6 
HINDOOSTAN 
After the'death of Bickermajeet and Salbahan, the cm* 
pire fell into anarchy and confufion ; and the great vaf- 
lals of the crown began to affume independence in their 
rei'peclive governments ; fo that the name of emperor be¬ 
came, in a great degree, obliterated from the minds of the 
people. In this ftate Hindooftan feems to have continued 
for a very confiderable period ; fince the next perfon men¬ 
tioned in the Indian records, who ventured to take upon 
himfelf the imperial dignity, is Bafdeo ; who, after having 
reduced Bengal and Bahar, is faid to have erefted a new 
kingdom at Canouge, in the year 330 of the Chriltian asra. 
During his reign, Baharam, a celebrated lovereigmof Per- 
fia, is faid to have vifited India in difguife, under the af- 
fumed character of a merchant. A fingular accident was 
the occafion of his being difcovered. A wild elephant, 
in the feafon of procreation, attacking him furioufly in 
the neighbourhood of Canouge, he had the courage to 
pierce the animal’s forehead with an arrow, and killed 
him ; which acquired him fo much reputation, that the 
emperor Bafdeo ordered the merchant into his prefence, 
where Baharam was immediately recognifed by an Indian 
chief, who had carried the tribute, fome years before, to 
Perfia ; an evident proof that the feodal dependence of 
India on the fovereigns of the former kingdom, ftill re¬ 
mained. Bafdeo, being confirmed in the truth of this 
ftatement, affectionately embraced the royal ftranger. Ba¬ 
haram, in confequence, aflumed the regal character; and 
while he remained at the Indian court he married the 
daughter of Bafdeo, and then returned into Perfia. Baf¬ 
deo, and the princes of his pofterity, ruled the empire in 
tranquillity for the fpace of eighty years. 
Ramdeo, a prince of the Mahratta tribe, and general 
of the flindoo forces, then afcended the throne, by the 
united confent of the affembled nobles ; and he is faid 
to have been a wife and generous monarch. After a 
reign of fifty-four years, he yielded to the ftroke of 
death ; but the a&ions of his life, fays Ferifhta, have ren¬ 
dered his name immortal. Notwithftanding his great 
power, he thought it aivifeable to continue the payment 
of the ufual tribute to Feroz, the father of the great Cai- 
cobad, king of Perfia. 
After the death of Ramdeo, a difpute arofe between his 
fons concerning the fuccefiion, which terminated in a ci¬ 
vil war. Partab-chund, who was captain-general to the 
deceafed emperor, taking advantage of the public confu¬ 
fion, feized upon the vacant throne, and, to fecure the 
poffeflion of it, extirpated the royal family. Partab was 
cruel, treacherous, and tyrannical. He drew by .fpecious 
promifes the princes of the empire from their refpeCtive 
governments, and, by cutting off the molt formidable, com¬ 
pelled the reft to be obedient to his commands. An un¬ 
interrupted courfe of fuccefs made Partab too confident 
of his own power. He negleCted to fend the tribute to 
Perfia, difmifiing the ambaifadors with empty hands from 
bis court. A Perfian invafion followed, and convinced 
Partab that it was beft to pay up his arrears, to advance 
the tribute of the enfuing year, and to give hoftages for 
his future obedience, Partab aflumed the fovereignty 
about the year 500 of Chrift; and, though he left the em¬ 
pire in the pofTellion of his family, it foon declined in their 
hands. The dependent princes rendered themfelyes ab- 
lolute in their refpeCtive governments; and the titular 
emperor became fo infignificant, with regard to power, 
that he gradually loft the name of Maha-rajah, Supreme or 
Great Rajah, and had a title of inferior dignity lubftituted 
in its place. 
In a few years after the death of Partab, Annindeo, a 
chief of the tribe cf Bice, feized upon the kingdom of 
Ivlalva ; and brought the peninfula of Guzerat, the coun¬ 
try of the Mahrattas, and the province of Berar, under his 
controul. Annindeo was cotemporary with Chofru Par- 
vez, king of Perfia; and he reigned over the dominions 
he had conquered for fixteen years. At the fame time 
that Annindeo difmembered the empire, by his ufurpa- 
tion of the beft of its provinces, Maldeo, a chief of ob- 
fcure origin, raifed himfelf into power, and took the city 
of Delhi and its territory from the reigning family. He 
foon after reduced the city of Canouge, and kept poffef- 
fion of his conquefts for the fpace of forty years ; yet he 
could not tranfmit them to his pofterity. Every petty 
governor and hereditary chief in Hindooftan now render¬ 
ed themfelves independent 3 and the name of empire was 
loft, till it came to be re-eftabli(hed by the Mohammedans, 
on the confines of India and Perfia. 
Many of thefe petty chiefs, however, from making war 
on one another, and thus enlarging the fphere of their in¬ 
fluence, became rajahs of conliderable importance, and 
were able to bring immenfe armies into the field ; as was 
conftantly experienced by the Mohammedan invaders of 
that devoted country, whofe fanguinary devaftations and 
relentlefs cruelties were fuccefiively to fill up the meafure 
of its afflictions. The firft Mohammedan chief that led 
his troops to thele deftruCtive ravages, was named Subuc- 
tagi, who held a confiderable poll in the Modem army. 
He rofe to eminence on the ruins of the ancient Samanian 
family, which had for ninety years reigned over. Sableftan 
and Choralan, partly the feat of the Afghan tribes, fo fa¬ 
mous for their robuft make and unconquerable valour. 
S^buftagi was by birth a Tartar, and ferved originally as 
a private dragoon ; but, rifing by his merit till he acquired 
the chief command of the army, he by dint of the iword 
aflumed the fovereignty over thefe diftriCts, in the year of 
the hegira 365, and of the Chriftian era 977. Being a 
zealous Muffulman, he, in the firft year of his reign, per¬ 
haps to give employment to his warlike Afghans, medi¬ 
tated an expedition againft the peaceful Jeipal, who then 
reigned in Lahore ; a province at that period extending 
from the mouth of the Indus to Limgan, and from the 
kingdom of Cachimere to Moultan. This Hindoo prince, 
apprifed of his danger, determined to carry the war into 
the invader’s territories. The armies met on the confines 
of India, and prepared for aCtion ; but in the night pre¬ 
ceding the intended battle, a tremendous ftorm, imputed 
by the Hindoos to the effeCts of magic, fo terrified the In¬ 
dian army, that Jeipal was compelled to foiicit peace, by 
the proffer of an annual tribute, and a confiderable pre- 
fent in elephants and gold. SubuCtagi was not averfe to 
grant them peace upon the terms propofed ; but Mah- 
mood, his warlike fon, the future fcourge of Hindooftan, 
ufed his utmoft efforts to prevent his father’s acceptance 
of them. Terms, however, were at length fettled; and 
the army of Jeipal was permitted to return to Lahore, 
on condition of paying a million of dirms, and a prefent 
of fifty elephants. Notwithftanding, however, the deli¬ 
very of hoftages as fecurity for payment, Jeipal refufed to 
fulfil his engagement, and even imprifoned the heralds of 
SubuCtagi, who were lent to take charge of the treafure. 
SubuCtagi, fired with indignation at the deception played 
off upon him, marched with all his forces againft Hindoo¬ 
ftan ; where Jeipal, having lolicited fuccours from the 
neighbouring chiefs, had collected an army of a hundred 
thoufand horfe, and two hundred thoufand foot, headed 
by the refpeCtive rajahs of Delhi, Agimere, Callinger, and 
Canouge. SubuCtagi, at the head of fcarcely a-fourth part 
of fuch an army, coolly allotted their ftations to his heroic 
chiefs, and, boldly advancing to the attack, the whole In¬ 
dian army was quickly put to the rout, and fled with pre- 
pitation towards the banks of the Nilab, or Blue River, 
Thither it was purfued by the victorious Mohammedans; 
a confiderable part of them was cut m pieces ; while others 
periflred in attempting the paflage of that deep and rapid 
ftream. The whole plunder of the Indian camp, im¬ 
menfe in value, became the reward of the victor ; wlio re¬ 
turned to Chorafan, covered with wealth and glory. Af¬ 
ter a reign of twenty years, SubuCtagi expired, m the fifty- 
fixth year of his age, and of the hegira 387, A.D. 997; 
having eftablifhed his court at Gazna, and made that city 
the metropolis of his empire. He left behind him two. 
fons, Mahmood the elder, and Ifmael, who rofe up in¬ 
arms, and contended for the fuccefiion ; but was foon to,- 
tally 
