisencomiast, andthe Qasaid- i Urfi,
include several poems composed in his honour. Both Abul Fazl
and Badaoni speak in high terms of his attainments, H e died
in 997 on his way to Zabilistan, and his body, accordingto the Emperor
’s orders, was taken by Khwaja S hamsuddin
to H asan Abdal, and buried in a vault which the Khwaja had
built for himself. Akbar, on his return from Kashmir, said
prayers at Abul Fath'
atomb.
TH E MOD ERN C ITY.
C H A P T E R I V .
T H E MO D E RN C ITY.
Agra is the head-
quarters of a D i vision, or Commissionership fig?D ivi
in the N orth-West P rovinces, and includes the six districts of
Agra, Mathra, Farrukhabad, E tah, E tawah andMainpuri . I t
is a D istrict of the D ivision of the same name, with i ts adminis Agra. D istrxct.
trati ve head-
quarters at the ci tyof Agra. The D istri ct 18 bounded
on the north by Mathra and E tah, on the east by Mainpuri and
E tawah , on the south by the S tates of D holpur andGwalior, and
on the west by the S tate of Bhurtpur. A great alluvial plain p hyfiml
between the Ganges and the Jumna forms part of the D oab to“spec“
the north , the soil of which is rich and productive ; but else
where the ferti lity of the land is much impaired by branching Agriculture.
ravines. The Kharif crops consist of Baj ra, Jadr, Moth and
other food grains and cotton, sown after the first rains in June,
and the Rabi cr0p of wheat, barley, oats, peas and other pulses,
sown in October or N ovember, and reaped in March andApril.
Bajra and grain are sown in autumn, whi le indigo, poppy,tobacco and sugarcane are also sown in abundance. T he total
area under cultivation is about eight hundred thousand acres.
I n 183 8, a great famine prevailed in the Agra D istrict, when Natural
paupers were relieved by the Government in the city ofcmmifi e"
Agra alone, while starving people immigrated into the
D istrict to find means of livelihood. Great scarcityagain pre
vailed in the district in 1861 , 1868-69 and 1877-78 , when
gratuitous support was afforded by the Government to women
and invalids, while able-bodiedmen were employed on canal and
other works.
L arge cattle fairs are held at Sultanpur, S hamsabad, Jurra C ommerce.andKandharpur, but the chief commercial fair is held at Batesar,
on the right bank of the Jumna, where about two hundredthousand people assemble to bathe on the banks of the sacredstream. A large trade in horses, camels and cattle takes place
on the occasion, and Batesar becomes the scene of festivi tyandmerriment formanydays.
Agr: ci ty.
Faetories.
Railways.
TH I MOD ERN C ITY.
The modern city of Agra is situatedabout the centre of the
D istrict, on the west bank of the Jumna, on a bend of the river,
whence the stream turns sharply to the east, the fort beingperched in the angle thus formed, at the very edge of the bank .
T he ci ty is bui lt on a ravinyground. Ancient Agra comprised
an area of about eleven square miles, but the inhabited quartersnow contain only about half that area, the remainder beingruins, ravines, piles of debris and patches of bare ground which
form the environs of Agra.
T o the south of the fort are the cantonments ; north-west
of i t and the ci ty, are the civil lines ; while between the ci vi l
station and the river lies the city. T he city contains long bazars
wi th stone-
paved roads in the principal thoroughfares, thriving
markets and a much larger number of commodious and elegant
stone houses than any other town in the N orth-West Provinces.
I t is well built and handsome, and, in size and importance
is the second ci ty in North-West Provinces.
T he city of Agra forms the chief centre of the trade of
the D istrict, and private enterprise already begun in various
directions g ives promise of increasing prosperity. There are
manufactures of pottery and coarse cloth in the D istrict,
besides several indigo factories and cotton screws. Though
no longer the seat of the Local Government, Agra has made
substantial progress in commercial activi ty since the mutiny.
Owing to its central position, it has attracted a large share of
the cotton trade of the surrounding D istricts, for it possesses
seven steam presses and three ginning factories. A sp ining
mi ll is in operation and another is in course of construction. I t
has also a tannerywhere the latest E uropean appliances for the
curing of leather are in successful operation. A large trade is
carried on in stone, quarried in the south-west of the D istrict.
S tone carving received i ts first impulse at Agra, under Akbar,andit has been carried on since then with undiminished energy,
taste and skill. The stone, after being dressed and carved in
Agra, is ex portedby the Jumna.
The city of Agra is the centre of a great rai lwaysystem, to
which various lines converge, and this forms the chief factor of
TH E MODERN C ITY.
P opulati on. The population of Agra citywith in municipal limi ts . accord
ing to the census of 1891 , was re turned at souls, of
whom were H indus, 44,02 1Mohammadans, Christiansand others. The population of cantonments was of
whom were H indus, Mohammadans, C hristians,
696 others. The total population of municipalityand canton
ment was of whom were H indus,
m om Mohammedans, C hristiansand others. The houses are
remarkable for the solidity of their arch itecture and are often
three or four storeys high . I n most cases the upper floots are
decorated with carved balconies ; the lower floors are open and
airy, andare surrounded byarched verandahs of stone.
affix ing The totalMunicipal income for the year 1894-95 amounted to
ex penditure Rs. the greater part ofwhich was deri ved from octroi
tax ation, the gross receipts from which amounted to Rs.
g iving an incidence of Rs. 1-2 - 11 per head of population. T he
ex penditure during the year amounted to Rs. which
includes Rs. l ,46,2 75 ex pended on water-works.
Educatim T he schools managed or aided by the Municipali tyare the
Agra College, supported by endowments from the native com
munity after the Government determined to gi ve i t up ; S t.
John’s C ollege, supportedby the zealof the P rotestant Mission
aries the V ictoria H igh S chool and the Mufid-i -em S chool, all for
higher education. There are also the S t. P eter’
s C ollege and
convent schools, besides nine lower Zenana schools, aZenanamis
sion school, the V idiaD harm Vardhan- i -S cli ool, the Mohammadan
lub and the C hurch Mission. The S t. Peter’s C ollege stands on
the ground surrendered by the Emperor Akbar to the cause of
Christianity, and it confers inestimable benefits on the poorest
classes of that persuation. A medical school is attached to the
Thomason H ospital, where pup ils are taught to a high standard
of efficiency. The Lady D ufi'
erin’
s Institution is attached to the
Thomason H osp ital.
The S ekandra Orphanage S chool, under the supervision of
Jsenit Fathers and N uns, is a very useful insti tution, which , in
addition to general tuition, imparts technical education to
students. Those who wish to prosecute their E nglish studies
C L IMAT E .
to an advanced stage are drafted into S t. John’s College, while
others are qualified in the Industrial branch as smiths andcarpen
ters and become sk ilful handicraftsmen andobtain ready employ
ment in difi'
erent rai lway workshops. T he insti tution also
supplies book-binders, pressmen, composi tors, readers, gardeners
'
and tailors. I n the girls’
branch instruction is given in needle
work and useful domestic arts. T he S ekandra Orphanage was
established by the C hristian Missionaries during the famine of
1 83 8,when they took charge of numerous orphan children who
had been abandonedby their parents.
T he Munici pality also maintains a P oor H ouse, a Leper p hari table
Asylum and two female dispensaries, one in Pipal Mandi and them utati ons”
other in Loha Mandi . T he Leper Asylum is regularly v isited
byBaptist missionaries, who relieve the monotony and tedium
of the ex istence led by the unfortunate inmates by the ex hibi
tion of magic lantern shows, 8m. There is'
also the Lady Lyall
H ospital for women. T he female dispensaries are very popular
andare doing much good and useful work.
T he conservancy of the town is carefully looked after. The C onservan
natural drainage is good andwater does not lie about, ex cept incy'
places where water work stand-
posts are put up . Ao effi cient,
drainage system has resulted in a perfect transformation of the
ci ty. N umerous orig inal works have been constructed for T he drain
surface-drains to carry off the waste sullage waters from theage ”mm
stand-
posts and houses, and severalmohallas of the city have
been drained in this way. The ravines which intersect the
town have been considerably improved. Regular channels
have been cut in the centre, and side-
paths made to allow carts
and vehicles to dri ve where wi th di fficultya foot passenger could
pass before. Brushwood andjungle have been cut, and, where
possible, trees planted.
Owing to its prox imity to the sandy deserts of the west, C limate
Agra is ex posed to greater ex tremes of temperature than the
country further east. T he heat during the summer is intense,
while the cold in winter is equal to that of many E uropean
ci ties. T he climate is not considered unhealthy. The tempera
ture, which falls to 40°
in January, rises to 1 15°
in June. L ife
38
TH E MODE RN C ITY.
in winter is pleasant anddelightful, but in summer the heat 'il
unbearable and artificial means are employed for cooling the
temperature of rooms.
Waterworka North of Belan Ganj are the new waterworks which supply
the city wi th filtered water. The water is pumped from the
River Jumna’ by a pair of gigantic horizontal eng ines, each
working a set of three throw pumps. capable of lifting
gallons per minute. T he horizontal eng ines work , on an
average, 9 hours per day. The water, after passing through
three revolving purifiers, flows into three settling tanks, which
have a capacity of 6} million gallons. T here are three filters,
each with a filtering area of square feet and a clear
water reservoir, divided into two compartments, each compart
ment holding gallons. The filtered water is pumped
into the city by two compound condensing beam engines, so
arranged as to work separately or together. T he eng ines for
the filtered and unfiltered supply are in the same building and
take their steam supply from the same boilers, togetherwi th the
machinery and electric light. T he pumping station is now
in telephonic communication wi th the ofi ce of the municipal
engineer, the municipal hall and the principal police stations.
The following are the principal modern buildings
1. The Agra College, on the D rummond Road. I t is a one
storeyed building on a high plinth. A wide passage in the
middle has, on ei ther side of i t, sets of class rooms. There is a
science laboratoryand a gallery to accommodate large classes and
to serve as a lecture room. Behind the two main wings of the
college are the school buildings. There are also fine boardinghouses attached to the C ollege.
2 . The C entral P rison is a bui lding about ami le and a-half
in circumference. I t is noted for its manufacture of beauti ful
and rich carpets, which not onlydecorate the rooms of the rich
in this country, but are also sent to E urOpe, where theyare much
valued on account of the delicacyand softness of their tex ture ?
After considering the results of the filtration ex periments, it has been
tl decided to e the present Jnmna-u ndwhich had proved so unsatinm yes a filtering mm, and to replace it by sand from the River C hambd .
umber of lrh onot l tn the a Jail tn October; 183 when E i
E x ozllen0 "
Lord E lgin, V ioero andGovAeI'r
nor‘General of India, paid a vui t tof h 74were unc les. H il E x cellent: was shown thedesign of
u tfi th ablue groundwhich had just en beenfinished for the
h umor of Germanyandwasmuch admired.
TH E KOBE RN C ITY.
in refreshment tents prov ided for the occasion. I n this
connection the President, Mr. R W. C ruickshank , in the Muni
eipel Report for 1894-95, pays a deserved compliment to
Bai Bahadur Munshi , Jagan P arshad, V ice-P resident andBai
Bahadur Munshi S heo N arain, the Secretary. With respect
to the former gentleman, he observes
I t is greatly due to his suavity and dignified tact thatthe meetings of the Agra municipal Board are now marked
by an entire absence of class feeling or personal acerbity.
Munshi S heo Narain Bai Bahadur,”
observes the C hairman,
has shown that increasing years do not necessari lymean decrees
ing energy, and to h is masterful direction and initiative the
Municipal Board owe hearty thanks.
The services of Bai Bahadur Balmokand, formerlya D eputyCollector and Treasury O fi cer, also deserve mention for his
having harmonised the Municipal Accounts wi th the system
in vogue in Government Treasuries.
T he following are the members of the Municipal C om
mittee
Munshi Abdullah ; Sheik Mahammud Azim ; Lala C houkayL al ; Babu Mathra D as R. B. Balmokand ; R . B . Jagan P ershad
Moulvi Mahommed Masud H usein Khan ; Rae D amodar D as ;
L ala Kanhia L al ; Kanwar Kanhai S ingh ; Babu S hib N arain ;S eth Fi tem Mul Sheik Moula Buksh ; H afiz Mahammad S iddiqLala H arnarain ; Lala Fakirchand Raja Lachman S ingh W. M.
C larke, E sq. ; Pandi t S ukhdeo Biswas ; Lala U ttam C hand
Munshi Abdul Rasul Khan ; Pandi t Amir S ingh Babu»
Madhoban D as ; L ela Kishen Parshad ; E . John, E sq.
Syud Kazim H usein ; Munshi Ganga P arshad ; H akim Syud
Sakhawat Ali ; Babu S hama Charan Ghose ; Munshi Ganga.
Sahai'
; Moulvi Mohammed Zenul Abidi nKhan Bahadur.
Members.
S ir Antony Patrick McD onnell, K. C . B. I . , LieutenantT he p osi
tion of mo Governor of N .-W. P rovinces and C hief Commissioner of Oudh,
figfixfi a by paid a visi t to Agra inJanuary last. The reply given by H isS ir AntonyMcD onnell, 5 The author also takes th is op rtun i ty of tendering his thanks to Rae
BahadurMunshi Shoo Narain. the a lo and ene etic S ecretaryof the Agra'
Municigal Board, for all the assistance he has t sadi y rendered h im in furni sh
N .-W .P . ing the atest reports and statistics of the Munici al Board. from wh ich th e
materials relating to Municipali tyhave been chi efly wn up .
SP E EC H or em u se“ mDONNE L L . 301
H onour to the addresses presentedto him bythe members of the
Municipal and D istrict Boards is most interesting , as it lays a
true: picture before the readers 0! modern Agra and: its vari
ous. insti tut ion a ds the progress made by its indusb ious and
acti ve inh bitants in the arts of peace. In the course of his
replyte-
the Municipalityhe mid
Although.your city has lost its anc ient splendour, sti ll an
artistic and historic interest attaches to i t, which is the less
likelyto fade, themorewe knowof the brilliant epoch which wit
neesed the city’s foundation. Memories of past greatness in the
paths of government, art and literature abide with you, and
there is temptation at Agra to live more in the past than in
the present. You, however, have been proof against such temptation, and, as practical men, you are stri ving to make the best
of the present time. Your thoughts dwell more on the school,
the hospital and the factory than on the temples andj'
palaces
of a bygone age. You are doubtless right in this ; but still I
trust that the advance ofmaterial improvement will not make
you insensible to the ancient glories of your ci ty, and that you
will always take apride and an interest in the many beautiful
monuments of Indian genius that are to be found in and about
Agra. I notice with much gratification that you arealive to the
responsibilities which your positi on as municipal councillors im
poses on you, and I em verywilling to believe that the improvement in the sanitarycondition of the city to which you call myattention bearswitness to anefi cient municipal administration. Ialso notice with satisfaction the references you make to the
educational insti tutions in the city. I n the management of
these insti tutions you tell me that your aim is to teach the
young to trust to themselves rather than to others for support.”
N o better motto than that could be inscribed over the door of
anyschool and, if the lesson it enforces is laidto heart by the
rising generation, there is hope that the Agra of the future will
not be unworthyof the Agraof the past. There are other pointsin youraddress which will be better noticed when I have an
opportunityof discussing municipalmatters with you on a less
formal occasion than the present. I shall content myself now
with again thanking you foryouraddress.”
302 rm: uonm cm .
Replying to the address from the D istrict Board, H is H onor
said You tellme that in all the great departmentsofE ducationMedical Relief, Sanitati on and P ublic Works
, progress is beingmade under your control. I em very willing to believe that
progress isbeing made. S ti ll, fromyourown statement of results,
it isevident that muchyet remains to be done. I n the matter of
education, for ex ample, you seem to me to have only just begun.
I t cannot be said that 1 29 schools, which is, all told, the number
mentioned inyour address, afi'
ord anything like a satisfactory
provision for the educational wants of the district. The district
contains between and square miles, with a population
of overone million people. The ex isting schools give less than
one school for every 14 square miles, and not quite one school
for every children of a school-going age, omitting the
population of the city. You will have to multiply your schools
four-fold before they can be pronounced even moderately
sufficient.
I N D EX.
Asaf Jah, becomes P rime Minister at D elhi, 56.Asoka, comparedwi th Akbar, 19.
Aurangzeb, marches to Agra, 3 4 ; repairs to Agra as E mpetor, 40 ; commencesh is re1gn, 43 ; dangerous i llness oi, 48 ; death oi, 51 ; princ ipal buildingsof h is time at Agra, 51.
Az iz Mirza, Kokah, Khan-i -Azim, anaccount of, 285and 286.
Bi bsr, conquers Agra, 7 ; his war with Raja Sanga, 8 ; h is death, 12 .Badalgarh , original name of Agra Fort , 74.
Badaoui , dialogues oi, wi th Abul Fazl, 137.Bahram Khan, rebels in the P unjab, 2 80; his death, ml .Baoli , at Fattebpur S ikri , 159.
Begam Sah ib or Jahan Ara Begam, k ind treatment oi, b Aurun b, 41 ,
histo ry of, 43 to 50 ; her attachment to S hah Jahan, 4 succee to th erank ofMumtaz Mahal, 105.
Bernier, Francis, traveller. v isits Agra, 36 and 42 .
Bhagwan Dan, Bade , an account of, 284.
Bhoj , Raja. palace oi, 195.
Bibi Mariam’
s palace. Fattebpur S ikri , 132 .
Bi t P M " Raj !» an account of, 271 to 2 80 ; becomesmember of the D'
FO f Akbar, 275 ; is deputed to military ex p edition, 277 ; is k illed 27
1
8.7a N th
Bir S ingh.murdersAbul Fazl,m3 .Black marble throne of Jahangir, 87.
Black Mosque, 197.
Buland Darwasa, Fattebpur S ikri , 146 .
Buland Khan’
s Garden , 190.
Dut ied T ombs in the Fort of Agra, osand 99.
C anning , Lord, visits Agra» 07.
C antonment of Agra, 294.
C aravan Serai. Fattebpur S ikri, 158.
C aravan Serai of the Taj , 106.
C har Bagh of Agra, 9.
C hini -Ita Rouza, 189.
C hittore. S eg ie oi . 76 and 2 28.
C huraMan Jat, 53 ; death oi, 56.
C istern of Jahangir, 79.
C olv in, John, tomb oi , 79.
D ara Shekoh, P rince, entrustedwi th theGovernment of the country, 33 ; ex ecutedbyAurangzeb, 47
D arbar arrangement 1n the time of Ak bar, 77.
D arshan D arwaza of the Fort, 76 .
D elhi , fall oi, 66.D elhi . gate of the Fort 74.
D ewan-i -am. Fattebpur S ikri , 130.
D ewan-i -am, Fort , descrip tion oi, 77.D ewan-i -Khas, Fattebpur S ik ri , 136.
D ewan-i -Khas. Fort, 81 Tavernier’
s account oi, 81.D harmpura, Fattebpur S ikri , 161.
D iwan Ji ka, Rouza, 192 .
E dinburgh , D uke of, v isi ts Agra, 69.
E lgin, L ord, visits Agra, 67
E lgi'
r
zx
6{J
o
or
gzson of the late Lord E lgin, v isi ts Agra, 70; H is Lordsh ip 3 sp eec h
I
I ND EX.
E llenborough , L ord, gates oi, 91.E uropean influence in I ndia, 19.
Fattebpur S ikri , battle oi . 1527. 8 ; battle oi, 1788. 62 account of its buildings.12 3 to 162 ; becomes the cap ital of India. 12 5 theMint. 130 H all of Account.130 ; Record oth ee, 130. Khas Mahal. 130 ; the Khawbgah , 130 ; Ladies
’
C hapel. 13 1 ; P alace of I stamboli B em. 13 1 ; Sonehri Manzi l. 13 1 ; P alaceof Mar iam Zamani. 13 2 ; D ewan-i has, 136 ; the I badat Khana. 138 ;Ankh Micholi , 140 ; Byragi
’s pav i lion 140 ; Pa Mahal, 141 , P ach isi Board,
142 ; T omb of Sheikh Salem, 142 ; isJa ms, 1 1.
Fatteh Ullah , Amir of Shiraz, an account oi , 291 and 292 .
Fazi l Khan, the Grand C hamberlain. ne tlates between the Emp eror ShahJahan and Aurangzeb , 84 ; defends he C ity of Agra against the Abdah
Ahmad S hah . 58.
Feroz Khan. tomb oi , 196.
Ferrukh Sere, ascends the throne. 52 ; deposed and put to death, 53 .
Fort, Agra. descrip tion of, 74 to 99 ; cost of building oi , 97.
Fyzi ,fS£h7e
l
kh. birth oi ,ms; appointed Sadr of Agra, 257 tomb of, 193 ; an account0
Gates ofMahmnd’s tomb, 94.
Ghazi -ud-din. the Wazir. causes the assassination of Alamgir I I , 58.
GhulamKadir, Rohilla, 62 ; negociatieswi th S hah Alam, 63 ; death oi . 63 .
Ghusal khana or p rincipal D rawing Room, 20 and 27.
Gulafshan, Garden at Agra, 11.
Gumbaz P ahalwan. 195.
H an H osain, tomb oi , 145.
H amidaBane Begam, marries H umayun, 2 04 .
H ammam or Royal Bath , 85.
H athi P ol gate, Fattebpur S ik ri , 157.
H athi P ol gate. Fort Agra, 76.
H awk ins, C ap tain. at Agra, 2 6—7.
H emu, occup ies Agra, 17.
H erbert, T homas, account of Sakandra by, 174.
H essing, John, tomb oi , 203 .
H iran Minara, Futtehpur S ikri , 157.
H umayun, occup ies Agra, 7 ; crowned Emfieror of H i 11dustan. 13 ; flight of toP ers1a. 17 ; recovers Agra, 17 flight oi, 204 ; ,
marrles H amida Bano,death O f; 17.
H umayun, Mosque oi , 190.
H usein Ali , Syad. Amir-ul-Umra, aids Ferokhsere, in his battle against JabahdarShah , 52 ; marches to Agra, 54 ; assassination of, 55.
I badut Khana, Futtehpur S ikri , 138.
I dgéh, 192 .
I ndia, h igh prosperityoi, under Shahjehan, 43 .
I slam Khan, tomb of, 144.
I smail Beg, Mirza, marches to Agra, 61 lays seige to Agra P ort, 62 ; death oi , 63 .I stamboli Begum
’s P alace, 13 1.
I tbar Khan, Khawja, Serae of, 196.
I timad-ud-D aula, an account of the tomb of, 182 to 184.
Jahan AraBegum, the historyof, 43 to 50.
Jabandar Shah, ascends the throne, 52 .
JahAug ir, birth of, 126 ; ascends the throne, 25 ; dai ly life oi , 26 ; N ti t Mahal’sinfluence, on, 2 8
° death oi, 30 ; ri l b'
ld‘ f
of. 79, bui lds Akbar’s tomb at Sekgngapiu1 tugs o kmre1gn, 3 ! cistern
Jahtngir’
s palace, 96.
306 mnsx .
Jaian. battle oi , 52 .
Jami at-Khana, Taj, 113 .
Jams Mujid, Am , 184 to 188.
Jsav ant Bajs, C hatri oi , 192 .
JayMal and P atto , stone statues oi , 2 29.
JayS ingh , Sewal, lts'
jat. appointedGovernor of Agra, 56.
Jats. punishment of the, 56 ; powers oi , in its zenith, 59.
Jawshir S ing , Jat, succeeds Suraj Mal, 60.
Jawan Bahht, Mirza, Governor of Agra, 62 ; death oi , 62 .
Jesui t P riests, in the C ourt of Akbar. 133- 35. 2 13 .
Jharoka. Window, es.
Jhil at Fattebpur S ikri, 159.
Jodh B41.mausoleum oi. 192 .
Jogipura. Fattebpur S ikri, 161.
Ki ll orKalanMamd, 197.Kanaui, H umayun
’
s defeat at, 17.
Kandahari Begam, tomb oi , 195.
Kashmir, Aurangzeb’s trip to, 51.
Khan-i -Dauran Khan’s H aveli . 192 .
Khi n Jahan, L odi. flight oi . fromAgra, 33 .
Kil eMahal. Fort, 82 .
Khi sMahal. Fattebpur S ikri ,Kherpura. Fattebpur S ikri , 161.
Khubi. Sheikh. 165.
Khwabgtih , Fattebpur S ikri , 13 1.
Koh-i -N tir diamond. H istory oi , 7.
Kuchbehtri , battle oi , 52 .
Ladli Begam, tomb oi , 193 .
L ake, L ord. conquers D elhi andAgra, 63 .
L at D iwar. 192 .
Lawrence, S ir (afterwards L ord). holds, D arbarat Agra» 67 ; speech oi. 68
Machi Bhawan. descrip tion oi . 80.
McD onnell. Antony, S ir. at Agra. 309 ; his speeches, 301 and :m.
Mahabat Khan’s garden, l92 .
Mahmud, Gh i-avi , invades Agra, 2 ; gates of h is tomb, 94.Mahmud, prince, son of Aurangzeb, occup ies the Fort oi Agra, 46.
Mahrattas. rise oi , 57 ; take f A 11D elhi Minister, 60
possess1on 0 8m: 58 9 3 110 cd byN 81“ Khan, the
Man S ingh, Raja, 284.
Marble throne, descrip tion oi , 77, 87 to 89.
Masj id in the Fort, called the P earlMosque, 90 to 94.Masiid in the Fort, called the Nag inaMasjld, 94.Masi id of the Taj , 113 .MinaBazar. 95.
Mir Mohammad oi Jaunpur. declares himself Mahdi of the age, 250; his death ,
MirzaShafi, assassination oi . at Agra,'
61 .
Moazzam, P rince, arrival o i , at Agra, 39 .
Mobaralt Sheik h. birth of 246 ; (1 th fdaughters, 269.
ea 0 259 , tomb O fa 193 . his sons and
MohtamidKhan, Masud oi , 197.Moham b Khan
’s hostile proceedings, 27.
I ND EX.
Saturn, tomb oi , 2 02 .
Sanga, Raja, makes war on Babar, 7 and 8.
Sangin Burj , Fattebpur S ikri , 158.
Sepoy“’ar, 1857, 65.
S hah Ahmad, Bukhari . Mausoleum oi , m.
S hah Alam I ascends the throne, 52 .
Shah Alam I I ascends the throne. 58 ; blinded and dethroned, 63 ; restored bythe Bri tish. 6)
Shah Ala-uddin, D urgah o i , 197.
S hah Jahan. E mperor. marriage oi, with Mumtuz Mahul. 101 sacks Agra, 29 ;ascends the throne , 3 1 ; 1llncss o i , 3 3 ; founds new D elht ,
’
33 ; becomes a
p riso ner. 36 and 46 ; death oi, 38 ; his issue from Mumtaz Mahal. 102 ;chief bui ldings of, at Agra. 43 ; tomb oi. 109.
S hakrulnissa Begum, tomb oi, 180.
b
S heo Narain. Munsh i , Rai Bahadur, Secretary, Municipal C ommittee, 300.
Sher S hah , Snr, Afghan. conquers Agra, 14 ; archi tectural remains of, at
Agra, 15.
Shish Mahal. or P alace of Mirrors, 85.
S omnfith. reputed gates oi , 94.
Sonehri Menzi l. Fattehpur S ikri , 13 1.
S tracPcyg, S irJohn. restores the D iwaiu- i -Am in Agra, 79 ; inscrip tion in memory
0 7 4 0
S uleman Shikoh , Mirza. tomb of, 180 and 181.
Sultan Khwaja, 164 and 165.
Suraj Mal Jat, assists Satdar J11113 against the Rohi llas, 57 ; ki lled. 59.
Taj , ormausoleum of Mumtfiz Mahal. 100 to 12 3 .T amerlane’s grand banquet at Samarkand, I .
Tan Sen.Mian, an account of, 2 36 and 287.
Tavernier’
s account of the T aj , 116.
T erry. E dward, his descrip tion of Agra, 30.
T ilyar-kaBatghicha. 192 .
T odarMal, Raja. birth oi . 281 enters the service of Akbas 2 81 h is death.
Undergrounrl C hambers in Agra Fort. 97.
Urfi . P oet of Sh iraz , an account oi. 290and 291.
Wales, P rince oi, v isi ts Ag ra. 69.
Wandelslo , the traveller, v isits Agra, 42 .
W ingfield, S ir C harles, 68.
Zebululssa. daughter of Aurangzeb. 49 and 50 death oi. 51.Zenab Bibi , tomb of 145.
ZohraGarden, 190.
ZAulfikrKhzin, Wazir of Jaha11dar Sh ti h, 52 .