H INDO 
compartments of the wails is much to be admired ; and it 
is matter of heartfelt regret to fee the barbarous ravages 
that have been made in picking out the different corne¬ 
lians, and breaking the marble by violence. Around the 
interior of the Dewaun Khafs, in the cornice, are the fol¬ 
lowing words in Perfian, engraved in letters of gold upon 
a white marble ground: “ If there be a paradife upon 
earth, this is it.” 
Shah Jehan, after having exhaufted an immenfe fum on 
thefe great and magnificent works, refolved to recruit his 
treafury by once more plundering the Deccan, that inex- 
hauftible ftorehoufe of gold and diamonds. For this im¬ 
portant expedition twelve armies were difpatched under 
twelve experienced generals, by different routes, into the 
kingdoms of Bejapour and Teliingana. The aftonifhed 
and unguarded Hindoos, being attacked at once by fo many 
diftinft armies, and from fo many different quarters, knew 
not where or which way to retreat; and no quarter was 
given to any that reiifted. “Towns and cities,” fays the 
hiftorian, “ were lecn in flames on every fide; the hills 
were fhaken with the continual roar of artillery, and even 
the tigers of the defert fled from the ferocious fury of 
man.” One hundred and fifteen towns and caftles were 
taken and deftroyed in the courfe of the year ; while from 
the elevated citadel of Dowdatabad the relentlefs Shah Je¬ 
han looked down with lavage triumph on a country in 
flames, and an unoffending people driven to mifery and 
defpair. The principal rajahs, feeing that difcomfiture 
and univerfal ruin hung over their heads, at length f'oli- 
cited for peace. This was exactly what the politic fultan 
wifhed ; he was anxious to return to the completion of 
his new capital; and he was glad to allow them peace ; 
but it was only on the hard condition of acknowledging 
him, and his i'uccefl'ors, to be lords paramount over the 
Deccan; and of paying a large annual tribute, of which 
the firft payment was to take place immediately; and, al¬ 
though no particular fum is fpecified, yet it is laid to have 
been fufficient to re-imburfe Shah Jehan in the chief ex- 
pences of his gaudy throne and gilded palace. 
The emperor, thus elevated with victory and glory, ad¬ 
vanced his fons, who had been actively employed in the 
campaign, to pofts of higher dignity and more extenfive 
patronage. To Aurungzebe he gave the foie command 
of the imperial army, and the abfolute government of the 
Deccan. His other fons, Dara and Sujah, were promoted 
to higher rank in the army; the former being made 
an ornrah of ten thoufand horfe and foot, and the latter 
of feven thoufand horfe and foot. The prince Morad too, 
fourth fon of the emperor, who was in his feventeenth 
year, having given fatisfaftory proofs of great talents, was, 
with a proper afilftant, made governor of Moultan. 
It was not until the commencement of the year 1648, 
and long after this predatory and rapacious expedition 
into the Deccan, that the fultan’s new-built city of Delhi, 
but which he now chofe to have called after his own 
name, Jchanabad , was completely fitted for the reception 
of his numerous court, and the immenfe population of 
new fettlers, that,' encouraged by the promifes of great 
immunities, flocked to it from every quarter. From Agra 
alone were exported thither, by his order and at his ex¬ 
pence, no lefs than five hundred thoufand of its inhabi¬ 
tants ; and that great city was, in its turn, left almoft a 
defert. On this occafion, no bounds were placed to the 
generality and hofpitality of the emperor; and when, in 
all his glory, he mounted the throne in.that city on the 
feftival of the Nauruz, or new year’s day, which in India 
falls at the vernal equinox, there was no end to the pre- 
fents offered by the higher nobility and' their ladies, to 
the fultan.and fultanas. That feftival was fumptuous be¬ 
yond all conception, and continued nine days; during 
which time the whole city, as well as the court, was treat¬ 
ed at the public expence, and all claffes were diffoived in 
unreftrained diflipation and voluptuous pleafure. And 
now, in the height of his glory and magnificence, the once 
aflive and enterprifing Shah Jehan, having devolved on 
O S T A N. 47 
his fon Darq, and the vizier Sadullah, the burthen of 
public bufinefs, gave himfelf up to the pleafures of the 
harem, and to enjoyments totally unworthy of fo great a 
monarch. Mufic, dancing, and comic entertainments, 
engroffed the hours of his voluptuous life. To his favou¬ 
rite women he was generous beyond conception ; but ne¬ 
ver nice in his choice of them. The gallery adorned with 
jewels is laid, by Manouchi, to have been made to gratify 
a dancing girl of the very lowed: clafs ; and to the wife of 
Kalil Khan, one of his officers, he prefented a pair of 
flippers fet round w r ith diamonds of ineftimable value. 
No very important occurrences arofe to interrupt thefe 
delufive pleafures of Shah Jehan, till the yearj656 ; when, 
frefli difturbances breaking out in the Deccan, a new 
lcene of bloodlhed, robbery, and plunder, was fpeedily to 
take place. From motives of avarice alone, it i’eems to 
appear, that Aurungzebe reprefented to the emperor his 
father, that Cuttub, king of Golconda, had refufeato pay 
the accuftomed tribute, and had fet at naught his autho¬ 
rity, as viceroy of the Deccan. To ftir up more effectu¬ 
ally the relentment of Shah Jehan, the ftatement of thefe 
particulars was confided to Emir Jemla, a confidential 
perfon in the fervice of Aurungzebe ; and he fucceeded 
fo well with the emperor, that an army of twenty thou¬ 
fand horfe was inftantly ordered to follow him into the 
Deccan ; where joining the viceroy’s troops, the command 
was given by Anrungzebe to his eldeft ion Mohammed, 
in order to ltifle the jealoufy of his brother Dara, whole 
claim to the fucceffion had kindled a violent ftruggle be¬ 
tween them. Mohammed, at the head of this army, foon 
prefented himfelf before the gates of Hydrabad, the capi¬ 
tal of Golconda. Cuttub, wholly unprepared to refill fo 
formidable a force, endeavoured by timely fubmiflion to 
ward off the blow. He offered to pay down the arrears 
of the tribute, and fent fome chefts of money, and calkets 
of jewels, to the Mohammedan camp; but, in fact, the 
objeft being conqueft and plunder, rather than reftitution 
and peace, the dreadful work of defolation commenced. 
Than the fack of this rich and elegant Hindoo city, ac- 
cordingto various writers, nothing can be conceived more 
truly Ihocking. The pavement of the principal ftreet 
and fquare is laid to have been died with the blood of the 
milerable inhabitants, and the fpoil taken was beyond cal¬ 
culation ; there being in it whole ftreets full ol lhops of 
jewellers and bankers, in which the fineft diamonds and 
jewels were wrought. But it was not only in Inch trea- 
fures that this fuperb city abounded ; it was crowded with 
merchandife brought to the Ihores of Coromandel from 
the remotell parts of Afia, in exchange for thole valued 
trinkets; but the whole of this merchandife was con- 
fumed by the flames, which fpread in eveiy direftion. 
What was chiefly incombuitible, the gold, the filver, and 
the jewels, remained uninjured to the conquerors; and of 
that the amount was enormous; for Thevenot informs 
us that the very floors of the ftate-apartments in the pa¬ 
lace were covered with plates of gold. In the mean time 
the rajah or king had elcaped out of a private gate, and 
fled to the hill-fort of Golconda. The hill on which it 
Hands, rifes like a fugar-loaf to a prodigious height, and 
was mounted with cannon to its very fummit. At its bafe, 
and round its lides, ftand the palace and the town. Mo¬ 
hammed invefted this formidable retreat; and Cuttub, 
drawing courage from defpair, marched out. at the head 
of fix thoufand horfe and twelve thoufand foot, and gave 
battle to the Mogul troops; but he was defeated with 
great flaughter; and Mohammed rallied into the cable 
with the retreating Hindoos. Cuttub now threw himfelf 
at the victor’s feet, imploring mercy and forgivenefs. 
Mohammed was inexorable; till Rizia, his beautiful 
daughter, appeared in a fupplicating pofture ; when, van- 
quilhed by her charms, he fheathed his fword. A treaty 
favourable to Cuttub was concluded, by which only half 
of his wealth was to be given up to the conqueror. He 
. granted him alfo his daughter in marriage, with a king¬ 
dom in reverlion for a dowry. The Ihouts of mirth, and 
the. 
