History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo/Bibliography
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By K. R. Qanungo. Edited by Vir Singh. Delhi, Originals, 2003, ISBN 81-7536-299-5.
Bibliography
Bibliography (A)
[p.206]:The Jats have no written history of their own. Their political history is interwoven with the general histories of the empire of Delhi, and these have necessarily been laid under contribution in the present work. I shall confine myself to the discussion of the merits of only the most important works frequently referred to in the text.
Persian
1. The Waqa-i-Shah Alam Sani [M.S.] Professor Jadunath Sarkar who possesses the only copy of this work, rescued it from deplorable neglect in the house of a Kayeth family at Patna. It is a skeleton diary of Delhi occurrences and news, the leaves still surviving run with many gaps from 1739 to 1799. Prof. Sarkar who styles in the Delhi Chronicle during the Anarchy, thus remarks of it, "It is of priceless importance and constitutes a record of supreme value to the critical historian of this period. Here we have an absolutely contemporary chronicle of the events and rumours of Delhi, written down immediately afterwards by an inhabitant of the city, without any embellishment, garbling or artificial arrangement of a later date .... While studying it, I have often been tempted to liken it to the old Anglo-Saxon Chronicle during Danish incursions. The artless truthfulness, the exclusion of emotion or comment, and accuracy of record are the same in both works." [See pp. 5-6 of the proceedings of the third meeting of the Indian Historical Records Commission at Bombay]. I subjected this Chronicle to a strict comparison with the Persian as well as Maratha and French sources which can also claim contemporary value. Now I have been so far convinced of its accuracy that in cases of conflicting dates and statements in other histories of this particular period, I accept its testimony in preference to
[p.207]: theirs. The Waqa-i-Shah Alam Sani has been the touchstone for judging the value of all Persian histories of the latter half of eighteenth century.
2. The Ibratnama [MS.] of Khair-ud-din Muhammad Allahabadi [1751-1827].1 He was an influential official in the employ of Prince Jahandar Shah, son of Shah Alam II, and an eye-witness to many of the occurrences described in the latter part of the work. The author in the opening pages of the Ibratnama tells us that he was impelled to write this "Book of Warning" by the shocking atrocities of Ghulam Qadir whom he curses with honest indignation, as nimak-haram (false to his master's salt). He mentions with gratitude and respect the name of Sir George Henry Barlow, Governor-General who encouraged his historical studies.
As regards the value of this work Dr. E.D. Ross quotes with approval the opinion of Dr. Charles Rieu "Ibratnama is the fullest and most accurate account we possess of the chequered career and troubled times of Shah Alam, and it has all the value of contemporary record, penned by one who had taken an active share in some of the principal transactions of the period and was personally acquainted with some of the most prominent actors on the scene." Those who may have an occasion to study this history in the light of the more authentic records of the period would possibly dissent
1. For an account of the life and works of Khair-ud-din, see Dr. E.D. Ross's article in J.R.A.S. 1902, pp. 136-138. Though it is fuller than that of Prof. Dowson, some errors have crept into it: e.g. "He (Khair-ud-din) then attached himself to the fortunes of the Shahzada Jahandar Shah, the eldest son of Shah Jahan [?] whom he assisted in his attempt to seize upon the throne [?] of Delhi." Shah Jahan in the text is evidently a mistake for Shah Alam II. Khair-ud-din assisted the prince not "in seizing upon the throne of Delhi" as Dr. E.D. Ross would make us believe, but in trying to secure possession of the citadel and imperial treasure lest they should fall into the hands of Ghulam Qadir and Ismail Beg Khan. He was made the prince's supreme agent [ibid, 60] and in this capacity visited Begam Samru at her camp near Delhi. He procured for the prince her powerful support against Ghulam Qadir and Ismail Beg [MS.,p. 63; for fuller details, see Brajendranath Banerj's Begam Samru]. The prince praised the author for his eminent services and wise counsels.
[p.208]: from this view. Though it is undoubtedly the fullest history of the reign of Shah Alam and is indispensable to students of this period of Indian history, it is by no means the most accurate one. Up to the 12th regnal year to Shah Alam II, this work does not throw more light on Delhi history than what is supplied by the Siyar-ul-Mutakhkharin. Khair-ud-din no doubt gives us useful details for the period between the 12th and 20th regnal years, but almost all his dates are wrong and inaccurate. From the 20th year onwards, however; Ibratnama has certainly great value.
His graphic details often produce the effect of a melodrama, and this very fact often leads us to suspect his accuracy. My admiration for this history decreased with the progress of my studies in and around this period. However, we have no option but to accept as true all his statements which have not been definitely contradicted by more reliable authorities.
3. Chahar Gulzar-i-Shujai of Harcharan Das2 (Prof. Sarkar's MS.) The author was in the employment of Nawab Qasim Ali Khan, a nobleman of Delhi. He migrated to Oudh with his master's family in the first year of the reign of Alamgir II and began the study and writing of history to enliven the dreary days of his exile and penury. He says that he reached his 80th year in 1194 AH. i.e., 1780 AD. He writes in a simple style and his facts and dates are generally accurate. But the memory of the old man seems to have failed him sometimes. We need not be surprised if he commits mistakes here and there and confuses names and dates. The following will serve as a typical example. "Jawahar Singh Jat, after the death of his father Suraj Mal, laid siege to the citadel of Agra. But having despaired of taking it by force of arms owing to the bravery and faithfulness of the imperial commandant Fazil Khan, he had recourse to intrigue. He secured entrance into the fort by bribing Muyyid Beg who was in charge of the gates-with three lakhs of Rupees. When the fort was captured after its evacuation by the Muslim garrison in 1174 H. (1761 AD.) Jawahar Singh threw the traitor Muyyid Beg into prison, and as a reward for the
2. For an account of his life, see Elliot, viii, 204-260.
[p.209]: fidelity of Fazil Khan granted him a monthly pension of three hundred rupees." The real facts are different, viz. - The fort of Agra was captured in 1761 by Suraj Mal and not by Jawahar Singh. Father Wendel tells us nothing about such an incident in his valuable sketch of Jawahar Singh's reign. It is, on the other hand, not likely that the whole story is altogether false. The details may be true of the capture of Agra by Suraj Mal.
4. Tarikh-i-Muzaffari (MS.) of Muhammad Ali Khan. The author Muhammad Ali belonged to a distinguished family of Panipat. His grandfather Lutfullah Khan held the rank of a hafthazari [7,000 horses], and during the reign of Muhammad Shah served as governor of Kabul and Multan. One of his uncles Shakir Khan was the author of a history called Tarikh-i-Shakir Khani (prof. Sarkar's MS.) The author left Panipat for Bihar in search of employment and became the darogha of the Faujdari Adalat of Tirhut and Hajipur through the patronage of Muhammad Reza Khan Muzaffar Jang, the Naib Nazim of Bengal. The Tarikh-i-Muzaffari was composed about 1800 AD., and named after the patron of the author. Prof. Dowson says, "This is one of the most accurate general histories I know ..... The history of the later empire is particularly full." (Elliot, viii. 316). There was a learned discussion over the historical value of this work in the second meeting of the Indian Historical Records Commission, held at Lahor (1920). Prof. Jadunath Sarkar remarked, "We possess three nearly contemporary and fairly long histories of the Delhi empire during the second half of the 18th century, viz., the Siyar-ul-Mutakhkharin, the Ibratnama of Fakir Khair-ud-din Allahabadi, and the Tarikh-i-Muzaffari. Of these the second is the longest, most accurate, and (in his opinion) the best, as the author lived at or near the Court of Delhi, while writers of the other two works lived in Bengal and Bihar and had no access to the imperial Court records and other original sources of information. For the period before 1760 (covering the years 1760-1809) was composed later than the Ibratnama and is much inferior to the latter. In short, the Tarikh-i-Muzaffari, in most parts, is neither an eye-witness's report nor a summary of State-papers." Chaudhuri Abdul Hamid maintained that the author of Tarikh-i-Mazaffari
[p.210]:belonged to a "family of historians and high officers of the Mughal Court, and as such he presumably had access to State-papers" [Proceedings, Indian Historical Records Commission, 1920, p. 23].
But the fact is that none of the three histories bears any trace of the use of State-papers. All the three authors relied mainly upon what they had heard from others. Even Khair-ud-din often cites as authorities little known persons such as Mir Muhammad Yaqub who found the date of the battle of Barsana in the chronogram larza bar ek o sang az in Jathe haidari which is found wrong [vide text]. It is perhaps unjust to pronounce a verdict against an author merely on theoretical grounds, without patiently examining the contents of his work. A test-study of the period between the accession of Ahmad Shah and the battle of Panipat as dealt with in all these three histories in the light of independent sources convinces me of the originality and trust-worthiness of Tarikh-i-Muzaffari. The civil war between Safdar Jang and Ahmad Shah, and the diplomatic activity of the Abdali before Panipat have been described with greater accuracy and fuller wealth of details in this book than in the other two more popular histories,3 Some minute details given by the Tarikh-i-Muzaffari warrant us in inferring that the author derived his information from reliable eye-witnesses, perhaps some members of his family who lived so near the capital. The following instance bears out the truth. The Waqa-i-Shah Alam Sani which is the diary of events kept by an inhabitant of the capital says, "On the 21st Jamada I., 1165 H., Nawab Safdar Jang, having taken leave, started [from the city] while it was raining .... and pitched his camp at the garden of Ismail Khan" [Waqa, p. 76). The Tarikh-i-Muzaffari also says, "The Nawab started from his palace and proceeded by the road running along the bank of the river [Jamuna]. When he was passing opposite the imperial citadel, he alighted from his horse, and made the customary salute towards it. At that time a shower was failing from the sky and drops of tears too appeared in the eyes of the Nawab" [MS. p. 69]. The Ibratnama and Siyar-ul-Mutakhkharin do not take notice of
3. Khair-ud-din gives us only a brief summary of these two episodes, devoting not more than 15 lines to each.
[p.211]: these minute details. The only history from which Tarikh-i-Muzaffari may have borrowed this is Chahar-Gutzar-i-Shujai, which says: "At the time of his departure, it was raining heavily. While he reached near the Auspicious Residence [the citadel], he alighted from his elephant and did obeisance towards." The Tarikh-i-Muzaffari gives some valuable information which we miss altogether in every other regular history of the 18th century. The following passage gives us the only recorded indication of the fact that the Mughal Government also had some Jat mercenaries who fought against Suraj Mal. "Ghazi-ud-din Imad-ul-mulk .... with his own troops and His Majesty's Jats [firqa-i-Jat Badshahi] exerted himself in the defence of the city [against Nawab Safdar Jang and Suraj Mal]."4 This is indirectly supported by the unassailable testimony of the Waqa: "On the 22nd Ziqada, 1165 H. [20 September, 1753] .... men of the Jat contingent went inside the citadel and created disturbance for their pay. They obstructed the audience chamber of the Emperor and the deohris [out-apartments] of the Begams. His Majesty came to the Diwan-i-Am" [MS., p. 70].5
5. The Siyar-ul-Mutakhkharin, the most popular and widely known history of the period, hardly requires any comment. The English translation of this book by Mustafa is generally accurate; but he seems to have taken a liberty like that of Briggs in his translation of Ferishta to add here and there a phrase or two of his own unwarranted by the text. Though the author, Ghulam Hussain lived in Bengal, his father and uncles served at Delhi and as history is based on information supplied by them, the chapters dealing with the history of the Delhi and Oudh Courts have been found useful and trustworthy. He does not give us anything of value about Jat history after the death of Suraj Mal.
4. Tarikh-i-MuZaffari, MS., p. 69.
5. The Waqa contains another passage telling us about the unruly character of the Emperor's Jat mercenaries: "On the 19th Rabi II, 1166 H. (13th February, 1754), the soldiers of the Ali Shahi, Walah Sham, and the Jat regiments assembled in the mosque of Quddus-ul-Ahad for their pay, raised a tumult and prevented men from going inside the fort .... took away the turbans and clothes of the passers-by and blocked the Shah Rah [Royal road]'" (MS., p. 85).
[p. 212]:
6. Imad-us Saadat by Mir Ghulam Ali (persian text, Nawal Kishore Press, Lucknow). This work was composed about 1808 at Lucknow whither the author was forced to flee from Delhi, when that city was in agony from the atrocities of the accursed Ghulam Qadir. Though this work is mainly a history of the Oudh Nawabs, it throws interesting and useful side-lights upon the affairs of [Delhi]]. The book reads like a string of entertaining stories which are the typical product of Lucknow. But a careful study reveals the inquisitiveness of the author and his habit of taking pains to know the truth. Sometimes he contradicts popular stories and enters into a critical examination of them. He almost always gives us the names of his informants. Though his history is neither full nor methodical, it amply repays, perusal.
7. Bayan-i-Waqa [MS.] by Abdul Karim Kashmiri. The account of the reign of Ahmad Shah and incidental notices about the Bharatpur Jats down to the murder of Ratan Singh are very valuable and accurate.
8. Calendars of Persian Correspondence, published by the Imperial Records Department, Calcutta. We have three volumes of these valuable Calendars covering the period between 1767-1772. These contain English translations of the Persian letters issued by the Government of Bengal to their officials, agents, and foreign notables along with the answers and news-letters, received from them about Occurrences in Upper India. These may be regarded as primary sources of the history of this period. They stand next to the Waqa-i-Shah Alam Sani in importance and very often prove valuable supplements to the latter. Their destruction would have been an irreparable loss to the students of Indian history.
Marathi
Though the Marathi bakhars or chronicles were generally composed at a much later date than the events they relate and hence are not considered by scholars to be sound material, yet the Bhao Sahibchi Bakhar (in the scholarly edition of KashiUnath Narayan Sane) is an exception. I have found it most useful and reliable for my period. The writer, Krishnaji Shyam Rao, resided at Indraprastha near Delhi. He seems to have been well versed in Hindi and acquainted with the
[p.213]: affairs of Jats, Rajputs and Ruhelas. The speeches put by him into the mouths of different historic personages may not have been true word for word, but they undoubtedly represent the spirit of the actors.
Minor mistakes are not infrequent, e.g., he says that during the Mathura expedition of Ahmad Shah Abdali, "8000 Bairagis took up arms at Brindaban and died fighting .... The Ghilzai [=Abdali] butchered several pious Bairagis who resided at Gokhri [=Gokul], (p. 32). We know from the Persian sources (cited in my text) that it was at Brindaban that the Vaishnav Bairagies were massacred. G.S. Sardesai (Panipat Prakaran. p. 77) quotes a letter from Krishna Joshi of Delhi, which tells us that Gokul was saved from Abdali by the Naga monks, two or three thousand of whom died in its defence.
2. Delli-yethil Raikaranen or letters of the Maratha envoy at Delhi, published by D.H. Parasnis, in two volumes. Of first-rate importance as regards dates and events (except hearsay reports of distant occurrences).
3. Marathi historical documents, mostly published by the Bharat Itihas Samsodhak Mandal of Poona,-esp. in its annual reports, Sammelan reports, and recently started quarterly journal. No student of the history of the Delhi empire during the second half of the 18th century can afford to neglect the ever-increasing mass of contemporary Marathi records and letters brought to light by a band of devoted Maratha workers. But the sifting of sound historical material out of them requires as much skill and labour as are demanded in collecting particles of gold from sand.
A letter from Antaji Mankeshwar - (published in the Mandal's Journal, vol. III. Nos. 2-4, 1924 A.D.) throws interesting Side-fight upon the civil war between the imperial paymaster and Safdar Jang. This is perhaps the only evidence to show that Maratha auxiliaries took part in the first stage of the struggle and that the success of Ghazi-ud-din was partly due to their valour. Aritaji would naturally exaggerate tile services of the Marathas, but be it said to his credit, he does not ignore the heroism of the Jat chief Suraj Mal on the enemy's side. This letter adds flesh and skin to the dry
[p.214]: bones of the narrative of the battle of Faridabad given in the Waqa, and therefore we translate both of them here.
Waqa-i-ShahAlam Sani: "Sunday, Zihijja 1165 A.H. (=June 1752 A.D.) News arrived (at Delhi of a battle having taken place near the tank of Faridabad between the Bakshi-ul-mulk and the troops of Nawab Safdar Jang. The latter was defeated and put to flight" (p. 81 of MS.)
Letter from Antajai Mankeshwar to Babu Rao Baba, from Indraprastha, Bhadra Badi Ekadashi: "Mansur Ali and Suraj Mal were at Faridabad and the imperial army encamped at Kalikaji (near Okhla) .... Daily skirmishes, marching and counter-marching took place. After that, on Shravan Badi II, Friday, Mansur Ali with the Jat advanced in readiness for battle. A fight took place at Faridabad. The Jats fought obstinately, but were defeated. Suraj Mal displayed great valour, and a personal encounter took place between him and ourselves, in which he received a spear-thurst. The Jats have retreated beyond Ballamgarh, to which the Mir Bakshi has laid siege. We are plundering the Jat territory in the neighbourhood."
4. Marathi Riyasat, by G.S. Sardesai Vol. II. (1707-1740), Vol. III. (1740-1760), Vol. IV. (Panipat Prakaran). Every student of the history of India in the 18th century owes a heavy debt of gratitude to Mr. Sardesai, who has nearly completed the stupendous task of sifting the vast mass of printed materials available in Marathi, critically testing their value, and presenting a synthesis of them in an attractive garb. What we admire in this great historian is his fearless love of truth and freedom from bias, even more than his unsurpassed industry and critical power. So far as Marathi sources are concerned we can confidently rely on his valuable works. But it should be remembered that his failure to use the Persian sources has left his narrative one sided and defective at some places, just as the Persian chroniclers on their part have missed out many facts concerning Maratha affairs. For example, Sardesai makes no mention of Suraj Mal's participation in the war between Madho Singh and Ishwari Singh, (Vol. II. 65-70).
French
1. Geograhie de l' Indoustan, by Joseph Tieffenthaler. This celebrated jesuit missionary came to India in December 1743 and visited Deeg, "the residence of the prince of the Jats" next year. He has left brief descriptive notices of Deeg, Kumher, and Bharatpur as they then were.
2. Le Nabob Rene Madec, par Emile Barbe. An extremely valuable documented history of this celebrated French mercenary general's career in India. The long extracts from his memoirs and those of certain other Frenchmen who came into direct contact with Jat and Delhi affairs, printed by M. Barbe, have been fully utilised by me as the evidence of " eye-witnesses".
3. Memoires de l' origine, acroissement, et etat present de puissance des Jats dans l' Indostan. (Orme MSS. O.V., 216 No. 2, pp. 86 + 86; a second copy in India XV. No. 11, pp. 150).
Mr. S.C. Hill ascribes its authorship to Father Francois Xavier Wendel, who lived in India from 1751 till his death in 1803, and resided for several years at Agra. He is frequently referred to in the Calendar of Persian Correspondence (of the English E.I.Co.) He was in high favour with the Bengal Government and sincerely devoted to the English interests.6 We find him acting as the agent of the English at Lucknow after the flight of Mir Qasim from Bengal.
We do not know what made the Reverend Father repair to the Jat country, accept service under Jawahar Singh as his political adviser, and stay at Deeg till the death of that Raja. The fact that he went there shortly after the flight of Samru to the Court of Jawahar Singh leads us to suspect that he was in the pay of English and that his real object was to keep the Bengal Government informed of any hostile designs of the powerful and ambitious Jat Raja,who held the balance of power in Northern India between the Abdali and the Maratha.
The Father set about collecting information about Jat history, administration and manners at Deeg, and wrote this long account, which is of priceless value as regards the fullness and authenticity of its information on most points. My
6. See esp. his letter from Lucknow, 12 Nov. 1763 in Pers. Corr. i. 263.
[p. 216]: chapters on Suraj Mal and Jawahar Singh owe their detail and freshness to this French manuscript.
The most astonishing assertion which he makes,- apparently on hearsay, - is that Suraj Mal was not at all the son of Badan Singh. He has also cast some doubt on the birth of Jawahar Singh, which was probably based on a mischievous rumour started by the malicious Jat nobles who wanted to set the eldest prince aside from the throne of Bharatpur.
4 and 5. Memoire sur l' Empire Mogol by Jean Law and Gentil. These have yielded very little new information.
Bibliography (B)
In the first 1925 edition the author has mentioned only important works in the Bibliography. In this 2002 edition other works have also been given below used by the author.
- Brihat Samhita - Sudhakar Dwivedi, Ed., Sans. Text, Vol X, part I.
- Harivamsa, Mahabharat
- Vishnu Puran - Wilson, (Ed.).
- Chach - Mirza Kalich Beg (Trans).
- Makhzan-i-Afghan : Dorn (Trans.).
- Ghulam Ali - Shah Alam Nama (M.S.)
- - : Gulsitan-i-Rahamat
- Shakir Khan - Tarikh-i-Shakir Khani
- Perso, Cro. - Persian Cronicals
- Contemporary Maratha Letters.
- Manucci, Niccolao - Storia Do Mogor, Irvine (Trans.).
- Ishwardas - Futuhat-i-Alamgiri
- Krishna Shyam Rao (Ed.) - Bhao Bakhar (Bhao & Sahibchi Bakhar)
- Surajrnal (Bard of Bundi) - Vansh Bhaskar
- A.H. Keene - Asia, Sir Richard Temple (Ed.)
- A.S. Beveridge - Memoirs of Babur
- Elliot, H.M. - Memoirs of the Races of North-Western provinces of India. History of India.
[p.217]:
- Irvine William - Later Mughals.
- Jawala Sahai - History of Bharatpur.
- K.R. Qanungo - Shershah
- Macdonell - History of Sanskrit Literature
- Major William Thorn - Memoir of War in India
- Risley - People of India
- R.P. Chanda - Indo-Aryan Races
- Sarkar: J .N. - History of Aurangzeb, I, II , III
- Thakur Narender Singh Verma - Life of Maharaja Sawai Ishwari Singh (Hindi).
- - : Bombay, Gazetteer, Vol. IX, Part I.,
- - : Delhi Gazetteer
- Growse - Mathura Gazetteer, Gazetteer of North-West Provinces, Old Series, Vol. VIII, Hoshiarpur Distt. Gazetteer, 1883.
- Ibbetson - Census Report, 1881,
- - : Marwar Census Report (Vernacular) 1892, Vol. III
- - : Rajputana Gazetteer,
- - : Modem Review, October, 1923
- - : Rennell's Atlas
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