VII. DARBAR HALL
There is no finer weather in any latitude on earth than a bright, crisp winter morning in Northern India. The sky is blue without a cloud, the air is cold and bracing without a mist, and a warm Indian sun pours a flood of golden light over domes, minarets and temples, over peaceful villages and miles of waving corn. On such a fine morning Gajapati Singh and Norenda Nath rode through the spacious streets of Agra, and that imperial city looked its best. The modern town of Agra may be said to have been built by Akbar, as the modern town of Delhi was constructed by his grandson, Shah Jahan. Akbar was the first of the great Mogul builders, and the forts of Agra, Allahabad and Attock attest to the greatness of his conception. Architecture became more sumptuous and florid under his grandson, Shah Jahan, and richer material was used in profusion, but for the purest specimens of Indo-Saracenic architecture one turns to the chaste edifices of Akbar, which no constructions of a later date excel in their bold conception and noble execution.
Agra at the close of the sixteenth century was a crowded town as it is to-day, but as Gajapati Singh stood with his companion on an eminence in the suburbs, the distant view of Agra was that of a rural place rather than that of a great city. All the nobles of the Empire, the Rajas and Mansabdars and Omras, had planted trees and laid out gardens suited to a tropical climate round their houses. A sea of luxuriant green foliage, dotted with white mansions and villas, pleased the eye, and the stone houses of rich Hindu merchants appeared like feudal castles buried in forests.
But the scene lost its charm as the horsemen gradually descended from the eminence and entered into those narrow, irregular and winding streets which intersected the busy hive of men in all directions. The houses here were mostly constructed of earth and thatched with straw. Large numbers of soldiers and camp followers lived with their wives and children amidst people following other trades and professions in those thatched huts. Small traders and shop-keepers too displayed their goods in humble stalls. The fruiterer made a fair show of the fruits of Kabul and Sumarkand—almonds, pistachioes, walnuts, raisins, prunes and apricots, grapes, dark and white, wrapped in cotton, pears and apples, and those admirable melons which lasted the whole winter. Bakers and confectioners supplied the needs of their customers, and meat, mostly of the kid, roasted and dressed in different ways, was sold on the wayside.
Narrow lanes led to the fish and vegetable Bazaar, which was already crowded at this early hour, but the Bazaar was so different from what Noren had been accustomed to see in Bengal. The vegetables of Agra were scanty compared with those of the markets of fertile Bengal. The fish obtained from the Jumna were poor in comparison with those obtained from the numberless streams and marshes of the lower country. And in place of the ample supply of ducks and fowls seen in Bengal, a few poor pigeons and partridges and some fowls were exhibited in the Bazaar of Agra.
Emerging from this crowded quarter the two horsemen at last came to one of those wide and spacious streets which intersected the central part of the city. These streets were lined with houses of stone or brick, ornamented with those carved balconies, verandas and gateways which still distinguish the dwellings of Agra. Rich traders displayed their silk and woollen stuffs in the rooms below, and goldsmiths and silversmiths produced those articles of quaint workmanship for which Northern India is still famous. The brass work of Benares, the brocade and jewellery of Delhi, the enamel work of Rajputana, swords and lances manufactured in Gajrat, and the fine cotton fabrics made in Bengal, were exhibited in rich shops which lined the streets. For the great Akbar encouraged the manufacturers of his Empire, and the different provinces sent the products of their skill and industry to the Imperial City.
Foreign traders from Persia, Tartary and other Asiatic countries frequented Agra, and had their rich shops under the colonnades which lined some of the finer streets. European traders, too, had been attracted to the place, and Akbar permitted, and even invited, Christians to settle in the Imperial City. Portuguese Jesuits had built a church and established a college in Agra, where they privately gave instruction to the children of twenty or thirty Christian families. The Dutch had followed in their wake, and had built a factory in the same town where they had commenced a fair amount of trade.
Passing through lines of wealthy shops, and by substantial Sarais which had been built for the accommodation of travellers and strangers, Gajapati and Noren at last emerged into that fine open square which faced the main gate of the fort. The solidity and beauty of the lofty walls of red sandstone, and their long and graceful sweep, encircling the edifices and palaces of the fort, struck Noren once again as he stood in the square and beheld the great handiwork of Akbar. Except on the side of the river Jumna the fort was defended by a deep ditch, faced with hewn stone and filled with water; and the ditch and the walls of the fort separated it from the rest of the city.
Rajput chiefs, in the pay of the Emperor, mounted guard in this square by turns, ostensibly to defend the gate of the fort, and rows of white tents accommodated their soldiers and retainers. Royal horses were exercised here every morning, and the Grand-Master of the Cavalry attended to examine their condition. Crowds of other people surged from all parts to this centre of the great city, and jugglers and mountebanks and astrologers, the dancing bear and the performing monkey, amused the people at all times of the day.
A Bazaar with an endless variety of fancy articles had grown up where thousands of people daily resorted, and children and veiled women thronged the stalls. Rajas and Mansabdars rode through the crowded square with their trains of armed retainers, or were carried in litters by vociferous bearers, and a continuous stream of humbler men traversed it to enter the fort and to see their great Emperor. It is only in Oriental lands that one sees the life of the people in its various aspects under the open sky from morn to dewy eve.
The two horsemen left the square behind and rode through the stalwart and well-defended gates of the fort. A spacious road led to the interior of the citadel, and Moslem Mansabdars of high rank and dignity mounted guard here by turns. Long arcades lined the road, and the finest artisans of Agra assembled here and prepared articles suitable for the inmates of the palace. Embroiderers in gold and silver, goldsmiths and silversmiths, painters and workers in lacquer-work, weavers of silk and brocade and of those fine muslins which were the joy of the Begums, joiners and tailors and men skilled in the finest needlework, all plied their trade here from morning to evening. Professions in India are hereditary; each skilled artisan brought up his son in his own trade and married his daughter within his own guild, and this unwritten law was often followed by Moslem workmen as well as by Hindus. Rajas and Omras and all the Grandees of the Empire obtained their costliest articles from these rich workshops within the fort.
Passing along the road Noren saw many lofty buildings on both sides, and could scarcely help casting a glance at the Amber Guest House.
"Ay," said Gajapati, smiling, "you may well look at that hospitable home where you found shelter and kindly attendance in your illness. But for the skill of royal physicians Birnagar would have lost its chief and Gajapati a faithful friend."
But Noren was not thinking of the royal physicians when he looked at the casement of the stately Guest Hall glittering in the morning sun. Some stirring recollections came back to him, some anxiety still preyed on his mind. Ever and anon he looked furtively at the latticed window as if for some sign—a waving scarf or a white sinuous arm raised behind the opening—but no sign was visible. There was no indication of life in that silent hall.
A sound of drums and hautboys and cymbals from the Nakara Khana interrupted Noren's reflections, and proclaimed to the world that the great Emperor had taken his seat. The crowd rushed onwards like an irresistible torrent to have a Darshan, a sight of their well-beloved monarch. Gajapati and Noren too spurred their horses, and were soon before the Hall of Audience.
Although the Emperor showed himself to his subjects every day, this was the first great Darbar held in Agra since he had returned from his conquest of Ahmadnagar in the south. All the illustrious Grandees of Agra, and even Governors of distant provinces, had, therefore, come to pay him their respects. Akbar sat amidst them on his stately throne, not so gorgeous as the famous peacock throne built by his grandson, but more befitting the dignity of an Empire-builder. Tall in stature, rather dark than fair, Akbar had keen black eyes and a fine open forehead. His long arms gave him a great advantage in many a fight in perilous fields, but his great muscular strength was now subdued by age. Inured to dangers and wars, he was nevertheless so tender in heart that he could scarcely see an animal in pain. Determined in purpose and swift in execution, he was by nature generous and forgiving, and the foes he conquered became the pillars of his empire. Without a knowledge of letters, he followed the disputations of the philosophers of his Court, and often grasped those fundamental truths which escaped the reasoning of logicians. And, with an inborn wisdom and a matchless capacity for work, he arranged and organised everything in his vast Empire, and stamped on every detail of administration the impress of his creative mind and his formative touch.
Inheriting the fragments of a few provinces from his father, he united the whole of Northern India under his vigorous, organised and peaceful rule. He gathered round him an array of warriors and statesmen, financiers, poets and learned men, such as no subsequent monarch in India could boast of. More than this, he welded his Empire by an equal trust in all his subjects, and by a generous toleration of all creeds, such as was unknown in his age in any other part of the civilised earth.
By the side of the monarch stood the heir-apparent, Prince Selim, and all eyes were turned on him. Something was known of his recent undutiful conduct towards his father; but the facts were veiled in mystery, and not a word on the subject was uttered. Under the throne there was a large enclosure surrounded by silver rails, in which were assembled the Grandees of the Empire—Rajas, Mansabdars, Omrahs, and Ambassadors from foreign Courts. Generals whose courage and skill had won decisive battles in distant parts of India, and whose vigour and wisdom had ruled the destinies of provinces, were gathered in that circle. Other honoured chiefs and nobles stood outside the rails, while a vast concourse of people stood silent and expectant before the Hall of Audience.
According to custom, some royal horses, richly caparisoned, were brought and passed before the Emperor, and then a long line of elephants covered with gold-embroidered cloth. The huge beasts moved with slow, heavy steps, and bent their knees and raised their trunks as a salute to the throne. Other animals followed—tame antelopes, the Nilgai or grey oxen, large Bengal buffaloes with prodigious horns, leopards, panthers, and dogs of various breeds. Birds of prey were exhibited, and some of the Grandees of the Court concluded the review by marching past before the Emperor with their horses encased in armour and covered with gay trappings.
The drums sounded again from the Nakara Khana, and the proceedings of the day began.
"Prince Selim! Beloved son and heir to this great Empire!" spoke the monarch amidst the hush of the multitude.
Prince Selim bowed before his father to receive his orders.
"I have nurtured thee with love and trained thee with care, and would fain see thee worthy of the great trust which will soon pass to thy hands. Young blood is hot, and young aspirations sometimes verge on crime; but repentance washes away guilt, and a father's love is blind to the waywardness of a son. Be dutiful henceforth, be just and true as thou art brave, and may the Almighty lead thee in the paths of virtue. The past is forgiven and forgotten. Assume this robe and sword of honour, and be seated by thy father, whose love knows no change."
The Prince bowed low before his father, accepted the sword and robe, and sat on a seat on his father's right. A loud applause from the nobles and the multitude approved the leniency of a king and a father towards a repentant son.
Some other Princes of royal blood received suitable honours, and then came the turn of Raja Man Singh. All eyes were turned towards that veteran warrior as he stood before the Emperor.
"Great Raja of Amber," spoke the Emperor with his simple natural eloquence, "little can I do in recognition of thy lifelong service, thy matchless valour, thy unequalled wisdom. None among my many brave and faithful servants is so rarely seen in Court—none is so frequently heard of for his deeds in the remotest parts of my Empire. Thou hast confirmed our rule in Kabulistan and Zabulistan in the West, thou hast wrested Bengal and Orissa from the determined Afghans in the East, success has ever attended thy great endeavours."
"Monarch of many nations," spoke Man Singh in his gruff voice, "I am ill fitted to speak, but gratitude dwells in my heart. My sword is thine, great King of Kings, but a greater sword than mine annexed to thy Empire the rich and prosperous Province of Bengal. I but followed on the footsteps of him who is gone."
"I forget not those loyal servants and faithful friends who are gone," resumed the Emperor in a voice tremulous with feeling. "Warrior and Financier, the late Raja Todar Mull was an ornament of this Empire, which he did much to extend and to cement. In his old age he retired from work and wished to live and die on the banks of the Ganges as a pious Hindu. But the Empire needed him; he came again, served, and died. He is beyond any reward which a master can bestow on a servant; for a friend that is gone the Emperor hath his tears."
Two drops coursed down the aged cheeks of Akbar as he spoke thus of his departed friend and servant. The multitude was hushed in silent grief.
"For thee, Raja Man Singh, I have reserved such honours as it is in my power to bestow. After the disaster which fell on our arms under thy son's command at the battle of Bhadrak, thou, veteran warrior, didst hasten back to the East and wrest Orissa, once more for us by the glorious action of Sherpur. I bestow on thee the full Command of Seven Thousand, a dignity which has never yet been bestowed on any man in the Empire save to Princes of royal blood. Accept these robes, and accept my unalterable friendship."
The veteran warrior fairly broke down under this unprecedented favour from his Imperial Master. If he muttered any words of gratitude they were drowned by the deafening shouts of applause which rose on all sides from the multitude.
"Beloved nephew," added the Emperor, with a smile and in a softer voice, when the noise had subsided, "the annals of Hind will have something to say of a Hindu Raja who carried victorious arms from the Ganges to Kabul."
"Beloved uncle," replied Raja Man Singh, now in a familiar tone and with greater self-possession, "the annals of Hind will also have something to say of a Moslem Emperor who could bind Hindu Chiefs to his House in the ties of duty and love stronger than shackles of steel."
Raja Man Singh stepped back and another chief came forward.
"The noble Khan-Khanan!"
"The Conqueror of Gajrat!"
"The Bravest of the Brave!"
"The Gifted Poet!"
"The Generous Giver!"
Such were the exclamations which rose from the multitude as Ahdur-Rahim the Khan-Khanan (Lord of Lords) saluted his Imperial Master.
"Welcome, noble Khan-Khanan," spoke the great Akbar. "Welcome to this Court after thy long absence! Thy name will be coupled with that of Raja Man Singh as the conquerors of the two richest Provinces of the Empire—Gajrat and Bengal, and a Command of Five Thousand testifies our esteem for thy valour. Bravest of the Brave! Thou hast yet another claim to our gratitude, and thy poems will charm posterity long after thy sword is laid in thy grave. Accept these robes for thy new feats in Ahmadnagar."
"With Akbar's deeds the wide world rings,
A needless song the poet sings,
His name inspires the foe with fear,
Unused the warrior's sword and spear,"
replied the titled poet, in wretched verses (as titled poets' verses generally are), as he bowed low and accepted the honour bestowed upon him.
"Karamat! Karamat!" (Wonderful! wonderful) shouted the courtiers in praise of the warrior rather than of the poet.
"But is it true, Khan-Khanan," asked the Emperor, in a friendly and familiar tone, "that thy liberality outruns thy discretion? We have heard that, having nothing more to bestow on those who pestered thee for alms, thou gavest away thy inkstand to the last of them. Nay, spare that fountain of many a graceful verse, our Court were dull if thy ink were gone!"
"Little need is there for this palace to be smeared with my ink, sire. Poetry lives and breathes in your Majesty's palace," wittily replied the Khan-Khanan, obscurely alluding to the Emperor's Queen, Salima Begum, who was a poetess. None heard this rejoinder save the Emperor, who was gratified.
"Here comes another warrior-poet," said Akbar as the Khan-Khanan stood aside and Mirza Aziz bowed before him. "Saint and Poet and Warrior! welcome to my Court! Thou hast been to the holy shrine of Mecca like a devout Musalman, and thou hast seen the New Light and embraced the Faith of God (Din-Ilahi), which we try to inculcate to all, Moslems and Hindus alike, for alike they worship the Unknown God. We have not forgotten thy wise administration of the distant Province of Behar, and our young men like to repeat thy graceful verse. Honour to him who deserves honour."
Mirza Aziz bowed and accepted the honours bestowed on him.
Others followed, one after another, and the Emperor had a kind word for all. Among them was the Moslem King of Kashmir, whose kingdom had been annexed by Akbar; but the dethroned monarch, like others of the same class, had been compensated by an ample Jaigir, and by honours and unfailing courtesy which bound him to the Emperor. Among them, too, were Mirza Shah Rukh, who had married the Emperor's daughter, and the two brother Mirzas of Khandahar, on whom Akbar had bestowed estates in India "worth more than all Khandahar."
But the applause of the multitude rent the air when a gallant Rajput Cavalier, dressed in the graceful robes of his race and country, bowed before the Emperor.
"Ha! the Prince, the Poet, the Flower of Rajput Chivalry! welcome Prithwi Raj of Bikanir, famed for feats of arms, renowned for flights of poetry. Thy verses reflect as in a mirror the heroism of thy native Rajasthan."
"Unworthy am I, sire, to tell the tales of my native land, handed down by inspired Charans and gifted Bards who have passed away. Our brave forefathers, too, have gone; the last of our heroes is dead."
"Thou speakest of Pratap Singh, the valiant Rana, of Mewar, who fought me for twenty years and was unsubdued. Why, thou art the arch-traitor, Prithwi Raj," added Akbar, with a smile, "who urged him to continue the fight by thy verse."
"If admiration of the Rana's heroism be treason," replied the Poet-prince, aptly, "one greater and higher than me, sire, is guilty of that crime."
The generous Emperor appreciated this rejoinder and smiled. "Ay," he said, "Akbar can admire a noble, a valiant foe, who fought and died for his land and for his race. And though the proud Generals of the Empire may frown upon me, and the haughty Raja Man Singh has not yet forgotten his old feud with the late Rana, peace and independence will I offer to his son as long as I live. The love and devotion of my Hindu subjects are worth more to me than the barren hills of Mewar."
Thus spoke the great Akbar, whose generosity had conciliated all he had conquered, and whose magnanimity extended to a State which still remained unconquered.
Other chiefs and warriors were duly received, and a number of learned men, illustrious in philosophy, science or song, then came and made their salutations one by one.
"Do you see that sage, with a thoughtful face and sad demeanour, bowing before the Emperor?" asked Gajapati.
"I see him, but know him not," replied Noren.
"Can you believe that that humble, retiring man is the most learned in this learned Court—the most illustrious in this age which has produced so many that are illustrious?"
"You surprise me, friend Gajapati."
"Yet so he is, a renowned statesman, a philosopher, and a historian. His name is Abul Fazel."
"Is that the great Abul Fazel, the lamp of this radiant Court, whose name is honoured to the ends of Hindustan?"
"Honoured, my friend, but hated also. As a boy he was expelled from the Court, and for years he lived in poverty and distress. But our Emperor, when he came of age, received him with open arms, and received from him, so people say, the doctrines of the Faith of God, by which he seeks to unite Hindus and Mohammedans. The learned Mollas of the Court hate him, and few are the Musalmans who will accept his teaching. Seest thou how the Prince Selim glares at him in anger? We tremble for the learned sage and historian when Prince Selim comes to the throne."
"Ay, but the Prince can be merry sometimes," remarked Noren, with a smile, as some recollections came to his mind.
"Hush! hush! we have listeners around us, and one does not speak in this presence of the failings of Royalty."
"But where is Abul Fazel's gifted brother, whose beautiful verses are known and read in Bengal as they are in the Court of Agra? Where is the immortal Faizi?"
"Alas! he has passed away in peace. Light of this Imperial Court, alas too early quenched!"
"And Bir Bal, whose name is associated with that of the Emperor himself in many a legend still repeated in the village homes of Bengal, he too is gone to his rest."
"Ay, the wise counselor, the brave warrior, the witty companion, he died in an expedition against the fierce tribes of the Western Hills. They say our Emperor refused food and drink in his sorrow when he heard of the death of his faithful servant and beloved friend. But mark the man with a long beard and green turban standing not far from Abul Fazel and eyeing him with jealous eyes."
"I notice his proud demeanour, Gajapati, and wonder who he may be."
"He, too, is a historian of high merit and wields a powerful pen, and he is writing the annals of the Emperor and his times. Two in a trade seldom agree, and little love is lost between him and Abul Fazel. His name is Badaoni."
The drums beat again from the Nakara-Khana to proclaim that the Reception was over. But before the Darbar broke up the Emperor desired that an announcement should be made to his nobles and his people. A royal functionary stood up, bowed to the throne and spoke.
"May it please your Majesty, Emperor of these Domains, Viceroy of the Most High, Protector of Faith! Intelligence has been received that a race, living in the farthest West, and gifted in seafaring and commerce, seeks to open a trade with your Majesty's rich and prosperous Empire. A letter has been received from the White Queen of that nation, who seeks your Majesty's sanction to trade with the people of Hindustan. The nation dwells in an Island in the Western Ocean which they call England."
The letter of the English Queen, which was then read in Persian, ran thus:
"Elizabeth, by the Grace of God, etc. . . . To the most invincible and most mightie prince Lord Yelabdim Echebar, King of Cambaya Invincible Emperor—etc.
"The great affection which our Subjects have to visit the most distant places of the world, not without good will and intention to introduce the trade of all nations whatsoever they can, by which means the mutual and friendly traffeque of marchandise on both sides may come, is the cause that the bearer of this letter John Newbery joyntly with those that be in his company, with a curteous and honest boldnesse, doe repaire to the borders and countreys of your Empire, we doubt not but that your Imperial Maiestie through your royal grace will fauvurably and friendly accept him.
"And that you would doe it the rather for our sake, to make us greatly beholden of to your Maiestie; wee should more earnestly and with more wordes require it if wee did think it needful.
"But by the singular report that is of your Imperial Maiesties humanitie in these uttermost parts of the world, we are greatly eased of that burden, and therefore wee use the fewer and lesse words, onely we request that because they are our subjects they may be honestly intreated and received. And that in respect of the hard journey which they have taken to places so far distant it would please your Maiestie with some libertie and securitie of voiage to gratifie it, with such privileges as to you shall seeme good; which curtesie if your Imperiall Maiestie shal to our subjects at our request performe, wee, according to our royall honour will recompence the same with as many deserts as we can. And herewith we bid your Imperial Maiestie to fare-well."
All the courtiers listened to the announcement as to a romance of a strange land and a strange people of whom they had not heard.
"You have heard the announcement, my nobles and courtiers. Fain would I have your counsel in the matter. Speak, brave Khan-Khanan, ever first in counsel as in war."
"The world is wide," said the wise Khan-Khanan, "and the banners of Islam float in Persia, Egypt, and Constantinople, ay, in Tunis, Algiers and Morocco. Of this little Island of the West we have heard little, though we have read of the conquering arms of the Faithful carried into Spain and France, and recently into Hungary and Austria. But the nations of the West are skilful in seafaring and trade, and all trading nations seek the rich and prosperous Empire of your Majesty."
"Has Raja Man Singh any counsel to offer?" inquired the Emperor.
"Little do I know of the kingdoms and races of the West, sire," replied the veteran warrior, "beyond Kabulistan and Zabulistan, and the snows of Hindu Kush where my brave Rajputs have carried your Majesty's banners. Let those wiser than myself speak."
The eyes of the Emperor fell on the learned Abul Fazel, and he spoke humbly.
"The world is wide, sire, as the noble Khan-Khanan hath spoken, and a new world has been discovered by these Western nations. The King of Spain owns vast possessions in the new world, the Portuguese plough the limitless ocean round Europe, Africa and Asia, and the Dutch, too, are brave sailors and expert traders. But the dwellers of the ocean-compassed England are a prouder race; they destroyed the mighty fleet of Spain not many years ago, and they will yet be the first power on sea. Trade enriches nations, and your Majesty has ever encouraged foreign commerce."
"Wisely spoken, my wise friend and counsellor," exclaimed Akbar, "and my Empire shall be open to the trade of all nations, East and West. The messenger from the Far West who brings this epistle is welcome in my domains, and our greetings and friendship shall be sent to our Royal Sister, the White Queen of England."