Note 14 — The Sixteenth New Year’s Feast after the Auspicious Accession

One of the strange events of this time14 was that on 30 Farwardīn (about 10 April, 1621) in the present year, in a certain village of the pargana of Jālandhar, in the morning, a terrible noise arose from the East, such that its inhabitants, from fright at that terror-increasing sound, nearly deserted their bodies. Whilst this noise and disturbance were going on, a light fell from above on the ground, and the people thought that fire was raining down from heaven. After a moment, when that noise ceased, and their troubled hearts recovered from their bewilderment and terror, they sent a quick runner to the collector (ʿāmil) Muḥammad Saʿīd, and informed him of what had occurred. He immediately rode there himself, and went to look at the spot. For ten or twelve yards in length and breadth the land was so burnt that no trace of any grass or green was left, and there were still signs of heat and burning. He ordered them to dig up the soil, and the more they dug the greater the heat appeared to be till they came to a place where a piece of heated iron appeared. It was as hot as if it had been taken out of a furnace. After a while it became cold, and taking it up, he conveyed it to his house, and placing it in a k͟harīṭa (cover), which he sealed, he sent it to Court. I ordered them to weigh it in my presence, and it came to 160 tolas. I ordered Master (Ustād) Dāʾūd15 to make a sword, a dagger, and a knife of it, and bring them to me. He represented that it would not stand below the hammer, and fell to pieces. I told him in that case to mix it with other iron and make use of it. As I had told him, he mixed three parts of lightning-iron and one of other iron, and having made two swords, one dagger, and one knife, brought them to me. From the mixing of other iron he had brought out its quality (watering). According to the manner of the excellent swords of Yaman16 and the South, it could be bent, and became straight again. I ordered them to test it in my presence. It cut very well, equal to true swords. I called one the S͟hams͟hīr-i-qāt̤iʿ (keen sword) and the other Barq-siris͟ht (lightning-natured). Bī-badal K. composed a quatrain which demonstrated17 these particulars, and recited it: