Bahadur Shah of Guzerat distributes Malwa among several chiefs. — Malwa subdued by Hoomayoon. — Hoomayoon is expelled from India, and Kadur Khan, an officer of the Khiljy government, occupies the country. — He provokes an attack from Sheer Shah Soor, who places his minister and relative, Shooja Khan, in charge of the government. — Shooja Khan dies, leaving three sons, Dowlut, Moostufa, and Baye-zeed. — The two former are murdered by the latter, who assumes the title of Baz Bahadur. — Akbur, Emperor of Dehly, attacks him. — Baz Bahadur defeated, and the govern­ment of Malwa is given to Peer Mahomed Khan. — Baz Bahadur attacks Peer Mahomed Khan, who is slain, and the former recovers his country. — Malwa reconquered by Akbur, and Baz Bahadur expelled. — He eventually enters the ser­vice of Akbur, as an officer of two thousand horse.

ON the death of Sooltan Mahmood, and the sub­sequent occupation of Malwa by Bahadur Shah, that monarch gave over to Silhuddy Poorby, who had been the first person to join his standard, the districts of Oojein, Sarungpoor, and Raiseen; but we find in the Guzerat history, that some time afterwards he gave offence to Bahadur Shah, and being attacked in the field, he fled to Raiseen, where he put himself to death, and his son Bhowput made his escape from Malwa. Ba­hadur Shah then appointed Alum Khan of Kalpy governor of Raiseen. Budr Khan of Malwa was created governor of Oojein, and Yekhtiar Khan governor of Mando; after which the King returned to Champanere. At a subsequent period, when Hoomayoon Padshah of Dehly seized Guzerat, he previously occupied Mando, and ordered public prayers to be read in his name, leaving his own officers in the government of Malwa; but shortly after his return to Agra, Mulloo Khan, one of the officers of the late Khiljy government, retook all the country lying between the Nurbudda and the town of Bhilsa after a struggle of twelve months against the Dehly officers; whom having eventually subdued, he caused himself to be crowned in Mando, under the title of Kadur Shah of Malwa. At this period, also, Bhowput and Poorunmul, sons of the late Silhuddy, marching from Chittoor, ob­tained possession of the fort of Raiseen, but ac­knowledged allegiance to Kadur Shah, and paid him tribute. Shortly after his accession, Kadur Shah received a firman, * with a seal on the face of it, from Sheer Shah Poorby Afghan, King of Bengal, stating that Hoomayoon Padshah was on the march to attack him, and that he desired the King of Malwa would make a movement towards Agra, which would distract the operations of the King of Dehly, and give the former an opportunity of acting with effect on that monarch's territory. On the receipt of this firman or order, Kadur Shah was so incensed that he insisted on his secretary writing a firman in return with the seal upon the face of it. When Sheer Shah received the answer, he tore off the seal, and putting it on the point of his sword said, “If it please God that I should “ever meet with Kadur Shah, I will then put him “in mind of his impertinence in putting his seal on “the face of a letter to my address;” and in con­sequence, when that monarch ascended the throne

A. H. 849.
A. D. 1445.

of Dehly, he marched in the year 849 to conquer the kingdom of Malwa. On his arrival near Sarungpoor, Kadur Shah, whose military resources were incapable of resisting those of Sheer Shah, determined to throw himself on his mercy. Accordingly, without the know­ledge of any of Sheer Shah's officers, he suddenly made his appearance in durbar; and after having a secret conference with that monarch, received from him the greatest honours, was allowed to sleep in his private tent, and was presented with the dress which Sheer Shah wore at their meeting. On the next day Sheer Shah marched to Oojein, where he required his minister and relative, Shooja Khan, to pay obedience to Kadur Shah as King of Malwa. But this kindness was not to last: for on the fol­lowing day he told Kadur Shah that he conferred on him the district of Luknow as a residence, of which he made him governor, and said that he ex­pected him to remove with his family in a few days. Kadur Shah, astonished at this resolution, which he considered equivalent to perpetual banishment, fled with his family to Guzerat. Sheer Shah then made over the country around Oojein and Sarungpoor to Shooja Khan, and created him governor of Malwa, himself marching to Runtunbhore. Kadur Shah having made his escape, it became politic to se­cure the persons of the other Malwa nobles, to prevent their forming a junction with him at some future period. Shooja Khan first seized the per­son of Moyin Khan of Seevas, who was at that time in camp. This measure induced his son Nuseer Khan to revenge his father's cause; but Shooja Khan being joined by the Raja of Gualiar defeated Nuseer Khan in an action near Sarung-poor, whence he fled into the Gondwana hills. Sub­sequently to this event, information was received from Hajy Khan, the governor of D'har, that Kadur Shah, with a large force, had arrived in his vicinity from Banswala, and that he expected an action to take place in a day or two. Shooja Khan no sooner heard the news than instantly proceeding in his palanquin to D'har, he arrived there in the evening, in time to make dispositions for a night-attack on Kadur Shah, which com­pletely succeeded. Shooja Khan's activity en­abled him in a few months to possess himself of the whole of Malwa without fighting another action. Having ruled Malwa for many years, an Afghan named Oothman Khan came one day into the Dee-vankhana, or Hall of Audience, of Shooja Khan, in a state of intoxication, and began to spit about on the carpets. The servants rebutted, and said they would be spoiled, but he took no notice, till at last they desired him to go out; on which he was so imprudent as to strike one of them in the face, and beat him severely. Shooja Khan, hear­ing of this circumstance, ordered Oothman Khan's hands to be cut off. Oothman survived the oper­ation, and carried his complaint to Sulim Shah * of Dehly at Gualiar, who told him that he might, if he chose, take revenge on Shooja Khan, who would soon be at that city. When Shooja Khan heard this, he merely observed “Sulim Shah is a “fool for his pains.” Some days after, when going to the durbar, he saw Oothman Khan sitting in the corner of a shop wrapt up in an old mantle. Shooja Khan ordered his palanquin to stop, and was going to ask if he wanted any thing, and in­tended to relieve his distress; but Oothman Khan, who only waited such an opportunity, jumped up, and with the blade of a sword, which was fastened round his arm, made a blow at Shooja Khan, whose servants immediately attacked the ruffian, and put him to death. Sulim Shah was much vexed to hear that this affray had ended in the death of Ooth-man; not only because he had sanctioned the at­tack on his part, but his indignation had been roused against Shooja Khan for having called him a fool. Sulim Shah drew upon him the curses of the whole of Shooja Khan's family and servants, when they learned that their master had received a dangerous wound in the side from the hand of the ruffian Oothman Khan, who had been instigated to the act by the King himself. The irritation pro­duced on account of this affair induced Shooja Khan to quit Gualiar without taking leave, and to march towards Sarungpoor; on which Sulim Shah ordered a detachment in pursuit; and in a few days after he marched himself to seize Shooja Khan's person and family, although that nobleman was one of thirty-six persons who were personally engaged in placing his father, Sheer Shah, on the throne. On the arrival of Sulim Shah near Sa-rungpoor, Shooja Khan declared that he never would suffer any one over whom he had power to draw his sword against the son of his old master, and he therefore fled to Banswara, leaving Sulim Shah at liberty to place Eesy Khan in the government of Malwa; after which he returned to Gualiar. But some time after, when Sulim marched towards La­hore , * he reinstated Shooja Khan in the government of Malwa. On this occasion the latter divided the country into the following districts: Oojein and its dependencies were placed in charge of his son, Dow-lut Khan. Raiseen and Bhilsa were made over to Moostufa Khan, his youngest son. Hundia, Seevas, and its dependencies, to Mullik Bayezeed, his elder son, himself retaining the government of Sarung-poor. Some time elapsed before the government of Dehly was completely subjected by Hoomayoon Padshah, on his return from Persia; and during that period Shooja Khan, as well as the other chiefs of the empire, were on the point of declaring themselves independent, and of coining money, when cruel fate snatched the cup of prosperity from his lips, and death presented him with the

A. H. 962.
A. D. 1554.

potion of mortality. He died in the year 962; and his eldest son, assuming the title of Baz Bahadur, took the reins of government into his hands.

The administration of Shooja Khan in Malwa, from first to last, was twelve years. Among the public works which do credit to his memory is the town of Shoojalpoor, near the city of Oojein, independent of which are many other memorials of his reign in different parts of the kingdom of Malwa.