History of Hindostan (1768), by Alexander Dow

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Section V. Of the Reign of Firose Ra, and the Dissolution of the Dynasty of the Keshrorage.

FIROSE RA, being versed in the Indian sciences of the Shashter, took great delight in the society of learned men, and entirely neglected the art of war. He expended his revenues in charities to Fakeers, and in building temples for the worship of God. He made two journeys to the city of Bahar, to which he granted large endowments, and built the town of Moneer. Among the bad actions of his life is related, that on the death of Sham, the son of Nireman, who was a great general under Minuchere [King of Persia.], Afrasiab [King of Turan or Great Tartary. He was one of the greatest conquerors of the East.] having invaded the kingdom of Iran, Firose Ra ungratefully seiz'd the same opportunity to wrest the countries of Punjaab [The countries lying near the five heads of the Indus.] and Jallender from that prince, notwithstanding the generous assistance of Persia to his father, in recovering the kingdoms of the Decan. Some ancient authors relate, that till the reign of Keikubad, the territories of Punjaab were annexed to those of Hindostan: But when the hero of the world, Rustum Dista [Rustum Dista was King of Seistan, and for his great exploits he was reckoned the Hercules of the East.], gave grace to the throne of empire, he turned to the conquest of Punjaab; and Firose Ra unable to oppose his progress, withdrew his army to the mountains of Turhat. After Rustum had conquer'd Sind, Moultan and Punjaab, he advanced towards Turhat; and Firose Ra, in great terror, fled from thence to the mountains of Jarcund and Gundwarah; nor did he ever after see happiness, but gave up his soul to death. He is said to have reign'd one hundred and thirty-seven years, but this period must be understood, to include all the Kings who ruled under that name and title.

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Section VI. Of the Reign of Soorage; and the Dynasty of that Name.

WHEN the news of the death of Firose Ra reach'd the ears of Rustum, that hero, on account of his character and ingratitude to Minuchere, was not desirous that his son should succeed to his honours; he therefore placed a chief of the Hindoos, whose name was Soorage, upon the throne, and he himself returned to Iran. Soorage became a powerful prince, and from the sea of Bengal, to that of Malabar, placed his viceroys and governors, and turned his mind to erect magnificent edifices, and to improve agriculture.

In the reign of Soorage, a Brahmin from the mountains of Jarcund appear'd, who was skill'd in the arts of enchantment, and who, insinuating himself into the favour of the King, instructed him in the practices of idolatry. It is said, that Hind continued, in imitation of his father, to worship the true God, and that his descendants followed his example; till in the time of Marage, a person came from Iran, and introduced the worship of the sun, moon and stars, and their proper symbol the element of fire: But the Brahmin, in the days of Soorage, having introduced the worship of Idols, in a manner obliterated all traces of the old religion; for then, every great family molded their silver and gold into images of their fore fathers, and setting them up as objects of worship, among their vassals, there arose in the land, Gods without number.

Soorage built the city of Kinnoge, which he adorn'd with the temples of his Gods, and was intent upon the practice of idolatry. This city, being pleasantly situated on the banks of the Ganges, he constituted his capital; and it is said that the extent of the walls of Kinnoge was, at that time, fifty crores.

The dynasty of the Soorages lasted two hundred and eighty-six years, during which time, they sent annual presents, by way of tribute, to the Kings of Iran.

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Section VII. Of Barage.

OF the race of the Surage we hear nothing particular till the reign of Barage, who was the last of that family. When Barage mounted the throne of Hindostan, he enlarged the city of Barage, and dignified it with his own name. This city is situated to the north-west of Oud about forty crores, by the foot of the mountains. He is said to have wrote some books on the science of music, which were in great repute in antient times. We are also told, that he finished the city of Banaris, which his father had begun to build towards the latter end of his reign: But his disposition being somewhat tinctured with madness, he overturned the laws of Marage, which were founded on wisdom, and great disturbances arose in Hindostan.Keidar, a Brahmin, from the mountains of Sewali, having collected a great army, invaded him, and having in the end, entirely defeated the King, wielded the scepter of government in his own hand. The reign of Barage is said to have been thirty-six years.

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Section VIII. Of the Reign of Keidar the Brahmin.

WHEN Keidar the Brahmin had claspt the bride of royalty in his arms [A metaphorical expression for the empire.], being a man of learning and genius, he became a great King; but carrying the trappings of Kei Caous and Kei Chusero [Kei Caous and Kei-Chusero were Kings of Persia.] on his shoulders, he was constrained, by way of tribute, to send them annual gifts. This prince laid the foundation of the castle of Killinger, upon a high rock, about thirty crores south from Allahabad, and lived to see it compleatly finished. In the latter end of his reign, one Shinkol, a native of Kinnoge, having strengthened himself, took possession of Bang [The province of Bengal.] and Behar, where he had been governor; and leading a great army against Keidar, after many battles had been fought with various success, the fortune of Shinkol at length prevailed. The reign of Keidar was nineteen years.

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Section IX. Of the Reign of Shinkol and of his Son and Successor Rhoat.

WHEN Shinkol had ascended the throne, he exerted himself in the military art, and affected great magnificence. The city of Lucknouti, which is famous by the name of Goura, he rebuilt and beautified, with many noble structures: That city is said to have been the capital of Bang for the space of two thousand years, and was not destroyed till after the conquest of Timur, when Tanda became the seat of government in those parts.

Shinkol kept up a force of four thousand elephants of war, a hundred thousand horse, and four hundred thousand foot. When, therefore, Afrasiab [Afrasiab was a common title of the Kings of Persia of the Tartar race.], King of Iran, demanded his tribute, Shinkol, confiding in his own strength, refused to make any acknowledgment, but turned away the Persian ambassador with disgrace. Afrasiab being enraged at this treatment, one of his generals, whose name was Peiran, was commanded to march against Shinkol with fifty thousand chosen troops. When intelligence of this invasion came to Shinkol, he exalted the spear of defiance, and raising a great army, marched forth to meet him.

The two armies came in sight of each other near the hills of Koge, which are in the country of Koracut, on the frontiers of Bengala. The battle soon begun, and it lasted two days and two nights, without victory declaring on either side. The Turks [The word Turk signifies no more than a soldier in the Persian language, so that all their troops went by that name; Turks in this place must be understood of those whom we call Tartars.], doing justice to their former fame, had by this time laid fifty thousand of the Hindoos upon the field; yet, on account of the number of the enemy, the harvest seemed not to decrease before them: In the mean time, eighteen thousand of the smaller army being slain, a weakness appeared distinctly on the face of their affairs. However, urged as they were, they made a third attempt, and finding themselves overcome, they sought as they retreated to the mountains; there they took possession of a strong post, from which it was impossible to drive them: From this post, they continued with small parties, to harrass the neighbouring country, and in the mean time, dispatched letters to Afrasiab, giving him an account of their situation.

Afrasiab was at that time in the city of Gingdis, which is situated between Chitta and Chin, and about a month's journey beyond the city of Balich. When he received intelligence of the situation of Peiran, he hastened to his relief with a hundred thousand horse, and came just in time to save him from destruction; for Shinkol had so closely invested him with a numerous army, that in a few days more he must have perished with famine, or submitted himself to the mercy of an enraged enemy. Afrasiab without delay assaulted Shinkol; the terrified Hindoos, unable to stand the combat, were dispersed like straw before the storm, leaving their wealth and equipage behind. When Peiran was relieved from his distress, Afrasiab pursued the enemy, and put thousands of them to the sword. Shinkol himself hastened to Bang, and came to the city of Lucknouti, but being closely pursued by Afrasiab, he tarried there only one day, and then fled to the mountains of Turhat. The Turks ravaged the whole kingdom with fire and sword.

Afrasiab having received intelligence of Shinkol, he directed his march towards him. Shinkol immediately sent some of the wise men of his court to beg peace and forgiveness for his errors, soliciting that he might have the honour to kiss the foot of the lord of nations. Afrasiab yielded to his intreaties, and Shinkol, with a sword and a coffin, was brought into his presence. It was agreed between the kings that Shinkol should accompany Afrasiab to Turan, and that his son should have the empire restored to him upon condition of paying an annual tribute. Thus Shinkol continued to attend Afrasiab, who returned to his own dominions, till in one of the battles with Rustum [Rustum seems to be a name common to all the Kings of Siestan.] he was slain by that hero's sword.

Shinkol is said to have reigned sixty-four years. His son Rhoat, who succeeded him in the throne, was a wise, religious and affable prince. The revenues of his empire, which extended from Kirmi to Malava, he divided into three parts; one of which he expended in charities, another he sent to Afrasiab for his tribute, in which there was a large surplus for the use of his father; and the other third was appropriated to the necessary expences of his government. His standing army upon this account was small, which induced the king of Malava, who was rich and powerful, to withdraw his neck from the yoke of obedience, and to seize upon the castle of Gualier, at the time that Raja Rhoat was busy in building the strong hold of Rhotas, which still goes by his name. When intelligence was brought to the King of the loss of Gualier, he assembled an army and led them against the Raja of Malava, but was forced to retreat. After Rhoat and his race had reigned eighty-one years, they went the way of their fathers, and having left no children to assume the ensigns of royalty, there arose great disturbances in the city of Kinnoge. A nobleman whose name was Merage, from the Rajaput tribe of Cutchwa, assumed at last the dignities of the empire. This prince we are told was a native of Marwar.

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Section X. Of the Reign of Merage.

AFTER Merage had firmly established himself upon the throne, he led an army towards Narval [Guzerat.], and punished the disobedient Zemindars of that country. Having built a port on the shores of the Salt Sea, he there constructed ships of wonderful invention to trade into foreign lands, and having settled the country in peace, returned to his capital, where he died, after a reign of forty years. He was cotemporary with Gustasp, Emperor of Turkistan [Hystaspes, the father of Darius Hystaspes, King of Persia. It is remarkable, that the chronology of the Hindoos agrees almost exactly with Sir Isaac Newton. Newton fixes the commencement of the reign of Darius in the 521st year before Christ; so that if we suppose that Hystaspes made a figure in Turkestan twenty five years before the accession of his son to the throne of Persia, which is no ways improbable, the chronology of Hindostan agrees perfectly with that which Newton has established.], to whom he paid tribute.

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Section XI. Of the Reign of Kederage.

KEDERAGE was nephew, by a sister, to the former King, and nominated by him for his successor. Rustum Dista the second being slain, and the ruler of Punjaab being a weak man, Kederage led an army that way, conquered it without much difficulty, and remained some time in Bhera, which is an ancient city. He built the fort of Jimbu, situated about forty crores from Lahore, on a mountain: then leaving one of his kinsmen, whose name was Wirick, to govern the country, he returned to his capital. But some time after two tribes of mountaineers, the Gickers and Joppies, collecting all the troops of Cabul and Kandahar, advanced against Kederage, and recovered all those territories, from which time these people have kept possession of the mountains, and are now called Asgans. Kederage reigned forty three years.

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Section XII. Of the Reign of Jeichund.

JEICHUND was commander in chief of the armies of the former King, and having the power in his hands, he mounted the throne at the death of his sovereign. In this reign a dreadful famine and pestilence devoured the land. The King neglecting the public calamity in the city of Biana, spent his time in riot and festivity. Many towns and villages upon this occasion became desolate, and the whole kingdom of Hindostan put on the aspect of ruin and distress. Jeichund, at the expiration of sixty years, withdrew into the regions of eternity. He was cotemporary with Bemin and Daraab, and sent them an annual tribute. He left one son of tender years, so that the mother of the child took the reins of administration into her hands; but being too weak to guide the chariot of empire, Delu, the brother of Jeichund, seized that opportunity of usurping the government.

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Section XIII. Of the Reigns of Delu and the two Foors.

DELU was a prince uncommonly brave and generous, with a disposition benevolent towards men, and entirely devoted to his creator. He founded the city of Delhi in the fortieth year of his reign; but a Raja of his own family, whose name was Foor [Foor was the father to the famous Porus who fought against Alexander.], and who ruled the country of Cumaoon under him, rebelled, and having first secured that country, drew a great army together, and invaded the Emperor in Kinnoge. Thus a bloody war was commenced, in which the Emperor was taken prisoner and sent to be confined in the fort of Rhotas. Foor led his army towards Bang, and conquered the country as far as the ocean, and became a great and powerful prince: but his son Foor confiding in his strength, neglected to pay the customary tribute to the King of Iran, which drew the victorious army of the great Secunder [Alexander the Great.] upon his head. Foor, notwithstanding, would not submit; but with an army numerous as the locusts, met Secunder at Sirhind, about eighty crores from Delhi, where a terrible battle was fought, in which he bravely lost his life with many thousands of his subjects.

When the great Secunder came to Hindostan, there was a Raja of the Decan, whose name was Bider, and founder of the castle of that name, who upon hearing of the victory of Secunder and the death of Foor, sent his son with great wealth to the conqueror to obtain peace, which being granted, and a mutiny arising in his army, Secunder returned to Iran.

After the death of Foor, and the return of Secunder, Sinsarchund assumed the imperial dignity, and in a short time regulated the empire, which was then in great confusion, but he neglected not to send his regular tribute to Kodirs and Nirsi, who at that time held the Sultanit of Iran.

After he and his family of the same name had reigned seventy years, a Raja whose name was Jonah, invaded the empire, and gained the ascendancy. Some say that Jonah was the nephew of Foor, but this is not well attested. However, when his fortune raised him to the throne, he became an excellent prince, taking great pains in peopling and cultivating the waste parts of his dominions, and founding a lasting name of justice and benevolence. Aridshere [Aridshere is the same with Arsaces, king of Parthia, who founded the Parthian or second Persian empire, about two hundred and fifty-six years before the christian era.] at this time was Emperor of Iran, and advanced with an army to the borders of Hindostan, when Jonah, in fear of his arms, hastened to make his submission, carrying with him a great number of warlike elephants, with a vast quantity of gold and jewels, which he presented to the Emperor and bought peace. He then returned to Kinnoge, and ruled in tranquillity for many years. He and his posterity reigned ninety years without doing any thing remarkable to the accession of Callian Chund to the imperial throne.

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Section XIV. Of Callian Chund.

CALLIAN CHUND was a prince of an evil disposition, oppressive and tyrannical to his subjects, whose blood he shed without mercy. His cruelty occasioned many people of distinction to desert the country and fly to other kingdoms for protection, by which the lustre of the court and the beauty of the country were greatly diminished. At length faction began openly to raise her head, and all the dependant Rajas to appear in arms, so that being deserted by his own troops, he fled and died in obscurity.

From this period, we find nothing certain in the history of Hindostan to the time of Bickermagit, the Raja of Malava, who made a considerable figure in the world. We shall therefore make a short digression from the history of the Kings of Kinnoge, to give some account of him.

This Bickermagit was of the tribe of Tuar, and great things are recorded in the histories of the Hindoos, concerning the policy, justice and wisdom of his government. It is said that this prince in his youth, putting on the habit of a Fakeer, travelled over the world for many years in acquiring the arts, learning and policy of foreign nations. It was not however till the age of fifty that he became famous for his exploits in the field, to which they say he was impelled by divine command; which notion seemed indeed to be justified by his uncommon success, which soon paved his way to the throne. In a few months he entirely subdued the kingdoms of Narval and Malava, spreading the carpet of justice, and throwing the shadow of his protection over the heads of his subjects. The poets of those days praise his justice, by telling us that the magnet without his leave durst not exert its power upon iron, nor amber upon the chaff of the field; and such was his temperance and contempt of external grandeur, that he slept upon a mat, and reduced the furniture of his apartment to an earthen pot filled with water from the spring.

In his reign the city of Ugeïn was built, as also the fort of Daar, where he took up his residence. He is said to have set up the idol Makaal [Great time.] in Ugeïn, and to have collected Brahmins, Fakeers, and Jogies, to attend that worship for the vulgar, while he himself worshipped only the infinite and invisible God. The time of his death before the writing of this history (in the year of the Higerah one thousand and fifteen) according to the account of the Hindoo writers, is fifteen hundred and sixty three years. He is said to have been cotemporary with Shawpoor [Shawpoor signifies, the King of the city, a title of the Kings of Persia, for some time after the dissolution of the first empire. It is the same name with Sapor, so famous in the Roman history.] King of Iran.

Bickermagit [The era of Bickermagit is that which is most commonly used by the Gentoos.] was slain in his old age, in a battle with the princes of the Decan, who had lifted up their standards against him upon the banks of the river Nirbidda. The Hindoo historians have stretched the praise of this hero so far beyond the bounds of reason and probability, that the love of truth obliges us to be silent on this head. After the death of Bickermagit the kingdom fell into anarchy for some time, till Raja Boge drew the reins of government into his hands.

Raja Boge also was of the tribe of Tuar, and in policy, justice, and government, followed the example of Bickermagit. In the discipline of his troops he was extremely active and vigilant, often going the rounds in disguise to see that they were watchful on their posts. He had a peculiar passion for architecture, which he gratified in building, restoring, and ornamenting many cities in his dominions. Hindia, Bijanagur, and Gircoon, were built in his reign. He was also much addicted to women, whom he collected into his Haram from all parts. Twice every year he made a grand festival, to which thousands of musicians and singers crowded for his entertainment. This festival continued for the space of forty days, in which nothing went on but dancing, singing and debauchery. The company, on the breaking up of the assembly, were presented each with a dress and other presents according to their rank. In this luxurious manner he reigned fifty years.

To return to the history of Kinnoge. After the expulsion of Callian Chund, the kingdom of Kinnoge remained in anarchy to the days of Basdeo, who having mounted the throne, recovered Bahar and Bengal, which had revolted, and began to restore the power and authority of his kingdom. Byram Gore, King of Iran, at that time, came in disguise to Hindostan, in the character of a merchant, to inform himself of the power, government and manners of that country. When he was entering the city of Kinnoge, it is related, that a wild elephant attacked him, who in the season of lust had rushed from the woods, killing and destroying all who came in his way. Byram Gore pierced the elephant's forehead with an arrow, by which he acquired great fame and popularity. This circumstance having reached the ears of the King, he was desirous of seeing the merchant, and ordered him to be brought into his presence. When one of the nobles who had gone to the court of Iran some years before with the tribute, discovered him to Basdeo, who being perfectly assured of the truth, descended from his throne and embraced him.

Byram Gore being constrained to assume his proper character, he was treated with the utmost magnificence and respect while he remained at the court of Kinnoge, where he married the daughter of Basdeo, and returned in a short time to Iran. Basdeo and the princes his posterity, are said to have ruled the empire for eighty years. The country being torn to pieces by a civil war, which arose between the descendants of Basdeo, Ramdeo, who had been general of the forces, excluded the royal line from the throne, and by consent of the nobility and troops, took the supreme authority into his own hands.