BHADRA FORT, AHMADABAD- A WITNESS TO ARMED CONFLICTS BETWEEN MUGHAL EMPEROR JAHANGIR AND SON SHAH JAHAN -SAIYED ANWER ABBAS -(pic.989 First inscription of Bhadra Fort gateway)

Sometimes arcaheologists overlook some inscriptions in monuments which are later found to be of immense importance in History. There are two such inscriptions placed in close proximity in the Bhadra Fort of Ahmadabad (Gujarat) which have been overlooked by some very learned Archaeologists and Historians like J.Burgess, Commissariat and Chughtai who are credited with publication of a large number of epigraphical records relating to Gujarat and Ahmadabad in particular as its capital. Probably the reason of these inscriptBions of Bhadra fort being ignored was that their lettering of Persian in Nastaliq khat (script) which was damaged and hence their deciphering appeared difficult. Surprisingly, the damage is supposed to be caused intentionally by chiselling. In fact, these inscriptions would not have been documented, had not inked rubbings of these inscriptions been taken in 1941 by an officer of the Western Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India, Poona (Pune) Office who remains unnamed. The Poona office of A.S.I was thereafter shifted to Baroda (Vadodra). The other person who should be actually credited for the re-discovery of these inscriptions and their deciphering is Professor B.D.Verma of Poona for two reasons. Firstly he had prepared photographs of the rubbings of the inscriptions soon after they had been taken. Secondly, the credit goes to him for being the one who in 1963, twenty-two years after their initial recording made inquiries about the decipherment of the inscriptions from Dr. Ziauddin Desai, the Superintendant of the Persian and Arabic Epigraphy Section of Archaeological Survey of India (A.S.I.) at Nagpur. Dr. Desai said that he had tried to read the epigraphs on stone in the beginning of 1960 but could not decipher them and pressure of work did not permit him to take up the work again. In 1963 when Prof. Verma sent his photographs of the rubbings and inquired about their decipherment Dr. Desai with the assistance of two of his Epigraphical Assistants Mr.A.A.Kadri and Mr.S.A.Rahim concentrated on the inscriptions again. They were able to decipher the major portion of the texts of the two inscriptions in Bhadra Fort. After gathering more details from historical accounts of Jahangir's reign, Dr. Desai published his essay on the inscriptions in 1965 in Epigraphia Indica. The historical details given here in this paper/draft are taken from this essay. Both the inscriptions of Bhadra Fort are inscribed on stone and are affixed on the inner wall of the arched portal constructed to serve as the main entrance to the fort. One is there on the right side and the other on the opposite wall on the left. Both of them have Persian verses inscribed in the

Nastaliq khat(style)engraved in relief. Inspite of their mutilation they represent exquisite Khattati, calligraphy which is of a superior quality, executed by some Ustad Khattat (master calligrapher). Sadly, there is no mention of either the poet or the scribe associated with any of the two inscriptions. The inscription on the right hand side is contained within an area of 1.52x0.40 m.It has three sheyr (couplets) displayed in six lozenges with one misra (hemistitch) in each arranged in three columns, thus having one sheyr (composed of two misra) in each column. The other inscription on the opposite wall on the left hand side is there within an area 1.63x0.33 m. It has six sheyr (couplets) in 12 misra (hemistiches), each misra is placed within a lozenge, and the twelve lozenges are arranged with 4 lozenges in each of the three lines. -(Pic.988 Second Inscription of Bhadra Fort gateway)

The two inscriptions are inscribed at the behest of Saif Khan the official of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and relate to the two victories acheived by him in defending his hold over the city of Ahmadabad when Abdullah Khan the official of Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan), son of Jahangir in rebellion against his father, tried to capture the city of Ahmadabad. However the inscriptions only provide information about the year through their taareekh (chronogram) being 1032 Hijri (1623 CE). However, it is through historical accounts particularly Jahangir's own account 'Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri' that it is learnt that both the victories took place within the month of Shaban on different dates. A very unusual thing about the two inscriptions is that they do not contain the names of either Emperor Jahangir or his son Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) whose officials were involved in the two conflicts. They only have the name of Saif Khan as the victorious official in both conflicts. In fact the name of the vanquished Abdullah Khan is also not there in either inscription and the reason for the fighting is also not learnt directly from the inscriptions. The conflicts being part of the rebellion of the Mughal Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) against his father Emperor Jahangir is only learnt indirectly, through historical narratives and accounts related to Jahangir's reign in 1032 Hijri (1623 CE).It is also through these accounts that we learn of the elevation of Safi Khan as a reward for his victories and the upgradation of his rank of 700 to 3000 and his cavalry of 300 horses to 3000 horses and that he was also honoured with a standard and use of drums by Emperor Jahangir. In fact, post victory, the title Saif Khan was conferred by the Emperor on his official who was originally named Safi Khan. Saif Khan commemorated his victory and his elevation by laying a beautiful garden at Jatalpur where the second battle was fought and won by him and named it Jit Bari for his Jit (=Victory). An interesting fact that highlights the loyalty of Safi Khan (Saif Khan) towards Emperor Jahangir in comparision to Prince Khurram is in fact related with the relationship he had with Prince Khurram. Their wives were real sisters. The elder sister was Arjumand Bano titled Mumtaz Mahal who was married to Khurram. Shah Jahan avenged the defeats of the conflicts in Ahmadabad five years later, when his father Emperor Jahangir expired on 7th November 1627. Immediately after getting the news of his father's death, Shah Jahan ordered the house arrest of Saif Khan. However, thereafter at the intercession of Mumtaz Mahal, Saif Khan was not only pardoned but was also elevated as an official with an increase in his earlier rank and sent to Bihar.

There is one point about the inscriptions that is bothering the author. Their mutilation according to Dr. Desai was such that 'lettering of both the records has been so mercilessly, and as it would appear, intentionally, chiselled off that the decipherment of the text appears to be almost impossible at first sight'. The question that one would ask is 'Who could have done it?.It couldn't have been done at the instance of Emperor Shah Jahan. Even, if he was embarassed by the two inscriptions, he could have just ordered them to be removed and replaced by matching plain stones that contained no inscriptions and in case he wanted some other inscriptions to be there, that too was no problem for him. To the author, it appears to be done at some later time after the end of Mughal rule in India. References- Desai, Dr.Z.A.-essay 'Inscriptions in the Bhadra Gateway, Ahmadabad', Arabic and Persian Supplement, Epigraphia Indica, 1965, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi,Reprint 1987. Haig, Wolsely & Burn, Richard - The Cambridge History of India, Vol IV, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1937. Photographs copyright of the author Saiyed Anwer Abbas-