the Emperor" to comply with her request "(Ibratnama, iii. 127) fully pardoned Najaf Quli Khan.14. The Centre of Delhi Politics. The defeat of Mahadji Sindhia at Ajmer in the latter half of 1787 by the Rajput Confederacy led by the Jaipur Rajah eclipsed the Maratha influence over the throne of Delhi for a time, as Sindhia had no agent capable of maintaining his hold on the Emperor during his own absence.15 The imbecile monarch was steeped in pleasure and indolence, and the administration virtually rested with his faithless nazir, Manzur Ali, whom the infatuated Emperor prized as his most faithful servant. The eldest son of the Emperor, Mirza Jawan Bakht Jahandar Shah, who had been living in retirement far away from the capital received intelligence of the rebel Qadir's late conduct and the disgraceful state of things at Court. He now resolved to proceed to the capital, wishing to conciliate the Mughal nobility and, with their assistance, to establish order and tranquillity at the capital, and thereby seek to retrieve the lost glory of the Mughal empire. Begam Samru was an important figure in Delhi politics at this time, and therefore her friendly counsels and help were considered invaluable by the Prince. He now sent from his camp at Faridabad his constant companion Fakir Khair-ud-din Muhammad, as his minister plenipotentiary to negotiate with her. "Khair-ud-din reached Delhi by dák in six hours and went to the camp of Begam Samru outside the city. On hearing of his 14 Ghulam Qadir's temporary usurpation :-Ibratnama, iii 26-27; ShahAulum, pp. 145, 148-50. Najaf Quli's night-attack :-Ibratnama, iii. 126-27; Shah-Aulum, pp. 162-66. 15 Ambaji Dhara Rao-sent by Sindhia to reinforce the subahdar of Ajmeris defeated by the Rajputs. He goes to Delhi and meets the Emperor, seeking his aid. Manzur Ali Khan (the nazir) turns the Emperor's mind against them, and the Mughal sawars crowd at the palace door, asking for permission to loot Ambaji and other Marathas. But Zeb-un-nissa (Begam Samru), who was in the environs of Delhi, and with whom Ambaji had abjectly sought refuge, protects them with her European-style-disciplined troops. She sends a party of her troops and extricates him from this danger (Nov. 1787).—Ibratnama, iii. 53, approach she held a splendid darbar, bidding her French, Armenian, Portuguese and other captains to be present, while she herself sat behind a screen. After tedious formalities Khair-uddin opened the object of his embassy. The Begam asked him, 'Does your Prince possess any manly and heroic qualities?' He answered, The day is near when you yourself will test it personally in an interview with him. I find his external appearance to be as it ought to be.' "She said, "What joking is this? What I meant to ask, was whether he possessed the capacity to play the sword and win kingdoms, or only a passion for playing on the drum and tabor. "He replied, "If he were not such a hero and man of enterprise, he would not have turned to thee. If he were a coward and pleasure-seeker he would not have asked for thee.' "She then said, 'I have heard that he is capricious and constantly changing his mind.' [Then she narrates a wellknown Persian anecdote.] "She agreed that when next day the Prince entered the palace to interview his father, she would send a paltan of sepoys inside the Delhi Fort and, thus strengthened, the Prince would demand of the Emperor that he should be appointed regent. Thereafter the Prince would remain in the fort and managet he affairs of State" (Ibratnama, iii. 62-63). The return of the heir-apparent after a long absence and especially in such a time of distress, was looked upon with joy by the Emperor who promised to invest him with the management of affairs. But in order to effect the total overthrow of the Maratha usurpation and to establish order and peace, it was necessary to place the imperial treasury and the army under the direct control of the Prince. But alas! the fall of the Mughal Emperor was not to be averted. He was virtually a puppet in the hands of his nazir, Manzur Ali, who, envious of the Prince's authority, instilled into his weak old master's mind an ugly suspicion about his heir's loyalty, and thus succeeded in ruining the cause of the Prince— materially assisted though he was by Begam Samru. At last the Prince retired from the Court in despair to die a sad death, as a heart-broken noble youth.16 'I am The retirement of the Prince from the scene and the absence of Begam Samru from Delhi put the capital in a defenceless state. Ghulam Qadir now thought it fit to strike a decisive blow. He easily gained access to the palace with the connivance of his friend, nazir Manzur Ali, and filled it with his own troops. The rebel now proceeded to the Emperor and demanded his hidden treasures. In vain did Shah Alam plead the emptiness of the imperial coffer, but this only enraged Qadir and he, having dethroned Shah Alam, placed Bidar Bakht, a son of the late Emperor Ahmad Shah, on the throne. The Emperor and the Princes were held prisoners. "Qadir went to Shah Alam, and said, 'Find me some gold, or I will send you to join the dead.' Shah Alam reviled and reproached him, saying, in your power, cut off my head, for it is better to die than to live like this.' Ghulam Qadir sprang up, and threw himself upon the Emperor's bosom, Qandahari Khan and Purdil Khan seized his hands, two of their companions held his feet; Qandahari Khan tore out one of his eyes, and that bloodthirsty ruffian tore out the other with his own hands, amid the wailings of the Emperor. *** Then he called for a painter, and said 'Paint my likeness at once, sitting knife in hand, upon the breast of Shah Alam, digging out his eyes. [10th August, 1788. Ibratnama in Elliot, viii. 248-49.] Now the ladies' apartments were ransacked. "Neither Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah Durani, nor Taraji Bhao, had ever dreamed of plundering the ladies of the harem; but now all valuables, the accumulations of fifty or sixty years, were brought out." (Ibid, p. 250.) "Ghulam Qadir heard of the beauty of the daughters of Mirza Haika and Mirza Jaika, and when he was sitting in the Moti Mahal in the evening, he ordered these unhappy ladies to be placed before him without veils or curtains. He was pleased with their beauty, 16 For a detailed account of the Prince's fruitless attempt, see Ibratnama, ii. 58-59, 62-63; Shah-Aulum, pp. 149-57, showed them to his boon companions, and acted indecently to every one of them." (Ibid, p. 252.) Sindhia had When these But the day of agony at last came to a close. entered the Doab again with a formidable army. tragic events came to his knowledge he at once sent his general Ranah Khan to expel the traitor and to liberate the Emperor Ghulam Qadir now found his situation in the imperial palace untenable and prepared for flight; he collected all the plunder and left the fort and retreated to Meerut along with the new king and the infamous nazir. The Maratha general hastened to the palace, released the dethroned king, caused him to be proclaimed again as Emperor of Delhi and made the requisite arrangements for his comfort. He then took up the pursuit of the rebel, who was eventually captured alive. Ghulam Qadir was placed in an iron cage, and a chain put upon "his legs, a collar on his neck, and conveyed in a bullock carriage to Sindhia, guarded by two regiments of sepoys and a thousand horse.*** Under the orders of Sindhia, the ears of Ghulam Qadir were cut off and hung round his neck, his face was blackened, and he was carried round the camp and city. Next day his nose and upper lip were cut off, and he was again paraded. On the third day he was thrown upon the ground, his eyes were torn out, and he was once more carried round. After that his hands were cut off, then his feet, and last of all his head. *** Maharajah Sindhia sent the ears and eye-balls to the Emperor Shah Alam," (Ibratnama in Elliot, viii. 254.) The wicked nazir also atoned for his crimes by being trodden to death under the feet of an elephant. IV.—Aboriginal Names in the Ramayana. By G. Ramadas, B.A., M.R.A.S. The story of the wanderings of Rama, first sung by Valmiki, increased in volume time after time until it counted 24,000 verses. The great pathos of the story and the striking character of the chief men therein seem to have tempted the poets that lived in times after Valmiki, to add to the story. The ultimate result of these interpolations was to raise Rama to the godhead. This is poetically expressed in वाल्मीकिगिरिसम्भता रामसागरगामिनी । The Rāmāyaṇa is a great river that had its source in Vālmiki and flows into the Ocean-like Rama-A river from its source to its mouth receives many tributaries and increases in volume; at last, it falls into the sea. In the attempt to make Rāma great, the historical facts, the epic first set out to expound, were lost sight of. Hidden in these accumulations, the gem of history lies obscure, and it is thought to be an unpaying task to search for it. A study of the language and habits of the peoples with whom Rama had come in contact in his wanderings will lead us far in the way of discovering that history which is covered up in the interpolations and impertinent additions. The names of places, of persons, and of objects mentioned south of the Ganges lead us to the discovery of the languages spoken by those peoples. Lanka, the chief abode of R à va na, is understood to be the modern Ceylon, because the word is taken to mean an island. Sanskrit dictionaries say that it is the name of the town of Ra vaņa; but are silent with regard to its derivation. 5 Res. J. |