English
Being compelled to encounter him, Khwajah Anwar gallantly and bravely fought, and made heroic exertions, but being covered with mortal wouhdo, fell together wi i a number of his comrades. Finding the field deserted, the Afghans with swords rushed ont and attacked the Royal camp of the Prince. When that scion of the Imperial family Beheld perfidy in that prevaricator. And also in regard to the condition of Khwajah Anwar, News arrived that his head had been severed from his body ; His face became cherry from rage, He called for arms from the armour-bearer. He placed the cuirass on the shoulder and the helmet on the bead, From head to foot he became a figure of iron. He suspended an adamantine sword, And placed tightly a dagger in his waist. He tied one sunny shield to his shoulder, And placed a shining spear in his hand. He hung a quiver from his waist, And threw round the shoulder a Kaianian bow. 1 He tied a noose to the top of his fiowdah , And clutched with the band an iron mace. Ho gave order that the Generals of the army Should collect quickly near tho Royal tents. At his order, the battle-seeking army Flocked in towards the Prince. When the Priuco mounted his elephant, Ho looked like the sun on a mountain. Tho kettledrum of battle was struck, and tho army moved. Like the river waving. Ho advanced to the field and raised aloft his standard, And boldly set himself to put bis troops in army. Ho arranged his centre and wings : Th* Heht and left wings, the rear and the van. 1 The old Kaianian sovereigns of Jt*ersia or Iran were capital archers and marksmen. Their bows wore famous for range and precision of shot. Spo Namai-Khusruan, p. 44, for an account of Kaianian Kings. 242 frrom the overwhelming number of his force, and from the Imperial prestige, The world quaked with terror. Ho rode up to the battle-field, But was dilatory in delivering an assault. When the battle-field was arranged, and the cavalry and in¬ fantry, like the men at chess, were set in their proper places, Rahim Shah made a hostile flank movement, and fought gallantly. A number of Afghan troopers clad in cuirass and armed with daggers, by a desperate sally, galloped right through the ranks of the Imperialists, reached the centre, and sought for the Prince, shouting out “ Azimu-sh-Shao.” Attacking the Royal elephant with their horses, they prepared to give the final checkmate. The Imperial cavalry and infantry, unable to withstand the onslaughts of those villains, left the Prince in a corner before the enemy and fled. Thus the thread of the arrangement of the Imperial army was snapped. Rahim Shah, breaking through the entrenchments, attacked the Prince’s elephant. At this crisis, and at the sight of this impudent daring, Hamid Khan Qnraishi, 1 who was standing at a short distance, spurred on bis charger like an arrow shot from its bow, attacked Rahim Shah, and said, “Villain, I am Azimu-gh- Shan.” Promptly discharging a rock-piercing arrow from his quiver, he pierced Rahim Shah on the chest. He pulled out his bow from its string And drew out his Khadang 8 arrow from its quiver. He joined the arrow-notch to the ass’s leather, And aimed at that giant. When the arrow-notch was shot to take aim, It pierced through the breast of that fighting demon, Piercing right through his breast, It figured like the balance from weight. In quick succession Hamid Khan shot other arrows at the neck of Rahim Shah’s horse, and laid low both its neck and head. Rahim Shah, owing to two mortal wouuds on the breast, was l lie was a boh of Daud Khan Qurashi. See n. ante aud p. 37 Maaser-ul- Uinara, vol. 2. * Khadang ia the white poplar tree of which arrows and bows are prepared. 243 felled to tho ground. Hamid Khan with great agility sprang down from hie horse, and eat upon Rahim Shah’s chest, and sever¬ ing the villain’s head from his body whirled it round on a spear. At the sight of this, the cowardly Afghan soldiery faltered and fled, whilst the standards of those insolent villains were turned upside down. The zephyr of triumph and victory once again blew on the tails of the Imperial banners, and the Imperial band of victory and triumph struck up londly, whilst cines of “ Allah, Allah ” resounded from the earth to the sky. The cavalry of the victorious Imperial army chased the vanquished to their tents, and whoever amongst young or old fell across the range of its career became the food of the crocodile of blood-driuking swords ; whilst the rest who escaped the sword, scampered o£F, covered with wounds and racked by anxieties. Much booty and numerous captives fell into the hands of the Imperialists. The fortunate Prince, an associate of triumph and victory, entered Bardwan, and made a pilgrimage to the noble shrine of the saint Shah Ibrahim 1 Saqqa. Making votive offerings, the Prince entered the citadel, and sent a congratulatory message on this victory to the Emperor, and despatched troops for chastisiug the adherents and abettors of the miscreant Afghans. Wherever trace could be found of their whereabouts, they were captured and slaughtered, and in a short time the districts of Bardwan, Hugli, and Jasar (Jessore) were purged of the defilement caused by the Afghan raiders. The tracts that had been desolated by the ravages of these rebels once again became fertile. Jagat Rai, son of Kishan Ram, the slain Zamindar of Bardwan, was in¬ vested with the khilat of the hereditary Zaraindari of his forefathers. In a similar way, other Zamindars of that tract who had been oppressed and bauished by the Afghans, were re-assared by Royal Proclamations of goodwill, and re-installed in their hereditary ranks and dignities. Taking fresh settlements of tho Sialgah malials (crown lands) andof Jagirs, these commenced making collec¬ tions of rent; whilst the holders of Tiyuls* and ‘Aimahs and 1 In Stewart, “ Bahrain.” He was a saint who lived at Bardwan, but I have not been able to get details of his career. 8 "Tiynls’' or "Tuyuls” and "Jagirs” are corresponding torms, and signify the same class of land-tenure. These wore conforrod, for a specified time on Manjabdars in lien of salaries, and also on others by way of reward daring lifetime or a fixed period. In the early Mughal period, tho word tiynl ' is frequently mentioned, bat it frequently gives way to the word Altamgkas re-entered into the possession of their respective mahals. Hamid Khan Qnraishi, in recognition of his gallantry was re¬ warded by the Emperor with the advancement of his man§ab,with the bestowal of the title of Shamshir Khan Bahadur, and with the office of Faujdar of Silhat (Sylhet) and Bandasil (?). And the other offi¬ cers of the Prince, who had rendered good services, according to the measure of their services, and according to their ranks, were honoured with mangabs aud dignities. The Prince halted in the fort of Bardwan, which contained the Residency of the Fanjdars of that district, laid the foundations of buildings, and erected a Cathedral mosque. And in Hngli, he founded Shahgani, 1 alias Jagir, from Akbar'e time. In the time of Sher Shih, the Afghan king, the word Jagir ie also frequently need. In the Ghorian, Khilji and Tughlak periods, the word ‘ Iqta,’ corresponding to ‘Jagir,’ is frequently used. (See Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, Tarikhi Firuz gbahi, and Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. I, p. 270). Besides the “ Jagirs ” or " Iqtas ” or “ tiynls,” there was another class of land-tenures which were conferred for benevolent purposes, were hereditary (unlike Jagirs), and free from revenue and cesses, and imposed no obligations for military or other services. These before Mughal times were called milk, madad-i-mash, ayema and altamghah, but were denominated in Mughal times by the Q^aghtai word “SayurghalAn officer called §adr-i-Jah B n or Adminis- trator-General, was in charge of these Sayurghals. These were conferred on tho following four classes of persons : (1) On enquirers after wisdom who have withdraw, from world* occupation. and make no difference betwee ,,^ da, in searching after knowledge” 1 (2) on snob as pract.se self-denial and here renounced society of men; (3) on end. as sre weak and poor end have no strength for enquiry ; (4) on honourable men of gentle *“*££££ of knowledge are nnnblo to tsk. op n prof.ee.on (See Tar®, h ShShi, pp. 353, 382, and 558. and Ain-i-Akban, Vol. I, pp. 268, 27 , 272) ' r c h 5h was very liberal in conferring these aimahs and altamghas, whic^ however, were considerably resum^ byand — • - 27 °- “ ni TX r’XrnotZr'eddd 8 •roya! grant of rcnU • foonding this system of Ssyor- transferable. (Bee A.n, Vol. H, p. 67-h ^ , iy „ de>ire t0 per. r^^ie. ot **>., of — 245 ‘Azimganj, and named it after himself. And he extended tho scope of the Sayei' taxes that had hitherto been levied only on wares and silk-stuffs. And he levied customs-duties, in the shape of tax, 1 at the rate of 2£ percent, on the goods of Musalmans, and 5 per cent, ou the goods of Hindus and Christians.* He held in esteem and respect the learned, the good, and the noble ; and in tho society of the nobility and the gentry, lib discussed the subjects of Theology, Casuistry, Traditions, poetical works of Maulana Rum 5 (God's mercy be on him), and History* Ho shewed an anxious solicitude to profit by the advice of saints and he exerted himself to promote the welfare of the realm. One day he sent Sultan Karimu-d-din and Muhammad Farukh-sir to iuvite over §ufi Baizid, 4 who was the most glorious amongst the saints of Bard- wan. On their approach the saint greeted them with the saluta¬ tion of “Salam Alaekum.