CHAP. VIII. terror to the country round. He was arrested, sent to Gwalior, and there executed. Guru Govind. Moghul capital at Lahore. Shíahs repressed. Jehandar Hitherto the Sikhs had generally followed a religious calling and carried no arms. The death of Tugh Bahadur led to an entire change. Guru Govind, the son and successor of the slaughtered Guru, formed the Sikh communities into military bands or brotherhoods under trusty leaders. Every community was known as a Misl; and the collective body was known as the Khálsa, or the army of the Khálsa. Every Sikh was a soldier of the Khálsa, fighting for God and the Guru. Stories of Sikh atrocities induced Bahadur Shah to remove his capital from Delhi to Lahore. He sent many forces against the Sikhs, but the troubles continued until the end of his reign. Bahadur Shah was a Shíah at heart. At Lahore he avowed himself a Shíah. He wanted to introduce the Shíah doctrine into the public prayer for the wellbeing of the sovereign, known as the Khutba. The Sunní Khutba began with the name of Muhammad and the four Khalifs, ending with Ali. Bahadur Shah wanted to add the word "heir " to the name of Ali, to indicate that Ali was the true "heir" or successor to the Prophet. The innovation raised a storm amongst the Sunnís. A Shíah reader began to recite the new Khutba in the chief mosque at Lahore; but he was torn to pieces by the Sunní congregation. Their wrath at the notion that Ali was the first rightful successor of Muhammad overbore every other consideration. Bahadur Shah died in 1712. He left four sons. It would be tedious to describe their battles for the succession. Three were killed, mainly by the instru mentality of Nawab Zulfikar Khan, who began to CHAP. VIII. play an important part at the Moghul court. A worthless sot was then placed upon the throne under the name of Jehandar Shah. Zulfikar Khan became Vizier, and exercised all the real power of the sovereign. new Emperor. Jehandar Shah was the slave of a dancing-girl Vices of the named Lál Kanwar. The brother and kinsfolk of this favourite were all musicians and dancers of the same stamp. The new Emperor showered titles and honours on the whole of them. He gave a patent to the brother, appointing him governor of Agra. Zulfikar Khan refused to affix the seals. He said he wanted a thousand guitars as his fee; he excused himself by saying that all the grandees that wanted promotion for the future would have to play on guitars. The new Emperor was silenced by the implied rebuke, and deemed it advisable to overlook the sarcasm. The dancing-girl had a friend named Zahra, who Scandal. used to sell vegetables in the bazar. The connection continued after the promotion of the dancing-girl to be the favourite of the Emperor. Scandal tells stories of the three getting drunk together and being found in woful plight; but the bare mention of the fact sufficiently indicates the state of affairs. One story is worth preserving. Grandees, courtiers, and all who wanted favour, sent presents and bribes to the favourite through Zahra. Consequently Zahra visited the palace with all the parade of a princess. Her people were overbearing and insulting, after the manner of upstarts. At last there was a catastrophe. Zahra, Chín Kulich Khan had been one of the grandees of Insolence of Aurangzeb. He had filled high offices, and, under the name of Nizam-ul-Mulk, was destined to become the RCECE OF TUS UNIVES CAL C Paramount authority of the Vizier. CHAP. VIII. founder of the dynasty of the Nizams of Hyderabad. One day Zahra rebuked this grandee with insolent language from the howdah of her elephant. He made a sign to his followers. In one moment the woman was dragged from her elephant and soundly chastised. Chín Kulich Khan knew his danger. He was not on good terms with the Vizier, but hastened to pay him a visit. The Vizier at once dispatched a note to the Emperor declaring that he threw in his lot with Chín Kulich Khan. The note was just in time. Zahra was already in the seraglio, laying ashes on her head and rolling in the dust. Lál Khanwar was rousing the Emperor to avenge the insult. Jehandar Shah read the note and did nothing. Shíah revo't in Bengal. Murder of the Vizier. The new Emperor was held in contempt and detestation by all good Muhammadans in Hindustan. Suddenly a storm began to gather in Bengal. A grandson of Bahadur Shah was living in Bengal; he is best indicated by his later title of Farrukh Siyar. Two Shiahs of great influence proclaimed Farrukh Siyar as Emperor. These two men were widely known as Sayyids or descendants of the Prophet. They were joined by hosts of Shíahs. An army pushed on towards Delhi with Farrukh Siyar and the two Sayyids at its head. Zulfikar Khan was a tried general, but Jehandar Shah was an arrant coward. The Emperor and his Vizier took the field with a large army. Jehandar Shah was accompanied by his favourite dancing-girl. A battle began at Agra; and then Jehandar Shah fled back to Delhi with his low-born companion. Zulfikar Khan was helpless without the presence of the Emperor. His troops deserted in large numbers to Farrukh Siyar. So many grandees went over to Farrukh Siyar, that Zulfikar Khan followed their example. But CHAP. VIII. Zulfikar Khan had excited the bitter enmity of Farrukh Siyar. He was admitted into the presence and kindly received. As he went out he was surrounded by the creatures of Farrukh Siyar, who exasperated him by their taunts and then stabbed him to death. Farrukh Siyar went on to Delhi. Jehandar Shah Farrukh Siyar, was taken and executed. There was a horrible massacre of princes and grandees. After a while the public mind began to quiet down. Abdulla Khan, the elder of the two Sayyids, was made Vizier. Both he and his brother, Husain Ali Khan, exercised paramount influence at the court of Delhi. 1712-20. two Sayyids. There was soon a coolness between Farrukh Siyar Brench with the and the two Sayyids. The Emperor began to chafe under their control. He listened to the insinuations of Sunní grandees, especially to a man named Amír Jumla. He showed neither capacity nor resolution. He was willing to destroy the two Sayyids, but afraid to take action. Jodhpur. At last it was resolved to send Husain Ali Khan on war against an expedition against Marwar (Jodhpur). Ajít Singh, Raja of Marwar, had set the Moghul at defiance, pulled down mosques, built up pagodas, and driven out the Muhammadan Kázís and Mullahs whom Aurangzeb had quartered on his territories. Husain Ali Khan gladly accepted the command of the expedition. No sooner had he invaded Marwar than Raja Ajit Síngh withdrew to the mountains, with all his family, treasure, and soldiery. Jodhpur. The Raja of Marwar must have been in some per- Submission of plexity. He dared not venture to cope with the Moghul army in the plains. At the same time he was receiving letters from Farrukh Siyar exhorting CHAP. VIII. him to stand on his defence and crush the invader. He deemed it politic to come to terms with the invader. He promised obedience for the future, engaged to send his son to tender his submission to the Moghul general, and offered to send a daughter to the imperial seraglio. Enforced peace. Sayyids discover treachery. Rupture and reconciliation. Husain Ali Khan was burning for military glory. He would have refused to make terms with the Marwar Raja, but he was receiving letters of evil omen from his brother at Delhi. Abdulla Khan reported that mischief was brewing at court, and implored his brother to return to Delhi. Accordingly Husain Ali Khan made peace with Marwar. Husain Ali Khan returned to Delhi with the daughter of the Raja. On the way he treated the future bride of the Emperor as his own adopted daughter. He found that she had certain papers intrusted to her by her father. Of course he was soon master of their contents. He discovered that Farrukh Siyar had urged the Raja to destroy him. Husain Ali Khan wanted to be Viceroy of the Dekhan; not that he meant to go there, but only that he might appoint a deputy and profit by the revenue. This did not suit Farrukh Siyar; there was nothing he wanted so much as to send Husain Ali Khan to a distance from his brother the Vizier. Under such circumstances the breach grew wider between the Emperor and the two Sayyids. The two brothers began to fortify their palaces and enlist troops. At last a reconciliation was effected by the mother of the Emperor. Amír Jumla, the prime enemy of the Sayyids, was sent to Patna to be Viceroy of Bihar; whilst Husain Ali Khan was sent to Aurangabad to be Viceroy of the Dekhan. |