1879.] W. Irvine — The "Ban gash Nawabs of Farrukhabdd. 69 



request. The executioners advanced towards the prisoners, and the Nawabs 

 competed with each other as to who should first offer up his life. When 

 all five had been slaughtered, the bodies were buried within the fort, and it 

 was believed that the vows were granted of any one who offered a prayer 

 at their tomb.* 



Execution of the Five Chelas. 



The Wazir's order to put the five chelas to death reached Jalal-ud-din 

 Haidar, the Wazir's son (afterwards known as Shuja'-ud-daula) ; and on 

 the 20th Eamzan (12th August, 1750), he directed their jailor, Zain-ul- 

 'Abidain, to bring them forth. He went- to their prison with a palki and 

 called out — " Shamsher Khan ! to-night the Wazir has ordered your 

 " quarters to be changed, and I have brought a palki to carry you." The 

 Khan replied that he knew the place to which he woidd be taken, and re- 

 quested that the other four might go first, leaving him the time for wash- 

 ing the corpse and for the funeral prayers. Zain-ul 'Abidain had a great 

 affection for him, but was unable to show it. As requested he took away 

 the other four chelas in the palki. When they reached the place of execu- 

 tion, an order to despatch them having been given, the executioner forth- 

 with separated their heads from their bodies. 



Meanwhile Shamsher Khan bathed, put on new clothes, rubbed them 

 with scent, and having said the burial prayers for his own death, commen- 

 ced a recitation of the Kuran. Then Zain-ul- 'Abidain returned with the 

 palki and said " Shamsher Khan ! arise and enter the palki.' 1 '' Placing 

 his Kuran in its cover, he presented it to Zain-ul-'Abidain, and gave him 

 fifty gold coins to be presented for the table of Murtazza Ali through the 

 hands of some Sayyad. He put aside his shoes as a gift to any one going 

 barefooted. He made over his signet ring to his attendant, telling him to 

 deliver it to Hasan Ali Khan, his son ; and his own rosary, with a fir an 

 to hang round a child's neck, were for Sher 'Ali Khan. Then barefooted he 

 set out towards the place of execution. Zain-ul 'Abidain urged him to get 

 into the palki, but he refused, saying, that though many of his slaves had 

 risen to ride in pdlkis or on elephants, all earthly ambition for him was 

 now over. 



As he reached the place of execution, seeing the dead bodies of his 

 fellow chelas, he exclaimed, "Brothers ! I will soon follow you." Jalal-ud- 



* The author of the " Amad-us-Sa'dat" (p. 45) pretends to throw doubt on the 

 above story, hut Hisam-ud-din says he had it from Sayyad Piyari of Gwaliyar, who was 

 living in Allahabad at the time. The more popular version is that the five Sahibzadas 

 were built up alive into one of the walls of the fort. 



