FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82  
83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>   >|  
bar, however, by a skilful disposition of his forces, compelled their submission, and received them back to favour. In the course of this year the imperial generals had {102} taken the fortress of Rotas, in Behar, and ambassadors, sent on a mission to the king of Orissa, had returned laden with splendid presents. The spring of the year 1566 found the Emperor back at Agra. The native historians record that in these times of peace his great delight was to spend the evening in the game of chaugan. Chaugan is the modern polo, which was carried to Europe from India. But Akbar, whilst playing it in the daytime in the manner in which it is now played all over the world, devised a method of playing it on the dark nights which supervene so quickly on the daylight in India. For this purpose he had balls made of palas wood--a wood which is very light and which burns for a long time, and set them on fire. He had the credit of being the keenest chaugan-player of his time. From this pleasure Akbar was roused by the news of successful rebellions at Kabul and at Lahore. He marched with all haste towards the close of the year in the direction of the Sutlej, reached Delhi in ten days; thence marched to Sirhind; and thence joyfully to Lahore. Thence he despatched his generals to drive the rebels across the Indus. This they accomplished, and returned. The troubles at Kabul were at the same time appeased: but, as a counter-irritant, the absence of the Emperor so far in the north-west brought about rebellion at Jaunpur. It was clear that up to this time--the end of 1566--Akbar had been unable successfully to grapple with the important question how to establish a permanent {103} government in Hindustan. The eleventh year of his reign, counting from the battle of Panipat, was now closing, and he had fixed so few roots in the soil that it was certain that, should a fatal accident befall him, the succession would again be decided by the sword. The beginning of the year 1567 found him still at Lahore, engaged in hunting and similar pleasures. He was roused from these diversions by the intelligence that the Uzbek nobles whom he had pardoned, had taken advantage of his absence to break out again. Accordingly he quitted Lahore on the 22nd of March, and began his return-march to Agra. On reaching Thuneswar, in Sirhind, he was greatly entertained by a fight between two sects of Hindu devotees, the Jogis and the Suniasis, for the possession of the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82  
83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Lahore

 

absence

 

Emperor

 

Sirhind

 

playing

 
marched
 

chaugan

 

roused

 

generals

 
returned

government

 
Hindustan
 

eleventh

 

question

 

establish

 

permanent

 

battle

 

important

 

Panipat

 

closing


counting

 

grapple

 

irritant

 

skilful

 

counter

 

appeased

 

brought

 

unable

 

successfully

 

rebellion


Jaunpur

 
return
 

reaching

 

Accordingly

 

quitted

 
Thuneswar
 

greatly

 

devotees

 

Suniasis

 

possession


entertained

 

advantage

 

decided

 

beginning

 

befall

 

troubles

 
succession
 

engaged

 

nobles

 

pardoned