On Sunday, the 23rd, I went with a band of courtiers who had not seen it to look at the reservoir in the house of Ḥakīm ʿAlī like one that had been made at Lahore in the time of my father. The reservoir is 6 gaz by 6 gaz. At its side has been erected a well-lighted room, the entrance to which is through the water, but the water does not get into it. Ten or twelve people could meet in it. He made an offering of some of the cash and jewels that had accumulated[24] in his time. After looking at the room, and the entering of a number of courtiers therein, I raised him to the rank of 2,000, and returned to the palace. On Sunday, the 14th S͟haʿbān, the K͟hānk͟hānān was honoured with a jewelled sword for the waist, a robe of honour, and a special elephant, and was given leave to go to his duty in the Deccan. Rāja Sūraj Singh, who was attached to him in that service, was raised to the rank of 3,000 personal and 2,000 horse. As it was again represented to me that oppression was being committed by the brethren and attendants of Murtazā K͟hān on the ryots and people of Ahmadabad in Gujarat, and that he was unable properly to restrain his relations and people about him, I transferred the Subah from him and gave it to Aʿz̤am K͟hān, and it was settled that the latter should attend at court, and that his eldest son Jahāngīr Qulī K͟hān should go to Gujarat as his deputy. The rank of Jahāngīr Qulī K͟hān was fixed at 3,000 personal and 2,500 horse. An order was given that in company with Mohan Dās dīwān and Masʿūd Beg Hamaẕānī bak͟hs͟hī he should carry on the business of the province. Mohan Dās was promoted to the rank of 800 with 500 horse, and Masʿūd Beg to 300 with 150 horse. Tarbiyat K͟hān, one of the personal servants, was given the rank of 700 with 400 horse, and Naṣru-llah the same. Mihtar K͟hān, whose circumstances have been related, died at this time, and I promoted his son Mūnis K͟hān to the rank of 500 personal and 130 horse. On Wednesday, the 4th Ẕī-l-ḥijja, K͟husrau had a son born to him by the daughter of the K͟hān Aʿz̤am, and I gave him the name of Buland-ak͟htar. On the 6th of the same month Muqarrab K͟hān sent a picture (with a report) that the belief of the Franks was this, that the picture was that of Tīmūr. At the time when Yildirīm Bāyazīd was taken prisoner by his victorious army, a Nazarene, who at that time was ruler[25] of Constantinople, had sent an ambassador with gifts and presents in token of submission and service, and an artist who had been sent with the ambassador took his likeness and brought it away. If this story were true, no better gift could be presented to me. But as the picture had no resemblance to any of his descendants I was not satisfied of the truth of the statement.
[1] Blochmann, p. 332. Sikandra, Akbar’s tomb, lies half-way between Rankattah and Agra. Tiefenthaler, i, 206, gives the name as Runcta, and says it is a famous place, as Rām there took the figure of Paras Rām. Jarrett, ii, 180, has Rangtah, and it is there described as a village on the Jumna, near the city, and a much frequented place of worship. The Agra volume of the N.W.P. Gazetteer, p. 764, spells it Runkutta, and says it is 9 miles north-west of Agra. See also Maʾās̤ir, ii, 407, art. Ṣaʿid K͟hān, where mention is made of Rankatta and Hilālābād, and Blochmann, p. 332. [↑]
[2] If Thursday was the 2nd, Saturday would be the 4th. He went first to Agra from Rangta, apparently. [↑]
[3] T̤ūyg͟hun or t̤ūyg͟hun is given in Zenker as Turkī for the white falcon. See Elliot, vi, 317. [↑]
[4] Bīg͟hū, which is given in Zenker, is Turkī. The text has līfū. The I.O. MSS. have bīgū. [↑]
[5] Should be būdana, ‘quail.’ [↑]
[6] Apparently this is a translation from the Hindi. [↑]
[7] Text wrongly has 1014. [↑]
[8] Jahāngīr calls Islām farzand because he was the son of his foster-brother. Jahāngīr Qulī means ‘slave of Jahāngīr.’ [↑]