No More Learning

. . The
Sayyids were forced into action by a regard for their own lives and
honour" (Irvine).
Rafi-ud-Darajat was a very intelligent youth of twenty, but already
seized with consumption when placed on the throne. He lived and
died as a captive of the Sayyid brothers. They restored peace to the
realm and reassured the alarmed public by leaving most of the old
>


## p. 340 (#376) ############################################

340
BAHADUR SHAH TO RAFI-UD-DAULA.
arrangements and office distributions unchanged. The poll-tax was
again abolished to appease the Hindus. Nizam-ul-Mulk, who still
maintained obstinate neutrality, was sent to Malwa as viceroy, to
get his Mughul troops out of Delhi. The Maratha contingent was
sent back with royal orders (dated 13 and 24 March) confirming the
promises made to them. The two brothers quarrelled over the
distribution of the treasure seized in the palace and the forfeited
assignments of Farrukh-siyar's partisans.
On 18 May the garrison of Agra fort, instigated by Mitra Sen (a
Nagar Brahman of local influence), refused to recognise Rafi-ud-
Darajat and proclaimed Niku-siyar (son of Akbar), who was kept in
prison there, as emperor, with Mitra Sen (now created Raja Birbal
with the rank of 7000) as his minister. The imperial treasure hoard
in the fort was used to enlist troops for the new sovereign. But the
rebellion did not spread beyond the fort walls; Niku-siyar's two great
friends, Jay Singh Sawai and Chhabela Ram, held back, and he
wrote to the Sayyid brothers inviting them to accept him as emperor,
in return for the recognition of their rank and honours.
Rafi'-ud-Darajat grew rapidly weaker from his disease, and was
deposed on 4 June, 1719, dying of consumption a week afterwards.
His elder brother, Rafi -ud-Daula, was enthroned (6 June), with the
title of Shah Jahan the second. He too lived within the fort, a prisoner
of his two ministers in all matters, even in his private life. Inayat-
ullah, the brother of Farrukh-siyar's mother, began to raise an army
for overthrowing the Sayyids. But his plot was detected and he was
seized at Delhi (10 June, 1719) and thrown into prison. Jay Singh
Sawai was the rallying point of the discontented nobles, several of
whom fled to him.
Husain 'Ali marched to Agra and pressed on its siege vigorously.
The walls and even the pearl mosque were damaged by his fire, but
no breach or mine was completed. After a month the garrison began
to suffer from scarcity of provisions. Niku-siyar's brother, in trying
to escape, was captured. At last, on 12 August, the fort was sur-
rendered, Niku-siyar was sent to another state prison and · Mitra
Sen committed suicide.
Jay Singh having advanced from Amber with hostile intent,
'Abdullah marched out of Delhi with the new emperor on 15 July,
and arrived at Vidyapur near Fathpur-Sikri on 1 September. Here
Husain 'Ali arrived in a few days, and the two brothers made a
division of the spoils taken at Agra. Rafi'-ud-Daula was a very sickly
youth, and much addicted to opium. An attack of diarrhea in such a
constitution baffled all the royal physicians and he died in the camp on
17 September, but the fact was kept concealed for nine days. The
Sayyids, who had been already looking out for his successor, crowned
Raushan-Akhtar, the son of Jahan Shah (the fourth son of Bahadur
Shah), under the title of Muhammad Shah, on 28 September, 1719.


## p. 341 (#377) ############################################

:
CHAPTER
XU
MUHAMMAD SHAH
THE new emperor, though weak and inexperienced, was not so
feeble as his two predecessors, but the condition of the empire was
now such that none but an Akbar could have restored the imperial
authority.
The Sayyid brothers were still all powerful at court, but the antago-
nism of the Turanian nobles and their own dissensions and unfitness
for their positions were undermining their power, and the great
provinces of the empire were only nominally subordinate to the
imperial authority.
Ja'far Khan, who had originally been 'Azim-ush-Shan's lieutenant
in the province of Bengal, now ruled as viceroy the provinces of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The viceroyalty of the six provinces of the
Deccan was held by Sayyid Husain 'Ali Khan Amir-ul-Umara, who
derived his wealth and power from this great charge and who was
represented at Aurangabad, during his absence at court, by his
nephew, 'Alim 'Ali Khan. Ajit Singh of Jodhpur, a fine ally of the
Sayyids, held, besides his own state, the government of the great
provinces of Gujarat and Ajmer. The province of Malwa was held
by. Nizam-ul-Mulk, the leader of the Turanian party among the
nobles, who was bitterly hostile to the Sayyids. He had been induced
by a promise of the viceroyalty of Bengal to acquiesce in their de-
position of Farrukh-siyar and when the measure had been carried
out had been forced to content himself with the provincial govern-
ment of Malwa. Considering himself deceived he departed for Malwa
with an ill grace on 3 March, 1719.
The Allahabad province was held by Chhabela Ram, who had been
devoted to Farrukh-siyar and so resented the treatment of that prince
that he had only been restrained by a rebellion in his own province
from taking up arms on behalf of Niku-siyar. Chhabela Ram might
now be said to be in rebellion and the Sayyids were meditating an
attack on Allahabad.
** Sayyid 'Abdullah Khan, with the emperor, marched, on 14 October,
from Fathpur-Sikri to Agra and was about to open negotiations with
Chhabela Ram when the latter suddenly died. His nephew Girdhar
Bahadur opened negotiations for the surrender of the strong fortress
of Allahabad in return for appointment as governor of Oudh. He
åccepted these terms but delayed so long, on flimsy pretexts, that
å force was sent to besiege Allahabad.
- Budh Singh of Bundi, chief of the Hara clan of Rajputs, had
opposed the Sayyids' treatment of Farrukh-siyar and his kinsman
.


## p. 342 (#378) ############################################

342
MUHAMMAD SHAH
Bhim Singh of Kotah sought to obtain the support of the powerful
brothers to oust Budh Singh from Bundi and to usurp the position
of chief of the Haras. The Sayyids sent a force to assist Bhim Singh
.
with instructions, after completing this task, to remain on the confines
of Malwa and observe the movements of Nizam-ul-Mulk, whose inten-
tion of establishing himself in the Deccan was already suspected.
Meanwhile the Sayyid brothers had quarrelled over the spoils of
Agra. The younger claimed the spoils as he had taken them, while
the elder maintained that they should be divided. After an acri.
monious dispute Sayyid Husain 'Ali Khan was obliged to surrender
over two million rupees to his brother and the two were never again
on their former terms of amity. At the same time Sayyid 'Abdullah
Khan incurred much odium by leaving the management of all public
affairs in the hands of Ratan Chand, whose interference with
ecclesiastical appointments caused such scandal that even his master
was provoked to utter a mild rebuke.
Girdhar Bahadur had strengthened the defences of Allahabad,
which he still hesitated to surrender. At length he said he would
deal with nobody but Ratan Chand, who was accordingly sent, on
10 March, 1720, to negotiate the surrender. A month later Girdhar,
leaving the gates of the fort open, marched off to take over his
province. The evacuation was celebrated at Agra as a great victory
won by the imperial arms.
Nizam-ul-Mulk had done his utmost to restore order in Malwa and
to strengthen himself for a conflict with the Sayyids. He increased
their dislike of him by employing Marhamat Khan, who had been
dismissed from the post of commandant of Mandu. Marhamat Khan
justified the selection by capturing Sironj and Bhilsa from some
Rajput rebels whom the Sayyids had ordered Nizam-ul-Mulk to
punish. This success was so distasteful to Husain 'Ali that his service
was unrecognised, and Nizam-ul-Mulk was warned by his cousin that
the Sayyids, as soon as they had finished with Niku-siyar and Girdhar
Bahadur, intended to attack him. He accordingly began to enlist
troops in large numbers and Husain 'Ali abused his agent at court,
A protest from Nizam-ul-Mulk led to a decree recalling him from
Malwa on the ground that it was necessary to place Malwa under
the control of the viceroy of the Deccan. The offer of a choice of
other provinces failed to allay the suspicion that his destruction was
intended, the movements of troops on the borders of his province
confirmed this, and private letters from the emperor and his mother
complaining of the Sayyids' usurpation of all authority removed any
scruples which may have oppressed him. There was no longer any
question of rebellion against the emperor. Action taken against the
Sayyids would be an attempt to release him from the hands of gaolers.
Nizam-ul-Mulk heard that mace-bearers were on their way from
Agra to compel him to return to court and on 9 May he crossed the


## p. 343 (#379) ############################################

NIZAM-UL-MULK OPPOSES THE SAYYIDS
343
Narbada and invaded Khandesh, the northernmost province of
Husain 'Ali's viceroyalty.
The Sayyid brothers quarrelled again over the question of the
manner in which he should be dealt with, but the more vigorous
counsel of the younger prevailed, Dilavar 'Ali Khan was sent in
pursuit and steps were taken to pursue him and to bar his way to
the south.
Meanwhile Nizam-ul-Mulk had been active. He gained possession
of the strong fortress of Asir by the bribing of its garrison, whose pay
was two years in arrears, and imprisoning its aged and incompetent
commander. A few days later Burhanpur was occupied. A step-
mother of the Sayyids was in Burhanpur, and the men of her escort,
in their terror, offered to surrender all valuables carried by the party
on condition that the lives and honour of their charges were spared.
Nizam-ul-Mulk behaved gallantly. He refused to accept anything,
sent a present of fruit to the children, and provided an escort to
conduct the whole party in safety to the Narbada. Early in June he
turned northwards to meet the pursuing force, which was composed
of picked men, including a large number of Barha Sayyids, but their
valour was no match for the tactics of Nizam-ul-Mulk, who gained
a complete victory near Khandwa. A forced march to Burhanpur
of a detachment of the troops which had taken part in the battle
of Khandwa arrested the further progress of an army which was
advancing from the south.
These successes dismayed the Sayyid brothers and various plans
of action were discussed. Conciliatory letters and an imperial res-
cript promising Nizam-ul-Mulk the viceroyalty of the Deccan were
estimated at their true value, in view of the continued presence of
the Deccan army in the field. The rainy season rendered any rapid
military movement impossible, and after some futile negotiations and
much tedious marching and counter-marching through the heavy soil
of Berar the armies met between the towns of Balapuri and
Shevgaon ? in Berar. On 10 August both armies advanced to the
attack. One historian has asserted that Nizam-ul-Mulk's cause was
desperate and that his defeat was averted only by the death of the
opposing commander, 'Alim 'Ali Khan, the nephew and deputy of
Husain 'Ali Khan. Many of the troops on the losing side, with the
facility of those who fight for gain alone, transferred their services
to the victor. A few days after the battle the governor of Hyderabad
and his brother, who had announced that they were marching to
the aid of the Sayyids, made their submission to Nizam-ul-Mulk in
his camp, his authority was established in the viceroyalty of the
Deccan, and he sent the head of Sayyid Alim 'Ali Khan to the
emperor as that of a rebel.
Husain 'Ali was already preparing to march to the Deccan when
1 20° 40' N. , 76° 50' E.
2 20° 48' N. , 76° 45' E.
9


## p. 344 (#380) ############################################

314
MUHAMMAD SHAH
camel-riders, on 27 August, brought to Agra the news of 'Alim 'Ali's
defeat and death. The Sayyid brothers were overwhelmed with grief
and consternation and could determine on no course of action. At
length it was decided that the emperor should march with Sayyid
Husain 'Ali Khan to the Deccan and that Sayyid Abdullah Khan
should administer from Delhi the northern provinces of the
empire.
The Mughul nobles, both of the Turanian and of the Iranian
factions, were now weary of domination by the Sayyids and Mu-
hammad Amin Khan, the leader of the former, who occasionally
spoke Turki to the empreor, having ascertained his resentment of
their actions, formed a conspiracy to remove Husain 'Ali. Among
the conspirators was Mir Muhammad Amin, a Sayyid of Nishapur
who had lately received the title of Sa'adat Khan and had also as
a Sayyid and a Shiah, been a client and favourite of Husain 'Ali.
The assassin, Mir Haidar Beg, another Sayyid, was found by Mu-
hammad Amin Khan from his own contingent.
On the morning of 9 October, when Husain 'Ali, having made his
obeisance to the emperor at the camp a short distance to the east of
Toda Bhim which the army had just reached, was being borne
towards his own tents Mir Haidar Beg and one or two other Mughuls
approached his palanquin and complained loudly of their treatment
by their master, Muhammad Amin Khan, who, they said, embezzled
their pay. Husain 'Ali, who had ridiculed a warning that a plot
against his life was on foot, beckoned to Mir Haider Beg, whom he
knew by sight, and as the latter approached as though to present
his petition turned to take a pipe from a pipe-bearer who stood
on the other side of the palanquin. Mir Haider Beg, seizing his
opportunity, drew his long knife and plunged it into Husain 'Ali's
side, and then, dragging his body from the palanquin, sat astride
it and began to hack off the head. The murderer was slain by a young
cousin of the murdered man, who was in his turn put to death by
some Mughuls.
Muhammad Amin Khan'at once appeared on the scene and carried
the Sayyid's severed head into the emperor's tents, but Muhammad
Shah shrank from them and retired into the women's apartments.
A conspirator threw a shawl over his head and, rushing into the tent
of the women, seized Muhammad and took him to the scene of the
murder, the elephants were brought up, and the party mounted:
The Sayyid's head was raised aloft on a bamboo, the drums were
beaten and orders were given that his tents and treasure should be
plundered. Ratan Chand, who was accompanying the army to the
Deccan, was seized and imprisoned.
Sayyid 'Abdullah Khan received by a camel-rider a scrap of paper
from Ratan Chand informing him of the assassination of his brother,
1 26° -55' N. , 76° 49E


## p. 345 (#381) ############################################

'ABDULLAH KHAN DEFEATED AND IMPRISONED 346
Sending on his son-in-law and a few others ahead to Delhi to proclaim
one of the imprisoned princes of the house of Timur as emperor, he
continued his march.
* On the day following the assassination Muhammad Shah held
a formal audience at which Muhammad Amin Khan was appointed
minister and promotion was freely showered on the conspirators.
Muhammad Amin Khan and the cowardly Khan Dauran were both
promoted to the command of 8000 horse, a rank hitherto restricted
to princes of the imperial family; the new minister's son, Qamar-
ud-din Khan, received the command of 7000, and Sa'adat Khan of
5000 horse.
It was decided to turn northward and deal with 'Abdullah Khan,
and by 14 November the imperial army reached the neighbourhood
of Hasanpur, on the Jumna, about fifty miles south of Delhi.
The prince selected by the Sayyids' party for the dangerous honour
of the throne was Ibrahim,' a brother of the two puppet emperors,
Rafi-ud-Darajat and Rafi -ud-Daula. He was proclaimed at Delhi
on 14 October, two days before the arrival of 'Abdullah Khan, who
assembled troops—many of which were of very poor quality. His
army marched out to the Qutb Minar on 2 November and on the
14th reached Bilochpur, a village on the Jumna about five miles north
of Hasanpur.
The battle, which began on 15 November, was throughout the
first day chiefly a duel of artillery. The impetuous valour of the
Sayyids of Barha, who had gathered round their leader, held the
imperial troops in check but 'Abdullah Khan's artillery was hopelessly
outclassed by the imperial guns, which were not only far superior
in weight of metal but were admirably served. Many of his raw.
and undisciplined troops melted away before the fire of the imperial
guns, so that of 40,000 horse and 18,000 foot with which he had taken
the field in the morning no more than a few thousands remained with
him in the evening. There was a bright moon and the slightest
movement in his camp drew on it the fire of the artillery, which was
not only active during the night but was advanced to within a short
distance of his position. (By morning only a few of his relations and
a thousand veteran troops remained; though they charged the im-
perial army, valour was of no avail. ) Nearly all the leaders were slain,
wounded, or captured, and Sayyid 'Abdullah Khan and his wounded
brother were taken and 'Abdullah was led before the emperor.
'Abdullah and his brother were eventually placed in the custody of
Haidar Quli Khan. Ratan Chand had been beheaded before the
emperor's elephant at the beginning of the battle.
Prince Ibrahim was arrested in a mango grove at Bagpur on the
Jumna, sixteen miles north of Hasanpur, and carried before Mu-
hammad Shah, who, recognising that he had been merely a pawn in
1 Coin was actually struck in his name (Ed. ). .


## p. 346 (#382) ############################################

346
MUHAMMAD SHAH
'Abdullah's game, received him kindly and inflicted no penalty. But
he was sent back to his prison at Delhi.
On 23 November Muhammad Shah entered his capital in triumph
and received provincial governors from the Punjab, Oudh and Raja
Jay Singh of Amber. Nizam-ul-Mulk and the lieutenant-governor
of Orissa, who could not reach Delhi so soon, sent expressions of their
loyalty, congratulations on the emperor's victory, and contributions
to his treasury. A proclamation at the beginning of the reign had
decreed the levy of the jizya and the levy was now confirmed but was
suddenly abandoned at the instance of Jay Singh of Amber and
Girdhar Bahadur, whom it was not politic to offend.
On 9 January, 1721, Muhammad Shah married the daughter of
Farrukh-siyar, and on 30 January the minister, Muhammad Amin
Khan, died of colic. His death was attributed to the magical arts
of a Persian adventurer named Mir Muhammad Husain, who calling
himself Namud announced himself as the prophet of a new religion,
described in a volume of scripture in a strange language of which he
was the sole interpreter. He had acquired a considerable following,
and Muhammad Amin Khan, whose fierce bigotry was notorious,
resolved to punish the heresiarch and sent soldiers to arrest him.
When the colic which had already attacked the minister suddenly
grew worse, Namud was taxed with having cast a spell upon him and
admitted that he had. He declined to remove it and predicted his
oppressor's immediate death. The fulfilment of his prediction greatly
increased his influence among the vulgar and secured him from the
attacks of the powerful. Namud died two or three years later and was
succeeded by his son, who bore the fanciful name of Numa Namud.
This avaricious successor deprived his father's chief disciple Duji
Bar of the share of the offerings which he had hitherto enjoyed and
Duji Bar in his wrath exposed the fraud. When the fabrication of
the creed and scriptures was known the sect lost all its followers save
a few fools.
The duties of minister were entrusted as a temporary measure,
and pending the arrival at court of Nizam-ul-Mulk, to 'Inayat-ullah
Khan the Kashmiri, an old noble of Aurangzib's reign, Qamar-
ud-din Khan received his father's title of I'timad-ud-Daula, and
Sa'adat Khan was appointed to the government of Agra.
Ajit Singh of Jodhpur, who had been a partisan of the Sayyids and
still held the government of Ajmer and Gujarat, refused to recognise
the new government and assumed the state of an independent
sovereign. Complaints of his tyranny and, above all, of his bigotry
and intolerance, reached the court and orders were issued dismissing
him from the government of both provinces. So strong was the
sentiment aroused in Gujarat by the raja's misgovernment that his
deputy was attacked and expelled from the province, and the
Mughul deputy had no difficulty in taking his place. In the province


## p. 347 (#383) ############################################

NIZAM-UL-MULK APPOINTED MINISTER
317
of Ajmer, contiguous to the contumacious raja's own state, it was
less easy to provide, as none of the nobles at court was willing to
undertake the task. Ajit Singh invaded Ajmer with 30,000 horse,
and news of this checked a Mughul officer who started. Sa'adat Khan
was summoned from Agra to punish the rebel, but when he reached
Delhi he could find nobody to accompany him and the emperor
either could not or would not supply him with the funds for his
troops. Intelligence was now received that the officer who had
first advanced had entered the province of Ajmer and had plundered
some of its villages, but all the plunder had been retained by his
starving troops, who were in arrears of pay, and he had fled to Amber,
io Jay Singh, and returned his commission as governor of Ajmer.
While the courtiers wavered as to the order to be taken with Ajit
Singh, Nizam-ul-Mulk started from the Deccan, and the news
brought Ajit Singh to his senses. On entering Ajmer he rebuilt
mosques which had been destroyed by his orders, allowed the
butchers to kill cattle for food, and withdrew his former prohibition
of the Muslim call to prayer. He then wrote to court a humble
petition promising that, if he were allowed to retain Ajmer, he would
be loyal and submissive in future, and this was granted.
Nizam-ul-Mulk had started from Aurangabad for Delhi on hearing
the result of the battle of Hasanpur, but at the news of Muhammad
Amin Khan's appointment as minister he returned immediately to
his capital. His ambition was to establish virtual independence in
the Deccan and to control at Delhi the affairs of the empire. The
Marathas were already the chief obstacle in the south, and when he
failed to attain his object at Delhi he was mean enough to free himself
in the south by encouraging them to extend their ravages to the
northern provinces of the empire.
He was dealing with disturbances in Bijapur and the Carnatic
when the news of Muhammad in Khan's death reached him.
Regarding the emperor's refusal to fill the place at once as an
indication that it was reserved for him, he marched northwards,
and was presented to the emperor at Delhi on 29 January, 1772. The
jealousy and the intrigues of the courtiers delayed for a short time
his appointment as minister, but on 21 February the emperor pre-
sented him with the pen-case symbolical of the post and he entered
upon his duties. Meeting with interference and opposition he ordered
his chief opponent, Haider Quli Khan, to repair to his province. The
order was obeyed, but Haider Quli Khan's conduct in Gujarat was
as embarrassing as his behaviour at court. His violence and eccen-
tricity now developed into mania, and he boasted that he would
overthrow Nizam-ul-Mulk.
The new minister's unpopularity increased daily. Courtiers were
alienated by his arrogance and the emperor by the strictness of his
discipline. Some even encouraged the maniac Haider Quli Khan,


## p. 348 (#384) ############################################

848
MUHAMMAD SHAH
but his administration of Gujarat became such a scandal that wiser
counsels prevailed and he was dismissed. He had, however, grown so
strong in Gujarat that only one of the most powerful of the nobles
could depose him. The choice naturally fell on the minister as the
most capable and least desired at the capital, and Nizam-ul-Mulk
was appointed to the government of Gujarat, to be held in addition
to his post of minister and the viceroyalty of the Deccan. He left
Delhi on 12 November and marched for Gujarat. Haider Quli Khan,
who decided that it would be folly to oppose him and had no desire
to encounter him, left Gujarat for Delhi by another route, and
Nizam-ul-Mulk, finding no resistance, sent his deputy into Gujarat
and set out on his return march to Delhi.
Sayyid 'Abdullah Khan had recently been the cause of dissensions
between the courtiers, some of whom advocated his release. The
majority, however, persuaded the emperor that his removal was
necessary, and on 12 October, 1722, he was poisoned.
Before Nizam-ul-Mulk left Delhi for Gujarat Sa'adat Khan, who
held the government of Agra, received the title of Burhan-ul-Mulk,
by which he will henceforth be known, and was appointed to the
government of Oudh, in addition to that of Agra. The Jats to the
west and north-west of Agra had long been a source of trouble. Their
chief, Churaman, though he had sworn allegiance to Muhammad
Shah and was ostensibly ranged on his side at the battle of Hasanpur,
had plundered the camps of both armies indiscriminately, and now
exhibited scarcely a pretence of subordination either to the governor
of Agra or to the emperor. The deputy at Agra, while riding abroad,
was shot dead by a Jat. Burhan-ul-Mulk set out from Oudh to avenge
the death of his lieutenant, but Khan Dauran, who had resented his
appointment to two such important provinces as Agra and Oudh,
in the absence of Nizam-ul-Mulk made the outrage a pretext for
transferring the government of Agra to Raja Jay Singh of Amber.
Jay Singh received an order to crush the Jats. Their country lay
between Jay Singh's capital and the seat of his new government,
and he attacked them on his way to Agra. A family quarrel gave him
the help of Badan Singh, Churaman's nephew, in the siege of Thun,"
in the course of which Churaman quarrelled with his son Muhkam
Singh and poisoned himself. Muhkam Singh fled from Thun, which
was occupied by Jay Singh's troops on 19 November, and Badan
Singh, in exchange for an undertaking to pay tribute regularly to
Delhi, was recognised as Raja of Dig, where he laid the foundations
of the Jat state of Bharatpur,? which has played a prominent part in
the later history of India.
The confirmation of Ajit Singh in the government of Ajmer had
been due to weakness rather than to clemency, and his tenure of
Ajmer, sanctified by the shrines of Mu'in-ud-din Chishti and several
1 27° 23' N. , 77° 7' E.
2 See vol. v, pp. 374-5 and 577.


## p. 349 (#385) ############################################

NIZAM-UL-MULK RETURNS TO THE DECCAN 349
lesser saints, was repugnant to Muslim sentiment. Haider Quli Khan's
prompt obedience to the order recalling him from Gujarat and his
reckless audacity led to his appointment as governor of Ajmer, from
which he expelled the raja's officers.
On 5 July, 1723, Nizam-ul-Mulk arrived at Delhi, but soon found
his position at court insupportable. His gravity and austerity had
unfitted him for intercourse with courtiers who were rather boon
companions than statesmen. Muhammad Shah now neglected public
business entirely beyond passing orders on the petitions of suitors and
place-seekers recommended by his intimate associates, who reaped
a rich harvest from the fees which they levied from their clients.
Those to whom the execution of the duties of minister had fallen
during Nizam-ul-Mulk's absence in Gujarat were loth to surrender
their power and he enjoyed the title without the power of his place.
He ventured to offer serious advice to his sovereign, entreating him
to abandon the practice of letting the reserved lands in farm, to
abolish the wholesale bribery which prevailed at court, to exact the
levy of the jizya, as in the time of Aurangzib, from unbelievers, and
to requite the services rendered by Tahmasp. I. of Persia to his
ancestor, Humayun, by marching to relieve Tahmasp II, now beset
by Afghan invaders, who had sacked and occupied his capital. This
advice was rejected; Nizam-ul-Mulk obtained permission to make
a shooting tour in the Duab, and on 18 December left the court.
News of Maratha inroads in Malwa and Gujarat now reached
Delhi, and Nizam-ul-Mulk, who was at Soron, near the Ganges,
informed the emperor that these required his immediate presence
in his own provinces, and, without waiting for formal permission,
marched at once into Malwa. On his approach the Marathas, who
had only followed his own secret advice, retired across the Narbada
and Nizam-ul-Mulk encamped for some time at Sehore.
Here he
learnt of the existence at Delhi of an elaborate conspiracy to compass
his overthrow.
His post of minister had been bestowed on his cousin Qamar-ud-din
Khan, I'timad-ud-Daula, and now his enemies persuaded the weak
emperor to send secret instructions to Mubariz Khan to oppose his
return to the Deccan, promising as a reward the viceroyalty of that
region, the greatest place in the empire.
Mubariz Khan had served Sayyid Hussain 'Ali Khan before
Nizam-ul-Mulk, who had indulgently treated him, and had left
him at Hyderabad as governor, when the viceroy went to Delhi.
On reaching his capital at Aurangabad late in June, 1724, Nizam-
ul-Mulk discovered that Mubariz Khan's preparations for attack were
far" advanced and that the Marathas had extended their operations
in the Deccan. Remonstrances proved fruitless, and in August,
hearing that Mubariz Khan's army was already in motion, he left:
Aurangabad to meet him.


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350
MUHAMMAD SHAH
Mubariz Khan attempted, by passing far to the east of Aurangabad,
to draw him away from the city, hoping to be able to descend on
Aurangabad from the north and occupy it before his intentions were
ascertained. He evaded Nizam-ul-Mulk, but the viceroy turned
northward to meet him. The two armies met at Shakarkheldal in
Berar on 11 October. The historians represent the battle as having
been fiercely contested. Nizam-ul-Mulk's army was at one time
thrown into some confusion by the unsuccessful attempt of a force
of the enemy to plunder its camp and baggage, a stratagem usual in
the Deccan. But the losses of Nizam-ul-Mulk, which amounted to
only three officers and a few rank and file, indicate that he met no
very desperate resistance. Mubariz Khan and two of his sons were
killed and two other sons taken prisoners, and the losses in killed
amounted to three thousand, including many officers.
Nizam-ul-Mulk, to commemorate his victory, gave Shakarkhelda
the name of Fathkhelda, or "village of victory", and it is still known
indiscriminately by either name. He sent the severed head of his
opponent, in bitter irony, to court, as that of a rebel, and tendered
to the emperor his humble congratulations on the victory which had
attended his arms.
The battle of Fathkhelda marks the establishment in the Deccan
of Nizam-ul-Mulk's hereditary rule, though he had been virtually
independent since the fall of the Sayyid brothers.
Nizam-ul-Mulk marched, after his victory, to Hyderabad, which
he reached on 16 January, 1725, and which he now made his capital.
The wretched emperor was constrained to conciliate him and to
humiliate himself by rewarding him, in June, with the title of Asaf
Jah. However, the court faction strove to diminish his influence by
removing officers whom he had appointed and by preparing to deprive
him of the government of Gujarat.
Nizam-ul-Mulk, in reply to these attacks, enlisted the aid of the
Marathas, and attempted to restrict their forays in his provinces. ?
The two most prominent Maratha officers in Gujarat were Kanthaji
Kadam Bhande and Pilaji Gaikwar, and Nizam-ul-Mulk urged his
uncle, Hamid Khan, who represented him in that province, to protect
himself against any new governor whom the emperor might appoint.
Sarbuland Khan, Mubariz-ul-Mulk, was the governor chosen, and
he begged for the aid of Sayyid Najm-ud-din 'Ali Khan, who had
been in prison since the battle of Hasanpur, but was favoured by
Muhammad Shah, who had been led by the Sayyid from his prison
to his throne.
Sarbuland Khan did not at once proceed to Gujarat but appointed
as his lieutenant Shuja'at Khan, who had acted in the same capacity
before. Hamid Khan withdrew from Ahmadabad to Dohad and
there entered into negotiations with Kanthaji who, on being
1 20° 13' N. , 76° 27' E.
2 See chap. XIII.


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CONTESTS FOR GUJARAT
361
promised the chauth, readily joined him. The allies encamped at
Kapadvanj and seized an opportunity of attacking Shuja'at Khan
near Ahmadabad. He was defeated and slain and Hamid Khan's
authority was again recognised in Gujarat, but an attempt by a brother
of Shuja'at Khan who was commandant of Surat to avenge Shuja'at
Khan's death was also defeated.
Sarbuland Khan had been in no hurry to leave Delhi, as the
emperor had promised to appoint him minister if it were possible.
When news of Hamid Khan's two victories arrived the emperor decided
that the power of the Turanian faction was still too great and begged
Sarbuland Khan to depart for his province. In the summer of 1725
he and Girdhar Bahadur, who was going to take charge of the
government of Malwa, left the capital together, followed closely by
Sayyid Najm-ud-din Ali Khan, who had been appointed second in
command of a large force.
Nizam-ul-Mulk, distrusting his uncle's ability to withstand such
an invasion, advised him to retire, but the vain and obstinate old
man made an attempt to oppose the advance of the new governor.
It failed and Hamid Khan was forced to take refuge with his nephew
in the Deccan.
In the following year Hamid Khan, accompanied by a large force
of Marathas, returned to Gujarat and plundered the country. After
many indecisive combats the Marathas were completely defeated,
and expelled for a time from Gujarat. Sarbuland Khan's army was
so numerous that the revenues of the disordered province of Gujarat
did not suffice for its maintenance and he received from the central
treasury a monthly subvention of half a million rupees. Through
Sarbuland Khan's enemies at court, the expulsion of the Marathas
from Gujarat was made a pretext for orders directing the reduction
of the army and the discontinuance of the subsidy. He was still
further weakened by the withdrawal of the gallant Sayyid, Najm-
ud-din 'Ali Khan, who was appointed, as a reward for his services
in Gujarat, to the government of the province of Ajmer, and when the
Marathas returned in force the governor was obliged to recognise
their claim to chauth and sardeshmukhi in Gujarat.
Corruption at court had reached a climax. Raushan-ud-Daula
had been appointed minister on the dismissal of Qamar-ud-din Khan,
as a measure to break the power of the Turanian faction. He was
found to have been appropriating half of the sum of one million two
hundred thousand rupees which the province of Kabul contributed
annually to the imperial exchequer and to have dealt similarly with
other large sums of money. He was dismissed from his post, his
accounts were examined, and it was discovered that he was indebted
to the state in twenty million rupees. The whole sum was recovered
and Khan Dauran was appointed minister in his place. Shah
'Abdul-Ghafur, a warm partisan of the Turanian party, was found


## p. 352 (#388) ############################################

362
MUHAMMAD SHAH
to have accumulated a fortune from the proceeds of bribery in the
administration of crown lands. He was sent as a prisoner to Bengal
and his house was found to contain twenty million rupees in cash,
besides much valuable property.
One of Khan Dauran's earliest acts as minister was to dismiss
Sarbuland Khan from Gujarat on a charge that he had recognised
the claim of the Marathas to chauth and sardeshmukhi. But the reduc-
tion of his army had forced him either to buy off the Marathas or to see
his fertile province annually laid waste by them, and Khan Dauran's
personal enmity was the true cause of his dismissal. Abhay Singh,
who, having (according to some accounts) murdered his father,
Ajit Singh, in June, 1724, had succeeded as Maharaja of Jodhpur,
was selected as viceroy of Gujarat. Sarbuland Khan, smarting
.
under the injustice of his treatment by the minister, attacked the
lieutenant sent to take charge and drove him from the province.
A second representative, at the head of a larger force, shared the fate
of the first, and Abhay Singh was forced in 1730 to set out for
Gujarat in person. Though accompanied by a large army of forty or
fifty thousand horse Sarbuland Khan inflicted a defeat on him, forcing
him to retreat for a few miles. After this proof of his military qualities
Sarbuland Khan's heart failed him. Such acts of rebellion had become
almost matters of course in the condition of feebleness to which the
central government had fallen, but his situation was more than usually
unfavourable. Abhay Singh might be reinforced from the capital
and Khan Dauran might even seek the powerful aid of Nizam-ul-
Mulk, who still resented his uncle's expulsion from Gujarat. Sarbuland
Khan therefore visited Abhay Singh, recalled his close friendship
with the raja's father, and said that his resistance had been merely.
a vindication of his own honour, and that he would gladly; allow
Abhay Singh to enter Ahmadabad. Sarbuland Khan then set out
for Delhi, but his oppoistion to the new governor had enraged the
minister, who was bent on punishing him. He travelled by way
of Malwa, and on his arrival at Agra was arrested by maçe-bearers,
being deserted by his troops, and remained a state prisoner. This
was his reward for important services rendered to the empire. He
had been guilty of high treason, but so had Nizam-ul-Mulk, on three
occasions, yet Nizam-ul-Mulk was viceroy of the Deccan, where he
was even now plotting treason against his sovereign.
Treason doth never prosper.
What's the reason?
That when it prospers none dare call it treason.
Shortly afterwards when Sarbuland Khan was pardoned and
appointed governor of Allahabad, he was so broken in spirit and
disgusted by his treatment that he remained at Agra and sent his son
as his deputy.
Muhammad Khan Bangash, a stout Afghan soldier of fortune who
had established himself in the reign of Farrukh-siyar in the central


## p. 353 (#389) ############################################

363
MUHAMMAD KHAN BANGASH IN BUNDELKHAND
Duab where he had built for himself a stronghold named after his
master, Farrukhabad, had distinguished himself. Rude and illiterate,
but faithful to a party which he had adopted, he might, had fortune
smiled, have established a state like Oudh or the Deccan, and he
narrowly missed success. In 1725 when appointed governor of
Allahabad he found a powerful confederacy of Bundelas with a force
of 20,000 horse and more than 100,000 foot occupying the whole of
Baghelkhand and other districts. The Bundelas, unlike most of the
Rajputs, were suspected, with good reason, of sympathy with the
Marathas. Muhammad Khan undertook the task with little sympathy
and less support from Delhi. Throughout 1727 and 1728 he was
engaged in incessant hostilities. An enumeration of his battles and
sieges would be tedious and, without full detail, uninstructive.
Muhammad Khan had considerable successes against the Bundelas,
but early in 1729 the Maratha troops of Baji Rao Peshwa invaded
Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand, and in May, 1729, Muhammad
Khan was compelled to take refuge in the fort of Jaitpur, where he
was besieged for three months. Finally, in August, 1729, he was
relieved by his son Qaim Khan, but he was still at the mercy of his
enemies who extorted from him a promise that he would never again
enter Bundelkhand. This failure was followed by his dismissal from
his government.
The sole object of all Nizam-ul-Mulk's dealings with the Marathas
was to free his dominions, as far as might be, of their influence and
institutions and, if that should be possible, of their presence. His
attempt to compromise for payments of chauth and sardeshmukhi and
to support the pretender Shambhuji led to war in 1727-28, which is
described in the next chapter.
In the end Nizam-ul-Mulk was compelled to accept all Baji Rao's
terms, except a demand for the surrender of Shambhuji, who was
permitted to retire to Panhala. His efforts to prevent Baji Rao's
advance into Gujarat by inducing the Maratha officers employed
there to oppose it were foiled by Baji Rao's rapid movements and
victory over his opponents in April, 1731. When the Peshwa returned
at the end of the rainy season, intending to punish the duplicity
which had so nearly frustrated his plans, Nizam-ul-Mulk averted
his wrath by unfolding a scheme for the extension of the Maratha
power into northern India. The design accorded with Baji Rao's
policy and ambitions and he welcomed the suggestion, and the
Peshwa's brother was at once sent into Malwa at the head of a
Maratha force.
Malhar Rao Holkar had already been engaged in ravaging Malwa
and Girdhar Bahadur, the governor, who enjoyed a respectable
military reputation, commanded neither the troops nor the resources
1 For a full account of this campaign see A History of the Bangash Nawabs
of Farrukhabad (Calcutta, 1879), by Wm. Irvine, pp. 288-302.
23


## p. 354 (#390) ############################################

354
MUHAMMAD SHAH
which would have enabled him to offer effective opposition to the
raids of so mobile an enemy. Repeated appeals to the imperial court
fell on deaf ears and Girdhar died in battle (December, 1728).
A relative who succeeded him was left to his own resources and met
the same fate three years later.
Muhammad Khan Bangash, who was at Delhi explaining his defeat
in Bundelkhand, was appointed to Malwa, and reached Sarangpur
on 26 January, 1731. The state of the province was appalling. It was
out of cultivation and most of the inhabitants left were in league with
marauding parties of Marathas, who numbered by the end of 1731
nearly 100,000. Against such forces Muhammad Khan could do
nothing. His appeals for help and a prayer that the emperor should
take the field in person merely drew a letter of reproaches from the
minister, Khan Dauran, who accused the governor of apathy and
his troops of treachery. Landholders in the province were informed
that they need pay no heed to Muhammad Khan as a new governor
was about to be appointed, and on 25 October, 1732, the governor
was recalled to Agra and Jay Singh of Amber was appointed to
succeed him.
Raja Jay Singh was no more able than Muhammad Khan to
restrain the ravages of the Marathas, who had now, under Baji Rao,
overrun the whole of Malwa. Though his sympathies with his
co-religionists were to some extent modified by his honour as a Rajput
he came to an understanding with the Peshwa, but even this method
of conciliation was ineffectual. In February, 1734, the Marathas
captured and occupied Hindaun, only seventy miles south-west of
Agra. Muzaffar Khan, who had been recalled from Ajmer, was sent
to chastise them, but the Marathas, who had had no intention of
occupying Hindaun permanently, retired as he advanced, cut off his
supplies and reduced him to distress. The court of Delhi was now
content with little in the way of military success and Muzaffar Khan,
who was considered to have accomplished his task by driving the
Marathas from Hindaun, was recalled to Delhi, where he was received
with rejoicings and honours out of all proportion to the scanty
measure of his success.
Later in the year the pacific minister himself indulged in a similar
military promenade and in November, 1734, marched to Malwa
and back. These expeditions were entirely futile. The Marathas,
avoiding a general engagement, harassed the imperial troops and
never ceased to levy contributions from the people. In March, 1735,
only a few months after the minister's triumphal return to Delhi,
a force of Marathas advanced, sacked the town of Sambhar on the
high road from Delhi to Ajmer, drove out the commandant and
slew the qazi at the door of his own house. Further resistance was
clearly useless and the emperor, on the recommendations of Raja
Jay Singh, tacitly recognised Baji Rao as governor of Malwa. Later


## p. 355 (#391) ############################################

INSURRECTION IN ALLAHABAD
355
in the year Abhay Singh of Jodhpur, who had proved to be a most
inefficient governor, was dismissed from Gujarat, but his deputy
would not evacuate Ahmadabad and the new governor was obliged
to court an alliance with Damaji Gaikwar before he could gain
possession of the city.
A rising at this time in the Allahabad province illustrates both the
decay of respect for the imperial government and the ineptitude of
the imperial officials. A landholder named Bhagwant Rai (son nf
Araru Singh) in the Kora district slew the commandant, who was
a brother-in-law of Qamar-ud-din Khan, I'timad-ud-Daula, plun-
dered all his property and took his wife to himself. Qamar-ud-din
Khan sent a relation to punish the murderer and recover the widow
and property. On his approach Bhagwant Rai withdrew for a time
into a remote part of the district but returned to Kora, slew the new
commandant and established himself with impunity in Kora.
Qamar-ud-din Khan, lacking the courage to avenge in person his
outraged honour, begged Burhan-ul-Mulk, the governor of Oudh, to
undertake the punishment of the rebel. Burhan-ul-Mulk, passing
through the Kora district early in November, 1735, on his way to
Delhi, called Bhagwant Rai to account for his misdeeds and Bhagwant
Rai, when he found that Burhan-ul-Mulk declined to be put off
with fair words, unexpectedly attacked him. Mistaking another man
for Burhan-ul-Mulk he drove his spear through his breast and slew
him. Burhan-ul-Mulk and Raja Durjan Singh, who was related to
the rebel; attacked him, and Bhagwant Rai fell, cut down by the
raja's sword and pierced by an arrow from Burhan-ul-Mulk's bow.
His head was sent to the emperor, and his skin, stuffed with straw,
to Qamar-ud-din Khan.
In November, 1735, Muhammad Khan Bangash was reappointed
to the government of Allahabad, which he held for no more than
six months, being again: dismissed in :May, 1736, when Sarbuland
Khan was once more appointed.
* : -Baji Rao was now in serious pecuniary difficulties, owing to the
size of his army and the high pay necessary to outbid Nizam-ul-Mulk.
His troops were in arrears and he was heavily indebted to money-
lenders. The emperor and his minister desired peace, but the less
mean-spirited Turanian nobles were opposed to any disgraceful
compromise. Muhammad Shah's conciliatory attitude encouraged
the Peshwa 'to demand the cession of the whole of Malwa and the
tract south of the Chambal, Allahabad, Benares, Gaya, and Muttra,
the recognition of his right as hereditary Sardeshmukh and Sardesh-
pandya of the six provinces of the Deccan, and an annual assignment
of five million rupees. His claims threw the emperor into the arms of
Nizam-ul-Mulk, who was implored to forget the past and to save the
empire from destruction. In March, 1737, Khan Dauran and Qamar-
ud-din Khan, each at the head of a great army, advanced one towards
:
.


## p. 356 (#392) ############################################

366
MUHAMMAD SHAH
Ajmer and the other towards Muttra while Burhan-ul-Mulk crossed
the Ganges to help the Raja of Bhadawar, whom Holkar was be-
sieging in his stronghold. Burhan-ul-Mulk fell on Holkar and pursued
him towards Gwalior, and then, hearing that the Peshwa was en:
camped at Dholpur, turned northward to attack him, when he
received letters from Khan Dauran.
Once more public interests were sacrificed to personal jealousy.
Burhan-ul-Mulk had gained credit for his suppression of the rebellion
at Kora and now his success against Holkar induced Khan Dauran,
as the historian says, “either to make a name for himself or, if that
might not be, to reduce Burhan-ul-Mulk to his own level of infamy".
He begged Burhan-ul-Mulk not to be so rash as to attack Baji Rao
single-handed, as he was hastening to join him and together they
would crush the enemy. Burhan-ul-Mulk hesitated and Khan Dauran
moved at his leisure to join him. This operation occupied three or
four days and a week was spent in reciprocal hospitality. Treachery
and folly combined gave Baji Rao his opportunity, which he was
not slow to seize. Eluding the roysterers he advanced, by forced
marches, and encamped only nine miles from the walls of Shah-
jahanabad. After some minor acts of spoliation and the total defeat
of a force of 8000 horse led from the city, as Burhan-ul-Mulk,
Qamar-ud-din Khan, and Khan Dauran were closing on him, Baji
Rao retired towards Gwalior, plundering as he went, and unmolested
by the imperial troops.
Meanwhile Nizam-ul-Mulk was advancing from the south and
Khan Dauran, prompted again by a jealous fear lest he should claim
a share in the credit, hastened to come to terms; and Baji Rao with-
drew on receiving a commission appointing him to the government
of Malwa and the promise of an annual subvention of one million
and three hundred thousand rupees. His presence was required in
the Konkan, where a campaign against the Portuguese and Angria
of Janjira was in progress.
The languid movement of Nizam-ul-Mulk was stimulated by the
issue of a commission appointing his eldest son, Ghazi-ud-Din Khan,
governor of Malwa and Gujarat, on the condition of his expelling
the Maratha. He marched through Agra and then through Kalpi
into Malwa and halted at Sironj. Baji Rao's business in the Konkan
did not occupy him for long, and he returned to Malwa. Nizam-ul-
Mulk advanced to Bhopal, where the two armies met in January,
1738, and betrayed his weakness by entrenching himself in a strong
position. A battle produced no decisive result and Nizam-ul-Mulk's
camp was surrounded by predatory hordes who cut off his supplies
and repelled forces sent to relieve him. At length, leaving his heavy
baggage behind him, he forced his way through the screen of light
horse surrounding him and began a laborious retreat. At every
step he was harassed by the Marathas, and though these failed to


## p. 357 (#393) ############################################

RISE OF NADIR SHAH
367
capture his artillery, his troops progressed slowly, and on 17 January,
1738, near Sironj, he was obliged to sign a convention undertaking
to obtain for Baji Rao the whole of Malwa, with sovereignty in the
territory between the Narbada and the Chambal and a subsidy of
five million rupees. These terms were sufficiently disgraceful. They
included nothing that was the Nizam's, and the cession of sovereignty
in the tract between the two rivers may have covered a design to
protect his dominions in the south by establishing an independent
state between them and the territories of the emperor.
A grave peril now threatened India. The condition of the Safavi
dynasty of Persia during the first quarter of the eighteenth century
may be compared with that of the House of Timur in India. Power
and authority had fallen from the grasp of a weak and worthless
prince and the country, in the hands of a band of quarrelsome but
unwarlike nobles, lay an easy prey to an aggressor. Mahmud Khan
the Ghilzai, son of Mir Vais who had freed Qandahar from the
Persian yoke, had risen against the feeble Tahmasp II, conquered
Herat, Khurasan, and at length, in 1722, Isfahan itself, and had
driven the Safavi into the forests of Mazandaran. Russian and
Turkish invasions had increased Persia's misery and confusion and
the whole country, except a narrow strip in the north, lay at the
mercy of aliens in race and religion. A deliverer appeared in the
person of Nadir Quli, a Turk of the Afshar tribe of Khurasan, who in
1729 expelled the Afghans from Isfahan and Fars and extended the
Persian monarchy to its ancient limits. 'Abbas III, the last of the
Safavis, was permitted to ascend the throne in 1731, but all power
in the state had been wielded since the expulsion of the Afghans
by Nadir Quli, who in 1736 threw aside all disguise and ascended
the throne of Persia as Nadir Shah. After defeating the Russians
and the Turks, who had taken advantage of Persia's distress, he
turned his attention to northern Afghanistan and captured Herat
and Balkh, reserving Qandahar, the home of the Ghilzais who had
ravaged Persia, until later. Two envoys had been sent to inform
Muhammad Shah that Nadir Shah purposed to punish the Afghans
of Qandahar and to request him to order his governor of Kabul to
close the frontiers of that province to fugitives. Each envoy returned
with a favourable answer, but nothing was done.
On opening the siege of Qandahar towards the end of June, 1737,
Nadir Shah found that many fugitives were escaping towards Kabul,
and a third envoy was sent to demand an explanation, with instruc-
tions to stay only forty days at the court of Delhi; but the envoy
could obtain neither an audience nor leave to depart.
Qandahar fell on 24 March, 1738, and Nadir Shah, whose envoy
had been absent for a year, advanced towards Ghazni, which he
entered on 11 June. He reached Kabul on 21 June, and after a com-
bat beneath the walls, the citadel was besieged and surrendered


## p. 358 (#394) ############################################

368
MUHAMMAD SHAH
on 29 June. Nadir stayed for some months in Kabul and its neigh-
bourhood, and wrote to Muhammad Shah, complaining again of his
breach of faith, but the messenger was waylaid and slain, and it is
doubtful whether the despatch ever reached the emperor.
On 26 November Nadir defeated at Jamrud the governor of Kabul
who, with a force of 20,000 Afghans, attempted to bar his exit from
the Khyber pass. He then occupied Peshawar, where he halted for
some time. On 27 December he crossed the Indus at Attock and in
January, 1739, meeting at Wazirabad on the Chenab with some
slight resistance he "swept it away as a flood sweeps away a handful
of chaff”. The governor of Lahore met the invader at a distance of
twelve miles from that city but was at once defeated and on the
following day appeared before Nadir, made his obeisance and
presented a peace offering.
From Lahore Nadir Shah sent to Muhammad Shah a courteous
letter, reminding him that they were both of Turkish blood and
expressing wonder that he had not received more assistance in
chastising the Afghans, who had done more harm in India than they
had in Persia—an apposite reference to the expulsion of Humayun
by Sher Shah. He also complained again of the gross discourtesy
with which he had been treated, but attributed this to evil counsellors
rather than to any deliberate design on the part of Muhammad. He
was coming, he added, to punish these counsellors, and if they
survived an encounter with him their fate would depend on such
intercession as Muhammad Shah might see fit to make for them.
The news that Nadir intended to invade India was received at
first with ridicule, but when it became known that he had taken
Kabul incredulity gave way to panic, which increased with every
stage of the invader's advance. Khan Dauran and Nizam-ul-Mulk
were first nominated to the command of an army to oppose him, but
declined the honour, and it soon became apparent that the occasion
demanded the presence of the emperor and of all the troops which
he could place in the field. Burhan-ul-Mulk of Oudh and all other
nobles and assignees were summoned, with their contingents, and
the same command went to the chiefs of Rajasthan, but all of these
made their excuse. Akbar, similarly situated, could have commanded
the service of many thousands of valiant Rajputs, but the descendant
of Aurangzib could not persuade one to strike a blow in defence of
his throne.
Even at this moment of peril the great nobles of the empire could
not lay aside their personal quarrels and with scarcely an exception
entered, either to assure their fortunes or to steal a march on their
fellows, into treasonable correspondence with the invader. "Brother",
said Nadir Shah to Muhammad Shah, when Muhammad Khan
Bangash was presented to him, “you have three faithful servants, and
the rest are traitors; those three are Nasir Khan, Khan Dauran, and
!


## p. 359 (#395) ############################################

MUGHUL ATTEMPTS TO REPEL NADIR SHAH 359
Muhammad Khan; from these I received no letters; from all the rest
I received invitations to invade your country. "
Muhammad Shah and his army marched out to Sonpat, and in the
latter half of February reached Karnal, where it had been decided
to meet the invader. The position was better suited for defence
than attack, being protected by nearly impenetrable jungle and by
the canal of 'Ali Mardan Khan. The imperial guns were chained
together, and it seems that entrenchments were thrown up. Muham-
mad Shah's elaborate precautions for his safety nearly tempted
Nadir Shah to leave this fortified camp on his left and to pass on
to Delhi, but an action was precipitated by the inconsiderate haste
of one commander.
Nadir Shah marched from Lahore on 6 February and reached
Sirhind ten days later. Thence he marched to Taraori, 10 miles north
of Karnal, reaching that place on 22 February. The governor of
Ambala had fallen back on Taraori and attempted to hold the large
sarai in that town, but a very brief bombardment by the Persian
guns induced him to surrender. Nadir Shah's system of intelligence
was excellent, while in the opposite camp no attempt was made to
obtain information.
The Indian army was distracted with terror and fervent prayers
went up for the speedy arrival of Burhan-ul-Mulk, who was leading
his large contingent to the imperial camp. Nadir Shah, finding that
dense jungle would impede a direct advance from the north on Karnal,
inclined slightly to his right, and encamped, on 23 February, in the
open plain two leagues to the west of the town. On the following
morning he advanced to within a league of the town. His patrols
and scouts had already searched the country to the south of Karnal
and he knew more of the movements of Burhan-ul-Mulk than was
known in the Indian camp. On 23 February he had sent a force to
cut him off, but Burhan-ul-Mulk, moving between the main road
and the river Jumna, had passed unmolested, though his baggage
train was captured.
Burhan-ul-Mulk arrived in the camp on 24 February and was
waiting for his baggage when he learnt that it had fallen into the
hands of the enemy. He ordered his troops to mount in an attempt
to recover his baggage. Nizam-ul-Mulk hesitated to join Burhan-
ul-Mulk's troops, who were still weary from their march, but Khan
Dauran decided to go to his support and led his troops to the attack,
coming up about a mile to the right of Burhan-ul-Mulk. The emperor
and Nizam-ul-Mulk followed him and their advanced troops closed
the interval between Khan Dauran and Burhan-ul-Mulk, but the
emperor with the main body of his army remained just without the
enceinte of the camp.
The battle began at noon, according to the Persian account, so
that there was little force in Nizam-ul-Mulk's objection. The Indian


## p. 360 (#396) ############################################

380
MUHAMMAD SHAH
troops, whose serried ranks extended over two miles of front and to
the same depth from front to rear, were of very small fighting value
compared with Nadir's hardy warriors, and the mêlée was rather
a massacre than a battle.