Next morning, about noon-day prayers, I mounted,
for the purpose of seeing such places about Gwāliār as I had
not previously visited, and went to the palace called Bādalger,*
on the outside of Mānsing’s fort; after seeing which
we entered by the Hātipūl gate, and went to visit a place
Valley of
Adwa.
named Adwa.*
This Adwa is a valley that lies west of the
fort. Though it lies on the outside of the wall which is
carried round the top of the hill, yet the mouth of the
valley is closed up by two lofty ramparts, the one within
the other. The height of these works is nearly thirty or
forty gaz. The inner rampart is the longest and highest,
and is connected at both its extremities with the walls of the
fort. From the middle of this wall, but lower than it,
another rampart has been begun, but is not a perfect
defence. It was made as a covered way to a water-run.*
In the middle of it they have made a waīn,*
for the supply
of water; a staircase of ten or fifteen steps conducts down
to the water. The road passes, from the greater rampart,
along the one that has the waīn within it. Above its gate
is the name of Sultan Shamseddīn Altamsh, sculptured in
A.D.1232-3.
the stone.**
Its date is the year 630. Below the outer
rampart, on the outside of the fort, is a large tank. It
frequently dries up, and is not a perfect tank. The water
is led off from it by conduits.*
In the middle of this Adwa
are two other large tanks, which the people of the fort extol
above all other waters. On three sides, the hill is a perpendicular
rock.*
The colour of the stone is like that of
Biāna, though not so red, being of a paler colour. They
have hewn the solid rock of this Adwa,*
and sculptured
out of it idols of larger and smaller size.*
On the south part
of it is a large idol, which may be about twenty gaz*
in
height. These figures are perfectly naked, without even
a rag to cover the parts of generation. Around the two
large tanks which are within the Adwa, they have dug
twenty or twenty-five wells,*
from which water is drawn
for the purposes of irrigation, and they have planted
numbers of trees and flowers, that are supplied from hence.
Adwa is far from being a mean place; on the contrary,
it is extemely pleasant. Its greatest fault consists in the
idolfigures all about it. I directed these idols to be destroyed.
On returning back from Adwa into the fort, I went to the
Sultan-pūl, the gate of which had been shut up from the
time of the pagans; and, about evening prayers, arrived in
a garden which Rahīmdād had laid out, where I alighted
and spent the night.
Next day, being Tuesday the 14th, messengers arrived from Bikermajīt, the second son of Rāna Sanka, who, with his mother Padmāwati, was in Rantambhor. Before setting out to visit Gwāliār, a person* had come from a Hindu named Asūk, who was high in Bikermajīt’s confidence, with offers of submission and allegiance, expressing a hope that he would be allowed seventy laks* as an annuity. The bargain was concluded, and it was settled that, on delivering up the fort of Rantambhor, he should have pergannas assigned him equal to what he had asked. After making this arrangement, I sent back his messengers. When I went to survey Gwāliār, I made an appointment to meet his men in Gwāliār. They were several days later than the appointed time. Asūk, the Hindu, had himself been with Padmāwati,* Bikermajīt’s mother, and had explained to the mother and son everything that had passed. They approved of Asūk’s proceedings, and agreed to make the proper submissions, and to rank themselves among my subjects. When Rāna Sanka defeated Sultan Mahmūd and made him prisoner,* the Sultan had on a splendid crown-cap* and golden girdle, which fell into the hands of the pagan, who, when he set Sultan Mahmūd at liberty, retained them. They were now with Bikermajīt. His elder brother Rattansen, who had succeeded his father as Rāna, and who was now in possession of Chitūr, had sent to desire his younger brother to deliver them up to him, which he refused to do. By the persons who came from him to wait on me, he now sent* me this crown and golden girdle, and asked Biāna in exchange for Rantambhor. I diverted them from their demand of Biāna, and Shamsābād was fixed on as the equivalent for Rantambhor. The same day I bestowed dresses of honour on his people, and dismissed them, after making an appointment for a meeting at Biāna in nine days.
PaganI went from the garden to visit the idol temples of Gwāliār. Many of them are two and three stories high. The different stories are very low, in the ancient fashion. In the screen and lower parts of the building are the figures of idols sculptured out of the stone. There are a number of idol chapels around, like the cells of a college. In front is a large and lofty dome. Its apartments* resemble those of a college. Above each apartment are very narrow domes cut out of the rock.* In the lower apartments, they have hewn images out of the stone.* After viewing the edifices, I went out by the west gate of Gwāliār, and proceeding to the south of the fort, after examining the ground, reached the Chārbāgh which Rahīmdād had laid out before the Hātipūl gate, and there dismounted. Rahīmdād had prepared an entertainment for me at the Chārbāgh. He gave me an excellent dinner, and afterwards presented me with a large peshkesh, to the amount of four laks in money and goods. From this Chārbāgh, I arrived late at the Chārbāgh where I had my quarters.
Waterfall.On Wednesday the 15th, I set out to visit a waterfall, which lies about six kos to the south-east of Gwāliār. I had left my ground early in the morning, and reached the waterfall after noon-day prayers.* The torrent, which is large enough to turn a mill, rushes right over a perpendicular rock of the height of a horse-tether.* Lower down than this waterfall is a large tank. Farther up than the cascade, the water comes rushing down over a solid rock. The stream runs on a bottom of solid rock; in various places tanks have been formed, which are supplied from hence.* Along the banks of the stream, scattered about, there are fragments of solid rock proper for seats; the water, however, does not always flow. We sat down above the waterfall and took a maajūn; after which we ascended the rivulet to its source, and came back again; we then mounted a rising ground, where we remained some time, while the musicians played and the singers sang. Such as had never seen the ebony-tree, which the inhabitants of the country call tindū, had now an opportunity of seeing it. Leaving that spot, we descended the hill, and mounting our horses between the time of evening and bed-time prayers, about midnight reached a place where we slept. Nearly a watch of the day Oct. 1. was past* before I reached the Chārbāgh and had alighted.
Sukhjāneh.On Friday the 17th, I visited Sukhjāneh the birthplace of Silāheddīn.* Above the village, between the hill and valley,* is the lime and sitāphal* (or custard-apple) garden, which I walked through, and returned to the camp in the course of the first watch.
Oct. 4. On Sunday the 19th, before dawn, I set out from the
Chārbāgh, and having passed the Kawāri,*
and halted
during the noontide, about noon-day prayers*
we again
mounted, and having crossed the Chambal at sunset,
Revisits
Dhūlpūr.
reached the Fort of Dhūlpūr between evening and bed-time
prayers; I visited, by the light of a lantern, the bath built
by Abul Fateh, and then rode to the place in which I had
directed a new Chārbāgh to be laid out, above the water
Oct. 5.
mound,*
where I halted. Next morning I visited the works
Revisits his
improve-
ments.
which I had given orders for carrying on. Even the levels
of the edges of the covered tank, which I had directed to
be hollowed out of the rock, had not been completely taken.*
I ordered a number of stone-cutters to be employed to cut
down the tank to a certain depth, that, by filling it with
water, they might be able to level its edges. When afternoon
prayers were over, a small part of the tank had already
been hollowed.*
I directed it to be filled with water, and,
taking that as their level, to smooth the edges. On this
occasion I directed a water-house*
to be hewn out of the
rock, and a small tank to be hewn within it, also out of the
solid rock. This Monday I had a maajūn party. On Tuesday
Oct. 6.
I remained in the same place. On the eve of Wednesday
I broke my fast, and ate a little. Having mounted to go to
Oct. 7.
Sīkri, about noon*
I alighted and lay down. I felt evident
symptoms of having caught cold in my ear. That night it
Oct. 8.
was very painful, and I was unable to sleep.*
Early next
morning I again set out, and having, in the course of one
Visits Sīkri.
watch, reached the garden which I had formed at Sīkri,
I alighted. The walls of the garden, and the buildings in
the well, not having been completed to my satisfaction, I
menaced and punished the overseers of the work. Mounting
between afternoon and evening prayers, I left Sīkri; and,
after passing Madhākūr, alighted and took some rest: after
Reaches
Agra.
Oct. 9.
which, setting out again, I reached Agra after*
the first
watch, and went to the fort, where I waited on Khadījeh
Sultan Begum, who, when Fakher-Jehān Begum*
went
away, had stayed behind on account of various affairs and
business; I then crossed the Jumna, and alighted at the
garden of Hasht-Behisht.