Page 45

Chapter 1 – From 1000 to 1478

Conquest of the Deccan by the Mahomedans – They cross the Nerbuddah, and penetrate to Deogurh – Establish their Sovereignty – Deogurh becomes the capital of the Mahomedan Empire in India, and its name changed to Doulutabad – An insurrection – lays the foundation of an independent kingdom in the Deccan – The Bahminee dynasty – Its duration – Condition of the Mahrattas during its existence – Few insurrections of the Mahrattas against their Mahomedan rulers – The dreadful famine, Doorga Dewee – Districts depopulated – Hill forts in possession of Polygars and robbers – An expedition sent to restore order – Dadoo Nursoo Kallay – His revenue arrangements – A second and a third expedition – Treacherous massacre of the Mahomedan army by a Mahratta Raja – Concan reduced, 1469 – Decline of the Bahminee dynasty, and immediate causes which led to it.

The conquests of the Mahomedans in India were preceded by plundering incursions. They first passed the Attock47 in the end of the tenth century, and three hundred years afterwards, eight thousand horse, headed by Alla-ud-Deen Khiljee, crossed the Nerbuddah, traversed Candeish, and suddenly appeared before Deogurh.

The reigning prince, a Mahratta, named Ramdeo Rao Jadow, after a slight attempt to defend the town, retired into the fort, and negotiated a treaty with Alla-ud-Deen, by which the Raja agreed to pay the invaders a considerable ransom, on condition of their retiring from his country. The

Page 46

terms were concluded, and the Mahomedans about to fulfil the condition, when the son of the Raja, who had collected an army, advanced upon Deogurh. Without regard to the existing treaty, and contrary to the express injunctions of his father, he sent an insolent message to Alla-ud-Deen, which brought on an immediate action, and although at first doubtful, the result was, a complete defeat to the Hindoos.

After this event, the Raja had to pay dear for the treachery of his son. The demands of the exasperated conquerors were exorbitant; and the treasures of the kingdom, together with the cession of Elichpoor and its dependencies, was the price at which they agreed to abide by the former stipulation.

The riches and the fame thus acquired by Alla-ud-Deen, paved the way to his usurpation of the throne of Delhi. During his reign three great armies were sent into the Deccan under his favourite Mullik Kafoor, by which Telingana was overrun, the greater part of Maharashtra conquered, and the whole country plundered from the Nerbuddah to Cape Comorin.

The disorders, however, which broke out in different parts of the imperial territories during the latter years of the reign of Alla-ud-Deen, and the internal intrigues and commotions which prevailed in the court of Delhi for some years after his death, gave the natives of the Deccan an opportunity of re-establishing the Hindoo sovereignty, and of regaining possession of every part, except the fortress of Deogurh, which continued to hold out, until

Page 47

the Emperor Mubarik advanced with a great army to its relief; on which, Hirpal Deo, and the other Rajas who assisted in the siege, hastily retired. But Hirpal Deo was pursued, taken, and inhumanly flayed alive by order of the Emperor.

1323

In the reign of the Emperor Tughluk, a second insurrection in the Deccan was quelled by his son Yoonas, who carried his arms into the heart of Telingana, and finally reduced its capital, 1323.

The conquest of Telingana and the capture of Warangole drove many of the chief inhabitants from their home: two of them, about twelve years after the conquest of their country, founded the city of Beejanujur, on the banks of the Toongbuddra; which soon became the head of the most powerful state south of the Nerbuddah48.

1325

Yoonas, after the successful termination of the war, returned in triumph to Delhi, where, in the year 1325, he succeeded his father, and ascended the throne under the name of Mohummud Tughluk Shah.

This prince was the most accomplished scholar of his age; but as a ruler, he was cruel, rash, and speculative. Two years after he had ascended the throne, the Moghuls advanced in great force to the gates of Delhi, whence their retreat was purchased at an enormous expence. The spoils of the Carnatic and the sack of Dhoor Summooder49 were

Page 48

not sufficient in Mohummud’s estimation to repair this loss. He adopted many absurd measures for replenishing his treasury, at the expence of public confidence and public credit. He planned an expedition into China, and lost an army in the attempt. He issued a copper coin at a nominal value equivalent to silver, without any security for the payment of such tokens; and he adopted the ruinous and cruel scheme of removing the whole population of Delhi to Deogurh, to which latter he gave the name of Doulutabad. This removal was enforced, and an imperial edict rendered Delhi desolate, distracted the minds of the people, and shook the empire to its centre.

Disturbances broke out in various parts of the kingdom, and the Emperor had scarcely quelled one insurrection when accounts of revolt in an opposite quarter were brought to him. An invasion of the Afghans, and a subsequent insurrection of some northern tribes, kept the imperial army employed at a distance from the new capital; and the deposed Raja of Warangole, aided by some troops of the Carnatic, waged a successful war against the Mahomedan invaders.

The Emperor was preparing a large army, with the design of completely subjugating the Deccan, when a rebellion broke out, which laid the foundation of the independent Mahomedan dynasties south of the Nerbuddah. This rebellion originated in the flight of some refractory nobles from Guzerat,

Page 49

who had participated in a revolt that had just been quelled by the Emperor; and in dread of punishment, they sought refuge with Kutullugh Khan, the governor of Doulutabad, by whom they had been received, in hopes that time or circumstances might induce the emperor to overlook their misconduct. For affording this protection, the governor fell under the displeasure of Mohummud; he was removed from his government, and orders were sent to collect the fugitive nobles, to promise them pardon, and to conduct them to the imperial presence.

1344

They proceeded, under the most solemn assurances of forgiveness, towards Guzerat, where the royal camp then was, but on approaching the confines of that province, some circumstances occurred which led them to suspect that treachery was intended; upon which they rose on their guard, killed the officer sent in charge of them, and erecting the standard of rebellion, marched back towards Doulutabad.

They were joined by several Hindoo chiefs, disgusted with the tyranny of the emperor; and by the time they had reached Doulutabad, their numbers were so formidable, that the garrison were encouraged to declare for the insurgents; which they did, by confining their governor and delivering up the fortress.

It was now necessary to elect a head, and as there had been yet no individual sufficiently conspicuous for personal ability, their choice, in the meantime, rested on a commander of a thousand horse, named Ismael; and in this election they were

Page 50

probably influenced by the hope that Mullik Moogh, the brother of Ismael, who commanded the imperial army in Malwa, would be drawn over to their party. The new king assumed the name of Nasir-ud-deen.

The Emperor Mohummud, on hearing of this formidable rebellion, marched from Guzerat with a large army; and on arriving near Doulutabad, he found the rebel forces drawn up to engage him – a severe action took place; and although indecisive, the imperial army remained masters of the field of battle.

The insurgents, not having obtained a first advantage, held a consultation, when it was resolved that Nasir-ud-deen should defend the fortress of Doulutabad; whilst the other chiefs, retiring to different districts, prosecuted a desultory warfare.

Amongst the rebel chiefs, particularly distinguished for bravery and conduct, was Zuffir Khan, who, from a very humble origin, had risen to high command, and was destined to be the founder of a race of kings.

The Emperor, on discovering the plans of the insurgents, immediately invested Doulutabad, and detached a force under Ummad-ool-Moolk Tebreezee, to pursue Zuffir Khan. The garrison was reduced to extremity, when information was received, that another insurrection had broken out at Delhi, which obliged the emperor to proceed thither, leaving the siege to be carried on by his officers. The Deccanees, encouraged by his departure, collected from all quarters to annoy the army before Doulutabad; which so alarmed the officers, that they hastily raised the siege, and retreated

Page 51

to the Nerbuddah, closely pursued, and constantly harassed by the Deccan cavalry.

Zuffir Khan, who was apprised of this turn in the affairs of his party, being at the head of twenty thousand horse, now advanced towards Ummad-ool-moolk Tebreezee, who, instead of continuing the pursuit, took post with his large army at Beder. This gave Zuffir Khan a great political advantage, which he judiciously improved, by merely showing that he was at the head of a party already capable of facing the imperial army, until he had induced the Raja of Telingana to detach fifteen thousand horse to his assistance, and had obtained a reinforcement of five thousand men from Doulutabad. He then attacked the imperialists; and after an obstinate and bloody battle, in which Ummad-ool-moolk was slain, victory declared in favour of Zuffir Khan. Detachments were immediately sent to occupy the country, whilst the main body marched in triumph towards Doulutabad. Nasir-ud-deen came out to meet Zuffir Khan; and observing the greater weight and ascendancy already acquired by his successful general, he prudently assembled the nobles, and requesting their permission to resign his crown, recommended their electing Zuffir Khan to the government of the kingdom; a proposition which was at once applauded and acceded to.

Zuffir Khan was said to have been originally the slave of a Bramin, an inhabitant of Delhi, named Kangoh50, who, having discovered his merits, gave

Page 52

him liberty; and assisted, as well as foretold, his subsequent fortune. On being raised to empire, Zuffir Khan did not forget his protector: the Bramin was appointed to the charge of the treasury, and had the honor of giving the appellation of Bahminee to a dynasty of Patan kings.

1347

Zuffir Khan was recognized as sovereign in the year 1347, and assumed the title of Sultan Alla-ud-deen Hoossein Kangoh Bahminee.

We have seen that this revolution was aided by the native princes of the Deccan, and from several circumstances in the conduct of the war, particularly the desultory plan adopted by the insurgents, which always requires the aid of the native inhabitants of any country, there is strong presumption of their having contributed more to its success, than the Mussulman historian was aware of, or, perhaps, was willing to allow. There are many recorded proofs of the new Sultan’s prudence; but his wisdom is most conspicuous in the conciliatory measures he adopted for obtaining the entire possession of the districts which had been before subject to the Mahomedans, binding all classes of his new subjects to his interests, and gaining the friendship and support of the Raja of Warungole, in whom the Mahomedans had previously found, a watchful and implacable enemy.

Page 53

The death of the Emperor of Delhi, Mohummud Tughluk Shah, relieved the new Sultan from all apprehensions in that quarter. He very early employed the minds of the warlike and turbulent people over whom he ruled, by directing their attention to conquests in the Carnatic; and the subsequent rivalry with the Rajas of Beejanugur, probably preserved the kingdom of his successors from internal decay, for a much longer period than if they had been able to extend their conquests rapidly, or if their seditious armies had been left to the enjoyment of a mischievous repose51.

The Bahminee dynasty52 may be said to have existed upwards of a century and a half; during

Page 54

that period, we may learn something of the condition of the Mahrattas from Mahomedan history; and a few circumstances may be gleaned from the legends (or Bukers,) which are found in possession of most of the descendants of the old Mahratta families.

Page 55

It has already been stated, that the country, at the period of the Mahomedan conquest, appears to have deen divided into many small principalities, more or less independent. It is probable, that most of those Polygars, whose country lay in the accessible parts, were induced either to join or to submit to the head of the new state in 1347, which is the date assigned53 to the accession of Sultan Alla-ud-deen.

Page 56

The new Sultan was obliged, from his situation, to conciliate the people of the country, and he either bestowed hereditary lands and immunities on the leading men, or confirmed them in those they already enjoyed, as Deshmookhs and Deshpandyas. He likewise appears to have conferred some subordinate military rank on a few of the chiefs54, and to have appropriated lands in Jageer for the maintenance of small bodies of horse; but such lands seem to have always been within the jurisdiction of some greater, Mahomedan Jagheerdar, himself subordinate to the governor of a great province. By such means did the Sultan bind the natives of the country to his interest. He had obtained possession of almost the whole of Maharashtra, except the Concan–Ghaut–Mahta from the Poorundhur range of hills to the Hurnkassee river, which, together with the coast from Dabul to Cape Ramas, was not entirely conquered by the Mahomedans for upwards of a century after the establishment of the Deccan monarchy. There were

Page 57

very few insurrections occasioned by the natives of the country against their Mahomedan rulers.

1366

The first took place during the reign of Sultan Mohummud Shah, about the year 1366, or after his return from his first expedition to the Carnatic. The insurrection alluded to, was headed by one of his own-officers, named Bahram Khan Muzenderanee. The circumstances which gave rise to it were the report of the Sultan’s death, and the absence of the troops from Doulutabad upon the Carnatic expedition. Bahram Khan was incited to this rebellion by a Mahratta chief, named Jadow55, who was probably a relation, or a descendant of the ancient rajas, as he is termed chief of the Naiks, and the Jadows are still Deshmookhs in that part of the country. The insurgents were joined by the Raja of Buglana; whilst other chiefs in Berar, with true Mahratta policy, secretly sent reinforcements of troops. Bahram Khan seized on all the collections he could obtain, and the greater part of the district, which, from the time of Kafoor, appears to have got the name of Maharasht56, fell into his hands.

Page 58

Mohummud Shah sent remonstrances, and from a personal regard for Bahram Khan, offered him the most favourable terms; but as he was under Mahratta influence, he did not comply with the Sultan’s offers. The insurgents marched to Pyetun, where they collected a great crowd of needy adventurers, such as appear to have at all times swarmed in the Deccan.

The advanced force, which composed the bulk of the Sultan’s army, was commanded by Musnud Ali Khan Mohummud, a veteran officer, who not choosing to engage-hastily, halted at Sewgaom, a few miles from Pyetun. When encamped there, Bahram Khan made an attempt to surprise him; but on finding Musnud Ali on his guard, he injudiciously returned to his own lines, thus showing the enemy his weakness, and leaving his own troops to suppose that their chief was doubtful of the result of an equal engagement. The consequence was, of course, fatal. Musnud Ali immediately prepared to attack him, and sent intelligence to the Sultan, who was hunting among the hills in rear of the army, that he was about to engage the rebels. The Sultan immediately galloped forward and joined his troops just as the battle was about to commence. The news of his arrival quelled the insurrection. The Raja of Buglana instantly fled, and the others followed;

Page 59

Bahram Khan and Jadow first sought refuge in Doulutabad, and afterwards in Guzerat, beyond the pursuit of their enemies. This was the only insurrection of any consequence in Maharashtra up to the period when the Bahminee dynasty began to decline, when some of the garrisons, composed of Mahrattas, took an opportunity of throwing off their allegiance57.

1396

In 1396, the dreadful famine, distinguished from all others by the name of the Doorga Dewee, commenced in Maharashtra. It lasted, according to Hindoo legends, for twelve years. At the end of that time, the periodical rains returned; but whole districts were entirely depopulated, and a very scanty revenue was obtained from the territory between the Godavery and Kistna for upwards of thirty years afterwards. The hill forts, and strong places, previously conquered by the Mahomedans, had fallen into the hands of Polygars and robbers; and the returning cultivators were driven from their villages58.

1429

An army was sent in the year 1429, in the reign of Sultan Ahmed Shah Wullee Bahminee, to extirpate the banditti, to give security to the people, and to restore order in the country. This expedition was commanded by Mullik-ool-Tijar, who was accompanied by the hereditary Deshmookhs of the districts, wherever they remained, and an experienced Bramin named Dadoo Nursoo Kallay. Their first operations were

Page 60

against some Ramoosees in Kuttao Des, and a body of banditti that infested the Mahadeo hills59. The army next marched towards Waee, reduced several forts, and even descended into the Concan60; but Mullik-ool-Tijar appears, on this occasion, to have crossed the Ghauts, without penetrating into the fastnesses of the mountains on either side. On his return to Beder, Dadoo Nursay, and a Turkish eunuch of the court, were left to arrange the country, and recal the inhabitants61. As the former boundaries of villages were forgotten, Dadoo Nursay, in fixing new limits, extended them very much, and threw two or three villages into one. Lands were given to all who would cultivate them: for the first year, no rent was required; and for the second, a tobra62 full of grain for each Beega63 was all that was demanded. But the result of this expedition was a mere temporary relief from the heavy contributions which the banditti of the Ghaut–Mahta were in the habit of exacting; and it soon appeared, that there could be no effectual

Page 61

security afforded to the villages, until the whole of the hill forts should be reduced64.

1436

A second expedition was sent in 1436, under Dilawur Khan; but little having been effected by him, a third was prepared under the command of Mullik-ool-Tijar, in the reign of Sultan Alla-ud-deen (the 2d) Bahminee, and during the administration of Meamun Oolla Deccanee, who formed a plan of reducing not only the hill forts in the Syhadree range, but likewise the unsubdued part of the Concan to the southward of Dabul.

Mullik-ool-Tijar, having undertaken the conduct of the war, marched at the head of a choice body of troops, the flower of the Deccan army. This officer began on a systematic plan of conquering and regulating the country to be subdued. He established his head quarters at Chakun65, and raised a fort near the city of Joonere. Thence he sent out detachments, at different times, into the Concan, and reduced several rajas to subjection. At length he

Page 62

moved in person to that part of the country, and laid siege to a fort, the raja of which was obliged to deliver himself up with all his family.

This raja’s surname was Sirkay; and he was, without doubt, a descendant of that Polygar who obtained possession of the range of country about the source of the Kistna, after the raja of Panalla was conquered in the beginning of the 13th century, by the Raja Singin.

Mullik-ool-Tijar insisted on the raja’s renouncing his own faith, and embracing the tenets of the Koran. The enraged, but subtle raja, with the true policy of a Mahratta, when he intends deadly vengeance, humbly represented that there existed between him and the Raja of Singin66, a fort in the territory of Kondan67, a family competition and rivalry, and that they were near relations; that should he embrace the Mahomedan faith, and the Raja of Kondan remain in power without the loss of his cast, he should become obnoxious to his subjects, and that his rival would excite rebellion and triumph over him. He, therefore, proposed, that Kondan should first be taken, and bestowed on himself, or one of his relations, when he promised not only to embrace the faith of Islam, but to remit an annual tribute to the Sultan, and assist in

Page 63

controlling all those rajas that might hereafter fail in their allegiance.

1453

This proposal was blindly acceded to. The troops marched, were drawn into an ambuscade, treacherously beset in the night, and nearly seven thousand Mahomedans, together with their general, when buried in sleep, were inhumanly massacred by the Mahrattas. The remainder of the Sultan’s army retreated; the Sirkay family regained possession of their country, and for a period of nearly sixteen years, no further attempt was made to follow up the plan of Meamun Oolla Deccanee.

1469

It is not known at what period Goa came into the possession of the rajas of Beejanugur; but it was taken from them 1469, when Khajeh Jehan Gawan, in the reign of Mohummud Shah, undertook an expedition which terminated in the capture of Goa, and the complete subjugation of the whole of that strong country, which is included in the south-west corner of Maharashtra.

The tract, so reduced, remained but a very short time under the sovereigns of the Bahminee dynasty. The structure that had been founded and reared by Alla-ud-deen, continued to be built up by his successors; but the pile soon became too lofty to sustain its own weight without a broader basis; and the great addition of territory to the eastward, which was acquired by the victories of Mohummud Shah over the Raja of Orissa, brought on a crisis which could only terminate in reform or revolution.

Page 64

1526

The date of the extinction of the dynasty is 1526; but long before that period, there were, in fact, five separate states under Mahomedan kings in the Deccan. 1. Edil Shahee, or Beejapoor; 2. Kootub Shahee, Golcondah, or Hyderabad; 3. Ummad Shahee, or Berar; 4. Nizam Shahee, or Ahmednugur; and, 5. Bureed Shahee, or Ahmedabad Beder. Of these five independent states, which sprang from the dismemberment of the first Mahomedan kingdom, only three existed at the period when the Mahratta people began to emerge from subjugation, and to be conspicuous as actors in the affairs of India.

The history of these Mahomedan kingdoms, as far as regards the detail of events, is already accessible to the public68 up to the commencement of the seventeenth century; but the immediate cause of the downfal of the Bahminee dynasty, and a brief notice of the origin and progress of the states alluded to, are connected with our subject, and must be introduced as conducive to perspicuity.

At the period of the first Sultan’s death in 1357, the dominion of the Mahomedans in the Deccan extended over almost the whole of Maharashtra: a small portion of Telingana, together with Raichore and Moodgul in the Carnatic, were also in their possession. When Mohummud Shah Bahminee succeeded to the throne, one of his first arrangements was to divide his country into four parts, which he termed Turufs; and to each he appointed a governor, who was styled Turufdar.

Page 65

In the course of one hundred and thirty years, the territory had been greatly increased by conquests from the neighbouring rajas of Beejanugur, Telingana, the Concan Polygars, the Raja of Orissa, and others, – the governments of all, except Beejanugur, having been almost entirely subverted; but the original four divisions, subject to the defects attendant on old establishments never revised, had been so greatly enlarged, that the governors became too powerful to be either controlled or superintended. Under such circumstances, the application of a remedy is very difficult.

1478

About the year 1478, an attempt was made by Khajeh Jehan Gawan, the able minister of Mohummud Shah, to divide the authority, and to preserve a due insight into the affairs of each province. His plan will be best understood by shewing the original divisions of the kingdom, and the new subdivisions which he projected. The names of the governors appointed to each are added; and this abstract is recommended to the particular attention of the reader.

Old Divisions New Divisions
1st. Kulburga – of which, as of all the rest, two governments were formed:– 1st. Beejapoor – with many districts as far as the Beema, and including Raichore and Moodgul. To this Khajeh Jehan Gawan was himself appointed.
2d. Ahsunabad – which included Kulburga and Sugger, Nuldroog, and Sholapoor and was placed in charge of the Abyssinian eunuch, Dustoor Deenar.
2d. Doulutabad 3d. Doulutabad – of which Eusoof Adil Khan Sawee was appointed governor.
4th. Joonere – with the Concan, and the districts as far south as Goa and Belgaom, were conferred on Fukhir Ool Moolk.
3d. Telingana. 5th. Rajamundree – Mausulipatam, Pilcondah, Oureah, and other places were held in the name of Nizam-Ool-Moolk Byheree.
6th. Warungole – was given in charge to Azim Khan.
4th. Berar. 7th. Gawel – was placed under Futtih Oolla Ummad Ool Moolk.
8th. Mahoor – Under the Abyssinian Khodawund Khan.

Page 66

In order to preserve an insight into the affairs of these governments, the revenues of several places, in each of the eight divisions, were reserved for the Sultan’s private expenses, and particular collectors appointed to manage them.

Had these measures been steadily superintended for any length of time, a due ascendancy in the head of the state might long have been preserved; but Khajeh Jehan’s influence could not withstand the malice of his enemies, by whom a conspiracy was formed against his life: he was falsely accused by them, and rashly and wrongfully put to death, by order of Mohummud Shah.

Page 67

The evils against which his measures were calculated to provide, were hastened by this event. The chiefs, who had been the enemies of Khajeh Jehan, only remained with the Sultan, in hopes of enlarging their own power by the ruin of those who were the friends of the late minister. Nizam Ool Moolk Byheree was the person supposed to have laid the plan for the destruction of Khajeh Jehan. The origin and the career of Nizam Ool Moolk are remarkable: he was the son of a Bramin Koolkurnee of the town of Pathree69, and accompanied his father to the Carnatic during the prevalence of a famine at their native place. When residing in that country, the Bramin boy was taken prisoner by the Mahomedan troops, in one of the expeditions of Ahmed Shah Wullee Bahminee, and brought as a slave to that Sultan, by whom he was made a Mussulman, and named Mullik Hoossein. In the-reign of Mohummud Shah, he was raised to the rank of Huzaree, or commander of a thousand horse, and by degrees attained high situations, till at length, by the recommendation of Khajeh Jehan, he was, with the title of Nizam Ool Moolk, appointed to the government of Telingana, a portion of which was assigned to him in Jagheer. Nizam Ool Moolk got his son Mullik Ahmed appointed his deputy in the provinces; whilst he himself remained with the Sultan, plotting the foul deed by which he cut off the benefactor that had raised him, and deprived the country which he served, of a man

Page 68

deservedly respected. But although his ambition was thus temporarily gratified, a worse fate was reserved for himself; he was, in the end, treacherously murdered by a wretch whom he had rescued from misery, and elevated to power.

After the death of Khajeh Jehan, the principal governors paid no respect to the authority of Mohummud Shah, and although some of them preserved a show of obedience, they gradually assumed independence.

Hence arose those kingdoms in the Deccan, the subjugation of which for a very long period employed the descendants of Timour, and during the struggle, the Mahomedans, whilst exhausting themselves, were gradually exciting that turbulent predatory spirit, which, though for ages smothered, was inherent in the Hindoo natives of Maharashtra; – in this manner, the contention of their conquerors stirred those latent embers, till, like the parched grass, kindled amid the forests of the Syhadree mountains, they burst forth in spreading flame, and men afar off wondered at the conflagration.

Footnotes

47. The Mahomedans crossed the Lower Sinde before they penetrated by the Attock.

48. Wilks’ Historical Sketches.

49. Said by some to have been the capital of Bullal Deo, Raja of the Carnatic; and by others, to have been the principal sea port of his dominions, and situated in Toolava (Canara), but that its site and harbour are unknown, owing to the ebbing of the sea.

50. The story altogether, as detailed by Ferishta, bears the marks of tradition: an observation of no consequence in this place; but it may be remarked, that all Bramins, now in the Deccan, holding the office of Qanoongo, which is similar to that of Deshpandya, are invariably called Kangoh, in the corrupt dialect of Maharashtra, and that even in Persian this corruption is found, spelt both with the kaf and qaf.

51. The foregoing short abstract of Mahomedan history is almost entirely from Ferishta. Ferishta continues our best authority up to the beginning of the seventeenth century; but wherever I may adopt other authorities, I shall never intentionally omit mentioning them; as well in acknowledgment, as in proof.

52. The names of the successors of Sultan Alla-ud-deen, with the dates of their reign, according to Ferishta, are as follow; the first Sultan having died in 1357, was succeeded by his son:–

2d Sultan, Mohummud Shah Bahminee, died in 1374, and was succeeded by his son.

3d Sultan, Mujahid Shah Bahminee was assassinated in 1377, by his uncle and successor.

4th Sultan, Daood Shah Bahminee only reigned about one month, when he was assassinated, at the instigation of Roopurwur Agah, and was succeeded by

5th Sultan, Mahmood Shah Bahminee, a younger son of the first sultan, died in 1396, and was succeeded by his son,

6th Sultan, Ghazee-ud-deen Shah Bahminee, who reigned one month and twenty days, when he was assassinated by Lallcheen, a Turkish slave, and succeeded by his brother.

7th Sultan, Shumse-ud-deen Shah Bahminee was dethroned, after a reign of less than six months, and succeeded by the son of Daood Shah Bahminee.

8th Sultan, Firoze, (Rozi Ufzoon) Shah Bahminee, died in 1422, and was succeeded by his brother,

9th Sultan, Ahmed Shah Wullee Bahminee died in 1434, and was succeeded by his son,

10th Sultan, Alla-ud-deen (the II.) Shah Bahminee died in 1457, and was succeeded by his son,

11th Sultan, Humaioon Shah Bahminee, commonly called Zalim, or the tyrant, who died the victim of passion and cruelty in 1460, and was succeeded by his son,

12th Sultan, Nizam Shah Bahminee died in 1462, and was succeeded by his brother,

13th Sultan, Mohummud Shah Bahminee, who, died in 1482, and was succeeded by his son,

14th Sultan, Mahmood Shah Bahminee, who died in 1518, and his son,

15th Sultan, Ahmed Shah Bahminee was his nominal successor, who died two years afterwards, or in 1520, and to fill his place,

16th Sultan, Alla-ud-deen (III.) was set up as successor, but was afterwards strictly confined in 1526, when Kulleem Oolla Bahminee was the last on whom the title was conferred, and with him ended the Bahminee dynasty.

53. There are, at present, four eras used in the Mahratta country, besides the Christian: viz. 1. the Shalivahan; 2. the Soorsun, or Arabic year; 3. the Fusslee year; and 4. the Raj-Abishik, or from the date of Sivajee’s ascending the throne.

The Hindoo day and night contain sixty Ghutkas, commencing from the time of the morning when objects at hand are discernible; therefore, the name of the day, by this method, will not always be the same as with us; for our Sunday morning at 1, 2, or 3 A. M., would be the latter part of their Saturday.

The Mirg, or cultivator’s year, always commences in the beginning of our month of June, corresponding with the end of the Hindoo month, Weyshak, or beginning of Jesht. Although the Hindoo year is lunar, it is adjusted to the solar time, by the intervention of the Adheek Muheenu, or intercalary month, being one month counted twice over, in every fourth year; and again further corrected by throwing out one month from one year in every three cycles, of 60 years each, or 180 years. The month thrown out is termed Kshy-mas, or the deficient month.

By calculation, it appears that the Soorsun, (generally written Shuhoorsun by the Mussulmans,) was introduced on the Mirg, in Heejree 745, which corresponds with 1344–45; and hence it would appear, that it must have originated with Mohummud Tughluk Shah. It was much more like his character, than that of the emperor Akber, to introduce so useless an innovation; but it was in the reign of Akber that the Fusslee era commenced to the north of the Nerbuddah, and it was introduced into the Deccan by his grandson, Shah Jehan, in the year of the Heejree, 1047, or 1637–38. The Soorsun and Fusslee eras are merely solar years, setting out with the date of the year of the Heejree when they commenced, but without making allowance, in future reckoning for the difference between the solar and lunar years; by which means they differ rather more than three years every century. Both the Soorsun and Fusslee are called Mirg, or the husband. man’s year, from their commencing at the season when the fields begin to be sown.

54. Hurnak Pohl and Kam Raje Ghatgay had small Munsubs of from two to three hundred horse; there were others but their names are not known – Mahratta MSS.

55. In Scott’s Translation it is Geodeo. In some copies of Ferishta it is Govind deo; but Ferishta says the chief of the Naiks was a descendant of the Raja of Deogurh. Ram deo Rao Jadow was the Raja of Deogurh, according to all Hindoo MSS., and it is not improbable that this chief’s name may have been Govind deo Jadow.

56. This name has given rise to conjectures; it was probably some small tract, about where Dhoolia now is, in Candeish, in the possession of some Mahratta Polygar. It is not such a misnomer as Europeans have been guilty of in calling Toolava, Canara, though both names are to be accounted for in a similar manner – See Wilks, vol. i.

57. Ferishta.

58. Mahratta MSS., and a Firman in possession of one of the Waee Deshmookhs.

59. Mahratta MSS.

60. Ferishta.

61. From Kallay's surname, which sounds like Kala (black), these two are said to have been called the black and white eunuchs. Kala Khojeh and Gore Khojeh. European Turks early found their way to the Mahomedan court in the Deccan.

62. A tobra is a leather bag used to feed horses, by putting in the grain, and tying it on the mouth by a thong which passes over the horse’s head like a head stall, and is fastened by putting it through a running noose on one side of the tobra. It is a part of the accoutrements of every Mahratta horseman.

63. A Beega, according to the present measurement, approaches to within 1-15th of an acre; under some of the Mahomedan states, it was much smaller.

64. Mahratta MSS.

65. Chakun is a small fort eighteen miles north from Poona. It is nearly square, with towers at the angles and centres of the faces; it has a good ditch about thirty feet wide, and fifteen deep, but wet on the north side only; the walls are high, the parapet and rampart narrow, and the towers confined. There is but one entrance into the body of the place through five or six gateways; and there is a mud outwork which also has a ditch. I mention it particularly on account of its reputed antiquity; for, although it probably is the fort built by Mullik-ool-Tijar, according to concurring Hindoo legends, it was constructed by an Abyssinian Polygar 1295. As to how he got there, they do not pretend to account.

66. Mahratta MSS.

67. Probably the fort of Singurh, eight miles south of Poona. It was called Kondaneh by the Mahomedans, but afterwards, by Sivajee, changed to Singurh. In Scott’s Translation it is written Kelneh. Kelneh is the modern Vishalgurh, and certainly lies in a situation much more resembling the description of the country, as given by Ferishta, than Singurh.

68. Scott’s Translation of Ferishta.

69. Situated in the district of the same name, north of the Godavery. Ferishta, Mahratta MSS., and Huqeequt-i-Hindoostan, a modern compendium by Luximon Narrain, of Hyderabad.

This collection transcribed by Chris Gage
hosted by ibiblio Support Wikipedia