Dhār is one of the old cities, and Rāja Bhoj, who was one of the great Rajas of Hindustan, lived in it. From his time 1,00060 years have passed, and in the time of the Sultans of Malwa it was for a long time the capital. At the time when Sult̤ān Muḥammad Tug͟hluq was proceeding to the conquest of the Deccan, he built a fort of cut stone on the top of a ridge. Outside it is very showy and handsome, but inside the fort is devoid of buildings. I ordered them to measure its length, breadth, and height. The length inside the fort was 12 t̤anāb, 7 gaz; the breadth, 17 tanab, 13 gaz, and the breadth of the fort wall 19½ gaz. Its height up to the battlements appeared to be 17½ gaz. The length of the outer circuit (?) of the fort was 55 tanabs. ʿAmīd S͟hāh G͟horī, who was called Dilāwar K͟hān, and who in the time of Sult̤ān Muḥammad, son of Sult̤ān Fīrūz, king of Delhi, had complete authority over the province of Malwa, built the Jāmiʿ mosque in the inhabitable part outside the fort, and opposite the gate of the mosque fixed a quadrangular iron column. When Sult̤ān Bahādur of Gujarat took the province of Malwa into his own possession, he wished to transfer this column to Gujarat. The artificers did not take proper precautions when they lowered it, and it fell and broke into two pieces, one of them of 7½ gaz and the other of 4¼ gaz. The column was 1¼ gaz round. As it was lying there useless, I ordered them to take the larger piece to Agra and put61 it up in the courtyard of the mausoleum of H.M. Akbar, and to burn a lamp on the top of it at night. The aforesaid mosque has two gates. In front of the arch of one gate some sentences in prose have been carved on a stone tablet; their purport is that Amīd S͟hāh G͟horī founded this mosque in the year 870,62 and on the arch of the other gate a qaṣīda has been written, and these few couplets are from it—

When Dilāwar K͟hān gave up the deposit of his life there was no king with full dominion over Hindustan, and it was a time of confusion. Hūs͟hang, son of Dilāwar K͟hān, who was just and possessed of courage, seeing his opportunity, sat on the throne of sovereignty in Malwa. After his death through destiny the rule was transferred65 to Maḥmūd K͟haljī, son of K͟hān Jahān, who had been Vizier to Hūs͟hang and passed from him to his son G͟hiyās̤u-d-dīn, and after him to Nāṣiru-d-dīn, son of G͟hiyās̤u-d-dīn, who gave his father poison and sat on the throne of infamy. From him it passed to his son Maḥmūd. Sult̤ān Bahādur of Gujarat took from Maḥmūd the province of Malwa. The succession of kings of Malwa ended with the aforesaid Maḥmūd.

On Monday, the 6th, I went to hunt and shot a female nilgaw. Presenting an elephant to Mīrzā S͟harafu-d-dīn Ḥusain Kās͟hg͟harī, I dismissed him to duty in the Subah of Bangash. A present of a jewelled dagger, a muhr of 100 tolas, and 20,000 darbs was made to Ūdā Rām. On Tuesday, the 7th, I shot an alligator in the tank at Dhār. Though only the top of his snout was visible and the rest of his body was hidden in the water, I fired at a guess and hit him in his lungs and killed him with a single shot. An alligator is of the crocodile species and exists in most of the rivers of Hindustan, and grows very large. This one was not so very big. An alligator has been seen (by me) 8 gaz long and 1 gaz in breadth. On Sunday, marching 4½ kos, I halted at Saʿdalpūr. In this village there is a stream over which Nāṣiru-d-dīn K͟haljī built a bridge and erected buildings. It is a place like Kāliyāda, and both are his works. Although his building is not worthy of praise, yet as it has been built in the river-bed and they have made rivulets and reservoirs, it is somewhat remarkable. At night I ordered them to place lamps all round the canals and streams. On Mubārak-s͟hamba (Thursday), the 9th, a feast of cups was held. On this day I made a present to my son S͟hāh Jahān of a ruby of one colour, weighing 9 tanks and 5 surkh, of the value of 125,000 rupees, with two pearls. This is the ruby which had been given to my father at the time of my birth by Ḥaẓrat Maryam-makānī, mother of H.M. Akbar, by way of present when my face was shown, and was for many years in his sarpīch (turban ornament). After him I also happily wore it in my sarpich. Apart from its value and delicacy, as it had come down as of auspicious augury to the everlasting State, it was bestowed on my son. Having raised Mubāriz K͟hān to a mansab of 1,500 personal and horse, I appointed him to the faujdārship of the province of Mewāt, distinguishing him with the present of a dress of honour, a sword, and an elephant. A sword was given to Himmat K͟hān, son of Rustam K͟hān. I gave Kamāl K͟hān, the huntsman, who is one of the old servants and is always present with me on hunting expeditions, the title of S͟hikār K͟hān (hunting-K͟hān). Appointing Ūdā Rām to service in the Subah of the Deccan, I conferred on him a dress of honour, an elephant, and Iraq horses (lit. wind-footed ones), and sent with him for the Commander-in-Chief, Khankhanan, the Ātālīq, a special gilt dagger (zar-nis͟hān). On Friday, the 10th, I halted. On Saturday, the 11th, I marched 3¾ kos and halted at the village of Ḥalwat.66 On Sunday, the 12th, marching 5 kos, I halted in the parganah67 of Badnor. This parganah from the time of my father had been in the jagir of Kes͟ho Dās Mārū,68 and in fact had become a kind of wat̤an (native country) to him. He had constructed gardens and buildings. Out of these one was a well (bāolī) (step-well probably) on the road, which appeared exceedingly pleasant and well made. It occurred to me that if a well had to be made anywhere on a roadside it should be built like this one. At least two such ought to be made.

On Monday, the 13th, I went to hunt and shot a blue bull. From the day on which the elephant Nūr-bak͟ht was put into the special elephant stables, there was an order that he should be tied up in the public palace (court). Among animals elephants have the greatest liking for water; they delight to go into the water, notwithstanding the winter and the coldness of the air, and if there should be no water into which they can go, they will take it from a water-bag (mas͟hk) with their trunks and pour it over their bodies. It occurred to me that however much an elephant delights in water, and it is suited to their temperament, yet in the winter the cold water must affect them. I accordingly ordered the water to be made lukewarm (as warm as milk) before they (the elephants) poured it into their trunks. On other days when they poured cold water over themselves they evidently shivered, but with warm water, on the contrary they were delighted. This usage is entirely my own.

On Tuesday, the 14th, marching 6 kos, I halted at Sīlgaṛh (Sabalgaṛh ?). On Wednesday, the 15th, crossing the Mahī River, a halt was made near Rāmgaṛh. A march of 6 kos was made on Thursday, the 16th, and a halt was made and a feast of cups held at a waterfall near the camp. Distinguishing Sar-buland K͟hān with a standard and giving him an elephant, I dismissed him to do duty in the Deccan. His mansab, original and increase, was fixed at 1,500 personal and 1,200 horse. Rāja Bhīm Narāyan, Zamindar of Gadeha, who had been promoted to the mansab of 1,000 horse, obtained leave to go to his jagir. Having raised Rāja Bharjīv, Zamindar of Baglāṇa, to the mansab of 4,000, I gave him leave to go to his native country, and an order was given that when he arrived there he should send to Court his eldest son, who was his successor, that he might do duty in my presence. I honoured Ḥājī Balūch, who was the chief of the huntsmen and was an active and old servant, with the title of Balūch K͟hān. On Friday, the 17th, marching 5 kos, I alighted at the village of Dhāvala. On Saturday, the 18th, which was the feast of Qurbān, after the Qurbān rites had been performed, marching 3¼ kos, I halted on the bank of the tank of the village of Nāgor.69 On Sunday, the 19th, marching about 5 kos, the royal standards were erected on the bank of the tank of the village of Samriya. On Monday, the 20th, marching 4¼ kos, we alighted at the chief place of the Doḥad70 parganah. This parganah is on the boundary between Malwa and Gujarat. Until I passed Badnor the whole country was a jungle, with an abundance of trees and stony land. On Tuesday, the 21st, I halted. On Kam-s͟hamba (Wednesday), the 22nd, marching 5¼ kos, I halted at the village of Ranyād (Renāv ?). On Thursday, the 23rd, I halted and held a feast of cups on the bank of the village tank. On Friday, the 24th, marching 2½ kos, the royal standards were hoisted at the village of Jālot. At this halt some jugglers from the Carnatic came and showed their tricks. One of them placed one end of an iron chain, 5½ gaz in length and weighing 1 seer and 2 dams,71 in his throat and slowly swallowed it with the aid of water. It was for a while in his stomach; after this he brought it up. On Saturday, the 25th, there was a halt. On Sunday, the 26th, marching 5 kos, I alighted at the village of Nīmdah. On Monday, the 27th, also marching 5 kos, I pitched on the bank of a tank. On Tuesday, the 28th, marching 3¾ kos, the royal standards alighted near the township of Sahrā72 on the edge of a tank. The flower of the lotus, which in the Hindi language they call kumudinī, is of three colours—white, blue, and red. I had already seen the blue and white, but had never seen the red. In this tank red flowers were seen blooming. Without doubt it is an exquisite and delightful flower, as they have said—

The flower of the kaṇwal74 is larger than the kumudini. Its flower is red. I have seen in Kashmir many kanwal with a hundred leaves (petals). It is certain that it opens during the day and becomes a bud at night. The kumudini, on the contrary, is a bud during the day and opens at night. The black bee, which the people of India call bhauṇrā, always sits on these flowers, and goes inside them to drink the juice that is in both of them. It often happens that the kanwal flower closes and the bee remains in it the whole night. In the same manner it remains in the kumudini flower. When the flower opens it comes out and flies away. As the black bee is a constant attendant on these flowers, the poets of India look on it as a lover of the flower, like the nightingale, and have put into verse sublime descriptions of it. Of these poets the chief was Tān Sen Kalāwant, who was without a rival in my father’s service (in fact, there has been no singer like him in any time or age). In one of his compositions he has likened the face of a young man to the sun and the opening of his eyes to the expanding of the kanwal and the exit of the bee. In another place he has compared the side-glance of the beloved one to the motion of the kanwal when the bee alights on it.

At this place figs arrived from Ahmadabad. Although the figs of Burhanpur are sweet and well-grown, these figs are sweeter and with fewer seeds, and one may call them 5 per cent. better. On Kam-s͟hamba, the 29th, and Mubārak-s͟hamba, the 30th, we halted. At this stage Sar-farāz K͟hān came from Ahmadabad and had the good fortune to kiss the threshold. Out of his offerings a rosary of pearls, bought for 11,000 rupees, two elephants, two horses, two bullocks and a riding cart, and some pieces of Gujaratī cloth, were accepted, and the remainder presented to him. Sar-farāz K͟hān is a grandson of Musāḥib Beg, by which name he was called by Akbar after his grandfather, who was one of the Amirs of Humāyūn. In the beginning of my reign I increased his mansab and appointed him to the Subah of Gujarat. As he had an hereditary connection with the Court as a Khana-zada (one born in the house), he proved himself efficient in the Subah of Gujarat. Considering him worthy of patronage, I gave him the title of Sar-farāz K͟hān and raised him in the world, and his mansab has risen to 2,000 personal and 1,000 horse. On Friday, the 1st of Day, I marched 3¾ kos and halted on the bank of the tank of Jhasod.75 At this stage Rāy Mān, captain of the Khidmatiya,76 caught a rohū fish and brought it. As I am particularly partial to the flesh of fish, especially that of the rohu, which is the best kind of fish in Hindustan, and I had never, notwithstanding much enquiry, had one for eleven months from the time of crossing the pass of Ghātī Chand77 until the present time, and now obtained it, I was greatly delighted. I presented a horse to Rāy Mān. Although the parganah of Dohad is reckoned as within the boundary of Gujarat, yet, in fact, it was from this stage that all things appeared different. The open plains and soil are of a different kind; the people are different and the language of another description. The jungle that appeared on the road, has fruit-bearing trees, such as the mango and khirnī and tamarind, and the method of guarding the cultivated fields is with hedges of zaqqūm. The cultivators separate their fields with cactus, and leave a narrow road between them for coming and going. Since all this country has a sandy soil, when any movement takes place, so much dust rises that the faces of people are seen with difficulty, so that one should call Ahmadabad ‘Gardābād’78 (abode of dust). On Saturday, the 2nd, having marched 3¾ kos, I encamped on the bank of the Mahī. On Sunday, the 3rd, again after a march of 3¾ kos, I halted at the village of Bardala. At this stage a number of mansabdars who had been appointed to serve in Gujarat had the good fortune to kiss the threshold. Marching 5 kos on Monday, the 4th, the royal standards halted at Chitrasīmā, and the next day, Tuesday, after a march of 5 kos, in parganah Mondā.79 On this day three blue bulls were killed; one was larger than the others and weighed 13 maunds and 10 seers. On Wednesday, the 6th, I marched 6 kos and halted in parganah Naryād.80 In passing through the town I scattered 1,500 rupees. On Thursday, the 7th, marching 6½ kos, I halted in the parganah of Pitlād.81 In the country of Gujarat there is no larger parganah than this; it has a revenue of 700,000 rupees, equal to 23,000 current tumans of Iraq. The population of the town (qaṣba), too, is dense. Whilst I passed through it I scattered 1,000 rupees. All my mind is bent upon this, that under any pretext the people of God may be benefited. As the chief way of riding among the people of this country is in carts, I also wished to travel in a cart. I sat for 2 kos in a cart, but was much troubled with the dust, and after this till the end of the stage rode on horseback. On the road Muqarrab K͟hān came from Ahmadabad, and had the good fortune to wait on me, and presented an offering of a pearl he had bought for 30,000 rupees. On Friday, the 8th, marching 6½ kos, the place of the descent of prosperity was on the shore of the salt sea.

Cambay82 is one of the old ports. According to the brahmins, several thousand years have passed since its foundation. In the beginning its name was Trimbāwatī, and Rāja Tryambak Kunwar had the government of the country. It would take too long to write in detail the circumstances of the aforesaid Raja as the brahmins relate it. In brief, when the turn to the government came round to Rāja Abhay Kumār,83 who was one of his grandsons, by the decree of heaven a great calamity happened to this city. So much dust and earth were poured on it that all the houses and buildings were hidden, and the means of livelihood of many people was destroyed. Before the arrival of this calamity, an idol (but), which the Raja worshipped, came in a dream and announced this event. The Raja with his family embarked in a ship, and carried away the idol with them with a pillar it had behind it for a support. By chance the ship also was wrecked by a storm of misfortune. As there was left still a term of life for the Raja, that pillar bore the boat of his existence in safety to the shore, and he proposed to rebuild the city. He put up the pillar as a mark of repopulation and the coming together of the people. As in the Hindi language they call a pillar istambh and khambh, they called the city Istambhnagarī and Khambāwatī, and sometimes also Trimbāwatī, in connection with the Raja’s name; Khambāwatī has by degrees and much use become Khambāyat (Cambay). This port is one of the largest ports84 in Hindustan and is near a firth, which is one of the firths of the Sea of Oman. It has been estimated to be 7 kos in width, and nearly 40 kos in length. Ships cannot come inside the firth, but must cast anchor in the port of Gogā, which is a dependency85 of Cambay and situated near the sea. Thence, putting their cargoes into ghurābs86 (commonly called ‘grabs’) they bring them to the port of Cambay. In the same way, at the time of loading a ship they carry the cargo in ghurabs and put it in the ships. Before the arrival of the victorious host some ghurabs from European ports had come to Cambay to buy and sell, and were about to return. On Sunday, the 10th, they decorated them and showed them to me. Taking leave they went about their business. On Monday, the 11th, I myself went on board a ghurab for about a kos on the face of the water. On Tuesday, the 12th, I went out with cheetahs (yūz), and captured two87 antelope. On Wednesday, the 13th, I went to see the tank of Tārangsar (Narangsar?),88 and passed through the streets and bazaar on the way, scattering nearly 5,000 rupees. In the time of H.M. Akbar (may Allah’s lights be his testimony), Kalyān Rāy, the superintendent of the port, by His Majesty’s order built a wall of brick and cement round the city, and many merchants came from various quarters and settled there, and built fine houses and employed themselves in gaining their livelihood under easy circumstances. Although its market is small, it is clean and full of people. In the time of the Sultans of Gujarat the customs of this port came to a large sum. Now in my reign it is ordered that they should not take more than one in forty. In other ports, calling it a tithe, they take one in ten or one in eight, and give all kinds of trouble to merchants and travellers. In Jeddah, which is the port of Mecca, they take one in four or even more. One may imagine from this what the customs of the ports of Gujarat must have come to in the time of the former rulers. God be praised that this suppliant at the throne of God obtained the grace to remit the whole of the customs dues of his dominions, which came to a countless sum, and the very name of customs (tamg͟hā) has passed away from my empire. At this time an order was given that tankas89 of gold and silver should be coined twice the weight of ordinary muhrs and rupees. The legend on the gold coin was on one side the words “Jahāngīr-s͟hāhī, 1027” (1618), and on the reverse “Struck in Cambay in the 12th year of the reign.” The legend for silver coins was on one side “Sikka, Jahāngīr-s͟hāhī, 1027”; round it this hemistich, “King Jahāngīr of the conquering ray struck this”; and on the reverse, “Coined at Cambay in the 12th year of the reign,” with this second hemistich round it—

In no reign except mine have tankas been coined except of copper90; the gold and silver tankas are my invention. I ordered it to be called the Jahāngīrī coinage. On Mubārak-s͟hamba (Thursday), the 14th the offering of Amānat K͟hān, the superintendent (mutaṣaddī) of Cambay, was laid before me in the women’s apartments. His mansab was fixed, original and increase, at 1,500 personal and 400 horse. Nūru-d-dīn Qulī was honoured with the mansab, original and increase, of 3,000 personal and 600 horse. On Friday, the 15th, mounted on the elephant Nūr-bak͟ht, I made it run after a horse. It ran exceedingly well, and when it was stopped stood well. This is the third time that I myself have ridden it. On Saturday, the 16th, Rām Dās, son of Jay Singh91, was promoted to the mansab, original and increase, of 1,500 personal and 700 horse. On Sunday, the 17th, an elephant each was given to Dārāb K͟hān. Amānat K͟hān, and Sayyid Bāyazīd Bārha. In these few days during which I was encamped on the shore of the salt sea, merchants, traders, indigent people, and other inhabitants of the port of Cambay having been summoned before me, I gave each according to his condition a dress of honour or a horse or travelling money or assistance in living. On this day, Sayyid Muḥammad, Ṣāḥib Sajjāda (Lord of the prayer carpet) of S͟hāh ʿĀlam (a mosque near Ahmadabad), the sons of S͟haik͟h Muḥammad G͟haus̤, S͟haik͟h Ḥaidar, grandson of Miyān Wajīhū-d-dīn, and other Shaikhs living at Ahmadabad came to meet me and pay their respects. As my desire was to see the sea and the flow and ebb of the water, I halted for ten days, and on Tuesday, the 19th (Day, about 30th December, 1618), the royal standards started for Ahmadabad. The best description of fish procurable in this place, the name of which is ʿarbīyat,92 was caught and frequently brought for me by the fishermen. Without doubt these fish, are, as compared with other fish of this country, more delicious and better, but they are not of the flavour of the rohū. One might say as nine to ten or even eight to ten. Of the food which is peculiar to the people of Gujarat there is the khichṛī of bājrā (a mixture of split peas and millet boiled together); this they also call laẕīẕa. It is a kind of split grain, which does not grow in any other country but Hindustan, and which in comparison with many other regions of India is more abundant in Gujarat; it is cheaper than most vegetables. As I had never eaten it, I ordered them to make some and bring it to me. It is not devoid of good flavour, and it suited me well. I ordered that on the days of abstinence, when I partake of dishes not made with flesh, they should frequently bring me this khichri On the said Tuesday having marched 6¼ kos, I halted at the village of Kosālā. On Wednesday, the 20th, I passed through the parganah of Bābrā93 and halted on the bank of the river. This was a march of 6 kos. On Mubārak-s͟hamba, the 21st, I halted and held a feast of cups. In this river I caught many fish, and divided them among the servants who were present at the feast. On Friday, the 22nd, having moved on 4 kos, I pitched at the village of Bāṛīchā. On this road, walls came in sight from 2½ to 3 gaz in length, and on enquiry it appeared that people had made them from the desire of spiritual reward. When a porter is tired on the road he places his burden on the wall and gains his breath a little, and lifting it up again with ease and without assistance from anyone proceeds towards his destination. This is one of the peculiar ideas of the people of Gujarat. The building of these walls pleased me greatly, and I ordered that in all large towns94 they should make walls of this kind at the imperial expense. On Saturday, the 23rd marching 4¾ kos, the camp was pitched at the Kānkrīya tank. Qut̤bu-d-dīn Muḥammad, grandson of Sult̤ān Aḥmad, the founder of the city of Ahmadabad, made this tank, and placed round it steps of stone and cement. In the middle of the tank he constructed a little garden and some buildings. Between the bank of the tank and these buildings he had made a causeway, which was the way for entering and leaving, Since this occurred a long time ago, most of the buildings had become dilapidated, and there was no place left fit to sit in. At the time when the host of prosperity was about to proceed towards Ahmadabad, Ṣafī K͟hān, bakhshī of Gujarat, repaired at the expense of government what was broken down and in ruins, and clearing out the little garden erected a new building in it. Certainly it is a place exceedingly enjoyable and pleasant. Its style pleased me. On the side where the causeway is, Niz̤āmu-d-dīn Aḥmad,95 who was for a while bakhshi of Gujarat in my father’s time, had made a garden on the bank of the tank. At this time a representation was made to me that ʿAbdu-llah K͟hān, in consequence of a dispute that he had with ʿĀbid, son of Niz̤āmu-d-dīn Aḥmad, cut down the trees of this garden. I also heard that during his government he, at a wine party, signed to a slave, and cut off the head of an unfortunate man who was not wanting in fun and jesting, merely because in a state of drunkenness he had uttered some improper expressions by way of a joke. On hearing these two reports, my sense of justice was shocked, and I ordered the Diwans to change one thousand of his two-horsed and three-horsed cavalry into one-horsed, and to deduct from his jagir the difference (of pay), which came to 7,000,000 dams.

As at this stage the tomb of S͟hāh ʿĀlam was by the roadside, I recited the fātiḥa in passing by it. About 100,000 rupees had been spent in building this mausoleum. S͟hāh ʿĀlam was the son of Qut̤b ʿĀlam, and their family goes back to Mak͟hdūm-i-Jahāniyān96 (a saint). The people of this country, high and low, have a wonderful belief in him, and they say that S͟hāh ʿĀlam used to raise the dead. After he had raised several dead men, his father became aware of this and sent him a prohibition, saying it was presumption in him to meddle with the workshop of God, and was contrary to true obedience. It happened that S͟hāh ʿĀlam had an attendant (female) who had no children, but at S͟hāh ʿĀlam’s prayer God Almighty bestowed a son on her. When he reached his 27th97 year he died, and that slave came weeping and wailing into his presence, saying, “My son has died, and he was my only son; since God Almighty gave him to me by your favour, I am hopeful that through your prayer he may become alive.” S͟hāh ʿĀlam fell into thought for a time and went into his cell, and the attendant went to his son, who greatly loved her, and besought him to ask the S͟hāh to make his son alive. The son, who was of tender years, went into his cell, and used much entreaty. S͟hāh ʿĀlam said, “If you are content to give up your life for him, perhaps my petition may be accepted.” He represented “I am perfectly contented with what may be your wish and the desire of God.” S͟hāh ʿĀlam took his son’s hands, and lifting him up from the ground turned his face towards heaven and said, “O God, take this kid in place of that one.” Instantaneously the boy surrendered his soul to God, and S͟hāh ʿĀlam laid him down on his own bed and covered his face with a sheet, and coming out of the house said to that attendant, “Go home, and get news of thy son; perhaps he may have been in a trance and not have died.” When she arrived at her house she saw her son alive. In short, in the country of Gujarat they say many things of this sort of S͟hāh ʿĀlam. I myself asked Sayyid Muḥammad, who is lord of his prayer carpet (in charge of the mausoleum), and who is not wanting in excellence and reasonableness, what was the real state of the case. He said, “I have also heard the same from my father and grandfather, and it has come down in succession, and wisdom is from Allah.” Although this affair is beyond the laws of understanding, yet, as it has attained great notoriety among men, it has been recorded as a strange occurrence. His departure from this perishable mansion to the eternal world took place in 880 (1475), in the time of the reign of Sult̤ān Maḥmūd Bīgara, and the buildings of this mausoleum are the memorial of Tāj K͟hān Tariyānī,98 who was one of the Amirs of Sult̤ān Muzaffar, the son of Maḥmūd.

As an hour on Monday had been chosen for my entry into the city, on Sunday, the 24th, I halted. At this place some melons came from Kāriz, which is a town dependent on Herat, and it is certain that in Khurasan there are no melons better than those of Kāriz. Although this is at a distance of 1,400 kos, and kafilahs (caravans) take five months to come, they arrived very ripe and fresh. They brought so many that they sufficed for all the servants. Together with these there came oranges (kauṇlā) from Bengal, and though that place is 1,000 kos distant most of them arrived quite fresh. As this is a very delicate and pleasant fruit, runners bring by post as much as is necessary for private consumption, and pass it from hand to hand. My tongue fails me in giving thanks to Allah for this.

On this day Amānat K͟hān presented two elephants’ tusks; they were very large, one of them being 3 cubits 8 t̤assū (finger-breadths) in length and 16 tassu in circumference; it weighed 3 maunds and 2 seers, or 24½ Iraq maunds. On Monday, the 25th, after six gharis, I turned towards the city in pleasure and prosperity at the propitious hour, and mounted the elephant Ṣūrat-gaj, a favourite elephant of mine, which is perfect in appearance and disposition. Although he was fractious (mast), I had confidence in my own riding and his pleasant paces (?).99 Crowds of people, men and women, had assembled, and were waiting in the streets and bazars and at the gates and the walls. The city of Ahmadabad did not seem to me so worthy of praise as I had heard. Although they had made the main road of the bazar wide and spacious, they had not suited the shops to this breadth. Its buildings are all of wood and the pillars of the shops slender and mean (zabūn). The streets of the bazar were full of dust, and there was dust from the Kānkriyā tank up to the citadel, which in the dialect of the country they call Bhadar. I hastened along scattering money. The meaning of Bhadar is ‘blessed’ (bhadra). The houses of the Sultans of Gujarat, which were inside the Bhadar, have fallen into ruin within the last fifty or sixty years, and no trace of them is left. However, our servants who have been sent to the government of this country have erected buildings. When I was proceeding from Māndū to Ahmadabad, Muqarrab K͟hān had done up the old buildings and prepared other places for sitting that were necessary, such as a jharokha, a public audience hall, etc. As to-day was the auspicious day for the weighing of my son S͟hāh Jahān, I weighed him in the usual manner against gold and other things, and the 27th year from his blessed birth began in pleasure and enjoyment. I hope that the Giver of gifts will bestow him on this suppliant at His throne and let him enjoy life and prosperity. On the same day I gave the province of Gujarat in jagir to that son. From the fort of Māndū to the fort of Cambay, by the road we came, it is 124 kos, which were traversed in twenty-eight marches and thirty halts. I remained at Cambay for ten days; from that place to the city of Ahmadabad is 21 kos; which we traversed in five marches with two halts. Altogether, from Māndū to Cambay and from Cambay to Ahmadabad by the road we came is 145 kos, which we accomplished in two months and fifteen days; this was in thirty-three marches and forty-two halts.

On Tuesday, the 26th, I went to see the Jāmiʿ mosque, and gave with my own hand in alms to the fakirs who were present there about 500 rupees. This mosque was one of the memorials of Sult̤ān Aḥmad, the founder of the city of Ahmadabad. It has three gates,100 and on each side a bazar. Opposite the gate that looks towards the east is the mausoleum of the said Sult̤ān Aḥmad. In that dome Sult̤ān Aḥmad, his son Muḥammad, and his grandson Qut̤bu-d-dīn are laid to rest. The length of the court of the mosque, excluding maqṣūra (the holy of holies), is 103101 cubits, and its breadth 89 cubits. Round this they have made an aywān (portico), in breadth 4¾ cubits. The flooring of the court is of trimmed bricks, and the pillars of the portico of red stone. The maqsura contains 354102 pillars, above which there is a dome. The length of the maqsura is 75 cubits, and its breadth 37 cubits. The flooring of the maqsura, the mihrāb (arch towards which the face is turned in prayer), and the pulpit are made of marble. On both sides of the main arch (pīsh-t̤āq) are two polished minarets of cut stone, containing three āshyāna (stories) beautifully shaped and decorated. On the right-hand side of the pulpit near the recess of the maqsura they have made a separate seat for the king. The space between the pillars has been covered in with a stone platform, and round this up to the roof of the maqsura they have put stone cages103 (in which women sit so as not to be seen). The object of this was that when the king came to the Friday service or the ʿĪd he went up there with his intimates and courtiers, and performed his devotions. This in the dialect of the country they call the Mulūk-k͟hāna (King’s chamber). This practice and caution were on account of the crowding of the people. Truly this mosque is a very noble building.104

On Wednesday,105 the 27th, I went to the monastery of S͟haik͟h Wajīhu-d-dīn, which was near the palace, and the fātiḥa was read at the head of his shrine, which is in the court of the monastery. Ṣādiq K͟hān, who was one of the chief Amirs of my father, built this monastery. The Shaikh was a successor of S͟haik͟h Muḥammad G͟haus̤,106 but a successor against whom the teacher disputed. Wajīhu-d-dīn’s loyalty to him is a clear proof107 of the greatness of S͟haik͟h Muḥammad G͟haus̤. S͟haik͟h Wajīhu-d-dīn was adorned with visible excellencies and spiritual perfection. He died thirty years ago in this city (Ahmadabad), and after him S͟haik͟h ʿAbdu-llah, according to his father’s will, took his place. He was a very ascetic dervish. When he died his son S͟haik͟h Asadu-llah sat in his place, and also quickly went to the eternal world. After him his brother S͟haik͟h Ḥaidar became lord of the prayer carpet, and is now alive, and is employed at the grave of his father and grandfather in the service of dervishes and in looking after their welfare. The traces of piety are evident on the forehead of his life. As it was the anniversary festival of S͟haik͟h Wajīhu-d-dīn, 1,500 rupees were given to S͟haik͟h Ḥaidar for the expenses of the anniversary, and I bestowed 1,500 rupees more on the band of fakirs who were present in the monastery, with my own hand in charity, and made a present of 500 rupees to the grandson (?) of S͟haik͟h Wajīhu-d-dīn. In the same way I gave something for expenses, and land to each of his relatives and adherents according to his merit. I ordered S͟haik͟h Ḥaidar to bring before me the body of dervishes and deserving people who were associated with him, in order that they might ask for money for expenses and for land. On Thursday, the 28th, I went to look round the Rustam-K͟hān-bāṛī, and scattered 1,500 rupees on the road. They call a garden a bāṛī in the language of India. This is a garden that my brother S͟hāh Murād made in the name of his son Rustam. I made a Thursday entertainment in this garden, and gave cups to some of my private servants. At the end of the day I went to the little garden of the ḥawālī (mansion) of S͟haik͟h Sikandar, which is situated in the neighbourhood of this garden, and which has exceedingly good figs. As picking the fruit with one’s own hand gives it quite a different relish, and I had never before plucked figs with my own hand, their excellence in this respect was approved. S͟haik͟h Sikandar108 is by origin a Gujarati, and is not wanting in reasonableness, and has complete information about the Sultans of Gujarat. It is now eight or nine years since he has been employed among the servants (of the State). As my son S͟hāh Jahān had appointed to the government of Ahmadabad Rustam K͟hān, who is one of his chief officers, at his request I, in accordance with the association of his name, presented him with (the garden) Rustam-bāṛī. On this day Rāja Kalyān, zamindar of the province of Īḍar, had the good fortune to kiss my threshold, and presented an elephant and nine horses as an offering; I gave him back the elephant. He is one of the most considerable zamindars on the frontier of Gujarat, and his country is close to the hill-country of the Rānā. The Sultans of Gujarat constantly sent armies against the Raja of that place. Although some of them have professed obedience and presented offerings, for the most part none of them have come to see anyone personally. After the late king Akbar conquered Gujarat, the victorious army was sent to attack him. As he understood that his deliverance lay in obedience and submission, he agreed to serve and be loyal, and hastened to enjoy the good fortune of kissing the threshold. From that date he has been enrolled among the servants (of the State). He comes to see whoever is appointed to the government of Ahmadabad, and when work and service are necessary appears with a body of his men. On Saturday, the 1st of the month of Bahman, in the 12th year of my reign, Chandar Sen, who is one of the chief zamindars of this country, had the good fortune to kiss the threshold, and presented an offering of nine horses. On Sunday, the 2nd, I gave elephants to Rāja Kalyān, zamindar of Īḍar, to Sayyid Muṣt̤afā, and Mīr Fāẓil. On Monday I went out hawking, and scattered nearly 500 rupees on the road. On this day pears came from Badakhshan. On Mubārak-s͟hamba, the 6th, I went to see the “garden of victory” at the village of Sair-khaiz (Sarkhej), and scattered 1,500 rupees on the way. As the tomb of S͟haik͟h Aḥmad K͟haṭṭū109 is on the road, I first went there and the fātiḥa was read. K͟haṭṭū is the name of a town in the Sarkar of Nāgor, and was the birthplace of the Shaikh.110 The Shaikh lived in the time of Sult̤ān Aḥmad, who founded the city of Ahmadabad, and the latter had a great respect for him. The people of this country have a strange belief in him, and consider him one of the great saints. Every Friday night a great crowd of people, high and low, go to visit his shrine. Sult̤ān Muḥammad, son of the aforesaid Sult̤ān Aḥmad, built lofty buildings in the shape of mausoleums, mosques, and monasteries at the head of his tomb, and near his mausoleum on the south side made a large tank, and surrounded it with stone and lime (masonry). This building was completed in the time of Qut̤bu-d-dīn, son of the aforesaid Muḥammad. The shrines of several of the Sultans of Gujarat are on the bank of the tank by the feet of the Shaikh. In that dome there have been laid at rest Sult̤ān Maḥmūd Bīgara, Sult̤ān Muz̤affar, his son, and Maḥmūd, the martyr, grandson of Sult̤ān Muz̤affar, and who was the last of the Sultans of Gujarat. Bīgara, in the language of the people of Gujarat, signifies ‘turned-up moustache,’ and Sult̤ān Maḥmūd had a large turned-up moustache; on this account they call him Bīgara. Near his (S͟haik͟h K͟haṭṭū’s) tomb is the dome of his ladies.111 Without doubt the mausoleum of the Shaikh is a very grand building and a beautiful place. It is estimated that 500,000 rupees were spent on it. God only knows what is true.

After performing this visitation I went to Fatḥ-bāg͟h (garden of victory). This garden is situated on the ground on which the Commander-in-Chief, K͟hānk͟hānān Ātālīq fought with and defeated Nabū (Nannū? Nanhū?), who gave himself the title of Muz̤affar K͟hān. On this account he called it Bāg͟h-i-fatḥ; the people of Gujarat call it Fatḥ-bāṛī. The details of this are that when, by means of the good fortune of the late king Akbar, the country of Gujarat was conquered, and Nabū fell into his hands, Iʿtimād K͟hān represented that he was the son of a carter. As no son was left by Sult̤ān Maḥmūd, and moreover there was no one of the descendants of the Sultans of Gujarat whom he could raise to the throne, he (Iʿtimād) had accepted the most available course, and had made out that this was the son of Maḥmūd. He gave him the name of Sult̤ān Muz̤affar, and raised him to the sovereignty. Men from necessity consented to this. As His Majesty considered the word of Iʿtimād K͟hān of weight, he ignored Nabū, and for some time he did duty among the servants, and the king paid no attention to his case. In consequence of this he ran away from Fatḥpūr, and coming to Gujarat lived for some years under the protection of the zamindars. When S͟hihābu-d-dīn Aḥmad K͟hān was turned out from the government of Gujarat and Iʿtimād K͟hān installed in his place, a body of the servants of S͟hihābu-d-dīn K͟hān, who were attached to Gujarat, separated from him, and remained at Ahmadabad in the hope of service with Iʿtimād. After Iʿtimād entered the city they had recourse to him, but had no good luck with him. They had not the face to go to S͟hihābu-d-dīn, and had no prospects in Ahmadabad. As they were without hope they thought their remedy lay in betaking themselves to Nabū, and in making him an excuse for disturbance. With this intent 600 or 700 horsemen from among them went to Nabū and carried him off along with Lonā Kāthī, under whose protection he was living, and proceeded to Ahmadabad. When he arrived near the city many wretched men on the look out for an occasion joined him, and nearly 1,000 horsemen, Mughals and Gujaratis, collected together. When Iʿtimād K͟hān became aware of this he left his son S͟hīr K͟hān in the city, and hastened off in search of S͟hihāb K͟hān, who was proceeding towards the Court, in order that with his help he might quiet the disturbance. Many of the men had separated themselves from him, and he read on the faces of those who were left the signs of unfaithfulness, but S͟hihābu-d-dīn, in company with Iʿtimād K͟hān, turned his rein. It happened that before their arrival Nabū had entered the fort of Ahmadabad. Those who were loyal drew up their troops near the city, and the rebels came out of the fort and hastened to the battlefield. When the army of the rebels showed itself, those of the servants of S͟hihāb K͟hān who were left took the wrong road and joined the enemy. S͟hihāb K͟hān was defeated and hastened towards Paṭan (Pātan?), which was in the possession of the royal servants. His retinue and camp were plundered, and Nabū, bestowing mansabs and titles on the rebels, went against Qut̤bu-d-dīn Muḥammad K͟hān, who was in Baroda. The servants of the latter, like the servants of S͟hihāb K͟hān, took the road of faithlessness and chose separation, as is related in detail in the Akbar-nāma. In the end, after giving his word to Qut̤bu-d-dīn Muḥammad, he sent him to martyrdom, and his goods and property, which were equal to the treasure of his courtesy and grandeur, were plundered. Nearly 45,000 horsemen collected round Nabū.

When this state of affairs was represented to H.M. Akbar he sent against him Mīrzā K͟hān, son of Bairām K͟hān, with a force of brave warriors. On the day when Mīrzā K͟hān arrived near the city, he drew up the ranks of good fortune. He had about 8,000 or 9,000 horse, and Nabū met him with 30,000, and drew up his host tainted with ruin. After prolonged fighting and slaughter the breeze of victory blew on the flag of the loyal, and Nabū, being defeated, fled in wretched plight. My father, in reward for this victory, gave Mīrzā K͟hān a mansab of 5,000 with the title of K͟hānk͟hānān and the government of the country of Gujarat. The garden that K͟hānk͟hānān made on the field of battle is situated on the bank of the River Sābarmatī. He founded lofty buildings along that eminence on the river, and made a strong wall of stone and cement round the garden. The garden contains 120 jarīb of land, and is a charming resort. It may have cost 200,000 rupees. It pleased me greatly. One may say that in the whole of Gujarat there is no garden like this. Arranging a Thursday feast, I bestowed cups on my private servants, and remained there for the night. At the end of the day, on Friday, I entered the city, scattering about 1,000 rupees on the road. At this time the gardener represented that a servant of Muqarrab K͟hān had cut down some champā trees above the bench alongside the river. On hearing this I became angry, and went myself to enquire into the matter and to exact satisfaction. When it was established that this improper act had been committed by him, I ordered both his thumbs to be cut off as a warning to others. It was evident that Muqarrab K͟hān knew nothing of this affair, or otherwise he would have punished him there and then. On Tuesday, the 11th, the Kotwal of the city caught a thief and brought him. He had committed several thefts before, and each time they had cut off one of his members; once his right hand, the second time the thumb of his left hand, the third time his left ear, and fourth time they hamstringed him, and the last time his nose; with all this he did not give up his business, and yesterday entered the house of a grass-seller in order to steal. By chance the owner of the house was on the look out and seized him. The thief wounded the grass-seller several times with a knife and killed him. In the uproar and confusion his relatives attacked the thief and caught him. I ordered them to hand over the thief to the relatives of the deceased, that they might retaliate on him.