Note 66 — The Fourteenth New Year’s Feast from the Auspicious Accession

On Thursday, the 3rd (Bahman), at the garden of Kalānaur, K͟hān ʿĀlam was honoured by kissing the threshold. By way of nazar he brought 100 muhars and Rs. 1,000, and (stated that he) would present his offerings in due course. Zambīl Beg, the ambassador of my brother S͟hāh ʿAbbās, was following him with the royal letter and the rarities of that country (Persia), which he had sent as presents. Of the favours and kindness conferred by my brother on K͟hān ʿĀlam, if I were to write of them in detail, I should be accused of exaggeration. In conversation he always gave him the title of K͟hān ʿĀlam, and never had him out of his presence. If he ever voluntarily stayed in his own quarter, he (ʿAbbās) would go there without ceremony, and show him more and more favour. One day there was a qamurg͟ha hunt at Farrukhābād, and he ordered K͟hān ʿĀlam to shoot with a bow. Out of good manners he brought a bow with two arrows (only). The Shah gave him 50 other arrows from his own quiver. It happened that 50 of these arrows struck the game, and two arrows missed. Then he ordered some of his attendants who had the entrée at feasts and assemblies to shoot with arrows. Most shot well. Among them Muḥammad Yūsuf (qarāwul), shot an arrow which went through two boars, and those who were standing by broke out without control into applause. At the time K͟hān ʿĀlam took his leave, he seized him in the embrace of honour, and showed him great affection. After he had left the city, he went to his halting-place, and made many apologies and bade him farewell. As for the beautiful and costly things that the K͟hān ʿĀlam brought, it was indeed the assistance of his destiny that gave such rare things into his hand. Among them was the picture of the fight of Ṣāhib Qirān (Tīmūr) with Tuqtamis͟h K., and the likenesses of him and his glorious children and the great Amirs who had the good fortune to be with him in that fight, and near each figure was written whose portrait it was. In this picture there were 240 figures. The painter had written his name as K͟halīl Mīrzā S͟hāhruk͟hī (in the MS. it is Savaj and not S͟hāhruk͟hī). The work was very complete and grand, and resembled greatly the paint-brush of Ustād Bihzād. If the name of the painter had not been written, the work would have been believed to be his. As it was executed before Bihzād’s date it is probable that the latter was one of K͟halīl Mīrzā’s pupils, and had adopted his style. This precious relic had been obtained from the illustrious library of S͟hāh Ismāʿīl (the 1st), or had come to my brother S͟hāh ʿAbbās from S͟hāh T̤ahmāsp. A person of the name of Ṣādiqī, a librarian of his, had stolen it, and sold it to someone. By chance (the painting) fell into the hands of K͟hān ʿĀlam at Isfahan. The Shah heard that he had found such a rare prize, and asked it of him on the pretence of looking at it. K͟hān ʿĀlam tried to evade this by artful stratagems, but when he repeatedly insisted on it, he sent it to him. The Shah recognized it immediately he saw it. He kept it by him for a day, but at last, as he knew how great was our liking for such rarities, he—God be praised—made no request66 whatever for it, but told the facts of the case (about its being stolen) to K͟hān ʿĀlam, and made the picture over to him.