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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1918
Fazl with gifts, but he declined them on the ground that his imperial master supplied all his needs.
Sultan Murâd, who had long been drinking heavily, succumbed to the effects of his intemperance before Abul Fazl, whom he was avoiding, could overtake him, and on May 12, 1599, died at Dihâri, on the Purna, of delirium tremens or alcoholic poisoning.
It was at this time that Bahadur for some reason, probably because it had virtually become an imperial city, conceived a dislike to Burhanpur and resolved to destroy it and to build with its materials a city at a distance of about ten miles from it, which be proposed to name Bahadurpur, but the people of Burhanpur protested strongly against this proposal. They had no objection, they said, to his building a new city for himself, but objected to the destruction of Burhanpur, which had been founded in honour of the saint Burhan-al-dîn and bore his name. Bahadur then denied that he had any intention of destroying Burhânpûr, but proceeded with the building of Bahadurpur, beginning with his own palace. When this was completed he assembled Sayyids, amirs, and all the principal men of the state with poets, singers, and minstrels, and gave a great feast.
Sultân Daniyal, Akbar's youngest son, was appointed to the Dakan in the place of his brother, Sultan Murad, but travelled in a very leisurely manner towards the seat of his new government, and did not reach Burhanpûr until January 1, 1600. After his arrival in Burhanpur Bahadur Shah imprudently refused to wait on him or to acknowledge his arrival in any way. Dåniyål was much enraged, and though he was understood to be marching southwards, under his father's orders, to besiege Ahmadnagar, and had already sent order to Abul Fayl to refrain from opening the campaign, which task had been reserved for him, he halted in Burhanpur and summoned the amirs of Berar to his aid, with a view to punishing Bahadur for his insolence. To all demands for reparation for the insult, which included the payment of an indemnity, Bahadur returned temporizing replies, and Daniyal would probably have besieged him in Asirgarh, had he not received peremptory orders from his father to continue his march towards Ahmadnagar. Akbar was himself on the way to the Dakan, and was now at Ujjain. He had intended to spend some time in Malwa, but on Learning of the attitude of Bahadur resolved to march at once to Burhanpur. In order to appease Daniyal and to leave Bahadur a loophole for escape Akbar feigned to believe that Bahadur, having learnt of the emperor's impending arrival, had scrupled to pay his respects to the prince before paying them to the emperor himself. On Daniyal's leaving Burhânpûr Bahadur sent him a present and sent his son, Kabîr Khân, to set him on his way, but when Khvâja Maudâd arrived at his court, as Akbar's envoy, to inquire into the circumstances of the slight put upon the prince he found Bahadur immovable. He took the position that it would have been derogatory to him, as a king, to make the first visit to a mere prince and instead of making the offerings which Akbar had expected, both as tribute and as reparation for the slight put upon his son, he sent only four inferior elephants. Akbar sent to Abul Fazl, who was hastening from Berar to join him, orders to visit Bahadur Shah and to offer him forgiveness on condition of his appearing at court and making his submission, but the mission failed and on April 8, 1600, Akbar arrived before Burhanpur and on the following day sent Khån-i-Azam and other officers to form the siege of Asirgash. Abul Farl wag appointed governor of Khandesh and sent his brother, Shaikh Abul Barakât, and his son, Shaikh 'Abd al-Rahmân, in different directions with troops, to establish the imperial authority in the country. Muzaffar Husain Mirzê was sent to Laling where three of Babâdur's amirs, Falad Kłân the African, Rap Rai, and Malik Shir, were assembled with their troops.
