224 Blochmann — Notes on Narnaul. [Nov. 



tioned above. When his grandson Sher Shah drove Humayun from India, 

 Narnaul was held by Majnun Khan Qaqshal. He was besieged by Haji 

 Khan, one of Sher Shah's best officers ; but through the exertion of Raja Bihari 

 Mall of Amber the town was spared, and Majnun Khan was allowed to 

 evacuate the fort and retreat with his soldiers to the west. Haji Khan ' 

 occupied Narnaul, aDd held it during the reigns of Sher Shah's successors. 

 He was driven from it, in the first year after Akbar's accession, in 963 

 (A. D. 1556), by Tardi Beg, Akbar's governor of Dihli.* In the end of 

 the 8th year of Akbar's reign, Narnaul, which had been included in the 

 hhalsa lands of the empire, was given to Shuja'at Khan as jagir.f He left 

 his son Qawim Khan as commandant of the fort, whilst Mir Gi-esu was the 

 imperial collector. The town was suddenly attacked and plundered by the 

 fugitive Shah Abul Ma'ali, Humayiin's favorite, upon whose head Akbar 

 had set a high prize. Qawim Khan fled, and Mir Gesu was killed. On 

 the approach of an imperial detachment, Shah Abul Ma'ali fled with the 

 treasure to Hi9ar Firuzah. 



The next event of importance, mentioned in the histories, is the Nar- 

 naul rebellion, which broke out in the beginning of the 15th year of Aurang- 

 zib's reign, in 1082 A. H., or A. D. 1671, caused no doubt by the imposi- 

 tion of ihejizi/ah and the emperor's crusades against Hindu temples. Khafl 

 Khan (II, 252) gives the following account. 



' In Narnaul District and other places in Mewat, there was a sect of 

 Hindus, who called themselves ' S a t n a m s.' They are also known as the 

 M u n d i a h sect, and consisted of four or five thousand families. Although 

 they dressed like faqirs, they carried on trade and agriculture, or lived as 

 petty merchants. According to their tenets, they wished to obtain the rank 

 of ' men of fair fame,' and this is the meaning of the word sat-ndm. They 

 were scrupulously honest in their dealings ; but if any one oppressed them, 

 they would not suffer it, and hence they used to go about armed. About the 

 time that Aurangzib returned from Hasan Abdal, it happened that a pea- 

 sant in the neighbourhood of Narnaul got into a quarrel with one of the 

 collector's peons, who had been sent there to watch the harvest. From 

 words it came to blows, and the peon killed the peasant. Other peasants 

 collected, attacked the peon, and left him lying lifeless on the ground. The 

 collector then sent a number of peons to bring the peasants to account j 

 but the Satnams mustered in force, wounded several of the peons, and drove 

 them away. Kar Talab Khan,;|: the faujdar of Narnaul, sent the collector 

 a detachment of horse and foot ; but the Satnams put them to flight. The 

 Faujdar now collected the troops of the district, got assistance from the 



* Kin Translation, I, p. 319. 



t Akbarnamah, II, 252, and Kin Translation, I, 371. 



J The Maas. 'Alamglri (p. 115) calls him Tahir Khan, 



I 



