Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 19

JANUARY, 1931]
SIDI ALI SHELEBI IN INDIA, 1864-1656 A.D.
accompany him on his further journey. So Sidi 'Ali went on to Sehwan, reaching that towu in five days' time, having had daily skirmishes with the local tribes on the way. We thus get glimpses from time to time of the very disturbed condition of the country, a condi. tion that had probably supervened since Shah usain had lost his vigour and power of control. Leaving Sehwan, still, it seems, travelling by boat, he passed by two places, which Diez transcribes as Patara and Derildjch, and Vambéry as Patri and Dible, 6 before reaching Bukkur.
At Bukkur our traveller halted for more than a month, and bad several interviews with Sultan Mahmud, then ruling over northern Sind, under the arrangement made tetween him and 'Isa at Tatta somo three months earlier in the year. Sidi Ali nad evidentiy thought of going back to Constantinople via the Bolån Pass and Qandahar, as he tells us that Sultan Mahmud advised him that this route was not safe, and trat Le nad better go cid Lahors, warning him at the same time that he wouid have to be on his guara against the J&ts, through whose country be would have to pass. Mahmud not only gave him a gooi horse, a team of camels, a tent and a shamiána and money for his road expenses, but also provided him with an escort of 250 men mounted on camels, and gave him a leiter to the emperor Humâvûn. Thus equipped, our traveller started in the middle of Shrbán," and going viti Sultanpur, 7 arrived at the fortress of Mau 8 in five days. As the distance from Bukkur would be rather more than 100 miles, the rate of progress was more rapid than hitherto, due no doubt to the camel transport. With the object of avoiding the Játs, the party then took the "desert "-9 route towards Ucch, but not finding wells by that way, after two days they retraoed their steps to Man, and took another route through what Vambéry describes as the “woods,” and Diez as "hills," by which is probably meant the higher ground, farther from the Indus bed, which was covered with tree and grass jangal.50 Here we obtain some indication of the number of Turks that Sidi 'Ali still had with him. The Sind escort supplied by Sultan Mahmûd hesitating to travel by this jangal route, perhaps through fear of attack by JAts, he tells us that he placed ten of his gunners in the van, ten in the rear and the remainder in the middle of the caravan, managing thus to inspire the Sind men with sufficient courage to proceed. Surmounting various difficulties they reached Ucch in ten days.51 Here they must have halted for a few days, as a visit was paid to Shaikh Ibrahim and pilgrimages made to the shrines of Shaikhs Jamali and Jalali.69
In the beginning of Ramazan 53 Sidi 'Ali resumed his march and came to the Gära river, which was crossed on rafts. At this river, the Sutlej, the Sind escort was dismissed and went back, so we may perhaps assume that the Sutlej at that formed the northern boundary of the Sind kingdom. They next crossed, by boat this time, another big river, which is named
48 The second name possibly represents the modern Dabro; but neither of these sites is identifiable with any degree of certainty from the maps available. The channel of the Indus between Sehwin and Bukkur at the time is unfortunately not known. If these places could be identified, it would help us to trace the channol. At any rato we can concludo from Sidi 'Ali's narrative that in 1555 the Indus flowed past Sehwin and Nasrpur down to Tatta.
48 Sha'ban 962 A.H. corresponds with 21 June to 19 July 1555, so the middle of Sha'ban would moen roughly the first week of July 1555. As he stayed more than a month at Bukkur, he probably arrived there at the end of June, so that more than two months had been spent on the way up from Tatte.
47 Sultanpur, now & small village, lies some 20 miles ENE. from Rohri.
48 This can only refer to Mau-i-Mubarak, some 10 miles N. of Naushahro railway station. For description of the remains of the old fortress of Mau, see 1.A., XI, 7.
40 The chol or cholistan of the Muhammadan historians.
30 A hundred years ago Charles Masson, who followed much the same route ne our author from Rohri to Uoch, describes the thick jangal encountered at intervals, and how he more than once lost his way.
51 Probably inclusive of the days wasted in trying the “desert" route. The crossing of the two big rivers and the settling up with the Sind escort would also occupy much time.
6a Ponsibly the very Saiyid Jalalu'd-din, "the most pious saint," who presented Ibn Bajata with his thirga, or religious garment.
68 Rama! dn 962 A. 1. corresponds with 20 July to 18 August 1666, and as Sidi 'All reached Multan on the 16th Ramafan, he probably loft Uoch on the 24th July, or thereaboute.