Note 9 — The Fifteenth New Year’s Feast after the Auspicious Accession

On Thursday, at the request of Āṣaf K., I went to his house with the ladies. Having prepared a grand entertainment, he submitted to me many delicate gems and wonders in cloths, and rare gifts. Choosing out of these to the value of Rs. 130,000, I gave the rest to him. Mukarram K., governor of Orissa, sent by way of offering thirty-two elephants, male and female, and these had the honour of being accepted. At this time I saw a wild ass9 (gūr-k͟har), exceedingly strange in appearance, exactly like a lion. From the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, and from the point of the ear to the top of the hoof, black markings, large or small, suitable to their position, were seen on it. Round the eyes there was an exceedingly fine black line. One might say the painter of fate, with a strange brush, had left it on the page of the world. As it was strange, some people imagined that it had been coloured. After minute inquiry into the truth, it became known that the Lord of the world was the Creator thereof. As it was a rarity, it was included among the royal gifts sent to my brother S͟hāh ʿAbbās. Bahādur K. Uzbeg had sent as an offering some tipchāq horses and cloth stuffs from ʿIrāq, and they were produced before me. Dresses of honour for the winter were sent for Ibrāhīm K. Fatḥ-jang and the Amirs of Bengal by Mūmin S͟hīrāzī. On the 15th the offering of Ṣādiq K. was produced. It was of all sorts. Having taken what was worth Rs. 15,000, I gave the remainder to him. Fāẓil K. on this day also gave an offering according to his condition. Of this a trifle was taken. On Thursday (19th Farwardīn) the feast of the culmination was held, and when two watches and one g͟haṛī of the day had passed, I took my seat on the throne. According to the request of Madār-ul-mulk Iʿtimādu-d-daula, the feast of the culmination was held in his house. He presented a remarkable offering of rare and choice things from all countries. Altogether I took the value of Rs. 138,000. On this day I gave Zambil Beg, the ambassador, a muhar10 equal to 200 tolas in weight. At this time Ibrāhīm K. had sent some eunuchs from Bengal. One of these was a hermaphrodite. Among the offerings of the above-mentioned were two boats made in Bengal, of a very pleasant shape, on the decoration of which a sum of Rs. 10,000 had been expended. They were really kingly boats. Having made S͟haik͟h Qāsim K. governor of Allahabad, I honoured him with the title of Muḥtas͟him K. and the mansab of 5,000, and gave an order that the Diwans should give him an increase to his jagir out of the unappropriated (maḥāll-i-ghair-i-ʿamalī) estates. Rāja S͟hyām Singh, Zamindar of Srīnagar (in Garhwāl) was given a horse and an elephant.