Note on the meaning of the title ofTarkhán.

Abulfazl, in the Akbarnámah (38th year), has a valuable note regarding the meaning and the history of this ancient title. The title was hereditary, and but rarely given. Chingiz Khán conferred it on Qishliq and Bátá for having given him correct information regarding the enemy. The title in this case, as in all others, implied that the holder was excused certain feudal services, chiefly attendance at Court (taklíf i bár). Chingiz Khán, moreover, did not take away from the two nobles the royal share of the plunder. Under Timur, a Tarkhán had free access to every place of the palace, and could not be stopped by the macebearers; nor was he or his children liable to be punished for any crime, provided the number of his or their crimes did not exceed the number nine.*

Some say, a Tarkhán had seven distinctions and privileges—1. a ṭabl; 2. a túmán­togh; 3. a naqqárah; 4. he can confer on two of his men a qushún togh, or chatr togh;* 5. his Qur (p. 109) was carried (qúr i ú níz bardárand). Among the Mughuls no one but the king was allowed to use a quiver. 6. He could enclose (qurq) a forest as his private hunting ground, and if any one entered the enclosure, he forfeited his personal liberty. 7. He was looked upon as the head of the clan to which he belonged. In the statehall the Amírs sat behind him to his right and left arranged in form of a bow (kamánwár).

When Tughluq Timur conferred this title upon an Amír,* he put all financial matters (dád o sitad) ‘as far as a Hazárí’ (?) in his charge; nor were his descendants, to the ninth generation, liable to be called to account; but should their crimes exceed the number nine, they were to be called to account. When a Tarkhán had to answer for blood shed by him (pádásh i khún), he was placed on a silver white horse two years old, and a white cloth was put below the feet of the animal. His statement was made by a chief of the Barlás clan (vide p. 341, note), and the sentence was communicated to him by a chief of the Arkíwat (<Arabic>) clan. His neck vein was then opened, the two chiefs remaining at his side, and watching over him till he was dead. The king was then led forth from the palace, and sat down to mourn over him.

Khizr Khwájah in making Mír Khudádád a Tarkhán, added three new privi­leges. 1. At the time of wedding feasts (túí), when all grandees have to walk on foot, and only the yasáwal (chief mace bearer) of the king is on horseback to keep back the crowds, the Tarkhán also proceeds on horseback. 2. When during the feast the cup is handed to the king from the right side, another cup is at the same time handed to the Tarkhán from the left. 3. The Tarkhán's seal is put on all orders; but the seal of the king is put to the beginning of the last line and below his.

Abulfazl, in concluding these remarks, says that these distinctions are extraordi­nary enough; he believes it possible that a king may grant a virtuous man immunity for nine crimes; but he thinks it absurd to extend the immunity to nine generations.

48. Iskandar Kha´n, a descendant of the Uzbak Kings.

He distinguished himself under Humáyún who on his return to India made him a Khán. After the restoration, he was made Governor of A´grah. On Hemú's approach, he left A´grah, and joined Tardí Beg at Dihlí. Both opposed Hemú, Iskandar com­manding the left wing (júranghár). His wing defeated the rightwing (burunghár) and the van (haráwal) of Hemú, and hotly pursued them, killing many fugi­tives. The battle was almost decided in favor of the Imperialists, when Hemú with his whole force broke upon Tardí Beg, and put him to flight. The victorious Iskandar was thus obliged to return. He afterwards joined Akbar at Sarhind, fought under Khán Zamán (No. 13) against Hemú, and received after the battle for his bravery the title of Khán 'A´lam.

As Khizr Khwájah Khán,* the Governor of the Panjáb, had retreated before Sikandar Khán Súr, and fortified himself in Láhor, leaving the country to the Afgháns, Akbar appointed Iskandar to move to Siyálkoṭ and assist Khizr Khwájah.

Afterwards he received Audh as tuyúl. ‘From want of occupation,’ he rebelled in the tenth year. Akbar ordered Ashraf Khán (No. 74) to bring him to Court but Isk. joined Khán Zamán (No. 13). Together with Bahádur Khán (No. 22), he occupied Khairábád (Audh), and attacked Mír Mu'izzulmulk (No. 61). Bahádur ultimately defeated the Imperialists; but Isk. had in the first fight been defeated and fled to the north of Audh.

When in the 12th year Khán Zamán and Bahádur again rebelled, Isk. in concert with them occupied Audh. He was attacked by Muhammad Qulí Khán Barlás (No. 31), and besieged in Avadh. When Isk. heard that Khán Zamán and Bahádar had been defeated and killed, he made proposals of peace, and managed during the nego­tiation to escape by boat with his family to Gorák'hpúr, which then belonged to Sulai­mán, king of Bengal. He appears to have attached himself to the Bengal Court, and accompanied, in 975, Báyazíd, Sulaimán's son, over Jhárkand to Oṛísá. After Sulaimán's return from the conquest of Oṛísá,* Isk.'s presence in Bengal was looked upon as dangerous, as Sulaimán wished at all hazards to be at peace with Akbar, and the Afgháns waited for a favorable opportunity to kill Iskandar. He escaped in time, and applied to Mun'im Khán, who promised to speak for him. At his request, Isk. was pardoned. He received the Sirkár of Lak'hnau as tuyúl, and died there in the following year (980).

49. A´caf Kha´n 'Abdul Maji´d (of Harát), a descendant of Shaikh Abú Bakr i Táibádí.

His brother Vazír Khán has been mentioned above (No. 41). Shaikh Zain­uddín Abú Bakr i Táibádí* was a saint (çáhib kamál) at the time of Timur. When Timur, in 782, set out for the conquest of Harát, which was in the hands of Malik Ghiásuddín, he sent, on his arrival at Táibád, a messenger to the Shaikh, to ask him why he had not paid his respects to the conqueror of the world. “What have I,” replied the Shaikh, “to do with Timur?” Timur, struck with this answer, went himself to the Shaikh, and upbraided him for not having advised Malik Ghiás. “I have indeed done so,” said the Shaikh, “but he would not listen, and God has now appointed you over him. However, I now advise you, too, to be just, and if you likewise do not listen, God will appoint another over you.” Timur afterwards said that he had seen many dervishes; every one of them had said something from selfish motives, but not so Shaikh Abú Bakr, who had said nothing with reference to himself.

Khwájah 'Abdul Majíd was a Grandee of Humáyún, whom he served as Díwán. On Akbar's accession, he also performed military duties. When the Emperor moved to the Panjáb, to crush Bairám's rebellion, 'Abdul Majíd received the title of A´çaf Khán, regarding which vide the note after this biographical notice. Subsequently A´çaf was appointed Governor of Dihlí, received a flag and a drum, and was made a Commander of Three Thousand. When Fattú, a servant of 'Adlí, made overtures to surrender Fort Chanáḍh (Chunar), A., in concert with Shaikh Muhammad Ghaus, took posses­sion of it, and was appointed Governor of Kaṛah-Mánikpúr on the Ganges. About the same tíme, Ghází Khán Tannúrí, an Afghán noble who had for a time been in Akbar's services, fled to Bhat'h G'horá, and stirred up the Zamíndárs against Akbar. A., in the 7th year, sent a message to Rájah Rám Chand, the ruler of Bhat'h, to pay tribute to Akbar, and surrender the enemies. But the Rájah prepared for resistance. A. marched against the Rájah, defeated him, and executed Ghází Khán. The Rájah, after his defeat, shut himself up in Bándhú,* but obtained Akbar's pardon by timely submission, chiefly through the influence of several Rájahs at Court. A. then left the Rájah in peace; but the spoils which he had collected and the strong contingent which he had at his disposal (vide p. 241, l. 18) made him desirous of further warfare, and he planned the famous expedition against Gaḍha-Katangah,* or Gondwánah, south of Bhat'h, which was then governed by Durgáwatí,* the heroine of Central India. Her heroic defence and suicide, and the death of her son, Bír Sáh, at the conquest of Chaurágaḍh (about 70 miles west of Jabalpúr), are wellknown. The immense spoils which A. carried off, led him temporarily into rebellion, and of the 1000 elephants which he had captured, he only sent 200 to Court. But when Khán Zamán (No. 13), in the 10th year, rebelled and besieged Majnún Khán Qáqshál (No. 50) in Mánikpúr, A. came with 5,000 troopers to his relief, presented himself before Akbar, who had marched against Khán Zamán, and handed over the remainder of the Gaḍha spoils. He thereby regained Akbar's confidence and was appointed to follow up the rebels. At this juncture, the imperial Mutaçaddís, whom A. before had handsomely bribed, reported from envy his former unwillingness to hand over the spoils, and exaggerated his wealth. Hypocritical friends mentioned this to A.; and afraid of his personal safety, he fled to Gaḍha (Çafar, 973).

Akbar looked upon his flight as very suspicious, and appointed Mahdí Qásim Khán (No. 36) to Gaḍhá. A. then left Central India ‘with a sorrowful heart,’ and joined, together with his brother (No. 41), Khán Zamán at Jaunpúr. But he soon saw that Khán Zamán only wanted his wealth and watched for a favorable moment to kill him. A. therefore made use of the first opportunity to escape. Khán Zamán had sent his brother Bahádur (No. 22) against the Afgháns, and A. was to accompany him. Vazír Khán, whom Khán Zamán had detained, managed likewise to escape, and was on the road to Mánikpúr, which A. had appointed as place of rendez-vous. No sooner had A. escaped than Bahádur followed him up, defeated his men, and took A. prisoner. Bahádur's men immediately dispersed in search of plunder, when suddenly Vazír Khán fell over Bahádur. Bahádur made some one a sign to kill A., who sat fettered on an elephant, and A. had just received a wound in his hand and nose, when Vazír in time saved his life, and carried him away. Both reached, in 973, Kaṛah, and asked Muzaffar Khán (No. 37) to intercede for them with the emperor. When Muzaffar, in 974, was called by the emperor to the Panjáb, he took Vazír with him, and obtained full pardon for the two brothers. A. was ordered to join Majnún Qáqshál at Kaṛah-Mánikpúr. His bravery in the last struggle with Khán Zamán induced Akbar, in 975, to give him Piyág as tuyúl, vice Hájí Muhammad Sístání (No. 55), to enable him to recruit a contingent for the expedition against Ráná Udai Singh. A. was sent in advance (manqalá). In the middle of Rabí' I, 975, Akbar left A´grah for Chítor. The Ráná had commissioned Jai Mall, who had formerly been in Mírt'ha, to defend the fort, whilst he himself had withdrawn to the mountains. During the siege, which lasted four months and seven days, A. distinguished himself, and when, on the 25th Sha'bán, 975, the fort fell A. was made Governor of Chítor.

Neither the Maásir, nor the Ṭabaqát, mentions the year of his death. He must have been dead in 981, because the title of A´çaf Khán was bestowed upon another noble.*