Akbar Part 25

[13] For a plate of Indian arms and accoutrements in the time of Akbar see the very interesting work by the Hon. Wilbraham Egerton, M.P., published by order of the Secretary of State for India in Council, "A Handbook of Indian Arms," p. 23. (Wm. H. Allen & Co., 1879.)

[14] Mr. Blochmann has supplemented this list with biographical notices of Akbar's n.o.bles, of which there are four hundred and fifteen. These notices are chiefly taken from the "Tabakat-i Akbari," the work of El Badaoni, the "Akbar-namah," the "Tuzuk-i Jahangiri," and a ma.n.u.script called "Maasir ul Umara" in the collection of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.--Blochmann's "Ain-i Abkari," i. pp. 308 to 526.

[15] See Hunter's "Orissa," ii. p. 5.

[16] Namely the poll tax (jiziah), the port and ferry dues (mirbahri), the pilgrim tax (kar), the tax on cattle (gau shumari), tax on trees (sar darakhti), offerings on appointments (peshkash), trade licenses, fees to darogahs, tahsildars, treasurers, and landlords, fees on hiring or letting, for bags on cash payments, on the verification of coins, and market dues.

[17] Akbar's returns are in dams, forty dams making one rupee.

[18] In 1877 the whole land revenue of India, including the Madras Presidency and Burma, was 19,857,152. Of this sum 3,993,196 came from Madras, and 835,376 from Burma, which provinces were not included in the empire of Akbar; nor was a great part of Bombay (probably about half) under Akbar's revenue system. In Bombay land revenue (including Sind) in 1877 was 3,344,664; and half this sum 1,672,332. For a rough comparison these three sums (namely the amount of land revenue from Madras, Burma, and half Bombay) must be deducted from the land revenue of 1877, and 807,102 (the revenue of Kabul) from the land revenue of Akbar. This leaves 15,775,338 as Akbar's land revenue, and 13,356,248 as the land revenue obtained by our Government in 1877 from the same provinces.

[19] Many Muhammadan princes died of delirium tremens before the introduction of tobacco, which took place towards the end of Akbar's reign. Asad Beg says that he first saw tobacco at Bij.a.pur. He brought a pipe and a stock of tobacco to Agra, and presented it to the Emperor, who made a trial. The custom of smoking spread rapidly among the n.o.bles, but Akbar never adopted it himself.--"Dowson," vi. 165.

[20] "Memoirs of Jehanghir."

[21] "Memoirs of Jehanghir," written by himself, and translated by Major David Price for the Oriental Translation Fund, 1829. When I was at Madrid Don Pascual de Gayangos gave me a copy of a very interesting Spanish ma.n.u.script by an anonymous missionary (probably Aquaviva) who describes the personal appearance and habits of Akbar. It was left at the Asiatic Society, before Mr. Vaux's time, and was mislaid. Don Pascual has also mislaid the original, so that the loss is irremediable.

[22] Colonel Yule compares Kublai Khan with Akbar ("Marco Polo,"

i. p. 340), and Mr. Talboys Wheeler has drawn a parallel between Akbar and Asoka ("History of India," iv. p. 136).

[23] "History of India, as told by its own Historians--the Muhammadan Period; being posthumous papers by Sir H. M. Elliot, K.C.B., edited and continued by Professor Dowson."

[24] "The Revenue Resources of the Mughal Empire in India, A.D. 1593 to 1707," by Edward Thomas, F.R.S., pp. 54. Trubner: 1871.

[25] Rudolf Aquaviva was born in 1551. He was a nephew of Claudio Aquaviva, the fourth General of the Jesuits, and a grandson of Giovanni Antonio Aquaviva, Duke of Atri, in Naples. The Dukes of Atri were as famous for their patronage of letters as for their deeds of arms. The missionary, Aquaviva, after his return from Agra, was sent to Salsette, where he was murdered by the natives in 1583, aged only thirty-two. Akbar, on hearing of his death, sent an emba.s.sy of condolence to the Portuguese Viceroy, and to the Jesuit Fathers at Goa.

[26] See my "Hawkins' Voyages" (Hakluyt Society), pages 396 and 403. Pineiro wrote an account of his travels.

[27] See Colonel Yule's "Cathay and the Way thither," ii. pp. 529-591, for the journey of Benedek Goes. The narrative is taken from a work ent.i.tled "De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas, suscepta ab Societate Jesu, ex P. Matthaei Ricii commentariis, auctore P. Nicolao Trigantio." 1615.

[28] See the "Histoire de la Compagnie de Jesus composee sur les doc.u.ments inedits et authentiques par J. Cretineau-Joly" (6 vols. 8vo. Paris: 1844), ii. p. 510-12; also "Ranke Histoire de la Papaute," iv. p. 159. Colonel Yule refers to the work of Jarric.

[29] Johan de Laet was born at Antwerp in the end of the sixteenth century and died in 1649. He was a Director of the Dutch West India Company, had an extensive acquaintance with learned men, and had special opportunities of collecting geographical and historical information, of which he diligently availed himself. His chief work was the "Novus...o...b..s seu descriptionis Indiae Occidentalis" (folio 1633). He wrote works on England, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, and Italy, which form part of the collection known under the name of "Les Pet.i.tes Republiques," printed by the Elzevirs at Leyden. De Laet also had a learned controversy with Grotius on the origin of the American races. He edited Pliny and Vitruvius.

[30] Fragments of Indian History, "Calcutta Review," July 1873, No. cxiii. pp. 170-200. De Laet is quoted by Blochmann, and also by Mr. Thomas and Dr. Hunter.

[31] Fitch's interesting account of this visit to the court of Akbar was published by Hakluyt.--See "Hakluyt Voyages" (2nd ed.), ii. pp. 375-399. Besides the narrative of Fitch, there are letters from Newbery, and the letter from Queen Elizabeth to Akbar.

[32] "Het Ramayana," Gids, 1863.

[33] "Javas Hervormers: een Historische Schets," 1866.

[34] "De Avantoren van een Indisch Edelman," Gids, 1867. "Het Boek der Koningen: eene proeve van Indische Geschiedenis," Gids, No. 6, 1867. "Vedanta: eene proeve van Indische regtzinnigheid," Gids, No. 12, 1867.

[35] "Oostersch Atheisme," Gids, 1868. "Eene Schoonheidskuur," Gids, No. 8, 1868.

[36] "De Maan der Kennis," Theologisch-Metaphysisch Drama, Gids, No. 70, 1869.

[37] "Poesie der Woestijn," Gids, No. 21, 1870. "De Kabbala," Gids, No. 7, 1870.

[38] "De Wijze van het Hemelsch Rijk en zijne school."

[39] An obituary notice of Dr. van Limburg-Brouwer ("Ter Nagedachtenis van Mr. P. A. S. van Limburg-Brouwer") was written by Dr. H. Kern, the Professor of Sanscrit at Leyden, and published in the "Nederlandsche Spectator," 1873.

[40] Badari-natha is a place sacred to Vishnu in the Himalayas. The Badari-natha peaks, in British Gurwhal, form a group of 6 summits from 22,000 to 23,400 feet above the sea. The town of Badari-natha is 55 miles N.E. of Srinagar, on the right bank of the Vishnu-ganga, a feeder of the Alakananda. The temple of Badari-natha is situated in the highest part of the town, and below it a tank, supplied from a sulphureous thermal spring, is frequented by thousands of pilgrims. The temple is 10,294 feet above the sea.

[41] Deva, in Sanscrit, is a G.o.d, a divinity.

[42] Siddha, in Sanscrit, means perfected, hence an adept. Siddhanta, a final conclusion, or any scientific work. The Siddhas are a cla.s.s of semi-divine beings, who dwell in the regions of the sky.

[43] Rama is a name in common use. Rama was the hero of the Ramayana epic, and the form taken by Vishnu in two of his Avataras.

[44] Sanscrit name. Kulluka Bhatta was the famous commentator whose gloss was used by Sir W. Jones in making his translation of Manu.

[45] Guru, a teacher. Pada, a word.

[46] A common Sanscrit name.

[47] Hara is the name of a branch of the Chuhan Rajputs. It is also a name of Siva.

[48] The most popular of the collections of old Hindu tales was the Katha-Sarit-Sagara, or, "Ocean of the Streams of Narrative." It originated in the desire of a queen of Kashmir to provide amus.e.m.e.nt and instruction for her grandson. Somadeva, the Prime Minister, produced, in consequence, this collection of tales in verse.

[49] Nandi is the bull of Siva usually placed in front of temples. Gupta is a concealed ascetic. The Guptas were a dynasty of kings reigning at Magadha.

[50] Iravati is the Sanscrit name of the river Ravi or Hydrastes. Iravat was a son of Arjuna.

[51] Vishnu, the G.o.d, rides on a mythical bird called Garuda.

[52] A spiritual teacher or guide.

[53] Goraksh or Gorakh, a cow-herd.

[54] Yogi, a follower of the Yoga philosophy. An ascetic.

[55] Durga, a G.o.ddess, the wife of Siva, and destroyer of evil beings and oppressors. Also called Kali.

[56] The mystic monosyllable to be uttered before any prayer. It is supposed to consist of three letters, a u m, combined, being types of the three Vedas, or of the three great divinities, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva.

[57] From the hundred love sentences of the Amaru-Sataka, a poem written by a king named Amaru.

[58] Akbar's palace, in the fort of Agra, is built entirely of red sandstone. It is a square building, 249 feet by 260 feet. In the centre is a courtyard, 71 feet by 72 feet, on either side of which are two halls facing one another. Every feature round this court is of pure Hindu architecture. There are no arches, but the horizontal style of construction everywhere. General Cunningham, as Mr. Fergusson thinks erroneously, ascribes this palace to Jahangir. He describes it in his "Reports," vol. iv. p. 124, and gives a plan (Plate xiii.).

[59] Abu-l Fazl (called Allami) was a son of Shaikh Mubarak, son of Shaikh Khizr, who came from Sind. Mubarak was one of the most learned men of his day, and inclined to be a free-thinker. Abu-l Fazl, his second son, was born on January 14th, 1551. He was a devoted student, and his range of reading was very extensive. His elder brother, Faizi, had been invited to the court of Akbar in the twelfth year of that sovereign's reign, and by his means Abu-l Fazl was introduced in 1568, when in his seventeenth year. His abilities were immediately recognised, and every year he grew in favour and power. He was made Prime Minister and Mansabdar of four thousand, discharging his duties with distinguished abilities and success. Both brothers inherited the liberal opinions of their father, and carried them to greater extremes. Hence orthodox Muslims reviled them as apostates and free-thinkers. In them Akbar found congenial minds, with feelings and opinions similar to but more decided than his own. The murder of Abu-l Fazl on August 12th, 1602, is noted further on. He was the author of the "Akbar-namah" (2 vols.), a history of his master's reign down to 1602, and of the "A'in-i-Akbari."

[60] The "A'in-i-Akbari."

[61] Faizi was the elder brother of the minister Abu-l Fazl. He was the most popular poet of his time, and a great favourite and constant companion of Akbar, who gave him the t.i.tle of the Prince of Poets. Our author, for the purposes of his story, makes Faizi, the younger brother.