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| Option 4 | Power Voltage Converter with Power Delivery (PD) Charger. | Amazon — HYTED 1600W 220V to 110V Voltage Converter with 1600W |
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A travel adapter is a device that allows your USA electrical plug to fit into an Indian electrical socket, but it does not convert the voltage from 220V to 110V. On one end it has two round pins or a Type-C plug that fits into your Indian socket; on the other end it has Type C USA socket where you can plug in your dual-voltage devices like HP laptops and iPhones. It is essential for travelers who have devices with plugs that are not compatible with the outlets in their destination country, and they are typically used for low-power devices like phone chargers and laptops, which are often dual-voltage.
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Three types of Hotspots
Nowadays, the main distinction between mobile phone plans in US — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Straight Talk — is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.
For example, AT&T offers the AT&T 55+ Plan, which includes features like unlimited talk, text, and data in the US, 10GB of hotspot data per line, SD (Std Definition video) streaming.
HD VS SD Video streaming: YouTube offers streaming in High Definition (HD), with resolutions of 720p and 1080p available, in addition to 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) for certain content.
Which US providers provide 10GB of hotspot data?
US providers offering plans with at least 10GB of hotspot data include AT&T, US Mobile, T-Mobile (and its prepaid brand Metro), and budget carriers like Mint Mobile, Visible, and Straight Talk.
AT&T: Offers plans like the Unlimited Premium® PL with 60GB of hotspot data and the Unlimited Extra® EL with 30GB per line.
How do i connect my laptop to my mobile phone hotspot?
To connect your laptop to your mobile phone’s hotspot, first enable the hotspot on your phone in its settings and note the network name and password. Then, on your laptop, click the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar, select your phone’s hotspot from the list of available networks, and enter the password to connect.
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https://archive.org/details/historyofhumayun00gulbrich/page/144/mode/1up?view=theater
From the History of Humayun by Gulbadan Begum, younger half-sister of Humayun, Page 144
SHER SHAH AND HIS TIMES by KALIKARANJAN QANUNGO
Main points to keep in mind
When did Humayun start from Agra to reclaim Gaur from Sher Shah? July 1537.
When did Humayun reach Gaur and siezed it? On September 8, 1538.
Till what time did Humayun stay in Gaur to bring Bengal under his rule again? Humayun stayed in Gaur for about eight months.
Who did Humayun leave in charge of Gaur after he started his chase of Sher Shah? A brave and faithful officer, Jahangir Quli Beg, was left behind to garrison Gaur with five thousand troops.
When did Humayun leave Gaur to defeat/kill Sher Shah? About May 1539.
When did the Battle of Chausa (Bihar) take place? 26 June 1539
When did Humayun reach Agra after losing at Chautha? Second week of July 1539. By Gulbadan’s account it took them (she was with Humayun the whole time) 26 days to reach Agra from Chausa.
What happened in January 1540? Sher had left Khizr Khan as the governor of the whole province of Bengal when he started for Kanauj to fight the Mughals in January
1540.
When did the battle of Kannauj take place? 17 May 1540
Humayun in exile
After battle of Kannauj, where did Humayun go from Agra? Lahore. Although some say he went to Delhi first, but, there is no reliable authority that expressly states that Humayun entered Delhi during his retreat to Lahore. This would be around 28 May 1540. Two days later Humayun fled towards Rohtak, 44 miles W.W.N. of Delhi, which he reached on 30th May 1540. From Rohtak, they travelled towards Sirhind (Punjab) with Sher Khan chasing them. Word was brought every day, “Sher Khan has advanced four miles, six miles” till Humayun) was near Sarhind on the Satlej, (traveling through Patiala).
◉ When did Humayun reach Sarhind (Punjab)? 23 June 1540.
◉ When did Sher Shah’s generals stop chasing Humayun? After he left Sarhind on 23 June 1540, Sher’s generals were instructed not to fight the Mughals but merely to drive them forward. They avoided any fight with Hindal Mirza at Sarhind,and appear to have given up any
pursuit beyond the Satlej. Humayun was at last safe from Sher Shah’s pursuit and halted at Jalandhar. Humayun halted at Jalandhar for the arrival of Mirza Hindal from Sarhind. Again, at Jalandhar, Mirza Hindal was left behind to guard the rear of Humayun’s passage across the Beas.
◉ When did Humayun reach Lahore after Kannauj? Late 1540
◉ Did Humayun get in touch with Sher Shah after reaching Lahore? Yes. From Lahore, he sent a message to Sher Shah that he has left Hindustan for him, let him (Humayun) live in Lahore and keep Sirhind (Punjab) as border between the two (Humayun and Sher Shah). But Sher Shah told him that he should go to Kabul. Hindal, one of Humayun’s brothers was in Lahore. Kabul was under his brother Kamran Mirza.
◉ What was the vibe of Lahore when Humayun got there? Lahore was in a very chaotic state as all the Mughals from Hindustan were very scared after Sher Shah became the king and expected retribution from the Afghans. They were easily recognizable because of their different physical features from the Afghans. So, When they were in Lahore, they found a common unity among them and all of them together wanted to unite and recover Hindustan from Sher Shah so that they could back and live there. Humayun and all his brothers presented their plans regarding how to capture Hindustan. Incidentally, Humayun approved the plan of Mirza Haidar.
What happened in August, 1540 when Humayun was in Lahore? Humayun thought of making a last effort at arriving at a compromise with Sher, and sent him a letter requesting for a permanent stay in Lahore. “Humayun’s last appeal to Sher to leave him in possession of the Panjab beyond Sarhind.” According to Gulbadan, Sher is said to have given an unbecoming
taunt: ‘I have left you Kabul; go there’. Note: At this point Punjab belonged to Kamran Mirza.
◉ How long did Humayun stay in Lahore? Three months.
◉ What happened to Humayun after Sher Shah denied his request in Aug 1540 for stay in Lahore? Gulbadan’s account of the Mughal Exodus from Lahore is vivid and accurate: ‘As soon as this news came Humayun set off from Lahore. It was like the Day of Resurrection. People left their decorated places and furniture as they were, but took with them whatever money they had.’ Two hundred thousand Mughal householders at Lahore streamed across
the Ravi westward in the last week of October 1540. It was a pathetic and terrible scene of mass exodus of Mughals from Lahore towards Chenub.
◉ Where did Humayun go from Lahore after Sher Shar turned down his request of staying at Lahore? Multan.
What happened in the third week of October 1540? Humayun, Jahanbani, and the Mirzas were on their way to Multan, they crossed the the Ravi river which was fordable and marched stage by stage to the Chenab.’
◉ Where did Humayun decide to go from Lahore in the last week of October 1540? Sind . At last Humayun reluctantly agreed to their plan of going to Sindh, and turned southward to reach Multan by the east bank of the Jhelum. But Mirza Hindal and Yadgar Nasir ‘after going some stages left him out of thoughtlessness (probably somewhere between Khushab and Sargoda). Meanwhile Sher’s army was gaining on the retreating Mughals, and Humayun was left with no other alternative but to fly westward and cross over to the west bank of the Jhelum. Deserted by all his brothers and uncle, Humayun hurried to Khushab, about 40 miles south-west of Bhera.
◉ Late Oct 1540: Humayun entered Uch (Punjab, Pak) in late 1540, but was not welcomed by the city’s inhabitants, and was defeated by the forces of Sher Shah Suri.
◉ What happened in the middle of November 1540? Humayun had turned southward from Khushab for Sindh in the middle of November 1540 with at least a week’s start
over his pursuer, Khawas Khan, general of Sher Shah.
◉Humayun Lahore >> Multan >> Bukkur Fort >> Rohri >> Umerkot (Pak) >> Kandahar
◉ What happened on 26 January, 1541? Humayun reached Rohri (Pak) — on the eastern bank of Indus river — on 26 January 1541, with Hindal and Yadgar Nasir Mirza, and was well received by the Commandant of the fortress of Bhakkar.
◉ What was the mindset of Sher Shah in Jan 1541? His mind was full of misgivings about the future. He had to reckon with Humayun in Sindh, Kamran in Kabul and Mirza Haidar in Kashmir. It was obviously impractical to pursue a forward policy to crush any of them; so he thought it better ‘to contain each of them where they were, and to isolate them strategically so that they might not combine and make a fresh attempt at recovering the Panjab. He could not afford to alarm the Arghun ruler of Sindh by violating his territory in pursuit of Humayun; yet Humayun’s presence there was a disturbing factor, what with a hostile Rajputana and an unreliable Gujarat in fairly close proximity to Sindh.
◉ What happened in Apr 1541? After a stay of about a month in Multan, Sher Shah returned to Lahore shortly before the rainy season of 1541.
◉ What happened in Sept, 1541? Humayun got married to Hamida Begum, Akbar’s mother in Amarkot, Sind. Akbar was born on October 15, 1542. Soon after Mirza Hindal went to Kandahar and Humayun went to Sehwan, one of the most ancient places in Sindh. He came here from Thatta after a weeks’ journey. An abortive attempt was made by the Humayun to capture it on his way to Umarkot in 1542. Humayun spent 6/7 months around Sehwan Fort (till Apr 1542)
◉ Humayun reached Sind via Thar desert; he lived in Sind for 3 years till 1543 when he left Sind for Kandahar. Humayun, Here he found refuge with Rana Prasad, the Hindu ruler of Amarkot (now Umerkot, Pakistan). Rana Prasad provided Humayun with shelter, resources, and even promised military support to help him regain his throne. This alliance was crucial as Humayun’s wife, Hamida Banu Begum, gave birth to their son, Akbar, in Amarkot October 15, 1542. Amarkot is very close to Indian Border alongside Rajasthan.
◉ What happened in May 1542 when Humayun was traveling through Thar desert? When Humayun was travelling through That desert, Rao Maldeo of Jodhpur had sent him an invitation to meet him to form an axis against Sher Shah. Humayun accepted the invite and was travelling towards Jodhpur. When he was about 50 miles away from Jodhpur in that brutal summer desert heat, Maldeo decided not to meet Humayun. Humayun had to revert his troops, his horses, camels, and his wife Hamida who was in 4 or 5th month of pregnancy back to his own camp. The horse of Hamida died in the desert and Humayun rode Hamida on a Camel, eating berries, without water and without hopes. This was the ebb of the tide -lowest point of Humayun’s career.
Raja Maldeo from Gulbadan
Then he said: ‘ Very well! I shall go to Raja Maldeo.* I have bestowed this country on you, but Shah Husain will not let you keep.it. You will remember my words.’ Having said this to the mirza, the Emperor marched away by way of Jisalmir, towards Maldeo. He reached Fort Dilawar (Dirawal), on the raja’s frontier, a few days later. (45a) He stayed there two days. Neither corn nor grass was to be had. He then went to Jisalmir, and on his approach the raja sent out troops to occupy the road, and there was fighting. Next he came into Sitalmir, where he was harassed all day till he reached Pahlidi, a pargana of Maldeo. The raja was in Jodhpur, and sent armour and a camel’s-load of ashrafis, and greatly comforted his Majesty by saying: ‘You are welcome! I give you Bikanir.’ Then some told Humayun Maldeo intends to make him prisoner. Put no trust in his words. There came here an envoy from Shir Khan who brought a letter to say: ‘‘ By whatever means you know and can use, capture that king. If you will do this, I will give you Nagor and Alwar and whatever place you ask for. So Humayun was about to leave. Just then there was a cry, ‘Maldeo is here!’ The Emperor had no horse fit for Hamida-bant Begam. He may have asked for one for her from Tardi Beg,* who apparently did not give it. He then said: ‘ Let the camel of Jauhar, the ewer-bearer, be got ready for me. I will ride it, and the begam may have my horse.’ It would seem that Nadim! Beg heard that his Majesty was giving his horse to the begam and thinking of riding a camel, for he mounted his own mother on a camel and gave her horse to the Emperor. His Majesty took a guide from this place, and mounted and rode for Umrkot. At Umrkot: The rana of Umrkot gave the Emperor an honourable reception, and took him into the fort, and assigned him excellent quarters. He gave places outside to the amirs’ people. Humayun bestowed sword-belts and cap-d-pie dresses on the rana and his sons. Many people bought fresh horses here. Humayun stayed here for 7 weeks. Mir Shah Husain had killed the rana’s father. For this, amongst other reasons, the rana collected 2,000 or 3,000 good soldiers and set out with the Emperor for Bhakkar after a stay of 7 weeks. Three days after his Majesty’s departure, and in the early morning of Sunday, Akbar was born at Umrkot fort. The Emperor was some thirty miles away when Tardi Muhammad Khan took the news to him. He was highly delighted, and by way of reward and largesse (nisdr) for the tidings he forgave all soever of Tardi Muhammad Khan’s past offences. He gave the child the name he had heard in his dream at Lahor, the Emperor Jalalu-d-din Muhammad Akbar.
◉ What happened in August 1542? After his escape from Marwar, Humayun reached Amarkot in the last week of August 1542, and having got together a large force of Rajputs and Jats through the Soda chief of Amarkot he marched against Thatta (Pak, close to Karachi) in the month of October 1542. After a successful encounter with the troops of Shah Husain Arghun, Humayun reached Jun, 75 miles south-west of Amarkot, and 50 miles north-east of Thatta. Humayun’s plan of marrying Shah Husain’s daughter and sitting on the throne of Delhi with the help of his would-be father-in-law came crushing down.
◉ [Humayun in Sind] In 1540 Shah Husayn had to deal with the arrival of Babur’s successor Humayun, who had been expelled from India by Sher Shah. Humayun implored Shah Husayn to provide assistance in fighting against Sher Shah Suri, but was unable to convince him to do so. Sometime after this Humayun later attempted to wrest Sindh from Shah Husayn, but the latter was able to force a stalemate. The Mughal Emperor eventually agreed to leave Sindh and made his way to Kandahar in 1543.
What happened in October 1542? Sher returned to Agra in September 1542 from Marwar and after about a month’s rest started for Malwa by way of Rajputana, which had been in a flutter on account of the reappearance of Humayun near Jodhpur.
What happened in July 1543? Shah Husain Arghun, the Sindh ruler could not dislodge Humayun from Junagarh (India) by fighting; and at last had to accept Humayun’s terms for supplying boats, camels and grain for Humayun’s journey from Jaunpur to Qandahar (July 1543) via Sibi.
When did Humayun reach Qandahar? July 1543
What happened on 25th October 1542? Akbar was born at the Rajput Fortress of Amarkot in Rajputana (in modern-day Sindh), where his parents had been given refuge by the local Hindu ruler Rana Prasad.
What option did Humayun have at this point (Oct 1542) after the birth of Akbar? With Sher Shah on his trail, Humayun had no option to stay in Sind, his only option was to go to Kabul as Sher Shah wanted. The 34 year exiled Humayun was left with no options but to take refuse to his half brothers Kamran and Aksari. Before that he had sent Hindal to reach Kamran. Kamran had placed Hindal in house arrest, because he did not read Khutba in his brother’s name. When Humayun was approaching Kabul, Kamran sent Akasari to approach him mid way and eliminate him. This led him to flee to Persia as a not-so-welcome guest of influential Shah of Iran (Persia) Tahmasp.
Who brought up Akbar? For the first few years of infant Akbar during his father Humayun’s exile, Akbar was brought up in Kabul by his paternal uncles, Kamran Mirza and Askari Mirza, and aunts, in particular, Kamran Mirza’s wife.
What happened in 1543? This was the year of Emperor Humayun’s arrival in Marwar, and of the march of Sher’s army in the direction of Nagore and Merta. Soon after, Multan came into the possession of Sher Shah.
From Persia to Hindustan
When did Humayun reach Persia? 1544
What happened in May 1545? Sher Shah died while he was campaigning against the Chandel Rajputs in Bundelkhand (Kalinjer Fort). Apparently a gunpowder explosion fatally wounded him and he died in his tent after a couple of days. At Sasaram, Islam Shah Suri built a 122 ft Tomb for his late father.
What was Humayun’s strategy after leaving Persia? His strategy was to first conquer Afghanistan — that is Kabul and Kandahar — and strengthen his foothold there. The Persian King promised him help to do that. His next strategy was to be the emperor of Hindustan, only after he had consolidated his position in Afghanistan.
when did Humayun capture Kabul and Kandahar? In 1545 with the military aid of Shah Tahmasp of Persia. He seized Kandahar first, then gained control of Kabul, both of which were under his brother Kamran’s control at the time. However, this was not a simple, single event. Humayun had to seize Kabul three times from his rebellious brother Kamran, with the final recapture taking place in 1550. Kamran had fled to Delhi to plot another intrigue with Islam Shah Suri, son and successor of Sher Shah. Islam Shah, a true Afghan, arrested Kamran and asked his trusted advisor Hemu to take him to Kabul and hand over to Humayun. After that Kamran was blinded, and later died in Mecca – blinded and deserted.
What was Humayun’s next goal after becoming the ruler of Afghanistan? To capture the crown of Delhi, of course.
After securing his position in Afghanistan, Humayun was then able to focus on regaining his lost empire in India, which he achieved in July 1555. Humayun was now sitting over almost same territories as his father Babur was 15 years back before conquest of Delhi: the king of Afghanistan.
What happened on On 20 November 1551? On this day, Humayun’s youngest brother, Hindal Mirza, died in a battle against Kamran Mirza’s forces. Upon hearing the news of his brother’s death, Humayun was overwhelmed with grief.
When did Humayun cross Indus? December 1554
Humayun the emperor: From Afghanistan to Hindustan
What was the state of the affair of Sher Shah’s descendants in Delhi Sultanate in 1555? Now the broken slices of empire of Sher Shah as follows:
Delhi and Agra were now under Ibrahim Shah Suri
Agra to Bihar was under the defeated Adil Shah Suri.
Another comrade Ahamad Khan Suri, who styled himself as Sikandar Shah Suri took Punjab (Sirhind)
One more fellow Muhammad Khan Suri was now sovereign king of Bengal.
There was a struggle among all the Suri cousins such as Sikandar Shah and Ibrahim Shah. Adil Shah was a debauched brute who left the real power in his trusted Hindu Vazir Hemu.
When did Humayun capture Lahore? February 1555
when did Humayun defeat Delhi Sultan Sikandar Lodi by winning the Battle of Sirhind (Punjab)? on June 22, 1555
When did Humayun become emperor of Hindustan again by capturing Delhi and Agra? July 1555
Where was Humayun’s residence? In Din Panah (where Purana Kila is now)
Other points to remember:
When did Sher Shah declare him the king of Bengal? His first coronation was on April 6, 1538, after he captured Gaur, the capital of the Bengal Sultanate, making him the King of Bengal.
When did Humayun leave Agra to capture gaur, the capital of Bengal? Humayun left Agra in July 1537
For how long did Humayun laid siege on Chunar Fort? The siege of Chunar lasted for six months (from October 1537 to March 1538. (It was during this time Sher Shah captured Gaur)
When did Humayun reach Gaur from Agra? August 1538
When did Sher Shah became the emperor of Delhi August 1540
Humayun from Gaur to Agra
When did Humayun start his journey from Gaur to Agra? March 1539.
Where did Humayun first encamp during his return? At Munger Fort
Where was Sher Shah then? AT Rohtas Fort
Where did Humayun go after Munger Fort? Chunar Fort, right on the Ganges. West of Beneras.
Where did Humayun go from Chunar Fort? To Buxer Fort.
For how long did the two armies face each other before the showdown at Chausa? For about 3 months.
How long did it take for Humayun to reach Chausa from Buxar? ‘On the fourth day’, the Mughal cavalry put on
their armour and resumed their march from Buxar with the object of reaching Chuausa, eight miles off to the west.
Where in Chausa were both armies encamped? Nobody knows. Most likely on either side of Karmanasa which isonly 25 yards wide. Some says “Both armies were encamped on the same side of the Ganges, but between them flowed a small stream called the Karmanas”
For how long the two armies engaged themselves in Chausa across Karmanasa river? About 2 months.
What happened on the 26th June at Chausa? In the pleasing coolness of the early dawn of 26 June 1539, the Mughals were slumbering carelessly, when all of a sudden the Afghans fell upon them. When they were roused by the uproar, there was no time to put on armour and array themselves in battle order. Everyone therefore sought safety in flight.When the kettle-drums were beaten at the command of the Emperor, about 300 men gathered
about him. With this small band he put up a brave fight. But his example failed to rally his cowardly followers. He was wounded in the left arm and the enemy began to close in upon him. To save him from capture, his soldiers seized the reins of his horse and drew him off from the field towards the Ganges. He urged his horse into the
river, but on being thrown off its back, was on the verge of drowning. He was rescued by a water-carrier named Nizam, who was then crossing the river by supporting himself on his inflated leather bag.
What was the effect of Sher Shah’s win at the Battle of Chausa? The effect of the victory of Chausa (9th Safar, 946 H)3 upon the Mughal Empire was similar to that of Surajgarh upon the monarchy of Bengal. The horizon of Sher Khan’s ambition widened immensely; twelve months before he would have been glad to hold Bengal as the vassal of the Emperor. Now he won by this single stroke the whole territory of the Sharqi Kingdom of Jaunpur in addition to the Kingdoms of Bengal and Bihar in independent sovereignty, and could legitimately claim equality with the Emperor. So Delhi was no longer such a far cry for the victor.
Where did Humayun go after losing at Chausa to finally reach Agra? Ghazipur, on the northern bank of the Ganges, and from there to Chunar Fort which was still held by his people. From there Humayun went to Allahabad where the the Raja of Arail hosted them well for 3/4 days. “For four or five days (after battle of Chausa) his people had been without food and drink. At last the Raja started a bazar, so that the people of the army lived some days in comfort and repose.” From Arail, Humayun marched along the bank of the Jamuna
to Kalpi, which he could call his own territory. Bereft of his family and fortune the crestfallen Emperor entered Agra (in the second week of July 1539).
What did Sher Shah do after winning at Chausa? After the pursuit of Humayun as far as Allahabad, Sher’s first
concern was the recovery of Bengal which he had been forced to evacuate as a result of the advance of the Mughal army.
When did Sher Shah reach Gaur for his second coronation?
Map showing the battle path between Humayun and Sher Shah: From Buxar to Kannuj)
Battle of Chausa
The Karmanasa River forms the boundary between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and Chausa Bihar is right at the place where it meets Ganga (See picture above). So Karmanasha forms the boundary between Humayun (UP) and Sher Shah (Bihar).
Humayun was encamped on the north bank of Ganga while Sher Shah was camped at Chausa, on the south bank. Specifically, the Mughal encampment was situated on the low-lying land between the Ganges River to the north and the Karmanasa River to the west. This location proved to be a disadvantage for Humayun as the area became flooded with the onset of the monsoon season, leading to confusion and disarray within the Mughal ranks. Sher Shah Suri, observing the Mughals’ vulnerability, capitalized on the situation and launched a surprise attack.
After his defeat, Humayun needed to cross a flooded Ganga again to escape, and he nearly drowned.
Did humayun encamp on the north bank of Ganges for the battle at Chausa? Yes. That is the UP part.
Did Sher Shah cross ganges to attack Humayun at Chausa (26th Jume 1539)? Yes.
did Humayun nearly drown in Ganges while fleeing the battlefield at Chausa? Yes, Humayun was nearly drowned in the Ganges River while fleeing the battlefield at Chausa in 1539. A water carrier named Nizam Bishti saved Humayun by using his water bag as a makeshift flotation device, allowing the emperor to escape from the river’s turbulent waters. In gratitude, Humayun later made Nizam the ruler of Agra for a day.
At Chausa, The armies of Sher Shah and Humayun lay facing each other across Ganges for three months (April to June 26, 1539), but neither of them took up the offensive. Humayun was at the southern bank of Ganga (Bihar side) and Sher Shah was across on the northern Bank. Sher Shah purposely delayed the contest, as he felt that the coming of rainy season would hamper the Mughal army and give them a decided advantage over the. During the period there was an interchange of envoys for a peaceful settlement but it did not worked. The Afghan chief showed his hand as soon as the rains set in. the Mughal encampment, which stood on the low land between the Ganga in the north and the Karmanasa in the west, was flooded, causing confusion and indiscipline among its ranks.
Sher Shah made a surprise attack on the Mughals. The Afghan army, which was divided into three divisions under Sher Khan, his son Jalal Khan, ands his greatest general Khawas Khan respectively, attacked the Mughals from three directions. Consternation fell upon the imperialists. The whole of the Mughal army was defeated. Humayun himself, attended by a few men, fled towards Agra. Back in Agra, Humayun found that all of his three brothers were present. He pardoned his brothers for plotting against him and betraying him during battle.
After defeating Humayun at Chausa on June 26, 1539 Sher Shah did not immediately follow Humayun as he was retreating towards Agra. Instead he went back to Gaur (Bengal), put his man there, looted the treasury and brought them back to Buxar. It would take him about a year to defeat Humayun near Agra at the Battle of Kannuj on 17 May 1540 to finally drive Humayun out of Hindustan to Kabul, where Sher Shah wanted him to be.
After consolidating Bengal, Sher Shah started his march westward to capture Delhi and Agra and reached Lucknow. When news came that Sher Khan had left Lucknow, Humayun marched towards Kanauj, and left Mirza Kamran in Agra to act for him. In a few days Kamran heard that Humayun had made a bridge of boats and crossed the Ganges. On this, Kamran marched out of Agra towards Lahore. AT this point Kamran took Gulbadan, the author of this book, with him to Lahore against her wishes as she wanted to stay with Humayun and the rest of her family during his march to Kannuj.
Here is the most moving exchange between Humayun and Gulbadan (Page 142)
I saw that Humayun’s command also was in the affair. I was helpless. I wrote a suppliant letter, saying: ‘I never expected your Majesty (Humayun) to cut off this insignificant one (Gulbadan) from your service, and to give her to Mirza Kamran. To this humble note he sent a compassionate answer to this effect: ‘I had no heart to part with you, but Kamran persisted, and begged very hard, and I was obliged to trust you to him. For just now there is important work on hand (meeting Sher Shah) . God willing, I will send for you when it is settled.
Humayun at Sikri (1540) Page 143
Then the Emperor set out for Fathipar (Sikri) with Mirza Askari and Yadgar-nasir Mirza and the amirs who had come safely off the battlefield.
Did Sher Shah built Rohtas Fort in Jehlum to block Emperor Humayun’s return to India?
Yes, Sher Shah Suri did build the Rohtas Fort in Jhelum with the intention of blocking Emperor Humayun’s return to India. The fort was strategically positioned to prevent Humayun’s advance from Afghanistan, where he had been exiled after his defeat at the Battle of Kannauj. The fort was commissioned by Sher Shah Suri, founder of the Sur Empire, to stop the advancing Mughal emperor Humayun. Humayan had been exiled to Persia after his defeat at the Battle of Kannauj. Therefore, the fort was built upon a strategic location between Afghanistan’s mountains and the plains of Punjab to stop the Mughal emperor returning to India.
Sher Shah appointed Khawas Khan the administrative head of the fort.
Page 144: Humayun at Lahore (1540)
One of the amirs was named Muzaffar Beg. He was a Turkman. Humayun sent him with Qazi Abdullah to Sher Khan to say: ‘ What justice is there in this? I have left you the whole of Hindustan. Leave Lahor alone, and let Sirhind (close to Chandigarh) , where you are, be a boundary between you and me.’ But that unjust man, fearless of God, did not consent, and answered: ‘I have left you Kabul. You should go there.’
Kamran is the Governor of Kabul now and in a much stronger position than Humayun at this stage. Kamran bars Humayun from venturing anywhere near Kabul or its vicinity. With no other alternative in sight, Humayun heads for the region of Sindh, in present-day Pakistan. His plan is to claim the lands of Husen Arghun. The chief of another clan of Timurids (ousted by Babur from Kabul in the past). Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, had interactions with Husen Arghun during his period of exile after being driven out of India by Sher Shah Suri. Husen Arghun was a powerful chieftain in Sindh. Humayun’s attempts to gain control of Sindh and secure support from Husen Arghun during his exile were not successful. Ultimately, he left Sindh and continued his journey.
History Of India
The Mughal Empire
From Aurangzeb to the East India
British & Indian Kings
The Delhi Sultanate 1206-1526
The Mughal Empire (1526–1705)
The Maratha Empire 1705-1757
Company Rule 1757-1856
British Raj 1857-1947
India 1947-2025
🟪ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝔸𝕘𝕣𝕒 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝟙𝟝𝟚𝟞-𝟛𝟘
🟦ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕕𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝟙𝟝𝟚𝟠-𝟛𝟘
🟧ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕂𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕝 𝕚𝕟 𝟙𝟝𝟚𝟞 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕀𝕓𝕣𝕒𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕃𝕠𝕕𝕚. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕘𝕣𝕒 𝕚𝕟 𝟙𝟝𝟚𝟡
🟩𝔸𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕂𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕝, 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕕𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝔸𝕘𝕣𝕒 (𝟙𝟝𝟚𝟡). 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕗𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔻𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕡𝕦𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣
🟪ℍ𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕦𝕟 𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝔹𝕒𝕕𝕒𝕜𝕙𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝔻𝕖𝕝𝕙𝕚 𝕚𝕟 𝟙𝟝𝟚𝟡 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕗𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕝𝕪 𝕚𝕝𝕝. ℍ𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕞𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕘𝕣𝕒. 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖
🟦ℝ𝕠𝕪𝕒𝕝 𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕗 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖, ℍ𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕦𝕟 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣
🟧𝔸𝕡𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕣 𝕠𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕝 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕒𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖. 𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕝𝕪, 𝕓𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝟙𝟝𝟛𝟘, ℍ𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕦𝕟 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕣’𝕤 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕓𝕣𝕠𝕜𝕖 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟
🟩ℍ𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔸𝕘𝕣𝕒 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝔻𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟞, 𝟙𝟝𝟛𝟘
🟪ℍ𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕥 ℝ𝕒𝕞 𝔹𝕒𝕘𝕙 𝕚𝕟 𝔸𝕘𝕣𝕒
🟦𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕣 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝕂𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕝. 𝕊𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕣 𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕟 (𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝟙𝟝𝟛𝟡 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝟙𝟝𝟜𝟜), 𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕒𝕘𝕙-𝕖 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕣 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟 𝕤𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕙𝕖𝕣-𝕖-𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕨𝕒𝕫𝕒 𝕞𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕂𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕝
It is very difficult to find reliable material about the fifteen months before his death on December 26, 1530. It is clear that the not-quite-established Mughal court was rife with rumors and intrigue. Still, credible sources have Babur visiting Lahore early in 1530, troubled about Badakhshan, an important northern frontier post abandoned by his son Humayun, and, in the same year, Agra and Dholpur.
Let’s start with 1529. Babur had not been in good health for quite some time. Despite his phenomenal physical liability, he had always been prone to illness and at least once in 1498 when he was 15, was so critically ill that his life was despaired of. His memoirs are dotted with accounts of his numerous ailments. On his final Indian expedition from Kabul in 1526 as soon as he crossed the mountains surrounding Kabul, he fell ill. “That evening I had fever and discharge which led onto cough and every time I coughed I spat blood” he notes. In India because of the oppressive climate and the rigors of incessant words, he was ill quite often. Especially in the last couple of years of his life, he suffered from recurrent fever, boils diarrhea, sciatica and spitting of blood. Amazingly, despite his ill health, even late in his life Babur could perform physical feats from which a much younger man would have flinched.
At 46 (1529) we find him exuberantly swimming across the Ganga. “I swam the Ganga River counting every stroke” he writes I crossed with 33, then without resting, swam back. I had swum the other rivers but Ganga before.” Still, age had begun to tell on him. He suffered from ennui as much as from ill health. For all his vigorous enjoyment of life, Babar had a renunciatory streak in him, a predilection for mysticism. Sometimes he went into a deep depression and talked of becoming a hermit. “My heart is bowed down by ruling and reigning,” he said, “I will make over the kingdom to Humayun.”
Mir Khalifa
Mir Khalifa was one of the closet companions of Babur. In 1526, after becoming emperor, Babur created the ministry of Vakalat (Emperor’s representative) and made Mir Khalifa the first Vakil of the Mughal Empire. Mir Khalifa along with his son Mir Mohib Ali commanded the battalions of Mughal army in both battles of Panipat and Khanwa. After Babur’s death, he raised prince Humayun to Mughal throne and remained as the Vakil of the empire.
𝔻𝕖𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕗 𝔻𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕡𝕦𝕣 𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕟
On Thursday the eleventh of the month [December 24, 1528] the stone well, the twenty-six waterspouts, the stone columns, and the water channels carved out of solid rock were ready, and at the third watch of this day water began to be drawn from the well. The stonemasons, carpenters, and all the laborers working in Dholpur were rewarded like the masters and laborers in Agra. As a precaution against having any bad odor created from the well water, it was ordered that the waterwheels should be run and water drawn continuously for fifteen days and nights. (Baburnama, ff. 353b–354)
Babur’s garden at Dholpur, Rajasthan, also known as Bagh-i-Nilufar or the Lotus Garden, was established between 1527 and 1530. It was designed as an encampment garden, a place for the imperial camp. This was the second large garden complex built by Babur, the first being the Ram Bagh in Agra.
In spite of his strictness, Babur loved his son dearly. It is recorded that when Humayun was very ill and there were fears that the prince might die, Babur prayed fervently for his son’s life. He then walked round Humayun’s bed three times and offered his own life in solemn sacrifice should his son recover. Humayun got better and his father’s health deteriorated. Soon after Babur passed away.
When Princess Gulbadan was born in c. 1523 to Dildar Begum, her father, Babur, had been lord in Kabul for nineteen years. Akbar commissioned Gulbadan Begum to chronicle the story of his father, Humayun. He was fond of his aunt and knew of her storytelling skills. Gulbadan Begum lived in Kabul most of the time. Two years after Humayun reestablished the empire, Gulbadan accompanied other Mughal women of the harem back to Agra at the behest of Akbar, who had begun his rule after Humayan died in a fall.
Page 105 of Humayun Nama by Gulbadan Begum, half-sister of Humayun
During Humayutn’s illness his Majesty walked round him and turned his face (in intercession) to his Reverence, Murtaza Ali Karimu-l-lah. He kept up that going-round from the Wednesday and made intercession from the Tuesday, in anxiety and deep dejection. The weather was extremely hot and his heart and liver burned. While going round he prayed, saying in effect: ‘O God! if a life may be exchanged for a life, I who am Babar, I give my life and my being for Humayun.
That very day he fell ill, and Humayun poured water on his head, and came out and gave audience. Because of his illness, they carried my royal father within, and he kept his bed for two or three months.
As he grew worse, a messenger was sent to summon his Majesty Humayun, who had gone towards Kalinjar. He came post-haste, and on paying his duty to the Emperor, noticed that he was very feeble. Filled with compassion, he began to break down, and kept saying to the attendants: ‘How has he come to such a lamentable pass all at once ?’ He sent for the doctors, and said to them: ‘I left him well. What has happened all at once?’ They said this and that in reply.
The whole time my royal father kept repeating: ‘ Where is Hindal? What is he doing?’ He asked: ‘ How tall has Hindal Mirza grown?’ and ‘ What is he like?’
Meantime his Majesty’s disorder of the bowels increased. The Emperor Humayun broke down again when he saw his father’s condition worsen, and called the doctors, and said to them: ‘ Think it well over and find some remedy.’
Having consulted together, they said: ‘Small is our luck, for our remedies are of no avail. We hope that God, the most Holy, will soon give one from His invisible treasures.’
Next day® he called his chiefs together and spoke after this wise: ‘For years it has been in my heart to make over my throne to Humayun Mirza and to retire to the Gold scattering Garden (in Kabul) . By the Divine grace I have obtained all things but the fulfilment of this wish in health of body. Now, when illness has laid me low, I charge you all to acknowledge Humayun in my stead.
At these words hearers and onlookers wept and lamented. His own blessed eyes also filled with tears. |
When his family and the people within the haram heard of these occurrences, they were stupefied and overwhelmed, and cried and lamented.
Three days later he passed from this transitory world to the eternal home. The death took place on Monday, December 26th, 1530.
They brought out our paternal aunt’ and our mothers on the pretence that the doctors were coming to look. All rose. They took all the begams and my mothers to the Great House.
Black fell the day for children and kinsfolk and all. They bewailed and lamented; voices were uplifted in weeping; there was utter dejection. Hach passed that ill fated day in a hidden corner.
Babur requested to be buried in Bagh e Babur, Kabul, where he spent the happiest years of his life despite the zenith of his empire in India. The inscription on his tomb demonstrates his love for his gardens and the city: “If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.”
When Babur died in 1530 he was initially buried in Agra against his wishes. Between 1539 and 1544 Sher Shah Suri, a rival of Babur’s son Humayun, fulfilled his wishes and interred him at Babur’s Garden. The headstone placed on his grave read “If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.”
Final Words in Baburnama
Perhaps Babur had lost patience with those shifty, rebellious begs in Mewat. Perhaps he had not expected to empty the allegedly inexhaustible Lodi treasury. Perhaps he longed to trade jokes in the company of his friend Khwaja Kalan in Kabul. There must have been a reason the emperor suddenly ended his memoirs, almost mid-sentence:
On Tuesday the third of Muharram [September 7, 1529], Shihabuddin Khusraw came from Gwalior with Shaykh Muhammad Ghaws to intercede on behalf of [the commander] Rahimdad. Since the shaykh was a dervish and a powerful spiritual man, I forgave Rahimdad’s crime for his sake. Shaykh Guran and Nur Beg were sent to Gwalior so that Gwalior could be turned over to them.… (Baburnama, f. 382)
These are the final words of the Baburnama, which breaks off so abruptly, His last diary entry suggests that he was plagued by rebel begs in the Mewati districts. But avoiding his problems—for example, by heading for Kabul—would have been out of character for Babur. Despite his various illnesses, all mentioned in the memoirs, he continued to meet the challenges he’d set for himself: swimming across all of India’s rivers and covering more miles on horseback in a shorter time than seemed possible. Mrs. Beveridge was right; Babur was not the type to give up.
In a long and detailed translator’s note, Mrs. Beveridge described her attempts to determine Babur’s activities after he wrote that final diary entry. She explained how difficult it was to find reliable material about the fifteen months before his death on December 26, 1530. It is clear that the not-quite-established Mughal court was rife with rumors and intrigue. Still, credible sources have Babur visiting Lahore early in 1530, troubled about Badakhshan, an important northern frontier post abandoned by his son Humayun, and, in the same year, Agra and Dholpur. Mrs. Beveridge considered histories, archives, reports, and rumors when she researched the events of 1530, much as I would do in my own research more than fifty years later.
Final Days
According to Mrs. Beveridge, the earliest original source on Babur was Haydar Mirza Dughlat, the emperor’s Mongol cousin; as a teenager, he had sought sanctuary with Babur in Kabul. Haydar Mirza ended his career governing Kashmir for Humayun, where he wrote his epic history of the Mongols, the Tarikh-i-rashidi.
The Humayunama by Gulbadan is an invaluable source for information about Babur’s final days. When Akbar instructed her to record her memories of Babur and Humayun, Gulbadan seems to have gone about it systematically. She had a great advantage; she had access to all the women and to the men in power, so her account is credible. She was almost six years old in September 1529 when she arrived in Agra with her adoptive mother Mahïm, Babur’s senior wife, whom she always called “my lady.” Gulbadan’s birth mother was Dildar, another of Babur’s wives, who bore him five children. After Humayun was born, four of Mahïm’s children died in childbirth or infancy, but as the senior wife and mother of the heir, she had a special place and authority in the household, and she used it.
Among the family members who arrived in Agra shortly after Gulbadan and Mahïm was the young Alwar, Babur and Dildar’s son, born after Babur left Kabul to take Hindustan. Alwar became ill and died in early 1530. Alwar was Gulbadan’s full brother, and she remembered how Babur tried to comfort the grieving women:
His majesty was very sad and sorry, and Alwar’s mother Dildar Begim was wild with grief for the child, who was a rarity of the world and unique of the age. As her lamentation passed due bounds, his majesty said to my lady and the begims: “Come let us make an excursion to Dholpur.” He himself went comfortably and pleasantly by water, and the begims also begged to go by boat.
There is no record of the date they went to the Lotus Garden or how long they were there, but as Gulbadan explained, a message arrived for Mahïm soon after their arrival:
“Humayun Mirza is ill and in an extraordinary state. Her highness the begim should come at once to Dihli [Delhi], for the mirza is much prostrated.”
Humayun was moved to Agra from Delhi, where he continued to grow weaker and then lapsed into unconsciousness; this was probably in the summer of 1530. Gulbadan painted the intimate family scene that occurred when Babur arrived at his son’s bedside:
When His Majesty came and saw how it was, his light-revealing countenance at once became sad and pitiful, and he began more and more to show signs of dread. On this my lady [Mahïm] said:
“Do not be troubled about my son. You are a king; what griefs have you? You have other sons. I sorrow because I have only this one.” His Majesty rejoined: “Maham! although I have other sons, I love none as I love your Humayun.”
Final Words
Perhaps Babur had lost patience with those shifty, rebellious begs in Mewat. Perhaps he had not expected to empty the allegedly inexhaustible Lodi treasury. Perhaps he longed to trade jokes in the company of his friend Khwaja Kalan in Kabul. There must have been a reason the emperor suddenly ended his memoirs, almost mid-sentence:
On Tuesday the third of Muharram [September 7, 1529], Shihabuddin Khusraw came from Gwalior with Shaykh Muhammad Ghaws to intercede on behalf of [the commander] Rahimdad. Since the shaykh was a dervish and a powerful spiritual man, I forgave Rahimdad’s crime for his sake. Shaykh Guran and Nur Beg were sent to Gwalior so that Gwalior could be turned over to them.… (Baburnama, f. 382)
These are the final words of the Baburnama, which breaks off so abruptly, Annette Susannah Beveridge assumed the folios had been lost. She rejected the suggestion that Babur had simply stopped writing. His last diary entry suggests that he was plagued by rebel begs in the Mewati districts. But avoiding his problems—for example, by heading for Kabul—would have been out of character for Babur. Despite his various illnesses, all mentioned in the memoirs, he continued to meet the challenges he’d set for himself: swimming across all of India’s rivers and covering more miles on horseback in a shorter time than seemed possible. Mrs. Beveridge was right; Babur was not the type to give up.
In a long and detailed translator’s note, Mrs. Beveridge described her attempts to determine Babur’s activities after he wrote that final diary entry. She explained how difficult it was to find reliable material about the fifteen months before his death on December 26, 1530. It is clear that the not-quite-established Mughal court was rife with rumors and intrigue. Still, credible sources have Babur visiting Lahore early in 1530, troubled about Badakhshan, an important northern frontier post abandoned by his son Humayun, and, in the same year, Agra and Dholpur. Mrs. Beveridge considered histories, archives, reports, and rumors when she researched the events of 1530, much as I would do in my own research more than fifty years later.
Final Days
According to Mrs. Beveridge, the earliest original source on Babur was Haydar Mirza Dughlat, the emperor’s Mongol cousin; as a teenager, he had sought sanctuary with Babur in Kabul. Haydar Mirza ended his career governing Kashmir for Humayun, where he wrote his epic history of the Mongols, the Tarikh-i-rashidi.
The Humayunama by Gulbadan is an invaluable source for information about Babur’s final days. When Akbar instructed her to record her memories of Babur and Humayun, Gulbadan seems to have gone about it systematically. Her writing is intelligent, cheerful, and, like her father’s, quite direct. She had a great advantage; she had access to all the women and to the men in power, so her account is credible. She was almost six years old in September 1529 when she arrived in Agra with her adoptive mother Mahïm, Babur’s senior wife, whom she always called “my lady.” Gulbadan’s birth mother was Dildar, another of Babur’s wives, who bore him five children. After Humayun was born, four of Mahïm’s children died in childbirth or infancy, but as the senior wife and mother of the heir, she had a special place and authority in the household, and she used it.
Among the family members who arrived in Agra shortly after Gulbadan and Mahïm was the young Alwar, Babur and Dildar’s son, born after Babur left Kabul to take Hindustan. The boy was apparently a great favorite in the extended family, and everyone mourned deeply when he became ill and died in early 1530. Alwar was Gulbadan’s full brother, and she remembered how Babur tried to comfort the grieving women:
His majesty was very sad and sorry, and Alwar’s mother Dildar Begim was wild with grief for the child, who was a rarity of the world and unique of the age. As her lamentation passed due bounds, his majesty said to my lady and the begims: “Come let us make an excursion to Dholpur.” He himself went comfortably and pleasantly by water, and the begims also begged to go by boat.
There is no record of the date they went to the Lotus Garden or how long they were there, but as Gulbadan explained, a message arrived for Mahïm soon after their arrival:
“Humayun Mirza is ill and in an extraordinary state. Her highness the begim should come at once to Dihli [Delhi], for the mirza is much prostrated.”
My lady was very much upset on hearing this news, and started for Dihli, like one athirst who is far from the waters.
Humayun was moved to Agra, where he continued to grow weaker and then lapsed into unconsciousness; this was probably in the summer of 1530. Gulbadan painted the intimate family scene that occurred when Babur arrived at his son’s bedside:
When His Majesty came and saw how it was, his light-revealing countenance at once became sad and pitiful, and he began more and more to show signs of dread. On this my lady [Mahïm] said:
“Do not be troubled about my son. You are a king; what griefs have you? You have other sons. I sorrow because I have only this one.” His Majesty rejoined: “Maham! although I have other sons, I love none as I love your Humayun.”
Final Moments
After anxious days at Humayan’s bedside, recalled Gulbadan, Babur suddenly felt his son’s fever sweep over him, and he cried out, “I have borne it away! I have borne it away!” and collapsed. Her description of his subsequent dramatic death scene is the basis of all other accounts, including this moving interpretation by E. M. Forster:
Nothing in his life was Indian, except possibly, the leaving of it. Then, indeed, at the supreme moment, a strange ghost visits him a highly unexpected symptom occurs—renunciation. Humayun, his son, lay sick at Agra, and was not expected to recover. Babur, apprised that some sacrifice was necessary, decided (who told him?) that it must be self-sacrifice. He walked ceremonially three times round the bed, then cried, “I have borne it away.” From that moment strength ebbed from him into his son, a mystic transfusion of the life-force was accomplished, and the five senses that had felt and discriminated so much blended together, diminished, ceased to exist, like the smoke from the burning ghats that disappears into the sky. Not thus had he faced death in the past. Read what he felt when he was nineteen, and his enemies closed round the upland garden in Ferghana. Then he was rebellious and afraid. But at fifty, by the banks of the sacred Jumna, he no longer desired to continue, discovering, perhaps, that the so-called Supreme Moment is after all, not supreme, but an additional detail, like a cup that falls into the water, or a game of chess played with both hands or the plumage of a bird, or the face of a friend.
—E. M. Forster, Abinger Harvest
References
1. Back To Memoirs
Babar was 43 years old as he triumphantly rode into the palace of Ibrahim Lodi at Agra, the capital of Lodi empire, and now, the capital of the Mughal empire. Three decades earlier, as a boy-king on the rickety throne of an obscure war-torn principality, he had dared to grand dreams, and now at last, after endless struggles and many misfortunes, he had won a domain to match his vision. Fergana, his ancestral kingdom lost to the Uzbeks, was now a distant memory; Samarkand the legendary Timurid capital which he had once ardently coveted, a forsaken passion; and Kabul. his capital for twenty five years, just a provincial outpost. India was now home for Babur.
Sikandar Lodi, Ibrahim’s father, shifted the Lodi capital to Agra from Delhi in 1504 and commissioned the building of the present-day city. Agra was the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658 before Shah Jahan moved it back to Delhi. Ibrahim Lodi inherited the fort in Agra — the palace of Ibrahim Lodi was located within Agra Fort — after his father’s death in 1517. During his nine-year reign in Agra, Ibrahim Lodi had several palaces, wells, and a mosque constructed within the fort. And Babur made the Lodi palace his home now.
Babur’s decision to settle in India was an unpleasant surprise to his men. They had expected him to return home to Kabul laden with booty as he had done on previous occasions. When Babur first launched his Indian campaigns, the annexation of Punjab as a province of his Kabul Kingdom was the limit of his ambition. That still had seemed to be his goal as he set out on his last Indian invasion, for he had just before that entered into an agreement with Alam Khan Lodi, Ibrahim’s uncle, by which in return for help in ousting Ibrahim Lodi, Babur was to get Lahore and all the Lodi lands west of it. Babur’s officers had therefore assumed that the expedition into the Indo Gangetic Plain was
When the battle of Panipat (1526) was about to lost, Mahmud Khan Lodhi, an officer came to Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi and requested him to leave the battle field. He said, ” Your Majesty, I think it is better in the interest of the State that you should escape from the battle-field, by whatever means possible; afterwards, you might devise some means of success”. But Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi replied that it is a disgrace for kings to fly from the battle field. He added, “Do you not see that the Kings raise the red tents? It is an emblem of sovereignty, and we have dyed it red with our blood. Where should we go? Having donned the red dress of honour, why should we make it yellow”. On saying this he rushed into fight with 5000 bravest horsemen and killed many Mughals and obtained martyrdom towards the close of the day. [Tarikh-i-Shahi]
Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi was the only ruler of Delhi ever to fall in battle. His body was recovered shortly after the battle by one of Babur’s officers, who cut off the head and brought it to his sovereign. Babur raised the head of Ibrahim from the ground and exclaimed, ” Honour to your bravery “. The Afghan emperor was buried on the spot where he fell by command of Babur. Sher Shah Sur regretted on his death-bed in 1545 A.D that he had a mind to raise a tomb on Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi’s grave at Panipat but his wish was never fulfilled.
Back to Colonial India
The Bengal Presidency
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐤𝐡𝐬𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐫
🟦𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐘 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐉𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐑.
A Narrative OF THE TANSACTIONS IN BENGAL, FROM THE YEAR 1760, to the Year 1764, During the GOVERNMENT of Mr. HENRY VANSITTART.
THE HISTORY OF BENGAL EUROPEAN REGIMENT, Now THE ROYAL MI1NSTER FUSILIERS, BY P R Innes
Kronoskaf
1. Siege of Calcutta 20th June, 1756
2. Recovery of Calcutta by Clive and Watson January 2 1757
3. Combat of Calcutta February 4, 1757 between Siraj and Clive
4. Secret treaty between Clive’s agent Watts and Mir Jafar (April-May 1757)
5. Battle of Plassey June 23, 1957
5. Siraj ud-Daulah was murdered (July 2, 1757) by Mohammad Ali Beg on the orders of Mir Miran, Mir Jafar’s son, as part of the agreement between Mir Jafar and the British East India Company in a chamber within Mir Jafar’s palace in Murshidabad
6. Coronation of Mir Jafar (June 28 1757) and the treaty with Clive
7. 1759 – British relief of Patna by Clive
7. Coronation of Mir Kasim, (son in law of Mir Jafar) 1760
7. Clive resigned the government early in February 1760, about which time the Morattas entered Bengal from the southward and penetrated into the Burdwan country
8. Arrival of Henry Vansittart as head of FT William 1760
9. Vansittart negotiates treaty with Mir Qasim – Mir Cossim readily agreed to cede to the EIC lands, to the yearly amount of about Rs 50 lakhs and shifts capital from murshidabad to Munghyr Bihar, consisting of the Burdwan, Midnapore, and Chittagong provinces
9. Patna massacre of 1763:In 1762, a Company agent, William Ellis, instigated an attack on Patna, which was ultimately unsuccessful. The Nawab’s forces expelled Ellis and his troops from the city. Following the British attack on Patna, Mir Qasim ordered the execution of several Company officials in Patna in 1763, an event known as the Patna Massacre.
10. Mir Jafar back as Nabab 1763 (He died in 1665)
10. Battle of Buxar 1764
11. Consequences of Buxar – Treaty of Allahabad 1765
12. After the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765, the Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II, was granted an annual pension of 26 lakh rupees by the East India Company. This pension was in exchange for the Diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, which the Company had previously taken. Later on, the company stopped the payment of Rs. 26 lakh annually to the emperor Shah Alam II. The last Emperor Bahadur Ali Shah used to receive a pension of Rs 1 lakh. He was afraid of losing it during the Sepoy Mutiny as he had debt and no other income.
13. The Dual Government of Bengal, implemented in 1765 by Robert Clive
14. Mir Jafar died on 5 February 1765
14. Warren Hastings, the first British governor-general of India, did reduce the annual allowance given to the Nawab of Bengal from Rs. 32 lakh to Rs. 16 lakh in 1772
14. Annexation of Oudh 1856
15. Wajid Ali Shah becomes a pensioner on Feb 11 1856
16. The Sepoy Mutiny 1857
THE HISTORY OF BENGAL EUROPEAN REGIMENT, Now THE ROYAL MI1NSTER FUSILIERS, BY P R Innes
1. PREPARATIONS FOR AN ADVANCE describes how Clive and Watson recaptured old FT William. Stop at Falta. Capture of Fort Budge Budge Fort on December 30 1756 defeating Raja Manakchand’s — the commanding officer left by Nawab Siraj Ud Daulah at Calcutta — army. This irked Mir Jafar as he felt left out by Siraj.
2. On December 31, 1756 Manakchand, after his defeat at Budge Budge the day before — halted a few hours at Calcutta with his army. Leaving 500 men only to guard Fort William, he then marched with all haste to join the nawab at Murshidabad, and inform him of their disasters.
3. On January 2 1757 at 12:30 PM Clive recaptured FT William. (Recovery of Calcutta)
4. Upon hearing this news, Siraj started from Murshidabad. On February 3, the entire army of the nawab (18,000 horse, 15,000 foot and 40 guns) was encamped along the eastern side of Calcutta, beside the entrenchment known as the “Maratha Ditch”.
5. On February 4, 1757 Clive and Siraj fought a battle — Combat of Calcutta that Siraj won.
6. On February 11, Siraj started his return to his capital Murshidabad. He sent Amichand to Colonel Clive with a further treaty of alliance, offensive and defensive, against all enemies. Clive then proposed to attack the French at Chandernagore (present-day Chandannagar) where they had a force of 300 Europeans and a train of artillery. However, the nawab positively forbade such an initiative. He asked that 20 British gunners be permitted to serve in his artillery and that a British resident be appointed to his court.
Both these requests were readily acceded to, the gunners being sent and Mr. Watts appointed resident at Murshidabad. The nawab now continued his march to his capital.
7. In 1758 Clive was appointed Governor of Bengal.
Figure 5: A survey of the Hooghly river from Fort William to Budge Budge Fort. Then Hoogly River flows to Bay Of Bengal — it also shows Fort Budge Budge and Fort Makwa Tana
Figure 6 Bay Of Bengal –> Falta –> Raipur –> Budge Budge (Fort) –> Aligarh –> Fort William —> hooghly chinsurah –> Kasim Bazar –> Murshidabad along Hoogly River
After the death of Mir Jumla in 1663, when Shayista Khan was appointed as the Mughal Viceroy in Bengal, the British were able to regain their trade privileges.
• The 3 important British settlements in Bengal were at Hughli, Qasim Bazar and Balasore, with subordinate factories at Patna, Rajmahal and Decca. In 1757 Qasim Bazar was the first EIC factory to be taken by Siraj-ud-dowlah, the Nawab; and the resident with his assistant Warren Hastings were taken as prisoners to Murshidabad
Figure 7
Mir Jafar was the principal general of Siraj ud-Daulah, who led the Nawab’s army to victory against the British on 19 June 1756 when Siraj captured FT William. Governor Drake abandoned Fort William and fled with a small number of friends and principal persons, to Falta, a little downstream from Calcutta.
In spite of having led a successful attack against the Company, Jafar found himself sidelined by Siraj in favour of his rival, Raja Manikchand. Before Siraj returned to Murshidabab, he appointed Manikchand as the governor of Calcutta and head of FT William. A discontent Mir Jafar found support in others who opposed Siraj’s tyrannical rule, from his brothers-in-arms from the Maratha Wars, to the powerful Jagat Seths.
The fort does not exist anymore but there are visible remains that mark out the presence of fortification around this place. This fort was demolished as per order from Fort William on 24th March 1795. These orders were passed by Lord Cornwallis on 22nd February 1793 as he deemed the maintenance and repair cost of old forts useless and along with the Fort Midnapore, the Fort Budge Budge was also demolished. Currently at the very site of Fort Budge Budge sits Budge Budge Jute Mills. It is one of the largest jute processing and weaving facilities in this part of Bengal. A jute mill typically employs thousands of workers and most of these workers settled around the factory in small houses and some of these moats were converted into ponds which came in handy for the mill workers and their family.
There was another fort that was mentioned as Fort Makwa Tana and this was the second fort that was captured by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Clive after the capture of Fort Budge Budge. This place was not clearly defined in the ship logs but was mentioned located at the narrowest section of the river right before reaching Fort William. There was also a mention of Fort Makwa Tana being located right opposite of Matia Buruz (Metiabruz) or the mud fort built by the earlier Muslim rulers of this region. Matia is roughly translated as Matti and Buruz in Arabic meant fort.
Year 1761
As to the Mogul’s Firmaun, there was a time when the orders of Delly had some weight at Bengal, but that time is no more. Itis hard to say who is King at Delly, or who will be; but if ever it comes to be settled, there is little doubt of Mir Kasim’s getting a Firman, with as much ease, as one was procured for the old Nabob, who never paid the King his share of the revenues.
1761
Reference
1. Budge Budge Fort — https://indianvagabond.com/2020/10/12/locating-fort-budge-budge-fort-makwa-tana/
2. British expedition to Calcutta https://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=1756_-_British_expedition_against_Calcutta
মীরকাশিম। রাজা রায়দুর্লভ আর ধনকুবের জগংশেঠের মধ্যস্থতায় বাংলার মসনদ কিন্নাম-নবাব মীরজাফরের দেনা কড়ায় গণ্ডায় শোধ ক’রলাম-বাংলার তিন তিনটা পরগণা-বর্দ্ধমান, চট্টগ্রাম, মেদিনীপুরের রাজস্ব ইষ্ট ইন্ডিয়া কোম্পানীকে দিলাম -দাক্ষিণাত্যে যুদ্ধের খরচা দিলাম পাঁচ লক্ষ তঙ্কা-তবু কোম্পানীর অত্যাচারের হাত থেকে অব্যাহতি নাই। নাগপাশের এমন বাঁধনে আজ আমরা জড়িয়ে আছি যে এ
থেকে আর মুক্তি নেই-মুক্তি নেই।
পাটনায় এলিস আমার শাসন মানে না-কোম্পানীর
সিপাই নবাব-সৈন্যের অপমান করে-কোম্পানীর অন্যায় কাজে
বাধা দিলে তারা ধরে’ নিয়ে কয়েদ করে-পীড়ন করে।
গভর্ণর ভ্যান্সিটার্ট আর হেষ্টিংস সাহেব সেদিন মুঙ্গেরে সন্ধিপত্র
স্বাক্ষর ক’লেন-প্রতিশ্রুতি দিলেন, আর প্রজার ওপরে
অত্যাচার হবেনা-দেশে শান্তি হবে। কিন্তু আবার কোম্পানী
দূত পাঠিয়েছেন অমিয়ট আর হে সাহেবকে-কি মতলবে
তা তাঁরাই জানেনভ্যান্সিটার্ট। Good morning, Ex-Nawab. শুনিল হাপনি
কারবালা যাইটে চাহিয়াছেন। সে খুব ভাল কঠা হাছে।
বুড়া হইয়াছেন, এখন চৰ্ম্ম-কৰ্ম্ম না করিলে উদ্ধার হইবেন
কিরূপে?
মীরজাফর। হ্যাঁ, সাহেব তাই কর-আমার কারবালায় পাঠিয়ে
দাও। লক্ষ লক্ষ টাকা এই হাতে তোমাদের দিয়েছি।
তোমরা যথেচ্ছা খেয়েছ, পরেছ, কুড়িয়ে দেশে নিয়ে গেছবেইমানের তুলনা দিতে মীরজাফরের নাম ছাড়া অন্য নাম
কেউ জানেনা-সেই আমি-আমার মাসিক ভাতা-আজ
দু’হাজার টাকা!
v
deleted
Original Message from JFK Airport
Created at: Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 8:42 AM (Delivered after 15 seconds)
From: Subrata Chakraborty <chakraborty.subrata@gmail.com> Using iPhone Mail (22B91)
To: indian-evisa@gov.in
Subject: *URGENT* Application ID I002V0058E23
Hi,
My visa is issued with wrong passport number and I have flight in 2hrs. Requesting to send new visa with new passport number.
Passport number is 512103461, visa issued with P512103461.
Thanks.
Attached: Copy of Passport #512103461
| Message ID | <1443036114.9235677.1737126690737@gov.in> |
|---|---|
| Created at: | Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 10:11 AM (Delivered after 7 seconds) |
| From: | e-TV Support Team <indian-evisa@gov.in> |
| To: | CHAKRABORTY.SUBRATA@gmail.com |
| Subject: | Amendments in ETA | I002V0058E23 |
Dear SUBRATA CHAKRABORTY
The requisite amendments in your passport number have been made to your ETA 90029A00N of
Application ID I002V0058E23.
You are advised to download the updated ETA from our website-
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa
by using the tab “Check your Visa Status“.
To download the updated ETA, please visit our website and click on the tab ‘Check your Visa Status’.
For any further assistance, you may contact the e-Visa helpdesk through
e-mail (indian-evisa@gov.in) or helpline number – (+91 82 7808 7808).
| Message ID | <1672202159.9239003.1737126754796@gov.in> |
|---|---|
| Created at: | Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 10:12 AM (Delivered after 17 seconds) |
| From: | e-TV Support Team <indian-evisa@gov.in> |
| To: | CHAKRABORTY.SUBRATA@gmail.com |
| Subject: | ETA |
Dear Applicant, Kindly find the attached PDF file.
Regards, e-Visa Support Team Thank You for contacting us.
1/17/2025
Piklu: Good morning Dadabhai 7:07 AM
Me: I am screwed, they are not letting me board the flight – I have a visa issue 8:44 AM
Piklu: Huh: What the! Tahole? 8:45 AM
Me: Could you please call this number 91 11 24300666 and tell them that my visa has a P in front by mistake and they need to issue me a new one without the P 8:46 AM
Me: Could you please call this number 91 11 24300666 and tell them that my visa has a P in front by mistake and they need to issue me a new one without the P
It should be 512103461 only.
The Air India manager is telling me that they usually do it if they are notified. 8:48 AM
Piklu: Trying, Lines are busy
Me: OK. I have sent an email from here and also I am awaiting reply. 8:50 AM
Piklu: I will keep trying. Will update you. 8:50 AM
Me: Sure, thanks.
Me: This is the letter I have sent. 8:52 AM.
Piklu: Voice call letting me know it has been registered and the corrected Visa will be mailed to me in 15 minutes. 8:58 AM
Me: Just talked to the Air India manager and let her know that it would be mailed to me. She said you would be fine because we have another hour before the security check.9:13 AM
Piklu: That;s great. Hope it’s resolved fast. 9:14 AM
Me: Not yet … if possible, could you pl give them another call. Thx 9:40 AM
Piklu: Will do 9:40 AM
Me: Thx. 9:41 AM
Piklu: Repeatedly trying. can’t get through to the executive 9:54 AM
Piklu: Got thru finally! 10:00 AM
Me: OK. Did they tell you where it is being processed?
Piklu: This is Delhi office 10:03 AM
Me: Oh ok, so they might not know 10:03 AM
Piklu: They have put me on hold – said they are working on it 10:04 AM
Me: Ok, thx.
Piklu: Pls check your email 10:12 AM
<< VISA received thru email now 10:12 AM
Me: OK. 1 sec 10:12 AM
Piklu: Ok. 10:13 AM
Piklu: Did you get mail? 10:18 AM
Me: Yes … 1 sec 10:19 AM
Piklu: ok ok 10:19 AM
Me: Got the boarding pass right now 10:29 AM
Piklu: Issue resolved? 10:29 AM
Me: Yes, doing security clearance now. More later. 10:34 AM
Piklu: Ok, have a safe trip. 10:34 AM
Next
subratachak 