Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official Part 37

Muhammadans and Hindoos soon learned to perform duties which they saw bring to the Christians so much of honour and emolument; and, as they did so, they necessarily sapped the walls of the fabric. Christianity never became independent of office in India, and, I am afraid, never will; even under our rule, it still mainly rests upon that foundation.[25]

Notes:

1. The names and t.i.tles of the empress 'over whose remains the Taj is built' were Nawab Aliya Begam, Arjumand Banu, Mumtaz-i-Mahall. The t.i.tle Nur Mahall, as applied to her, is without authority: it properly belongs to her aunt. 'It is usual in this country', Bernier observes, 'to give similar names to the members of the reigning family. Thus the wife of _Chah-Jehan_--so renowned for her beauty, and whose splendid mausoleum is more worthy of a place among the wonders of the world than the unshapen ma.s.ses and heaps of stones in Egypt--was named _Tage Mehalle_ [Mumtaz-i-Mahall], or the Crown of the Seraglio; and the wife of Jehan-Guyre, who so long wielded the sceptre, while her husband abandoned himself to drunkenness and dissipation, was known first by the name of _Nour Mehalle_, the Light of the Seraglio, and afterwards by that of _Nour-Jehan-Begum_, the Light of the World.' (Bernier, _Travels_, ed. Constable, and V. A.

Smith, 1914, p. 5.)

2. Properly, Ghias-ud-din, meaning 'succourer of religion'. The word Ghias cannot stand as a name by itself.

3. The author's slight description of Itimad-ud-daula's exquisite sepulchre is, in the original edition, ill.u.s.trated by two coloured plates, one of the exterior, and the other of the interior (restored). The lack of grandeur in this building is amply atoned for by its elegance and marvellous beauty of detail. An inscription, dated A.H. 1027 = A.D. 1618, alleged to exist in connexion with the building, has not, apparently, been published. (_N.W.P. Gazetteer_, 1st ed., vol. vii, p. 687.)

Fergusson's description and just criticism deserve quotation. 'The tomb known as that of Itimad-ud-daula, at Agra, . . . cannot be pa.s.sed over, not only from its own beauty of design, but also because it marks an epoch in the style to which it belongs. It was erected by Nur-Jahan in memory of her father, who died in 1621, and [it] was completed in 1628. It is situated on the left bank of the river, in the midst of a garden surrounded by a wall measuring 540 feet on each side. In the centre of this, on a raised platform, stands the tomb itself, a square measuring 69 feet on each side. It is two stories in height, and at each angle is an octagonal tower, surmounted by an open pavilion. The towers, however, are rather squat in proportion, and the general design of the building very far from being so pleasing as that of many less pretentious tombs in the neighbourhood.

Had it, indeed, been built in red sandstone, or even with an inlay of white marble like that of Humayun, it would not have attracted much attention, its real merit consists in being wholly in white marble, and being covered throughout with a mosaic in 'pietra dura'--the first, apparently, and certainly one of the most splendid, examples of that cla.s.s of ornamentation in India....

'As one of the first, the tomb of Itimad-ud-daula was certainly one of the least successful specimens of its cla.s.s. The patterns do not quite fit the places where they are put, and the s.p.a.ces are not always those best suited for this style of decoration. [Altogether I cannot help fancying that the Italians had more to do with the design of this building than was at all desirable, and they are to blame for its want of grace.[a]] But, on the other hand, the beautiful tracery of the pierced marble slabs of its Windows, which resemble those of Salim Chishti's tomb at Fatehpur Sikri, the beauty of its white marble walls, and the rich colour of its decorations, make up so beautiful a whole, that it is only on comparing it with the works of Shah Jahan that we are justified in finding fault.' (_Indian and Eastern Architecture_, ed. 1910, pp. 305-7.) Further details will be found in Syad Muhammad Latif, _Agra_ (Calcutta, 1896); _A.S.R._ iv, pp. 137-41 (Calcutta, 1874); and more satisfactorily, in E. W. Smith, _Moghul Colour Decoration of Agra_ (Allahabad, 1901), pp. 18-20, pl.

lxv-lxxvii. Mr. E. W. Smith, if he had lived, would have produced a separate volume descriptive of this unique building.

The building is now carefully guarded and kept in repair. The restoration of the inlay of precious stones is so enormously expensive that much progress in that branch of the work is impracticable. The mausoleum contains seven tombs.

a. This sentence has been deleted by Dr. Burgess in his edition, 1910.

4. This tale is mythical. The alleged circ.u.mstances could not be known to any person besides the father and mother, neither of whom would be likely to make them public. Blochmann (transl. _ain_, i.

508) gives a full account of Itimad-ud-daula and his family. The historians state that Nur Jahan was born at Kandahar, on the way to India. Her father was the son of a high Persian official, but for some reason or other was obliged to quit Persia with his family. He was a native of Teheran, not of 'Western Tartary'. The personal name of Nur Jahan was Mihr-un-nisa.

5. This story is erroneous, and inconsistent with the correct statement in the heading of the chapter that Nur Jahan, daughter of Ghias-ud-din, was aunt of the Lady of the Taj. The author makes out Ghias-ud-din (whom he corruptly calls Aeeas) to be a distant relation of asaf Khan. In reality, asaf Khan (whose original name was Mirza Abul Hasan) was the second son of Ghias-ud-din, and was elder brother of Nur Jahan, The genealogy, so far as relevant, is best shown in a tabular form, thus:--

Mirza Ghias-ud-din Beg (alias Itimad-ud-daula).

| | |----------------|-------------------------| | | | Muhammad asaf Khan *Nur Mahall*

Sharif. (_alias_ Mirza (_alias_ *Nurjaahan*), Abul Hasan). *Empress of Jahangir*

| (and widow of | Sher Afgan).

| *Mumtaz-i-Mahall*

(_alias_ Arjumand Banu Begam, _alias_ Nawab Aliya Begam), *Empress of Shah Jahan*.

6. Ali Quli Beg, from Persia entered Akbar's service, and in the war with the Rana of Chitor, served under Prince Salim (Jahangir), who gave him the t.i.tle of Sher Afgan, 'tiger-thrower', with reverence to his deeds of prowess. The spelling _afgan_ is correct. The word is the radical of the Persian verb _afgandan_, 'to throw down'.

7. In October, 1605.

8. Properly Kutb-ud-din Khan. He was foster-brother of Prince Salim (Jahangir), and his appointment as viceroy alarmed Sher Afgan, and caused the latter to throw up his appointment in Bengal. The word Kutb (Qutb) cannot stand alone as a name. Kutb (Qutb)-ud-din means 'pole-star of religion'.

9. Tandan, or Tanra. Ancient town, now a petty village, in Malda District, Bengal, the capital of Bengal after the decadence of Gaur.

Its history is obscure, and the very site of the city has not been accurately determined. It is certain that it was in the immediate neighbourhood of Gaur, and south-west of that town beyond the Bhagirathi. Old Tandan has been utterly swept away by the changes in the course of the Pagla. It was occupied by the Afghan king of Bengal in A.D. 1564, and is not mentioned after 1660. (_I.G._, 1908.)

10. This narrative, notwithstanding all the minute details with which it is garnished, cannot be accepted as sober history; and I do not know from what source the author obtained it. 'This lady, whose maiden name was Muhr-un-Nisa, or "Seal of Womankind", had attracted the admiration of Jahangir when he was crown prince, but Akbar married her to a young Turkoman and settled them in Bengal. After Jahangir's accession the husband was killed in a quarrel with the governor of the province, and the wife was placed under the care of one of Akbar's widows, with whom she remained four years, and then married Jahangir (1610). There is nothing to justify a suspicion of the Emperor's connivance in the husband's death; nor do Indian historians corroborate the invidious criticisms of "Normal" by European travellers; on the contrary, they portray Nur-Mahall as a pattern of all the virtues, and worthy to wield the supreme influence which she obtained over the Emperor.' (Lane-Poole, _The History of the Moghul Emperors of Hindustan ill.u.s.trated by their Coins_, p.

xix.) The authorities on which this statement is founded are given in _E. & D._, vol. vi, pp. 397 and 402-5. See also Blochmann, _ain_, vol. i, pp. 496, 524. Details of such stories in the various chronicles always differ. Jahangir openly rejoiced in the death of Sher Afgan, and it is by no means clear that he was not responsible for the event. He was not troubled by nice scruples. The first element in the lady's personal name seems to be _Mihr_, 'sun', not _Muhr_, 'seal'. The words are identical in ordinary Persian writing.

11. The long interval which elapsed between Sher Afgan's death and the marriage with the Emperor is a fact opposed to the a.s.sumptions which the author adopts that Nur Mahall was 'nothing loth', and that the death of her first husband was contrived by Jahangir.

12. Quaint Sir Thomas Herbert thus expresses himself: 'Meher Metzia [Mihr-un-nisa] is forthwith espoused with all solemnity to the King, and her name changed to Nourshabegem [Nur Shah Begam], or Nor-mahal, i.e., Light or Glory of the Court; her Father upon this affinity advanced upon all the other Umbraes ['umara', or n.o.bles]; her brother, a.s.saph-Chan [asaf Khan], and most of her kindred, smiled upon, with the addition of Honours, Wealth, and Command. And in this Sun-shine of content Jangheer [Jahangir] spends some years with his lovely Queen, without regarding ought save Cupid's Currantoes'

(_Travels_, ed. 1677, p. 74). Authority exists for the t.i.tle asaf Jah, as well as for the variant asaf Khan.

Coins were struck in the joint names of Jahangir and his consort, bearing a rhyming Persian couplet to the effect that

'By command of Jahangir the King, from the name of Nur Jahan his Queen, gold gained a hundred beauties.'

The Queen's administration is censured by some of the European travellers who visited India during Jahangir's reign as being venal and inefficient, and she is accused of cruelty and perfidy. She died on the 18th December (N.S.), 1645, and was buried by the aide of Jahangir in his mausoleum at Lah.o.r.e. At her death she was in her 72nd year, according to the Muhammadan lunar reckoning, and would thus have been thirty-four solar years of age when the Emperor married her in 1610 (Beale: Blochmann).

13. According to Sir Thomas Herbert (_Travels_, ed. 1677, p. 99), 'Queen Normahal and her three daughters' were confined by order of Shah Jahan in A.D. 1628.

14. Son of Bhagwan Das, of Amber or Jaipur, in Rajputana, and one of the greatest of Akbar's officers.

15. Also known as Aziz Kokah, a foster-brother of Akbar.

16. This story may or may not be true; but a charge of this kind is absolutely incapable of proof, and would be readily generated in the palace atmosphere.

17. According to a contemporary authority, the blinding was only partial, and the prince recovered the sight of one eye (_E. & D._ vi.

448). With regard to such details the discrepancies in the histories are innumerable.

18. A.H. 1031 = A.D. 1621-2. The charge seems to be true.

19. A.H. 1036 = A.D. 1626-7.

20. This is a blunder. Jahangir's fourth son was named Jahandar, and died in or about A.H. 1035 = A.D. 1625-6. Daniyal was third son of Akbar, and younger brother of Jahangir. He died from _delirium tremens_ in A.D. 1605, a few months before the death of Akbar,

21. Jahangir died, when returning from Kashmir, on the 8th November, A.D. 1627 (N.S.), and was buried near Lah.o.r.e. The fight with Shahryar took place at Lah.o.r.e.

22. Bulaki a.s.sumed the t.i.tle of Dawar Baksh during his short reign, and struck coins at Lah.o.r.e. He 'vanished--probably to Persia--after his three months' pretence of royalty; and on 25th January, 1628 (18 Jumada I, 1037), Shah-Jahan ascended at Agra the throne which he was to occupy for thirty years'. Shahryar was known by the nickname of _Na-shudani_, or 'Good-for-nothing' (Lane-Poole, _The History of the Moghul Emperors of Hindustan, ill.u.s.trated by their Coins_, p. xxiii).

The two nephews of Jahangir, the sons of Daniyal, slaughtered at this time, had been, according to Herbert, baptized as Christians (_Travels_, ed. 1677, pp. 74, 98). There are great discrepancies in the accounts given by various authorities concerning the fate of Bulaki and the other victims of Shah Jahan. A dissuasion of the evidence would take too much apace, and must be inconclusive, the fact being that the proceedings were secret, and pains were taken to conceal the truth.

23. The dates of birth are, in Old Style:-Dara Shikoh, March 20, 1615; Sultan Shuja, May 12, 1616; Aurangzeb, October 10, 1619; and Murad Baksh, not stated (Beale).

24. _Ante_, Chapter 2, text following [8]. The quotation is from Part III, chap. 19, p. 35 of _The Travels of Monsieur de Thevenot, now made English. London, Printed in the year MDCLx.x.xVII_. The author, in his quotation, omits between 'that' and 'The Dutch' the clause 'This indeed is certain that there are few Heathens and Parsis in respect of Mahometans there, and these surpa.s.s all the other sects in power as they do in number.'

25. During the reign of Akbar, many Christians, Portuguese, English, and others, visited Agra, and a considerable number settled there. A Roman Catholic church was built, the steeple of which was pulled down by Shah Jahan. The oldest inscriptions in the cemetery adjoining the Roman Catholic cathedral are in the Armenian character. Three Catholic cemeteries exist at or near Agra, namely

(l) the old Catholic graveyard at the village of Lashkarpur, dating from the time of Akbar, who made a grant of the site about A.D. 1600.

This cemetery includes the Martyrs' Chapel, also known as the Chapel of Father Santus (Santucci), which was erected in memory of Khoja Mortenepus, an Armenian merchant, whose epitaph is dated 1611. The next oldest tombstone, that of Father Emmanuel d' Anhaya, who died in prison, bears the date August, 1633. Father Joseph de Castro, who died at Lah.o.r.e, on December 15, 1646, lies in the same building.

(2) A cemetery in Padritola, the native Christian ward of the city behind the old cathedral. Father Tieffenthaler is buried there.

(3) A cemetery in an unnamed village, granted by Jahangir, and situated a mile north of Lashkarpur. An unpublished letter in the British Museum shows that Jahangir closed the churches in his dominions in 1615. Notwithstanding, the College at Agra was founded about 1617 by an Armenian who is known by his t.i.tle Mirza Zul- Qarnain. The acute persecution by Shah Jahan occurred in 1631.

The artillery men in the Mogul service were not all European Christians. Turks from the Ottoman Empire were freely employed. (See _Ep. Ind._, ii, 132 note.)

The facts concerning the early history of Christianity in Northern India have been imperfectly studied. In this note I have used chiefly a pamphlet by Father H. Hosten, S. J., ent.i.tled _Jesuit Missionaries in Northern India, &c._ (Catholic Orphan Press, Calcutta, 1907), and the confused little book by Fanthome, _Reminiscences of Agra_ (2nd ed., Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta, 1895). The Jesuit and Capuchin Fathers are working at the subject and hope to elucidate it. From the _A.S. Progress Rep. N. Circle, Muhammadan Monuments_, for 1911-12, p.

21, it appears that arrangements for the proper maintenance of the Old Catholic cemetery are in hand.