When Khán-khánán, with his mind at ease about Dáúd, returned
to Tánda, the capital of the country, under the influence
of his evil destiny, he took a dislike to Tánda, and crossing the
Ganges, he founded a home for himself at the fortress of Gaur,
which in old times had been the capital of Bengal,*
and he ordered
that all the soldiers and raiyats should remove from Tánda to
Gaur. In the height of the rains the people were involved in
the trouble of expatriation. The air of Gaur is extremely unhealthy,
and in former times, the many diseases which distressed
its inhabitants induced the rulers to abandon the place, and raise
the town of Tánda. Sickness of many kinds now broke out
among the people, and every day numbers of men departed from
Gaur to the grave,*
and bade farewell to relatives and friends.
By degrees the pestilence reached to such a pitch that men were
unable to bury the dead, and cast the corpses into the river.*
Every day the deaths of many amírs and officers were reported
to Khán-khánán, but he took no warning, and made no resolution
to change his residence. He was so great a man that no
one had the courage to remove the cotton of heedlessness from
his ears, and bring him to a sense of the actual position. His
own health became affected, and he grew worse, and at the end
of ten days, in the month of Safar, 983, he departed this life.
His nobles and officers, who had so often met to congratulate him,
now assembled to lament him. They placed Sháham Khán
Jaláír in command,*
and made a report of the facts to the Emperor.
Khán-khánán had no son, so all his property escheated
to the royal exchequer, and an account of it was made out.
When the despatch reached His Majesty, he appointed Khán-
The beginning of this year corresponded with Sunday, 9th Zí-l hijja, 983 H. (11th March, 1576 A.D.)
* * The Emperor had determined that Khán-jahán should march with the army of the Panjáb to recover the country of Badakhshán, but fate ruled otherwise. Khán-khánán, the ruler of Bengal, was removed by death, and the Emperor deeming the retention and administration of that country more important than the conquest of Badakhshán, sent Khán-jahán thither. When Mirzá Sulaimán saw this change of fortune, he sought leave of the Emperor, through the officers of state, to go on the pilgrimage. The Emperor complied with his request, and furnished him with 50,000 rupees in cash, besides other things required for the journey. He sent with him, to attend upon him in his journey to the coast, Muhammad Kalíj Khán, one of the chief nobles, who had been appointed governor of Surat. When the Mirzá went on board ship, twenty thousand rupees more were given to him out of the revenues of Gujarát. The Mirzá performed the pilgrimage in the same year, and afterwards returned and recovered his kingdom of Badakhshán.
On the 7th Zí-l ka'da, 984, the Emperor set off on a visit to Ajmír. He hunted as he went, and on the 4th Zí-l hijja he encamped at ten kos from Ajmír. He afterwards, as usual, walked five kos on foot to the tomb of the saint, and after going through all the observances of the pilgrimage, he gave away two thousand rupees in charity.
The beginning of this year corresponded with the 20th Zí-l hijja, 984 H. (11th March, 1577 A.D.).
While the Emperor was encamped at Ajmír, the intelligence was brought to him that Dáúd Afghán had flung away the treaty which he had made with Khán-khánán, had risen against the royal authority, and had marched against Tánda. The Imperial officers in that quarter, having no chief among them on whom they could rely, had abandoned the country, and retired to Hájípúr and Patna. All this commotion had arisen because Khán-jahán had taken his time in going there in consequence of his army being at Lahore. Upon receiving this intelligence, the Emperor sent a letter by Subhán Kulí Turk to Khán-jahán, directing him to take with him all the amírs and jágírdárs who had abandoned Bengal, and to march against Dáúd. In twenty-two days Subhán Kulí travelled nearly a thousand kos,* (!) and delivered the farman to Khán-jahán. The Khán took the field, and advanced into Bengal. He had an action with three thousand men whom Dáúd had left in charge of Garhí, and took the place. Nearly fifteen hundred of the enemy were slain, and many chiefs were made prisoners.
Whilst the Emperor was staying at Ajmír, he sent Kunwar Mán Singh, a brave and able man, with five thousand horse, against Ráná Kíká.* He also sent Kází Khán Badakhshí, * * * and other ambitious young men with him. Ásaf Khán was appointed Mír-bakhshí of this army. His Majesty presented Kunwar Mán Singh and all the amírs and sardárs of the army with robes and horses. After fitting out this army, he started to return home on the 20th Muharram, and reached Fathpúr on the 1st Safar, 985 H.
After his arrival at Fathpúr, messengers arrived with the intelligence
that Khán-jahán, after the capture of Garhí, had
advanced to the vicinity of Tánda. There he found that Dáúd
had evacuated Tánda, and had taken up a position in the village
of Ák.*
On one flank was the river, on the other a mountain,
and he had thrown up entrenchments to secure his position.
Khán-jahán marched against him, and sharp fighting followed.
One day Khwája 'Abdu-lla, one of the Imperial officers, advanced
from his battery to the edge of the Afghán entrenchment.
The enemy sallied forth and attacked him, and he fell, fighting
bravely. On hearing of his fall, the Emperor's anger was
roused, and he sent an order to Muzaffar Khán, the governor
of Patna and Bihár, to assemble all the troops in his province,
and to march to the assistance of Khán-jahán. In a few days,
a letter arrived from Khán-jahán, with the news that there had
been a battle with the enemy, in which the royal troops had
fought bravely, and had won a victory, in which they killed
the commander of the enemy's army, who was called Khán-
Ráná Kíká was chief among the Rájás of Hindústán. After
the conquest of Chitor, he built a town called Kokanda,*
with
fine houses and gardens, in the mountains of Hinduwára. There
he passed his days in rebellion. When Kunwar Mán Sing*
drew near to Kokanda, Ráná Kíká called all the Rájás of Hindu-