THE Emperor was so highly satisfied with the conduct of Kartuleb Khan, that he united in his person the offices of Dewan, and Soobahdar of Bengal and Orissa; and conferred on him the title of Moorshed Kuly Khan,* with an augmentation of his munseb.
When he returned to his soobahdary, he appointed Syed Ekram Khan* his Naib Dewan* in Bengal, and Shuja eddeen Mohammed Khan,* his son-in-law, his Naib Dewan in Orissa.
He brought along with him from court Bhooput Roy,* and Keisoo Roy* from Allahabad;* the former of whom he constituted his own dewan,* and the latter his moonshy.*
When Moorshed Kuly Khan returned to Bengal, he called his new city Moorshedabad, * where he established a mint; and on the money coined there were impressed the words “Struck at Moorshedabad.”
Midnapoor, which originally belonged to Orissa, he now annexed to Bengal.
For the purpose of making a fuller investigation of the capacity of the lands, he ordered the zemindars into close confinement; and put the collections into the hands of Bengally aumils, who executed tahoods* and muchulkahs. * The revenues were paid immediately into the exchequer by these aumils; the zemindars being deprived of all interference in the receipts and disbursements.
When he had thus entirely dispossessed the zemindars from management of the collections, his aumils and their officers made an actual measurement of all the lands in cultivation, as well as of those called benjer;* and obtained information of the ability of every husbandman, in every village throughout the soobah. To those who were so distressed as to be unable to purchase the necessary implements of husbandry, or grain to sow their land, he advanced tekawy, * and by this humane attention to the wants of individuals, cultivation was increased, and the revenues consequently augmented.
He made an exact hustabood* or comparative statement of the collections of former years with the present; and, conformably thereto, his aumils collected the produce of every harvest immediately from the husbandmen. He resumed all the extra-expences of the zemindars, and gave them a nankar* barely sufficient for a subsistence. Thus, by the augmentation of the revenues, by his attention to the syer or duties, and by considerable retrenchments in the expences of every department, he brought prodigious sums into the treasury.
The zemindars of Bhirbhoom and Bishenpoor, protected by their jungles and mountains, refused to obey the Dewan’s summons to Moorshedabad. They, however, sent, by their vakeels,* considerable nuzzirs and peishkush, and as they were punctual in their remittances, he thought it better to wink at their non-appearance, than to undertake an expensive and tedious expedition, to exact implicit obedience. He was the moreover inclined to pursue this conduct towards Bhirbhoom, out of respect to the virtuous character of Assad Ullah* the zemindar.
He was convinced that it would occasion a continual expence to keep Bishenpoor in proper subjection; and, as the lands were not very fruitful, he did not trouble himself much about that district.
Before the time of Moorshed Kuly Khan, the Rajahs* of Tipperah,* Coatch Bahar, * and Asham* preserved an entire independence. They refused all obedience to the court of Dehly, used the imperial chetr, and coined money in their own names.
In the Tarikh Asham* is the following description of that country.—The inhabitants consist of two tribes, the one called Meytch* and the other Coatch,* to the first of which the royal family belong. They have a tradition, that one of their ancient Rajahs ascended into heaven by a golen ladder, on which account the Rajahs, his descendants, never touch the ground with their feet; dwelling always upon a terrace, or platform. All business of the state is transacted by the bhooksas,* or nobility. The Mohammedan religion was not known in Asham till the reign of Hussein Shah, * King of Bengal, who kept his court at Lucknowty,* now commonly called Gour. * The son of Hussein Shah invaded Asham with a large army; but, being blocked up in the mountains by the Ashamians, they were all taken prisoners, and condemned to act as slaves in cultivating the lands. The conquerors allowed the vanquished the private exercise of their religion, but prohibited them the ceremony of Ezan*.
From the time of the capture of Hussein’s son and his army, no farther attempts were made upon that country, till the accession of Aurungzebe, when Shah Shuja*, who had been appointed Soobahdar of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa, by their father Shah Jehan*, marched to oppose his brother at the head of a large army. A battle was fought at Kujhweh*, and victory was inclining to the side of Shah Shuja, when it happened that Aurungzebe, with a small party, was at a little distance from the main body of his troops, and Alyverdy Khan*, Shah Shuja’s bukhshy*, came to make him prisoner. But Aurungzebe, who knew how to turn every accident to his advantage, promised Alyverdy to make him his vizier*, if he only would prevail upon Shah Shuja to descend from his elephant, and get on horseback. Alyverdy, tempted by this promise, returned to Shah Shuja, and represented to him, that although the main body of the enemy’s army was thrown into confusion, yet they continued to fling rockets; and as, while he remained conspicuous upon his elephant, by being all aimed at him, one might by accident hit him, he intreated him to get on horseback, and to allow him to go in pursuit of Aurungzebe, whom he would engage to make prisoner, in an instant. No sooner had Shah Shuja decended from his elephant, than the perfidious Alyverdy sent advice thereof to Aurungzebe, who immediately caused a report to be spread, that the fortune of the day was changed, and Shah Shuja slain. Shah Shuja’s army, not seeing their prince upon his elephant, credited the report, and terror seizing them all, a general flight ensued, and every attempt to rally them proved ineffectual.
Shah Shuja, thus abandoned by his army, fled to Bengal, and fortifying the passes of Telliahgurry and Sankreegully, sat himself down at Rajehmahl.
Aurungzebe appointed Mauzem Khan* Soobahdar of Bengal, and sent him in pursuit of Shah Shuja.
Mauzem Khan, finding the passes of Telliahgurry and Sankreegully shut against him, set off with a detachment of 12000 horse, and entered Bengal, through the mountains of Bheerbhoom.