He was born at Láhor. The Maásirul Umará does not record his services before the 18th year of Akbar's reign; but T. M. appears to have entered Akbar's service at a very early period. In 971, he was employed under Muzaffar (Bad. II, 65), and in 972, he served under Akbar against Khán Zamán (vide No. 61). He held the first important post in the 18th year, when after the conquest of Gujrát he was left there to assess that province. In the 19th year, after the conquest of Patna, he got an 'alam and a naqqárah (p. 55), and was ordered to accompany Mun'im Khán to Bengal. He was the soul of the expedition. In the battle with Dáúd Khán i Kararání, when Khán 'A´lam (vide No. 58) had been killed, and Mun'im Khán's horse had run away, the Rájah held his ground bravely, and ‘not only was there no defeat, but an actual victory.’ “What harm,” said Todar Mall, “if Khán 'A´lam is dead; what fear, if the Khán Khánán has run away, the empire is ours!” After settling several financial matters in Bengal and Oṛísá, Todar Mall went to Court, and was employed in revenue matters. When Khán Jahán (No. 24) went to Bengal, Todar Mall was ordered to accompany him. He distinguished himself, as before, in the defeat and capture of Dáúd. In the 21st year, he took the spoils of Bengal to Court, among them 3 to 400 elephants. In the following year, he was again sent to Gujrát, vice Vazír Khán (No. 41), who had given no satisfaction. Whilst arranging at Ahmadábád matters with Vazír Khán, Muzaffar Husain, at the instigation of Mihr 'Alí Kolábí, rebelled. Vazír Khán proposed to retreat to the Fort, but Todar Mall was ready to fight, and defeated Muzaffar in the 22nd year, near Dholqah, which lies 12 kos from Ahmadábád. Vazír Khán would have been lost in this battle, if Todar Mall had not come to his assistance. Muzaffar, after his defeat, fled to Júnágaṛh.

In the same year Todar Mall was appointed Vazír. When Akbar left Ajmír for the Panjáb, the house idols of the Rájah were lost, as mentioned on p. 32, note.

When the news of Muzaffar's death (No. 37) and the occupation of the whole of Bengal and Bihár by the rebels reached Akbar, he sent Todar Mall, Çádiq Khán, Tarson Khán, &c., from Fathpúr Síkrí to Bihár. Muhibb 'Alí (No. 107), Governor of Rahtás, and Muhammad Ma'çúm Khán i Farankhúdí (No. 157) were appointed Kumakís, or auxiliaries. The latter joined the Rájah with 3000 well equipped horse, evidently bent on rebellion. Todar Mall managed to keep him quiet; but he reported the matter to Court. The Bengal rebels, under Ma'çúm i Kábulí, the Qáqsháls, and Mírzá Sharafuddín Husain, with 30,000 horse, 500 elephants, and many ships and artillery, had collected near Mungír, and Todar Mall, from fear of treachery among his auxiliaries, shut himself up in the Fort of Mungír, instead of risking a general engagement. During the siege, two of his officers, Humáyún Farmilí and Tarkhán Díwánah, joined the rebels. Though suffering from want of provisions, Todar Mall held himself bravely, especially as he received timely remittances from Court. After the siege had lasted for some time, Bábá Khán Qáqshál died, and Jabárí, son of Majnún Khán Qáqshál desired to leave. The rebel army dispersed; Ma'çúm i Kábulí went to South Bihár, and 'Arab Bahádur wished to surprise Patna, and take possession of the Imperial treasury, which Paháṛ Khán (perhaps No. 407) had safely lodged in the Fort of that town. After sending Ma'çúm i Farankhúdí to Patna, to assist Paháṛ Khán, Todar Mall and Çádíq Khán followed Ma'çúm i Kábulí to Bihár. Ma'çúm made a fruitless attempt to defeat Çádíq Khán in a sudden night attack, but was obliged to retreat, finding a ready asylum with 'I´sá Khán, Zamíndár of Oṛísá. Todar Mall was thus enabled to report to Akbar that South Bihár, as far as Gaṛhí, was re-annexed to the Dihlí empire.

In the 27th year (990), Todar Mall was made Díván, or rather Vakíl. During this year he introduced his financial reforms which have made him so famous. The third book of the A´ín contains his new rent-roll, or Açl i Jam' i Ṭúmár, which superseded Muzaffar's assessment (p. 349). His regulations regarding the coinage have been alluded to above, and others may be found in the Akbarnámah.

The most important reform introduced by Todar Mall is the change in the language and the character used for the revenue accounts. Formerly they had been kept in Hindí by Hindú Muharrirs. Todar Mall ordered that all government accounts should henceforth be written in Persian. He thus forced his co-religionists to learn the court language of their rulers,—a circumstance which may well be compared to the introduction of the English language in the courts of India. The study of Persian therefore became necessary for its pecuniary advantages.

Todar Mall's order, and Akbar's generous policy of allowing Hindús to compete for the highest honors—we saw on p. 341 that Mán Singh was the first Commander of Seven Thousand,—explain two facts, first, that before the end of the 18th century the Hindús had almost become the Persian teachers of the Muhammadans; secondly, that a new dialect could arise in upper India, the Urdú, which without the Hindús as receiv­ing medium, never could have been called into existence. Whether we attach more influence to Todar Mall's order or to Akbar's policy, which once initiated, his successors, willing or not, had to follow, one fact should be borne in mind that before the times of Akbar, the Hindús, as a rule, did not study Persian, and stood therefore politically below their Muhammadan rulers.

In the 29th year, Akbar honored him by paying him a visit. In the 32nd year, a Khetrí, from private hatred, wounded T. M. on a march at night time. The man was at once cut down.

When Bír Baṛ (No. 85) had been killed in the war with the Yúsufzaís, T. M. was ordered to accompany Mán Singh, who had been appointed commander-in-chief. In the 34th year, when Akbar went to Kashmír, T. M. was left in charge of Láhor. Soon after, he applied for leave to go to the banks of the Ganges, as he was old and wished to die. Akbar let him go; but he recalled him from Hardwár, and told him that looking after his duties was more virtuous than sitting on the banks of the Ganges. T. M. unwillingly returned, but died soon after, on the 11th day of the year 998 (vide No. 27, p. 333).

Though often accused of headstrongness and bigotry by contemporaneous historians, Todar Mall's fame, as general and financier, has outlived the deeds of most of Akbar's grandees: together with Abulfazl and Mán Singh, he is best known to the people of India at the present day.

His son Dhárú (No. 190) was a Commander of Seven Hundred, and was killed during the Sindh expedition, while serving under Khán Khánán (p. 335). People say that he used to shoe his horses with golden shoes.

The name Todar Mall is often spelt in MSS. with the Hindí Ṭ, ḍ, and ṛ, which explains the spelling ‘Torel Mall,’ which we find in old Histories. Under Sháhjahán also there lived a distinguished courtier of the name ‘Todar Mall.’

The Tafríhul 'Imárat* says, Todar Mall's father died when T. M. was quite young, and that the widow was in great distress. T. M., at an early age, shewed much clearness and common sense, and received an appointment as writer, from which humble position he rose to the greatest honors.

40. Muhammad Qa´sim Kha´n, of Níshápúr.

The Maásir calls him Qásim Muhammad Khán, and has put his name under the letter Q; but Abulfazl, Badáoní, and the Ṭabaqát give his name in the above order.