The chastisement of the stiff-necked ones who cocked the cap of pride, and whose heads held the brain of turbulence, as well as the cherishing of the obedient who bow themselves beneath the burden of submission and move swiftly under it, are for great princes the most exquisite form of religious worship. Thanks be to God! H.M. the Shāhinshāh has always kept this praiseworthy object in view. Accordingly he has by daily-increasing fortunes from time to time cleansed the heart-expanding territories of India from the weeds and rubbish of strife-mongers. When the lofty fortress of Citūr had been conquered, and the rebellious ones trodden by the elephants of the troops of fortune, he turned his attention to the fort of Rantanbhōr which was Citūr's equal. As officers who were organisers of victory had repeatedly been appointed to take it, and something had always occurred to prevent this—and indeed it would appear that the arbiters of destiny had reserved this great feat for the expedition in person of the Shāhinshāh—he by Divine inspiration decided to accomplish the undertaking at this auspicious time. Accordingly, on the day of Āẕar 9 Dai, Divine month, corresponding to Monday the 1st Rajab, 21st December 1568, the expedition for the conquest of this great fortress took place. In order to strengthen his heart by the influences of holy recluses he marched by way of Delhi, and in the sacred places there sought for amplitude of light. Especially did he visit the perfumed shrine of that sitter on the spiritual and temporal throne, H.M. Jahānbānī Jinnat Āshiānī, and did he confer princely largesse on the attendants thereupon. Similarly he bestowed liberal alms on all the custodians of other shrines, and weighted the skirts of the hopes of the empty-handed ones of the city by generous gifts. In the neighbourhood of the town of Pālam, which is near the city, he had a qamargha hunt and engaged in the pursuit of joy. In that pleasant locality he had various delights, and engaged in spiritual and physical hunting. From thence he went, hunting by the way, through Mewāt, and after spreading the shadow of his justice over the city of Alwar he moved further forward.
One of the instructive occurrences was that in the neighbourhood of the town of Lālsot* the elephant Mansukha* (mind's delight), which was one of the special elephants, became mast and rushed at the elephant of Shaikh Muḥammad Bokhārī. With his two tusks he so lifted up that elephant as to amaze the spectators. That famous elephant received an injury to its chest, and died after two days. Its female companion for three days after this occurrence did not touch water, or rice or fodder. The more they tried to induce her to eat, the less inclination did she show to do so. At last she died on the third day, from grief at the separation from her companion. When such marks of affection appear in beasts, what deeds are there which may not be displayed among human beings? But no one must reason from this to persons who are human in shape, but not in reality, for such persons are lower than fossils. In brief, by seeing this catastrophe spiritualists had the lamp of their understandings illuminated, while the simple ones of the school of loyalty received a tablet of instruction in devotion. After traversing various stages H.M. the Shāhinshāh reached Rantanbhōr on the day of Anīrān 3 Bahman, Divine month, corresponding to Tuesday 21 Shābān, 10 February 1569. This fort is in the middle of the hill-country. Hence they say that all other forts are naked, while this is mail-clad. The real name of this fort is Rantahpūr,* and Ran is the name of a high hill which overtops it. On this account the fort has got this name. The fort is very lofty and strong, so that the lasso of the imagination cannot reach its battlements, nor the catapult of the fancy be effectual against its high walls.
They saw a hill with its head on Arcturus,
Not made of hands, or by water and clay
On it was a fort which since Time
The bird of thought had not passed by
The Pleiades were its first pillar
No such fort was to be seen in the world.
At that time Surjan Hārā was ruler of the fort. He had strengthened it in various ways, and had provisioned it, and having prepared for war, he had in his folly grounded his presumptuous hopes on this piece of stone. On the day after his arrival H.M. the Shāhinshāh had come out of the defile where his camp was pitched and examined the hill in company with a few of his special courtiers. He went up to the top of the hill and studied with far-seeing eyes the height of the fort. He brought the figure of its conquest into the mirror of his imagination and tightened the straps of resolution for its capture.
Thus spoke the illustrious Khāqān
O famed one, the memorial of the world,
By the favour of God the Creator
I shall cast this fort to the ground.
In accordance with the world-conquering commands the able Bakhshī-s arranged the batteries round the hill on the summit of which the fort was situated. The ocean-like army surrounded it with its billows, and took the form of a devastating flood. Egress and ingress were so blocked for the garrison that the wind could not enter. They were active in firing cannon, and the thunderbolt of wrath burnt up the life-harvest of the ill-fated enemy.
One of the occurrences during the siege was the arrival of Mahdī Qāsim Khān from the journey to the Ḥijāz. He from a confused brain had gone off on this journey from Garha, which was his government, without leave from H.M. Having been struck with shame he had come to Qandahar by way of 'Irāq, and from there he came to Ranthanbōr and did homage. He presented 'Irāqī horses and other things, and as the nature of H.M. the Shāhinshāh is such that he feels ashamed* for transgressors, he showed kindness and humanity and gave him a robe of honour, etc. He also gave him the Sarkār of Lucknow and its territory as his fief, and afterwards conferred upon him the dignity of an Amīr.