Note 96 — The Thirteenth New Year’s Feast

At this time two copies of the Jahāngīr-nāma that had been prepared were laid before me. One of these I had some days previously given to the Madāru-l-mulk (centre of the kingdom), Iʿtimādu-d-daula, and the other I on this day bestowed on my (adopted) son (farzandī), Āṣaf K. On Friday, the 5th, Bahrām, son of Jahāngīr Qulī K͟hān, came from the province of Bihar, and had the good fortune to pay his respects. He laid before me some diamonds he had obtained from the mine of Kokra. Approved service had not been performed in that province by Jahāngīr Qulī K., and it was also frequently reported that certain of his brothers and sons-in-law had stretched out the hand of tyranny in that country, and were oppressing the servants of God (the people), and that each of them, cutting out a governorship for himself, did not regard the authority of Jahāngīr Qulī. On this account a farman written with my own hand was given to Muqarrab K., one of my confidential old servants, stating that he was appointed Governor of Bihar. I ordered that immediately on receipt of the farman he should hasten to that quarter. Some of the diamonds that Ibrāhīm Fatḥ-jang had sent to Court after the taking of the mine had been given to the Government lapidaries to cut. At this time Bahrām suddenly came to Agra, and was going on to the Court (in Gujarat). K͟hwāja Jahān (the Governor of Agra) sent along with him some diamonds that were ready. One of them is of a violet96 colour, and cannot be outwardly distinguished from a sapphire. Up to this time I had not seen a diamond of this colour. It weighed several surk͟h,97 and jewellers estimated its value at Rs. 3,000, and represented that if it had been white (safid) and had had perfect marks, it would have been worth Rs. 20,000.