"At midnight came the thought of thee. I was ashamed and
resigned my life.
The poor man was abashed when suddenly the guest arrived."
All that was in his store (bisat) in the way of money and goods,
of live stock or dead, he offered for me to tread upon. I gave them
all back, and said: "What do worldly goods appear worth to the eye of
our magnanimity? We buy the jewel of loyalty at a high figure. Such
an event arising out of his devotion should be reckoned as the rising
of his good star, in that a king like me with the people of his harem
should remain in his house in comfort and at ease for a night and a
day. It would be a cause of honour to him among his contemporaries and
comrades." On Tuesday, the 5th, having traversed 2 koss, I alighted at
the village of Kaha'i. [292] I presented the dress (sar u pay) I had
on to Mu`tamid K., and an order was given assigning him the mansab
of 1,500 personal and l,500 [293] horse. From this stage we entered
within the boundary of Kashmir. In the same kotal of Bhulbas, Ya`qub,
s. Yusuf K. Kashmiri, fought with the victorious army of my father,
of which Raja Bhagwan Das, father of Raja Man Singh, was the leader.
On this day, the news came that Suhrab K., s. Rustam Mirza, had been
drowned in the Jhelam. The details are as follows: He, according
to orders, was coming up one stage in the rear, and on the road it
came into his mind that he would have a bathe in the river, though
warm water was ready. The people forbade him, and said that when the
air was so cold, unnecessarily to get into a river so agitated and
bloodthirsty that it would roll over a war-elephant, was contrary to
the dictates of caution. He was not restrained by their words, and
as the unavoidable destined time had arrived, got in. From excessive
self-will and pride and carelessness, in reliance on his powers of
swimming, in which art he was unequalled, he was more determined than
ever, and with a khidmatiyya (Blochmann 252) and another servant, both
of whom could swim, mounted a rock on the river bank and threw himself
in. Immediately he fell, from the violent movement of the waves, he
could not pull himself together or try to swim; to fall in and go were
the same thing, and Suhrab K. [294] and the khidmatiyya thus gave away
the goods of their lives to the flood of destruction. The boatman,
[295] with a hundred difficulties, brought the boat of his being
(himself) in safety to the shore. Mirza Rustam was much attached to
this son. On hearing of this fatal news on the Punch road, he rent the
robe of patience, and showed great agitation. With all his dependants,
clothed in mourning garments, with head and feet bare, he came to
wait on me. What shall I write of the grief of the mother? Although
the Mirza has other sons, his heart was bound up in this one. His age
was twenty-six years. In shooting with a gun he was an excellent pupil
of his father, and knew well how to drive elephants and carriages. On
the expedition to Gujarat he was often ordered to ride on the front
part of my private elephant, and he was an active soldier. [296]
On Wednesday, the 6th, marching 3 koss, I pitched at the village
of Riwand. On Thursday, the 7th, crossing the kotal of Kuwarmat,
[297] which is the most difficult on this road (MS.), I alighted at
the village of Wachaha (MS. and print differ). The distance of this
stage is 4 1/4 koss. The kotal of Kuwarmat (Kulamat in the MS.) is a
difficult one, and is the last of the kotals on the road. On Friday,
the 8th, having traversed nearly 4 koss, I halted at the village
of Baltar. [298] There was no kotal on this road. It was broad, and
plain after plain, and mead after mead, of flowers. Sweet-smelling
plants of narcissus, violet, and strange flowers that grow in this
country, came to view. Among these flowers I saw (noticed especially)
one extraordinary one. It had five or six orange flowers blooming with
their heads downwards. From the middle of the flowers there came out
some green leaves, as in the case [299] of the pineapple (?). This is
the bulanik [300] flower. There is another flower like the puy (?),
round which are small flowers of the shape and colour of the jessamine,
some blue in colour and some red, with yellow points in the middle,
exceedingly pretty in appearance: its name is "ladar push." They
call it push-i-`aliyyu-l-`umum [301] (the common push?). There are
many yellow arghawan (Judas-trees) on the road as well. The flowers
of Kashmir are beyond counting and calculation. Which shall I write
of? And how many can I describe? I have only mentioned the most
remarkable. There is a waterfall on this road, very high and fine. It
flows down from a high place. No other waterfall of such beauty was
seen on the road. I delayed a moment at it, and filled my eye and heart
with gazing on it from a high spot. On Saturday, the 9th, I marched 4
3/4 koss, and crossed over at Baramula. [302] It is one of the noted
towns of Kashmir, and 14 koss [303] distant from the city, situated on
the bank of the Bihat. A number of the merchants of Kashmir live in it,
and have built houses and mosques on the bank of the river, and spend
their days in ease and contentment. According to orders, before the
arrival of the host of prosperity, they had prepared decorated boats
at the place. As [304] the hour for entry (into Srinagar) had been
fixed for Monday, when two watches of the day had passed, on Sunday,
the 10th, I entered Shihabu-d-din-pur. On this day Dilawar K. Kakar,
the Governor of Kashmir, came from Kishtwar, [305] and had the good
fortune to kiss the threshold. He was exalted with various royal
favours and all kinds of imperial gratifications. He had done his duty
here in an acceptable manner, and it is hoped that the great Giver
of favours may light up the foreheads of all my servants with honour.
Kishtwar is to the south of Kashmir. From the city of Kashmir
(Srinagar) to the stage of Alkah (?), [306] which is the capital
of Kishtwar, the distance is 60 koss by measurement. On the 10th
of the Ilahi month of Shahriwar, in my 14th year, Dilawar K., with
10,000 horse and foot, determined to conquer Kishtwar. He appointed
his son, Hasan by name, with Gird `Ali Mir-bahr (admiral) to guard
the city and administer the territory. And as Gohar Chak and Aiba
Chak laid claim to Kashmir as heirs, and were stirring up strife in
Kishtwar, and were wandering in the valley of confusion and ruin,
he left Haibat, one of his brothers, with a force at Desu, which is
near the kotal of Pir Panjal, by way of caution, and, dividing his
forces at that place, he himself hastened with a force by the road
of Sanginpur, sending his son Jalal, with Nasru-llah `Arab, and `Ali
Malik Kashmiri, and a band of Jahangiri servants by another road, and
his elder son Jamal with a band of zealous young men as an advanced
guard to his own force. At the same time he placed two other forces
to move forward on his right and left. As no horses could go on the
road, by way of precaution he took some with him, but left nearly
[307] all his sipahis' horses behind, and sent them to Kashmir (i.e.,
Srinagar). The young men girded the belt of duty on their waists,
and went up the hills on foot. The ghazis of the army of Islam fought
from post to post with the ill-fated unbelievers as far as Narkot,
which was one of the enemy's strongholds. There the corps of Jalal and
Jamal, which had been sent by different roads, met, and the enemy,
not having the power to oppose them, took to flight. The brave ones
who offered their lives traversed many ups and downs with the courage
of determination, and hastened on to the Maru river. On the bank of
that river the fire of slaughter was lighted, and the ghazis of the
army of Islam displayed approved activity. The ill-fated Aiba Chak,
with many of the people of ruin, were slain. By the death of Aiba the
Raja became powerless and without heart, and took the road of flight,
and, crossing by the bridge, stopped at Bhandarkot, which is on the
other side. A band of the brave ones (bahaduran) quickly advanced,
wishing to cross the bridge. A great fight took place at its head, and
some of the young men attained to martyrdom. In this way for twenty
days and nights the servants of the Court tried to cross the river,
and the unbelievers of darkened fortune did not fail to attack and try
to drive them back, until Dilawar K., after establishing thanas and
arranging for the commissariat, arrived with his army. The Raja, by
way of stratagem and vulpine trickery, sent his Vakils to Dilawar K.,
and begged that he might send his brother with offerings to the Court,
so that when his offences obtained pardon, and his mind were freed
from fear and trouble, he could also himself proceed to the Court, the
refuge of the world, and kiss the threshold. Dilawar K. did not lend
his ear to these deceitful words, and did not throw away from his hand
the coin of opportunity. He dismissed the envoys of the Raja without
the attainment of their object, and made every exertion to cross the
bridge. His eldest son Jamal, with a band of the crocodiles of the
sea of bravery and valour, went up the river, and by bravely swimming
it although swollen crossed over, and engaged in a fierce battle with
the enemy. The devoted servants of the Court made an attack from the
other side, and made matters tight for these ruined people. These,
when they found they had no longer the strength to oppose them, broke
down the planking of the bridge, and took to flight. The victorious
servants made the bridge strong again, and transported the remainder
of the army. Dilawar Khan drew up his forces at Bhandarkot. From the
aforesaid river (the Maru) to the Chenab, which is a strong support of
these unfortunate people, is a distance of two bow-shots, and on the
bank of the Chenab there is a lofty hill. The crossing of the water is
a difficult matter, and, with a view to the coming and going of people
on foot, they attach strong ropes, and place planks of the width of a
cubit between two ropes, and fasten one rope's end to the top of the
hill, and the other on the other side of the water. Then they attach
two other ropes a gaz higher than these, that foot-passengers may
place their feet on the planks, and, taking hold of the upper ropes,
may descend from the top of the hill to the bottom, and so cross the
river. This bridge they call zampa, in the language of the people
of the hill country. Wherever they apprehended that a rope bridge
might be constructed, they stationed musketeers and archers and
men-at-arms, and so felt secure. Dilawar K. made rafts (jhala), and,
placing on them eighty of his valiant young men, sent them across
the river at night. As the water was flowing with great violence, the
rafts were carried down by the flood of destruction, and sixty-eight
of these gallant men were drowned in the sea of non-existence, and
obtained the renown of martyrdom, whilst ten, by the aid of swimming,
reached the shore of safety (i.e., returned), and two on the other
side became prisoners in the hands of the infidels. In short, for
four months and ten days Dilawar Khan, having planted the foot of
courage at Bhandarkot, made endeavours to cross over; but the arrow
of stratagem did not reach the target of intent until a Zamindar
pointed out a place which the enemy had no idea of. There, having
constructed a zampah, in the heart of night, Jalal, Dilawar K.'s son,
with some of the servants of the Court and a band of Afghans, about
200 in number, crossed over in safety, made unawares in the morning
an attack on the Raja, and blew loudly the trumpets of victory. A
few who were around and before the Raja rushed out, bewildered, half
asleep and half awake, and most of them became the harvest of the
blood-drinking sword, while the rest quickly withdrew themselves from
that whirlpool of calamity. In that encounter one of the soldiers came
upon the Raja, and wished to finish him with a sword. He called out:
"I am the Raja; take me alive to Dilawar Khan." The men rushed on
him and made him prisoner. After the Raja was made prisoner, his
people all fled. When Dilawar Khan heard this good news of victory,
he prostrated himself in thankfulness to Allah, and, having crossed
the river with the victorious army, came to Mandal Badr, [308] which
was the capital of the country, and is 3 koss from the river. The
daughter [309] of Sangram Raja of Jammu, and the daughter of the
abandoned Suraj Mal, s. Raja Baso, were in the Raja's house (i.e.,
married to him). By Sangram's daughter he had children. Before the
victory he had, by way of caution, sent his family for refuge to
the Raja of Jaswal and other Zamindars. When my victorious retinue
approached, Dilawar Khan, according to order, took the Raja with him,
and came to kiss the threshold, leaving Nasru-llah `Arab with a body
of horse and foot to guard the country.
In Kishtwar there are produced much wheat, barley, lentils, millet,
and pulse. Differing from Kashmir, it produces little rice. Its saffron
is finer than that of Kashmir. About a hundred hawks and falcons are
caught there (annually). Oranges, citrons, and water-melons of the
finest kind are obtained. Its melons are of the same kind as those of
Kashmir, and other fruits, such as grapes, apricots, peaches, and sour
pears, are grown. If they were cultivated, it is possible they would
improve. A coin [310] of the name of sanhasi [311] is a relic of the
old rulers of Kashmir, one and a half of which equal a rupee. In their
business transactions they reckon fifteen sanhasi, or ten rupees,
as one padshahi muhar. They call two seers of Hindustani weight a
man (maund). It is not the custom for the Raja to take revenue from
cultivation; he takes annually six sanhasi--that is, four rupees--from
each house. All the saffron is assigned, as pay, to a body of Rajputs
and to 700 musketeers (tupchi) who are old retainers. When the saffron
is sold, four rupees per maund, or two seers, are taken from the
purchaser. The whole income of the Raja consists of fines, and for a
small offence he takes a heavy sum. From whomsoever is wealthy and in
comfortable circumstances the Raja, on some pretext, clears out all
that he has. From all sources his income is about Rs. 100,000. In time
of war 6,000 or 7,000 men on foot collect together; there are but few
horses among them. The Raja and the chief men have about fifty between
them. I bestowed a year's revenue on Dilawar K. by way of reward. By
conjecture, his jagir was worth about 1,000 personal and 1,000 horse,
according to the Jahangiri rules. When the chief diwans calculate
the allowances to the jagirdars, the exact amount will be ascertained.
On Monday, the 11th, after two watches and four gharis had passed,
the royal cortege alighted auspiciously and happily at the buildings
lately erected on the bank of the lake (the Dal lake). By order of my
father, a very strong fort of stone and lime had been built. It is not
quite completed, one side being unfinished. It is hoped that hereafter
it will be completed. From Hasan Abdal to Kashmir by the road I came
is a distance of 75 koss; this was accomplished in nineteen marches
and six halts--that is, in twenty-five days. From Agra to Kashmir,
in the space of 168 days, a distance of 376 koss was traversed in
102 marches and 63 halts. By land [312] and the ordinary route the
distance is 304 1/2 koss.
On Tuesday, the 12th, Dilawar K., according to order, brought the Raja
[313] of Kishtwar, chained, into my presence, and did homage. He (the
Raja) is not wanting in dignity. His dress is after the Indian fashion,
and he knows both the Hindi and the Kashmiri languages. Contrary to
other Zamindars of these regions, he looked like the inhabitant of
a town. I told him that, notwithstanding his offences, if he would
bring his sons to Court, he should be released from confinement, and
might live at ease under the shadow of the eternal State, or else he
would be imprisoned in one of the forts of Hindustan. He said that
he would bring his people, his family, and his sons to wait on me,
and was hopeful of my clemency.
I shall now give a brief account of the country of Kashmir and of
its peculiarities.
Kashmir [314] belongs to the fourth climate. Its latitude is 35°
N., and its longitude, from the White Islands, 105°. In old times
the country was in the possession of Rajas. Their dynasty lasted for
4,000 years. An account of them, and a list of their names, are given
in the Raja-tarang, which, by my father's order, was translated [315]
from the Sanskrit (Hindi in text) into Persian. In the Hijri year 712
(1312-13) Kashmir was illumined by the religion of Islam. Thirty-two
Muhammadan princes reigned over it for 282 years, until, in 994
(1586), my father conquered it. From that date till now, being a
period of thirty-five years, the country has been in the possession
of the Crown. Kashmir, from the Pass of Buliyasa [316] to Qambarbar,
is 56 Jahangiri koss long, and its breadth is never more than 27
koss, or less than 10 koss. Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl has, in the Akbar-nama,
stated, by guess and conjecture, that the length of Kashmir from the
Kishan Ganga to Qambarbar is 120 koss, and its breadth from 10 to 25
koss. I, out of prudence and caution, appointed a number of trustworthy
and intelligent men to measure the length and breadth with ropes
(tanab). The result was that what the Shaikh wrote as 120 koss came
out as 67. As it is agreed that the boundary of a country is the place
up to which people speak the language of that country, it follows
that the boundary of Kashmir is Buliyasa, which is 11 koss on this
side (i.e., east) of the Kishan Ganga. So, according to the preceding
figures, the length of Kashmir is 56 (67 - 11) koss. The variations in
breadth were found to be not more than 2 koss. The koss [317] which
is in use during my reign is that prescribed by my father. That is,
a koss is 5,000 yards, and the yard is 2 shar`i yards, each of the
latter (yards) being 24 digits [318] (angusht). Wherever the koss or
gaz is mentioned, the reference is to the above koss and the above
gaz. The name of the city is Srinagar, and the Bihat river flows
through the midst of it. They call its fountain-head Vir-nag. [319]
It is 14 koss to the south. By my order they have made a building and
a garden at that source. There have been built in the city four very
strong stone and wooden bridges, over which people come and go. They
call a bridge in the language of this country kadal. There is a
very lofty mosque in the city, one of the marks of Sultan Sikandar,
[320] made in 795 (1393). After a time it was burnt, but was rebuilt
by Sultan Husain. It had not been completed when the mansion of his
life fell down. In 909 (1503-04) Ibrahim Maqri, Vizier of Sultan
Husain, finished it handsomely. From that day till now it is 120
years since it has been in existence. From the Mihrab to the eastern
wall it is 145 yards, and its breadth is 144 yards, containing four
(taq) alcoves. On all sides of the hall they have erected beautiful
cloisters and pillars. In short, no better memorial of the rulers
of Kashmir has been left than this. Mir Sayyid `Ali of Hamadan (may
his grave be sanctified!) was for some time in this city. There is
a monastery [321] to his memory. Near the city there are two [322]
large lakes full of water all the year round. Their flavour [323]
does not vary; they are the means for coming and going of the people,
and for the conveyance of grain and firewood on boats. In the city
and parganas there are 5,700 boats, with 7,400 [324] boatmen. The
country of Kashmir has thirty-eight parganas. It is divided into two
provinces; the territory on the upper part of the river they call
Marraj, and that on the lower Kamraj. It is not the custom to use
gold and silver for payment of the revenue from land or in commerce,
except for a portion of the cesses (sa'ir-jihat). [325] They reckon
the value of things in kharwars of rice, each kharwar being three
maunds and eight seers of the current weight. The Kashmiris reckon
two seers as one maund, and four maunds, or eight seers, make one
tark. The revenue of Kashmir is 30,63,050 kharwars and 11 tarks, which
in cash represents 7,46,70,000 dams. Ordinarily it maintains 8,500
horse. It is very difficult to enter Kashmir. The routes by Bhimbhar
[326] and Pakli are the best. Though that by Bhimbhar is the shorter,
yet if one wishes to find spring in Kashmir, he is confined to the
road by Pakli, for the other roads at this season are blocked with
snow. If one were to take to praise Kashmir, whole books would have
to be written. Accordingly a mere summary will be recorded.
Kashmir is a garden [327] of eternal spring, or an iron fort to
a palace of kings--a delightful flower-bed, and a heart-expanding
heritage for dervishes. Its pleasant meads and enchanting cascades
are beyond all description. There are running streams and fountains
beyond count. Wherever the eye reaches, there are verdure and
running water. The red rose, the violet, and the narcissus grow of
themselves; in the fields, there are all kinds of flowers and all
sorts of sweet-scented herbs more than can be calculated. In the
soul-enchanting spring the hills and plains are filled with blossoms;
the gates, the walls, the courts, the roofs, are lighted up by the
torches of banquet-adorning tulips. What shall we say of these things
or of the wide meadows (julgaha) and the fragrant trefoil?