The authors of historical relations write, that immediately after Chungeez Khan had dismissed the vukeel of the Tungut chief, upon whom he conferred great honours, he fell sick, and his malady increasing continually, and feeling that his death was approaching, he ordered that all his sons, brothers, and Kurachar Noyaun should be assembled; and, on their meeting, addressed them to the following effect:—that his disease was fatal, and his time had arrived to depart from this world; that he required they should state to him, whom they intended or wished should succeed him? Joje Khan, his eldest son, had died in the desert of Kupchak, six months previous to this period.
Chughtaie, Ooktaie, and Tooli, his three sons, were present, and, kneeling, in reply, said, they considered themselves his slaves, and were obedient to his orders. Chungeez Khan then said, that he had perfect confidence in the prudence and abilities of Kurachar Noyaun, and that in the possession of a clear and sound judgment he excelled all his family; that he insisted, if they respected his (Chungeez Khan’s) memory, they should, on no occasion, deviate in any particular from his advice. He then ordered, that the treaty, or code of regulations made between Kabul Khan and Kacholi Bahadoor, which was known by the name of the Al Tumghaie of Toomna Khan, and which had been signed by all his predecessors, should be brought from the treasury. After it was brought he read it to his children, and said, that he, and Kurachar, and their forefathers, had strictly conformed to it, and that he now constituted and appointed Ooktaie Khan to succeed him, and resigned the kingdom and throne to him; that they should also conform to the treaty, and give a written engagement to the effect that they would all obey him, and attend his kooriltaie whenever they were summoned; his sons, accordingly, signed the agreement, which was placed in the Al Tumghaie of Chungeez Khan. The cities of Mawurunneher and those in its neighbourhood had been assigned to Chughtaie Khan formerly, but because there was an enmity of old subsisting between Iran and Tooraun, and moreover Sultan Julal-ud-deen and his brethren were still living, Chungeez Khan, for these reasons, committed Chughtaie Khan to the care of Kurachar Noyaun, and requested him to continue the same protection and attention to his interests in the regulation of his army and kingdom he had ever shown during his, Chungeez Khan’s, life; Chungeez Khan also requested Kurachar Noyaun to adopt him as his son, which he did, and both parties signed a contract or agreement to that effect. The treaty of their forefathers Chungeez Khan gave to Chughtaie Khan; the contract of his sons he gave to Ooktaie Khan. He next addressed himself to the descendants of the Noyauns, and then to all his family indiscriminately, exhorting them to preserve concord and brotherly love to each other,—to keep his death a secret,—and he lastly enjoined them to put Shidurkoon to death whenever they might lay hold on him, that their authority might be securely established. Chungeez Khan then closed his eyes, and soon after breathed his last;* his death, however, was studiously concealed by all his family, who, although immersed in grief, preserved smiling countenances to their dependants; this event occurred on the 4th Rumzan, 624 Hejri, agreeing with the Tunkoor Eel of the Turks, which was the year of his birth, the year of his accession to the throne, and the year of his death. It is related by the best historians, that Chungeez Khan was seventy-three years old when he died; that he was forty-nine when he ascended the throne; and that he reigned twenty-nine years. His son, Joje Khan, as has been stated, died about six months previous to his death, but there were present with him at the time of his death his three sons, Chughtaie Ooktaie and Tooli, with Kurachar Noyaun and all his family, with the exception of a few persons employed on different duties.
The family of Chungeez Khan observed his directions to keep his death secret so punctually, that until the arrival of Shidurkoon to make his submission, no appearance whatever of mourning or sorrow was manifested in his court.
When Shidurkoon left the city of Artakia, in the hope the assurances which had been given him by Chungeez Khan would be observed, the ameers and Noyauns who accompanied him treated him with every respect and attention and pretended to escort him to meet Chungeez Khan; when, however, they arrived at a small distance from the camp of the Moghools a body of troops which had been kept ready to put him and his adherents to death, arrived and massacred the whole of them, sending them, as the historian, with his usual liberality, says, to offer their homage to Chungeez Khan in the infernal regions; the Moghools after this immediately despatched a body of troops and plundered the city of Artakia and carried off the inhabitants to Moghoolistan as slaves.
On the arrival of Chungeez Khan’s family in Moghoolistan they buried the body of Chungeez Khan at the foot of a favourite tree, under the shade of which he was accustomed to sit when out hunting, and which he had directed should be his place of burial; he also directed that a mausoleum of magnet or loadstone might be made, and that his body should be placed in it in a coffin of steel.
It is related, that when his children had constructed the mausoleum and placed the coffin therein, as he directed, the latter became suddenly attracted on all sides, and remained suspended in the air. His family then caused the vicinity to be forbidden (koork), or laid waste, and now the mausoleum is in the midst of a thick forest through which there is only one narrow path. It is said that some kafirs (infidels) have taken up their abode in this place, and that a devil at times enters the coffin, and gives responses to such questions as are proposed to him; these the hearers look upon as oracles, and the kafirs who are the attendants or priests there, and who worship this coffin, conform to these pretended oracles, and increase infidelity by their promulgation; the infidels consider this tomb as the house of God. There is no other road than that described to this mausoleum, from the thickness of the forest surrounding it.
Some modern historians say that Chungeez Khan was born when the sun was in the sign Libra, and as that sign is esteemed influential on the atmosphere, for that reason the learned in the religion of Mani (the Manicheans) directed that the body of Chungeez Khan should be suspended in the air on a cross.* The sons of Chungeez Khan, however, refused to offer such an indignity to the body of their father; and, therefore, to avoid such an exposure, the Manicheans formed the mausoleum of loadstone as above described. The sons of Chungeez Khan and the Noyauns were much pleased at the ingenuity of the undertaking, it being such as was never before attempted.
After the arrangement of the mausoleum had been completed, and the body of Chungeez deposited therein, the sons and family of Chungeez Khan, commenced their period of mourning: and after the usual offerings to the soul of the deceased, without any settlement being made as to the sovereignty or future distribution of the empire, they each returned to his proper place of residence. As Chungeez Khan before his death had resigned the sovereignty to his third son, Ooktaie Khan, of course an account of this prince will take precedence of those of his elder brethren.