[Mirát-i-Sikandarí.]

CHAPTER VII.

SULTÁN DÁÚD, A RELATIVE OF SULTÁN KUTB-ud-dín.

ON the third day after the death of Kutb-ud-dín, he was succeeded by one of his relations,* Sultán Dáúd Sháh, who ascended the throne by the choice of the wazirs and amírs. He ascended the throne on the 23rd day of Rajab, and was dethroned at the close of the month. He had hardly obtained authority when he held out to a carpet-spreader, who had been his neighbour before he attained to the throne, the hope of obtaining the title of 'Imád-ul-Mulk, notwithstanding that the noble 'Imád-ul-Mulk was his permanent wazir. About the same time he promised to elevate another low fellow to the title of Burhán-ul-Mulk, although Burhán-ul-Mulk was the amír-ulumrá of Sultán Kutb-ud-dín, and was alive and well. These two base fellows allowed their expectations to become known, and the ministers and great nobles said, "If he does such things before his authority is established, what will he do afterwards?" He got together all the plate and the rich stuffs manufactured (for the king) in the reign of Sultán Ahmad, and he instituted an inquiry into most trifling accounts,† from the beginning of the reign of Sultán Muzaffar, and caused the

* The two best MSS., A and Hydr., have this reading; the lithograph and the other three MSS. have Dáúd, the son of Sultán Ahmad.

†The expression literally is, "into the accounts of dried figs and oranges"! Muzaffar Shah began his reign (as Sultán) more than fifty years before this time!

balances to be paid into his own treasury. The first order which he gave was for reducing the grain of the pigeons and the oil of the lamps.

When the nobles saw this, they said, “A character like this is unfit for the kingdom of Gujarát," and they determined upon raising to the throne Fateh Khán, half-brother of Sultán Kutb-ud-dín, who bore the marks of dignity and majesty on his brow. They deputed 'Alá-ul-Mulk bin Suhráb to communicate with Her Majesty Bíbí Moghalí, mother of Fateh Khán. The Bíbí at first refused,* but 'Alá-ul-Mulk urged that there was no one else worthy of the throne of Gujarát, and that she ought to accede to the proposal. In the end 'Alául-Mulk placed Fateh Khán on horseback and conducted him in royal state towards the Bhadar. (The people of Gujarát call the royal palace "Bhadar.") The ministers and nobles came forth to meet him, and, having saluted him as king, they gave him the title of Sultán Mahmud Shah and offered their congratulations. When they reached the Bhadar, the noise of the drums and trumpets reached the ears of Sultán Dáúd, and he inquired what had happened. They told him that the nobles had made Fateh Khán king, and were bringing him to take his seat on the royal throne. Sultán Dáúd got out of a window facing the river Sábar, and went into hiding. He reigned only seven days. It is related that he entered as an inquirer into the monastery of Shekh Adhan Rúmí, and became his attendant; in a short time he obtained advancement (in spiritual rank). He soon afterwards died.

*According to the "Tab. Akbarí," because she did not consider him equal to the duties of the position.

Mirát-i-Sikandarí.]

CHAPTER VIII.

REIGN OF SULTÁN MAHMUD BÍGARHA.

SULTA'N DI'N-PANA'H MAHMU'D ascended the throne on a Sunday, the first Sha'bán, H. 863 (18th of June, A.D. 1459). He added glory and lustre to the kingdom of Gujarát, and was the best of all the Gujarát kings, including all who preceded, and all who succeeded him; and whether for abounding justice and generosity, for success in religious war, and for the diffusion of the laws of Islám and of Musulmáns; for soundness of judgment, alike in boyhood, in manhood, and in old age; for power, for valour, and victory-he was a pattern of excellence.

It is said that in the Hindúí language, as spoken by the Hindús of Gujarát, they call a bullock Bigarh, because its horns stretch out right and left like the arms of a person about to embrace. The moustachios of the Sultán were straight and long like these horns, hence he obtained the cognomen Bígarha. Some that in Hindúí bí means "two," and garh say a fort." The Sultán took the forts of Júnáhgarh and Chámpánír, and from the conquest of these two forts he was called Bígarha.*

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This word is written in the Persian Bígarh or Bigarha. The second etymology above given suits this spelling exactly, as it would make the word come from the Gujarátí (or Hindí) words fa vi (the Sanskrit f dvi), "two," and gaḍh (pronounced gaṛh), “ a fort," in which latter word, as in the the vowel a is short. The other etymology, which the author seems to prefer, and which is adopted by Aurangzíb, the "Tab. Akbarí," and by

name,

Notwithstanding his high dignity and royalty, he had an enormous appetite. The full daily allowance of food for the Sultán was one man Gujarát weight. In eating this he put aside five sírs of boiled rice,* and before going to sleep he used to make it up into a pasty and place one half of it on the right-hand side of his couch and the other half on the left, so that on whichever side he awoke he might find something to eat, and might then go to sleep again. He used thus to eat several times every night. In the morning, after saying his prayers, he took a cup full of honey and a cup of butter, with a hundred or a hundred and fifty golden plantains (or banánas). He often used to say, "If God had not raised Mahmúd to the throne of Gujarat who would have satisfied · his hunger?"

He was thirteen years, two months, and three days old when he began to reign. After the manner of his ancestors,

the early European traveller Varthenck, would seem to derive it from bi, as above, and the Gujarátí (or Hindí) ☎ gáḍha (pronounced gáṛha), of which Professor Bühler writes as follows:-" is a Sanskrit word, the past perfect participle of the verb 'to submerge,' 'to penetrate.' It is used as an adjective, and means 'strong,' 'close,' 'excessive,' e.g. as in the common phrase, 'a close embrace' fa¶ (gáḍham álinganam or gáṛham álinganam). It occurs in these and some other meanings in all the modern Prákrits, in Gujarátí as well as in Maráthí and Hindí. But I do not find in the dictionaries the meaning 'intimate friend.' However, I think it would be correct to say gáḍha mitra, a firm or intimate friend.'" Thus it would seem the word Bigárha might be used in the sense of " a double embrace," or, perhaps, of "two intimates," i.e. intimate friends. Sir B. Frere has heard it used as meaning "an intimate friend" (though but rarely) in Gujarat, and in Kinloch Forbes's "Rás Mála," a man's name is given as Veguroo (i.e. Bigarú), which is rendered as "the long-horned bull" ("Rás Málá," vol. i. p. 359, 1st ed.). This carries the application of the term a step further in the direction indicated by the author. The shortening or clipping of a long vowel in the course of descent is not a very fatal objection to the derivation of a word in any of the "modern Prákrits," from a Sanskrit original; and it is to be remembered that in this case the word has been transliterated into Persian, and the long vowel, even if it existed, might easily (especially if not strongly accentuated), have been dropped in the process. On the whole, therefore, while the second etymology is best suited to the modern orthography, the first is not in itself improbable, and is supported by a strong preponderance of evidence.

One man, Gujarat weight, equivalent to fifteen Bahlólí sírs (“Mirát-iAhmadí"). A similar legend exists as to the celebrated Abu-l-Fazl, only his allowance is said to have been twenty-two sirs! See Blochmann (on the authority of the Másir-ul-Umrá), “ A'ín-i-Akbarí," Introduction, p. xxviii.

he bestowed gifts and honours upon his soldiers, and he gave titles to several persons.

When some months had passed, some misguided nobles, whose names were Kabír-ud-dín Sultání, entitled Burhán-ulMulk, Maulana Khizr, entitled Safí-ul-Mulk, Hámid bin Isma'íl, entitled 'Azd-ul-Mulk, and Khwajah Muhamad, entitled Hisám-ul-Mulk, entered into a conspiracy against 'Imád-ulMulk, whose name was Malik Sha'bán, and aimed at depriving him of power. One morning they went to the door of the Sultán's private apartments before 'Imád-ul-Mulk got there, and said that 'Imád-ul-Mulk was meditating treason, and was intent upon raising his own son, Shaháb-ud-dín, to the throne, after which he would do whatever he pleased. "We," said they, "are the cherished dependants of your throne, and how can we connive at such proceedings? It behoves your Majesty to probe the matter to the bottom." The Sultán asked what it meant, and they told him his (own) death or close confinement. The Sultán kept silence. When 'Imád-ul-Mulk came to the Sultán's apartment these nobles seized him,* placed a collar on his neck, and fetters on his feet, and, giving him in charge of five hundred of their own trusted followers, they directed them to keep him under guard on the roof of the darbár called Bhadar.+ Having thus succeeded to their hearts' content, they went home and gave themselves up to enjoyment.

According to Firishtah the Sultán dissembled when he ordered the arrest of his minister; but the language of the other accounts seems hardly to warrant this assertion. If there be any truth in the accounts which have thus come down to us, Mahmúd behaved with a degree of courage and resolution very marvellous for a boy of his age, although no doubt most Indian boys of that age would be considered precocious in intellect if they were European boys. Still, it is incredible that he should have attained such maturity of judgment and dissimulation as at once to have decided on his course of action, and to have deceived a number of men of the world regarding it. He was probably uncertain what to do at first, and allowed (or ordered) the arrest, but, when he had been more fully informed, took his part decidedly and bravely.

+ According to the "Tab. Akbarí," Imád-ul-Mulk was confined " on the roof of the Ahmadábád gate of the Bhadar," which makes the story clearer.