On Thursday, the 24th, I went to see the Bāgh-i-Fatḥ,*
and
spent two days there in enjoyment and pleasure. At the end
of the day on Saturday I returned to the palace. As Āṣaf K.
had represented that his ḥawīlī (house) garden was exceedingly
green and pleasant, and all sorts of flowers and scented plants
had bloomed there, at his request I went to it on Mubārak-
On Thursday, the 7th, with great joy and congratulation, the advance camp was started towards Agra. The astrologers and astronomers had already fixed the auspicious hour for the march. As excessive rain fell, the main camp could not cross the river of Maḥmūdābād (the Vātrak) and the Mahī at this hour. Out of necessity, the advanced camp was started at the appointed hour, and the 21st Shahrīwar* was fixed for the march of the main camp.
My son Shāh-Jahān took upon himself the responsibility of
the conquest of the fort of Kāngra, over which the noose of
victory had not been thrown by any of the Sultans of lofty
dignity, and an army under the leadership of Rāja Sūraj Mal,
s. Rāja Bāso, and Taqī, who was one of his attached servants,
had before this been sent for that purpose. It was now clear
that the conquest could not be achieved by the force that had
been previously appointed. Rāja Bikramājīt,*
who was one
of his principal officers, with 2,000 horse who were present of
his private attendants, and a force of Jahāngīrī servants,
such as Shāh-bāz K. Lodī, Hardī Narāyan Hāḍa, Rāy Prithī
Chand, and the sons of Rām Chand, with 200 mounted musketeers
and 500 foot-musketeers (topchī, perhaps cannoniers),
in addition to the force that had previously been sent, were
appointed to the duty. As the hour for departure was fixed
on this day, the aforesaid (Bikramājīt) presented as an offering
a rosary of emeralds of the value of Rs. 10,000. He was
honoured with the gift of a dress of honour and a sword, and
took his leave for this duty. As he had not a jagir in that
Subah, my son Shāh-Jahān asked for him as a jagir the pargana
of Barhāna (?),*
the revenue of which was 2,200,000 of
dams, which*
he himself (? Shāh - Jahān) held in in‘ām.*
Khwāja Taqī, the Dīwān-i-Buyūtāt, who had been appointed
to the Dīwānī of the Deccan, was honoured with the title of
Mu‘taqid*
K., a dress of honour, and an elephant. I appointed
Himmat K. to the faujdarship of the Sarkar of Bharūch
(Broach) and that neighbourhood, with the gift of a horse
and a special parm narm (shawl), and despatched him. The
pargana of Bharūch (Broach) was also bestowed on him
as jagir. Rāy Prithī Chand, who had been nominated for
service at Kāngra, was promoted to the rank of 700 and 450
horse. As the anniversary of Shaikh Muḥammad Ghau*
had
arrived, I gave his sons 1,000 darbs (Rs. 500) for its expense.
Muaffar, s. Bahāduru-l-mulk, who was attached to the Dec-
As the events of twelve years of Jahāngīr-nāma have been recorded, I ordered* the clerks of my private library to make one volume of these twelve years, and to prepare a number of copies so that I might give them to my special servants, and that they might be sent to the various cities, so that administrators (arbāb-i-daulat) and the auspicious might adopt them as their code. On Friday, the 8th,* one of the news-writers had written the whole and made a volume, which he produced to me. As it was the first copy that had been prepared, I gave it to my son Shāh-Jahān, whom I consider to be in all respects the first of my sons. On the back of it I wrote with my own hand that I had given it him on a certain day and at a certain place. I hope that the favour of the receipt of those writings which are intended for the satisfaction of the creature and for supplication to the Creator may be a cause of good fortune.
On Tuesday, the 12th, Subḥān Qulī, huntsman, was brought to punishment. The details of this are that he is the son of Ḥājī Jamāl Balūch, who was my father's best huntsman, and after his (the King's death) he entered the service of Islām K., and went with him to Bengal. Islām Khān, on account of his (Subḥān Qulī's) connection with this Court, showed him proper consideration, and considering him trustworthy always kept him near him when travelling or hunting. ‘Umān, the Afghan, who for many years passed his days in that Subah in disobedience and stubbornness, and the end of whose affairs has been recorded in the preceding pages, being much troubled by Islām Khān, sent someone to this wretch, and made proposals for his murdering Islām. He undertook the business, and associated two or three other men with himself. By chance, before the futile idea of this ungrateful fellow was carried into execution, one of them came and informed him (Islām K.). Islām K. immediately seized and imprisoned the scoundrel. After the latter's death he came to Court. As his brothers and relatives were included among the huntsmen, he was also ordered to be enrolled among them. At this time the son (Ikrām K.) of Islām K. represented in an enigmatical way that he was unworthy of service near my person. After explanation it appeared what the charge was. Notwithstanding this, as his brothers strenuously represented that there was only suspicion, and Balūch K., the head huntsman, became security for him, I forbore to put him to death, and ordered him to do duty with Balūch K. In spite of this grace and the gift of his life, without cause or motive he fled from the Court, and went to Agra and that neighbourhood. Balūch K., having become his security, was ordered to produce him. He sent people to inquire for him. In one of the villages of Agra, which was not wanting in sedition, and is called Jahanda,* the brother of Balūch Khān, who had gone to make inquiries, found him, and although he endeavoured to bring him by persuasion to Court, he would in no way consent, and the people rose to assist him.
Being without remedy, he (the brother) went to Khwāja Jahān at Agra, and told him the circumstances. He sent a detachment against that village to take him by force and bring him. The people of the village, seeing their own ruin in the mirror of the case, handed him over to him. This day he came to Court in chains. I gave an order for his execution. The man of wrath (the executioner) took him to the place of punishment with all haste. After a while, through the intercession of one of the courtiers, I gave him his life, and ordered his feet to be cut off, but according to his destiny (what was written on his head) before the order arrived he had been punished. Although that doomed man was deserving of punishment, yet I regretted* the circumstance, and directed that whenever an order was given for anyone's execution, notwithstanding that the command were imperative, they should wait till sunset before putting him to death. If up to that time no order for release arrived, he should without fail be capitally punished.
On Sunday there was a great commotion in the River Mahī, and very large waves were visible. Although there formerly had been (great) rains, yet such violence, or even the half of it, had never been known. From the beginning of the day the flood began to come, and at the end of the day began to decrease. Old inhabitants of this city represented that once, during the government of Murtaẓā K. (Farīd Bukhārī), a similar great flood had occurred. But with that exception they did not remember another such flood.
In these days mention was made of an ode by Mu‘izzī,* the panegyrist of Sulṭān Sanjar, and his Poet-laureate. It is a very smooth and equable* composition. It begins thus:
“O thou whose commands heaven obeys
Ancient Saturn is the slave of thy young Fortune.”
Sa‘īdā,* the chief goldsmith, has a poetical temperament and he imitated this ode, and presented his paraphrase to me. It was very well composed. The following are some verses from it:
“O thou, of whose threshold the nine spheres are an examplar
Aged Time hath grown young in thy reign
Thy heart is bounteous as the Sun, and like it needs no cause (for bounty).
All lives are devoted to thy gracious heart
Heaven is but a green* orange from the garden of Power
Tossed by thy gardener into the atmosphere,
O God, Thy essence has shone from eternity
The souls of all the saints receive light from Thine,
O king, may the world ever be at thy beck,
May thy Shāh-Jahān ever rejoice in thy shade
O Shadow of God, may the world be filled with thy light
May the Light of God ever be thy canopy.”
On Mubārak-shamba, the 14th, in reward for this ode, I ordered Sa‘īdā to be weighed against money (zar, perhaps gold). At the end of the day I went to walk about the garden of Rustam-bārī,* which appeared to me very green and pleasant. Sitting in a boat in the evening, I returned to the palace.