In this year Shaikh-ul-Islám Fatḥ-púrí Chishtí, who in the year nine hundred and seventy-one (971), on his return from Mekkah and Madínah honoured Badáún with his presence, and wrote from that place a letter in Arabic to the Author of this history (as will be related in its proper places, if God, He is exalted! will), laid the foundation of the building of a new monastry, the like of which cannot be shown in the whole of the inhabited world. The follow­ing is a mnemosynon for the date:—

“Shaikh-ul-Islám, the leader of mankind,
(May God exalt his sublime power!)
When he came from Madínah to Hind,
That renowned Depository of Spiritual-direction,
From his auspicious advent Hind
Found anew a happy fortune.
Take a certain letter and subtract it
From Shaikh-ul-Islám,* to find the date.”

And another like unto it:—

“Shaikh-ul-Islám, the perfect saint,
That breath of Messias, that footstep of Elias,
A flash from whose forehead was a glimpse of Eternity,
A beam from whose face was the light of Eternity,
When from Madínah he turned to Hind,
That breath of Messias, that footstep of Elias,
Reckon a letter and reckon not a letter
From Khair-ul-maqdam,* to find the date”.

This monastry, having taken 7 years to complete, vaunted itself above the seven heavens.*

And about this time the Maḥall-i-Bengálí in Ágrah, and another lofty palace, were completed; and Qásim Arsalán made this mnemo-synon :—

“When, for his pleasure, the king of fair countenance
Ordered the building of the two palaces of auspicious mark,
The date of the one came out from 'ishrat,*
Khánah-e Pádasháh* was the date of the other.”

During the first part of the month Rajab* of the year nine hundred and seventy-two (972)* the Emperor went towards (P. 74) Narwar and Kaṛah with a view to elephant-hunting; and having appointed certain people of that district to secure the elephants, he went himself to Gwályár. For some days, through the heat of the weather, he suffered from a fever; but, when he recovered, he re­turned to his metropolis.

In this year the project of building the fortress of Ágrah was conceived; and its citadel, which had before been of bricks, he had built of hewn-stone. And he ordered a tax of the value of three sérs of corn on every jaríb of land in the district, and appointed collectors and officers* from the Ámírs who held jágírs to collect it. In the course of five years it was completed. [The dimen­sions of the fortress are as follows:] breadth of wall, 10 guz, height 40 guz; with a deep trench both sides of which were built up with stone and lime, its width 20 guz, its depth to the surface of the water 10 guz, and it was filled with water from the river Jamna. And the like of that fortress can scarcely be shown in any other district. And the date of the gate* thereof was found by Shaikh Faizí to be Biná-í dar-i Bihisht,* “The building of the gate of Paradise.” And cost of the building of the fortress was about three krors. After it was completed it became the depository and store house of all the gold of Hindústán, and this mnemosynon was found for the date: Shud biná-i qil'ah bahr zar,* “The fortress was built for the sake of gold.” And in truth it is not known to any how to convert that dead gold into live-stock, except to him who applies the verse: “And the Earth hath cast forth her burdens”,* so that it should say impromptu “God, who giveth a voice to all things, giveth us a voice”:* —

“Gold in the hand of a worldly man,
O brother, is still in the ore.
Gold, my son, is meant to be enjoyed;
For hording, gold is no better than stone”.

In this year the rebellion of the Khán Zamán, and Ibráhím Khán and Iskandar Khán Uzbek took place. And this is how it arose. After the rebellion of 'Abd-ulláh Khán Uzbek,* suspicion of the whole Uzbek tribe found access to the Emperor's mind, and he sent Ashraf (P. 75) Khán the Mír-Munshí from Narwar to seek Iskandar Khán on propitiatory terms. This man held a jágír in Oudh,* and by means of seductive artifices he managed to carry off to his jágír, which was Sarharpúr,* Ashraf Khán, on the pretence of accompanying Ibráhím Khán Uzbek, who was senior to the others. Thence they went to Jounpúr to the Khán Zamán* with the intention of asking his advice. These came to the determina­tion to rebel, which they proceeded to do unanimously, and most unjustifiably detained Ashraf Khán. Sikandar Khán and Ibráhím Khán raising the head of rebellion in Lak'hnou, and Khán Zamán, and Bahárdur Khán at Kaṛah and Mánikpúr. The Amírs of those districts, such as Sháham Khán Jaláir, Sháh Budágh Khán and others were defeated in battle before the Khán Zamán. In that battle Muḥammed Amín Divání was made prisoner, and the Amírs then shut themselves up in the fortress of Ním Kahár, and Majnún Khán Qáqshál in Mánikpúr. Then Áçaf Khán leaving a body of men to hold the district of Gaṛha Katangah, went himself with considerable treasure, and a fresh army, to the relief of Majnún Khán. He unlocked his treasury and satisfied the greed of his army, and also supplied Majnún Khán plentifully from the public treasury (which was the means of his being able to recruit his army), and then encamped opposite to the Khán Zamán. Thence they sent reports to the Court. And Sání Khán wrote this verse in his dispatch:—

“O royal cavalier, army-decking in the day of battle,
The victory hath escaped us, place thy foot in the stirrup.”

When, on his return from his journey to Málwah, the Emperor received this news, he sent off Mun'im Khán the Khán-Khánán, to cross the Ganges at the ford of Kanouj, and himself in the month Shavvál* of the year nine hundred and seventy-two (972) set his royal foot in the stirrup. And to Qiyá Khán Gung (who had been one of the rebels), at the intercession of the Khán-Khánán, (P. 76) the Emperor, on his arrival, granted an audience, and graciously condoned his offences. Thence by forced marches his Imperial Highness came to Lak'hnou. Sikandar Khán did not give battle, but joining the Khán Zamán and Bahádur Khán, these all ceased to confront Áçaf Khán and Majnún Khán, and, retreating towards Jounpúr with all their people and families, crossed the river Narhan, and went down country. Then Yúsúf Muḥammad Khán, son of Atkah Khán, was appointed to go against them. The Emperor also pursued in person, and encamped outside Jounpúr. At that halting-place Áçaf Khán with 5000 veteran horse, in com­pany with Majnún Khán, came and paid his respects, and brought his gifts, and was graciously received. On Friday the 12th of the month Zí Ḥijjah of the aforesaid year the Emperor alighted at the fort of Jounpúr. And Áçaf Khán being made generalissimo of the army crossed the ford of Narhan and went down country to oppose the Khán Zamán. In those days the Emperor appointed Ḥájjí Muḥammad Khán Sístání to go on an embassy to Sulaimán Kara-rání, * Governor of Bengál (who had a strong friendship for the Khán Zamán), in order to prevent his giving any aid or assistance to the Khán Zamán. When he arrived at the fortress of Rhotas, some Afgháns seized him, and sent him to the Khán Zamán, with whom they had a kind of union. And the Khán Zamán, on account of the time-honoured friendship which had existed between Ḥájjí Muḥammad Khán and himself, treating him with punctilious honour and respect, settled to send his own mother with him to the Court, to intercede for himself, and entreat forgiveness for his faults.

In these days, the Emperor sent Ḥasan Khán Khazánchí,* and Mahá-pátra* Bád-farósh* (who had been of the favoured courtiers of Shír Sháh, and Islím Sháh, and was without a rival in the science of music and Hindú poetry) on an embassy to the Rájá of Orissa (who was distinguished above the other Rájás for his army and military pomp), to dissuade him from reaching the hand of aid and assistance to the Khán Zamán, and to prevent his giving him refuge in his dominions, and that, by preventing Sulaimán also from helping him he might utterly frustrate the (P. 77) plans of the Khán Zamán. The Rája agreed willingly enough to act on the part of the Emperor, and declared his loyalty by sending elephants and valuable gifts and presents. Then the two ambassadors returned to the Court at Ágrah.

About the same time Muzaffar Khán, and others of the courtiers, through the violence of their nature and their avarice, assailed the ear of Áçaf Khán with open and covert suggestions, hoping to get from him presents, valuables and further advantages, [but afterwards] they followed the beaten track of detraction, and suggested to some people to find out the truth about the booty of Chourá-gaḍh,* and broached the matter to Áçaf Khán himself. When Áçaf Khán was conducting hostilities against the Khán Zamán and was encamp­ed at the fort of Narhan, he had been much wounded and annoyed by these matters, so that one midnight, seizing the opportunity, he together with his brother Vazír Khán, and such troops as he had, fled towards the district of Gaṛha Katangah,* and arrived at Gaṛha. On the receipt of news of this circumstance the Emperor appointed Mun'im Khán, Khán-Khánán, in his place as generalissimo of that army, and appointed Shujá'at Khán to go in pursuit of Áçaf Khán. Shujá'at Khán embarked from Mánikpúr, and endeavoured to cross the Ganges, but Áçaf Khán (who had retreated for some distance), as soon as he heard this returned, and came to the river-bank to hinder his passage. There he fought a severe battle, and prevented the flotilla of Shujá'at Khán from crossing, so that the latter, when night came on, was obliged to retnrn to the side from which he started. Then Áçaf Khán on the other bank of the river, with his whole army went off to his own jágír. At this juncture Shujá'at Khán, finding the field open, proceeded by another road to Kaṛah, and went some distance in pursuit of an enemy, the skirt of whose gar­ments he could not reach even in thought; and, when he found that there was a great distance between them, he returned to Joun-púr and came of the Court.

Also in these days Ḥasan Khán came as ambassador, bringing fitting presents, on behalf of his brother Fatḥ Khán* Afghán Tibatí, governor of the fortress of Rohtás, where in the year (P. 78) 972 he had been beseiged by Sulaimán Kararání, but, on hearing news of the approach of the Emperor, Sulaimán had raised the seige. His prayer was that he might be confirmed in his government, while he should deliver up the fortress.* On this account Qulíj Khán was appointed to accompany him from Jounpúr. Then Fatḥ Khán, having repented of sending his brother, and having provi­sioned the fortress well, wrote a letter to his brother as follows: “Convey thyself to us as quickly as possible, for our mind is at rest with regard to the stores.” So Ḥasan Khán, cloaking his treachery under the garb of hypocrisy, managed to detain Qulíj Khán for some time, and outwardly made show of submission. But eventually Qulíj Khán became aware of his duplicity, and had to depart with­out attaining his object:—