At sight of their native country and city, all those persons who had been forced to Dowlutabad began to desert the army and to disperse themselves in the woods. The Emperor, to prevent the conse-

A. H. 741.
A. D. 1340.

quences of this desertion, took up his residence in the city, whither he invited his troops to return, and remained there for the space of two years; but again resolving to make Dowlutabad his capital, he removed his own family, and compelled the nobles to do the same. He also carried off the whole of the inha­bitants a second time to the Deccan, leaving the noble metropolis of Dehly a resort for owls, and a dwelling-place for the beasts of the desert.

At this time the taxes were so heavy, and ex­acted with such rigour by the revenue officers, that in the whole extent of that fertile tract, lying be­tween the rivers Ganges and Jumna, the culti­vators, weary of their lives, set fire to their houses, and retired to the woods with their families and cattle. Many populous towns were abandoned, and remained so for several years. The colony of Dowlutabad was also in great distress. The people, without houses, and without employment, were reduced to the utmost misery. The tyrannical caprices of this despot exceed any thing we have met with in history; of which the following is a horrid instance. While he remained at Dehly he led his army out to hunt, as is customary with princes. When he arrived in the district of Beiram, he plainly told his officers, that he came not to hunt beasts, but men, and without any ob­vious reason, began to massacre the inhabitants. He had even the barbarity to bring home some thousands of their heads, and to hang them over the city walls. On another occasion he made an excursion towards Kunowj, and put to death the inhabitants of that city, and the neighbourhood for many miles round, spreading terror and deso­lation wherever he turned his eyes.

During this time Mullik Fukhr-ood-Deen, after the death of Mullik Beiram, rebelled in the eastern provinces. He slew Kuddur Khan, and possessed himself of the three provinces of Bengal, viz. Luk-nowty, Soonargam, and Chutgam (Chittagong). Advices were also brought, that Syud Hussun had rebelled in Maabir, * on which the King ordered Syud Ibrahim, the son of Syud Hussun, and all his family, to prison, and himself marched in the

A. H. 742.
A. D. 1341.

year 742, after the sacking of Kunowj, towards Maabir. When he reached Dowlutabad, he laid a heavy contri­bution on that city and the neighbouring provinces, which created an insurrection; but his numerous army soon reduced the insurgents to their former state of slavery. From Dowlutabad he sent back a part of his army under Khwaja Jehan to Dehly, while he himself marched towards Maabir by the way of Tulingana.

When Mahomed Toghluk arrived before Wu-rungole, a pestilence broke out in his camp, to which a great part of his army fell victim. He had, on this occasion, nearly lost his own life, and was induced to leave one of his officers, Mullik Naib Imad-ool-Moolk, to command the army, and to return himself towards Dowlutabad. On the way, he was afflicted with a violent tooth-ache, and lost one of his teeth, which he ordered to be buried with much ceremony at Beer, and caused a mag­nificent tomb to be reared over it, which still remains a monument of his vanity and folly. Having arrived at Moongy-Peitun, he found him­self better, and halted to take medicines for some days. In this place he gave to Shahab-ood-Deen Mooltany the title of Noosrut-Khan, and the go­vernment of Bidur with its dependencies, which yielded annually a revenue of one crore of rupees. He, at the same time, conferred the government of Dowlutabad, and the country of Mahrashtra, upon Kootloogh Khan, who had been his tutor in early life.

From Peitun he proceeded in his palky to Dehly, having heard of some disturbance among the Afghans in that capital; and, on this occasion, he gave permission to such of the inhabitants of Dowlutabad as were willing to return to Dehly, to do so. Many thousands made the attempt, but several of them perished on the way by a famine, which then desolated the countries of Malwa and Chundery. When the rest reached Dehly, they found the famine raging there with such fury, that very few persons could procure the necessaries of life. The King's heart seemed for once to be softened with the miseries of his sub­jects. He even, for a time, changed his conduct, and took some pains to encourage husbandry and commerce, and, for this purpose, distributed large sums to the inhabitants from the treasury. But, as the people were distressed for food, they expended the money in the necessaries of life, and many of them were severely punished upon that account.

Shahoo, * a chief of the mountain Afghans, about this time commenced hostilities in the north, and poured down with his followers like a torrent upon Mooltan. He laid waste the province, slew Behzad Khan, the viceroy, in battle, and put his army to flight. The King now prepared an army at Dehly, and moved towards Mooltan; but Sha-hoo, on his approach, wrote him a submissive letter, and fled to the mountains of Afghanistan. Perceiving that it would be useless to pursue him, the King returned to Dehly. The famine still continued to rage in the city, so that men ate one another. The King, in this distress, or­dered a second distribution of money towards the sinking of wells, and the cultivation of lands, but the people, weakened by hunger, and distracted by private distresses in their families, made very little progress in restoring prosperity, while the continuation of the drought rendered all their labours vain. At this time, also, the tribes of Mundulla, Chowhan, Meeana, Bhurteea, and others, who inhabited the country about Soonam and Samana, unable to discharge their rents, fled to the woods. The King marched forthwith in that direction, and massacred several thousands of them.

A. H. 743.
A. D. 1342. In the year 743, Mullik Heidur, a chief of the Gukkurs, invaded Pun-jab, and slew Tartar Khan, the viceroy of La­hore, in action. To reduce this enemy, Khwaja Jehan was sent into that quarter. The King, at this time, took it into his head, that all the calami­ties of his reign proceeded from his not having been confirmed on his throne by the Abassy Caliph. He, therefore, despatched presents and ambassadors to Arabia, and caused the Caliph's name, in place of his own, to be struck on all the current coin, and prohibited his own name from being included at public worship in the mosques,

A. H. 744.
A. D. 1344.

till the Caliph's confirmation arrived. In the year 744, a holy person, of the race of the Prophet, named Hajy Sayeed Hoormozy, returned with the ambassador, and brought a letter from the Caliph and a royal dress. The Caliph's envoy was met 12 miles out­side the city by the King in person, who advanced to receive him on foot, put the letter of the Caliph upon his head, and opened it with great solemnity and respect. When he returned into the city, he ordered a grand festival to be made, and caused the public prayers to be said in all the mosques, striking out every king's name from the Khootba who had not been confirmed. Among the number of those degraded monarchs was the King's own father. He even carried this fancy so far, as to cause the Caliph's name to appear on all his robes, and furniture. The ambassador, after having been sumptuously entertained, received a letter to his master, full of respect, and also bore presents of great value. He was accompanied on his return by Kubeer Khan, commander of the household troops.

This year Krishn Naig, the son of Luddur Dew, who lived near Wurungole, went privately to Bilal Dew, Raja of the Carnatic, and told him, that he had heard the Mahomedans, who were now very numerous in the Deccan, had formed the design of extirpating all the Hindoos, that it was, therefore, advisable to combine against them. Bilal Dew, convened a meeting of his kinsmen, and resolved, first, to secure the forts of his own country, and then to remove his seat of government among the mountains. Krishn Naig promised, on his part also, that when their plans were ripe for execu­tion, to raise all the Hindoos of Wurungole and Tulingana, and put himself at their head.

Bilal Dew, accordingly, built a strong city upon the frontiers of his dominions, and called it after his son Beeja, to which the word nuggur, or city, was added, so that it is now known by the name of Beejanuggur. * He then raised an army, and put part of it under the command of Krishn Naig, who reduced Wurungole, and compelled Imad-ool-Moolk, the governor, to retreat to Dow-lutabad. Bilal Dew and Krishn Naig, united to their forces the troops of the Rajas of Maabir and Dwar-Sumoodra, who were formerly tributaries to the government of the Carnatic. The confe­derate Hindoos seized the country occupied by the Mahomedans, in the Deccan, and expelled them, so that within a few months, Mahomed Toghluk had no possessions in that quarter except Dowlutabad.

On receiving this intelligence, the King was ex­asperated, and became more cruel than ever, wreaking his rage upon his own subjects, whom he slew without distinction. His conduct occasioned general disaffection; and the effects of anarchy prevailed throughout the realm. The famine still continued in the city of Dehly, and the people de­serted it; till at length the King, unable to procure provisions even for his household, was obliged to abandon it also, and to open the gates, and per­mit the few half-starved inhabitants whom he had lately confined to provide for themselves. Thou­sands crowded towards Bengal, which, as we have before observed, had revolted from his rule. Ma-homed Toghluk encamped his army near Kampila * and Putially, on the banks of the Ganges, and drew supplies from the countries of Oude and Kurra. The people of his camp here built houses, till at length a town arose under the name of Surgdewary.