[The second new year of my auspicious reign began on the 22nd Zí-l ka'da, 1015 A.H. (10th March, 1603 A.D.).]
On the 7th of Zí-l hijja, at a prosperous hour, I left the fort
of Lahore, and crossing the Ráví, alighted at the garden of Díl-
On Monday I marched from the garden to the village called Harípúr, three and a half kos from the city. On Tuesday, my flags waved in Jahángírpúr, which was a hunting-ground of mine. Near this village a minaret was raised by my orders over an antelope of mine, called “Ráj,” which was not only the best fighter in my possession, but was the best decoy for wild ones. Mullá Muhammad Husain of Kashmír, who in caligraphy excelled all persons of his profession, had engraved the following words on a piece of stone: “In this delightful spot an antelope was caught by the Emperor Núru-d dín Muhammad Jahángír, which in the space of a month became entirely tame, and was considered the best of all the royal antelopes.” Out of regard to this animal I ordered that no one should hunt antelopes in this forest, and that their flesh should be considered as unlawful as that of a cow to the infidel Hindús, and as that of a hog to the Musulmáns. The stone of its tomb was carved into the shape of a deer. I ordered Sikandar Maí, the jágírdár of the pargana, to erect a fort in Jahángírpúr.
On Thursday, the 14th, we encamped in the pargana of Chand-
On Thursday, the 21st Zí-l hijja, I crossed the river over a bridge of boats, and pitched my tents in the pargana of Gujarát. When the Emperor Akbar was proceeding to Kashmír, he built a fort on the other side of the river, and made the Gújars, who had been hitherto devoted to plunder, dwell there. The place was consequently named Gujarát, and formed into a separate pargana. The Gújars live chiefly upon milk and curds, and seldom cultivate land.
On Friday we arrived at Khawáspúr, five kos from Gujarát, which was peopled by Khawás Khán, a servant of Sher Khán Pathán. Beyond it, after two marches, we reached the banks of the Behat, and pitched our tents there. In the night a very strong wind blew, dark clouds obscured the sky, and it rained so heavily that even the oldest persons had never seen such rain within their memory. The rain ended with showers of hailstones, which were as large as hens' eggs. The torrent of water and the wind combined broke the bridge. I with my ladies crossed the river in a boat, and as there were but very few boats for the other men to embark on, I ordered that they should wait till the bridge was repaired, which was accomplished in a week, when the whole camp crossed the river without any trouble.
The source of the river Behat is a fountain in Kashmír, called Vírnág. The name signifies in the Hindí language a snake, and it appears that at one time a very large snake haunted the spot. I visited this source twice during the lifetime of my father. It is about twenty kos from the city of Kashmír. The spring rises in a basin, of an octangular form, about twenty yards in length, by twenty in breadth. The vestiges of the abodes of devotees, numerous chambers made of stone, and caves, are in the neighbourhood. Its water is so clear that although its depth is said to be beyond estimation, yet if a poppy-seed be thrown in, it will be visible till it reaches the bottom. There are very fine fish in it. As I was told that the fountain was unfathomably deep, I ordered a stone to be tied to the end of a rope and thrown into it, and thus it was found that its depth did not exceed the height of a man and a half. After my accession, I ordered its sides to be paved with stones, a garden to be made round it, and the stream which flowed from it to be similarly decorated on both sides. Such elegant chambers and edifices were raised on each side of the basin, that there is scarcely anything to equal it throughout the inhabited world.* The river expands much when it reaches near the village of Pampúr, which is ten kos from the city.
All the saffron of Kashmír is the product of this village. Perhaps there is no other place in the world where saffron is so abundantly produced: the quantity annually yielded there being 500 maunds of Hindústán, or 4000 maunds of Kábul (wiláyat). I visited this place once with my father in the season in which the plant blossoms. In all other trees we see they first get the branches, then the leaves, and after all the flower. But it is otherwise with this plant. It blossoms when it is only about two inches high from the ground. Its flower is of a bluish colour, having four leaves and four threads of orange colour, like those of safflower, in length equal to one joint of the finger. The fields of saffron are sometimes a kos, sometimes half a kos in length, and they look very beautiful at a distance. In the season when it is collected, it has such a strong smell that people get headache from it. Although I had taken a glass of wine, yet I was also affected by it. I asked the Kashmirians, who were employed in collecting it, whether it took any effect upon them, and was surprised by the reply, which was, “they did not know even what the headache was.”
The stream that flows from the fountain of Vírnág is called
Behat in Kashmír, and becomes a large river, when it is
joined by many other smaller ones on both sides. It runs
through the city. In some places its breadth does not exceed
the reach of an arrow shot from a bow. Nobody drinks its
water, because it is very dirty and unwholesome. All people
drink from a tank called Dal, which is near the city. The river
Behat, after falling into this tank, takes its course through
Bárah-Múlah, Pakalí, and Damtaur, and then enters the Panjáb.
There are many rivulets and fountains in Kashmír, but Darah-
This village is one of the most famous places in Kashmír; and in it, in a piece of verdant land, there are nearly a hundred handsome plane trees, the branches of which interlace and afford a deep and extensive shade. The surface of the land is so covered with green that it requires no carpet to be spread on it. The village was founded by Sultán Zainu-l 'A'bidín, who ruled firmly over Kashmír for fifty-two years. He is called there Barosháh, or the Great King. He is said to have performed many miracles. The remains of his many buildings are still to be seen there; and among these there is a building called Barín* Lanká, which he built with great difficulty in the middle of the lake called Ulur (Wulur), about three or four kos in circumference. This lake is exceedingly deep. To form the foundation of the building, boat-loads of stone were thrown into the lake; but as this proved of no use, some thousands of boats laden with stones were sunk, and so with great labour a foundation of a hundred yards square was raised above the water, and smoothed. On one side of it were erected a palace and a place for the worship of God, than which no finer buildings can anywhere be found. Generally he used to come to this place in a boat, and devoted his time there to the worship of Almighty God. It is said that he passed many periods of forty days in this place.
One day one of his sons came into the sacred place, with a drawn sword in his hand, with the intention of killing him. But as soon as his eye fell upon him, the natural affection of the son and the royal dignity of the parent struck him with dismay, and diverted him from his purpose. After a short time the King came out, and having embarked in the same boat with his son, returned towards the city. Midway he told his son that he had left behind him his rosary, and asked him to return in a skiff and bring it to him. When the Prince went back to the building, he was amazed to find the King also there. He was exceedingly sorry for what he had done, and immediately fell at his feet, soliciting forgiveness for his conduct.
The King is said to have performed many such miracles, and that he could assume any form he liked. Reflecting on the habits and manners of his sons, and knowing that they were very impatient and anxious to ascend the throne, he told them that with him it was easy to resign the crown and to die, but that they could do nothing after him, for their government would not last long, and but few days would elapse before they would see the reward of their conduct. Having said this, he left off eating and drinking, and passed forty days in the same manner. He did not even doze during this interval of time, but like a great saint he directed his whole attention to the worship of the Omnipotent God. On the fortieth day he delivered his soul to the angel of death, and met with the mercy of his Maker.