SHER KHAN SURI , OUR PATRIARCH OF THE 16th CENTURY

Sher Khan’s paternal grandfather Lakhpat Suri had been a Hindu until converted to Islam by the desire for a male survivor which has dominated the Hindu mind for millenia. That has its own history…..

Numerous factors had conspired to make the 17th century a kind of Pilgrim’s Progress for the patriarch Sheru and his descendants.

Sheru was the son of a first-generation Muslim born in the Deccan. Sheru’s grandfather and all earlier generations had been Hindus of some variety or the other.

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[1] Details in H.R.G. Vol. I

[2] Today’s Delhi has a colony called Abul Fazal Enclave (PIN 110025). Safiya Iqbal, Principal of the ScholarSchool there, has links with the Lashkaris of the 17th century. See another footnote below.

[3] Daler stayed with Man singh's son, Maha Singh, during a visit to agra in 1606-7. Maha Singh was given the rank of a commander of 2000 horse by Jahangir (his father's son-in-law).

[4] Peter Munday, an English merchant traveller, has also left a similar account.

[5] Dilawar was in the imperial army under the Maratha allies of Jahangir.

[6] Shah Jahan & family were also there in 1634 & 1638.

[7]Syed Murtaza Khan Farid Bukhari was Jahangir’s Khazanchi. He built and funded both a mosque and a Mandir on his land which came to be called Faridabad. Various streets and mohallas there came to be known as Khatriwara, Syedwara, Ahirwara, Naiwara, Dhobiwara, etc. This was several decades before Shahjahanabad was thought of.

[8] Earlier, they were living in an army ( Lashkari) colony near Tughlakabad (between Okhla and the newly-founded town of Faridabad. The locality has recently been developed as Abul Fazal Enclave, Delhi-110025, and an excellent public school called The Scholar School is running there for the last ten years. The present Principal, Safiya Iqbal, traces her ancestry to the Lashkari Colony days). Sher Khan and younger members of his family were still at Agra, the Mughal capital until about 1640-45, when it was shifted to the new Shahjahanabad (Delhi) and the family found a home in Koocha Ghasiram, owned by Shahjahan’s astrologer. [9] In the year 2000, there were three colonies within the perimeter of Tughlaqabad Fort; illegally promoted by the local politicians and the land-cum-builders mafia, these were called Chand Colony, Subhash Colony and Bengali Colony. The Bengali Colony was inhabited mostly by immigrants from Bangladesh who had themselves divided the colony into caste-wise segragated Mohallas. The Archaeological Survey of India got this colony demolished on 10th April 2001. [10] Kahan Singh:"Encyclopedia of Sikh Literature." [11] Guru Arjun had "earned his living" through trading with Central Asia, not accepting any "Privy Purse" from devotees. Then Har Gobind imported horses--including the famous Dilbagh & Gulbagh which led to war with Governor Khalil Beg of Lahore in Dec 34 in the Ferozepur Bhatinda sector and the "Painda Khan vs. Tyag Mal Tegh Bahadur saga" in 1635. [12] Add details. [13] Qandhar (now familiar to Indians in connexion with the Indian Airlines hijack in the last week of the last millenium) had been controlled by Babar (with Prince Kamran as Governor). When Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah Suri, Kamran turned against his brother Humayun. But the Emperor managed to retake Qandhar, only to lose it again to a Persian army. Akbar took Qandhar in 1595…… [14] A short story based on the role of Sarfraz in the machinations of Aurangzeb against Dara Shikoh and his father is in my References File. [15] Valuable details are available in Waqiaat Dar-ul-Hukumat Delhi, a book in five volumes by Maulvi Bashiruddin, available in the Hardayal Municipal Library in Delhi, previously called the Hardinge Library. [16] Nearby is today’s ABUL-FAZL ENCLAVE. I have no idea about its historicity or the reason for naming it so. [17] Taimurnagar and Khizarabad are colonies north of this area. [18] Syed Murtaza Khan Farid Bukhari, Jahangir’s Khazanchi, built and funded both a mosque and a Mandir on his land which came to be called Faridabad. Various streets and mohallas there came to be known as Khatriwara, Syedwara, Ahirwara, Naiwara, Dhobiwara, etc. This was several decades before Shahjahanabad was thought of. Sher Khan and younger members of his family were still at Agra, the Mughal capital until about 1640-45, when it was shifted to the new Shahjahanabad (Delhi) and the family found a home in Koocha Ghasiram, owned by Shahjahan’s astrologer. [19] Maj.-Gen. Prakash Suri has been in touch with the families who are still living in Nurpur. Many others have ventured out into various parts of India and the world. [20] Tarikh-I-Kashmir by Hasan (quoting Ratnakar), Commissioned by King Zainul Abedin. [21] Guru Har Kishan (1661-1664) was second son of Har Rai (1644-1661). The second son of Har Gobind (1606-45) was Tegh Bahadur, who faced much opposition but succeeded Har Kishan. [22] Daler was born a Muslim. Changez had prevailed upon his father Lakhpat to recite the Kalma to save his life. [23] The 6th Guru Hargovind and Prince Dharam Chand of Hindur (Nalagarh) were prisoners in the fort at Gwalior (1609-20). Hargobind had been spreading Sikhism through the Udasins (founded by Nanak's son Sri Chand). Jahangir released them later and Hindur was restored to Dharam Chand. Mohsin Fani writes in the Dabiston that all Muslims had become Sikhs in the hills upto Tibet & Khotan due to Hargovind's efforts. Hargovind retired to the Kahlur hills (Bilaspur) in his later years and founded Kiratpur where he lived till his death. The 7th & 8th Gurus also had their HQ at Kiratpur. Tegh Bahadur purchased additional land nearby and called it Anandpur (developed later by Govind Singh). The details of acquisition of land for Kiratpur by Gurditta from Raja Kalyan Chand of Bilaspur (Kahlur) are given by Hari Ram Gupta . [24] There is a tradition that Akbar offered a Mansabdari to Goswami Tulsidass which the Goswami declined saying his Lord gave him all without any need for asking any favor or attending on him at any particular Durbar. [25] While Sheru was a boy at Gwalior, Agra was abuzz with news of contemporary personalities like Goswami Tulsidass and Meerabai, the two greatest devotees of Rama and Krishna respectively. Their influence on Sheru’s mind must have been as much as Mahatma Gandhi’s and Mother Teresa’s in our times. [26] A description of the ceremony is in the BHAT BAHI of Talauda Pargana Jind in the KHATA relating to JALHANA BALAUTON, naming 4-5 generations of Chhibbers & others. [27] The civil war in China had ended in 1644 with the overthrow of the Ming Dynasty, ushering in 150 years of peace and prosperity. The Manchu Emperor K’ang His (1654-1722) had re-asserted Chinese domination in Central Asia. The Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689 brought peace with Russia also. The setting for caravans along the Silk Route was perfect. Peter the Great who was then ruling Russia had a plan to open up the trade routes to Russia by diverting the Amu Darya (which ends in the Aral Sea) into the Caspian Sea. [28] See A History of Russia by J.D.Clarkson (Longmans). “Alexis continued and widely expanded the practice begun in the 15th century and steadily developed, of encouraging the immigration into Russia of all sorts of foreigners.” Alexis died in 1676 but Sant Ram would have found it expedient to stay away from India where Aurangzeb had executed all of Sant Ram’s patrons in November 1675. The same author notes that the first “multiplication tables” were introduced into Russia in 1682; the first Arabic numerals appeared in 1714…. A variety of foreign dictionaries also appeared.” More details may be available In books written at that time in Russian by Kotoshikhin and Pososhkhov. [29] This cannot be the Gurditta, eldest son of Guru Hargovind, who had pre-deceased the Guru. His next younger brother Tegh Bahadur was superceded by his son. [30] Gobind Sing calls it Madradesh in “Bachitra Natak”. [31] See Life of Dhani Ram. [32]Nephew and executive colleague of the Finance Minister Chhibber. While Mati Das perished with his Guru in 1675, the Chhibbers headed the sect for generations. Pars Ram Chhibber was the leader in 1947. Gen. (Retd) Chhibber, present Governor of Punjab, is from the same family . [33] Gobind wrote to Aurangzeb, he had lost 4 sons in two incidents (1704) [34] This cannot mean 1675. Gobind married in 1677. Also Sant Ram was too young (b 1658-9?) to beget many children. [35] “Poverty of Sundari’s parents delayed her marriage “ – HRG. Mata Sundari headed Sikho from 1708 to 1747 (her death) [36] Where Lala Parabh Dial Suri was born in 1869. [37] Historical records contain two very significant letters which Aurangzeb wrote to his sons during the days before his death. To Prince Azam (the next king) he wrote: “I came alone and I go as a stranger. I do not know who I am, nor what I have been doing.I have not been the protector or the guardian of the empire. Life, so valuable, has been squandered in vain. I fear for my salvation. I fear my punishment. I believe in God’s bounty and mercy, but I am afraid of what I have done.” To Prince Kam Bakhsh he wrote: “Every torment I have inflicted, every sin I have committed, every wrong I have done, I carry the consequences with me. Strange that I came to the world with nothing and now I am going away with this stupendous caravan of sins. I have sinned terribly and I do not know what punishment awaits me.” [38] He was not a Sikh (HRG I/322) [39] Trace Gobind’s obsession against Wazir Khan. He was killed in May 1710. [40] Chhabeela Ram was Governor or Administrator of Agra at one time. See details in Chet Ram’s Profile lter in this document. [41] The Marathas and the Sikhs finally expelled Jahan Khan only in April 1758. See story in later text. . [43] Details are available from the elders of Chandra Surana, the leading jewellers of Jaipur (and Delhi), who supplied all the jewellery for Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh’s family. The Maharaja was personally more affluent than the so-called Emperor at Delhi. [44] Jai Singh was the host of the child-Guru Harkishen at Delhi during the Guru’s four-year “reign” which ended with his death at the young age of ten. [45] At the close of the 18th century, there were about 600 houses in the town of Bhadarwaha… nearly half the inhabitants were Kashmiris… In winter, they made shawls for the merchants of Nurpur & Amritsar. Sources: Drew (104-6); Hutchison & Vogel, Vol.II(614).