Tara: A Mahratta Tale
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PROLOGUE.
In the year 1839, I became acquainted with the late Professor Wilson;and in course of conversation on the possibility of illustrating eventsin Indian history by works of fiction, the details of the presentstory, among other subjects, were slightly sketched out by me. He wasinterested in them, and suggested my writing the tale for "Blackwood'sMagazine." I could not, however, then commence it, and deferred doingso till my return to India; but, falling into political and civilemployment there, was never able to continue what I had begun, till myreturn home.
The history of the period of this tale, A.D. 1657, will be found atlength in Scott's "Ferishta," and vol. i. of Grant Duff's "History ofthe Mahrattas;" and to these works I beg to refer such of my readers asmay be curious in regard to its particulars, of which a slight sketchmay not, perhaps, be altogether out of place.
In A.D. 1347, a great portion of the Dekhan was consolidated into akingdom by Sultan Alla-oo-deen, who founded the Bahmuni dynasty. Itwas divided into three great provinces, Dowlatabad, Beejapoor, andGolconda, which, on the decay of the royal house, became separatekingdoms under their several viceroys, who successively declaredtheir independence. Of these, Beejapoor was the largest, and becameby far the most important and powerful. Yoosuf Adil Shah, a Turk ofEuropean descent, believed, indeed, to have been the son of a Sultan ofConstantinople, threw off his allegiance to the Bahmuni dynasty in A.D.1489, and established himself at Beejapoor, which afterwards rose to bethe greatest, as it was the most magnificent, city of the Dekhan.
The prosperity of the Dekhan kingdoms excited the jealousy of theMoghul Emperors of Dehli, and their subjugation was projected bythe Emperor Akbur; but it had made little progress at his death inA.D. 1605. In the reign of his grandson Shah Jehan, the State ofAhmednugger, or Dowlatabad, was finally subdued about 1630, and theMoghul power so far established in the Dekhan. His son, Aurungzeeb,pursued the reduction of the two remaining kingdoms, Beejapoor andGolconda, with varying success, but untiring pertinacity; and, beforehis death in 1707, they had succumbed to him. Beejapoor fell on the15th October, 1686; Golconda in September, 1687.
Amidst the struggles of the Mahomedans, the predatory power of theMahratta people arose under Sivaji, and assumed a more definite formthan it had ever before possessed; and, as the author of the MahrattaHistory observes, "stirred those latent embers till, like the parchedgrass kindled amidst the forests of the Syhadree mountains, they burstforth in spreading flame, and men afar wondered at the conflagration."
Of the many remarkable and romantic events connected with the rise ofthe Mahratta power, those which form the subject of the present taleare, of all, the most cherished by the people; and they are recited,or sung in ballads, with an interest which time does not diminish, andwhich has exalted the national hero, Sivaji Rajah, to the distinctionalmost of a demigod.
At the period of the tale, 1657, though the political foundations ofBeejapoor were shaking, nothing had affected its material prosperity;and the palaces, mosques, mausoleums, and other public buildings of thecapital, were in their greatest magnificence. The city itself, exceptits vast fortifications, which are still perfect, has now, for the mostpart, disappeared; and long lines of shapeless mounds, covering animmense area, mark where its streets existed. In some quarters thereare villages, widely separated, which once formed part of the generalmasses of habitations; and there are everywhere remains of mosques,tombs, and palaces, which convey a true estimate of the wealth ofthose for whom they were constructed, and the taste and skill of thearchitects.
The citadel is still perfect as to walls, towers, and ditch, and is avery complete and picturesque specimen of Puthan fortification. Theroyal palaces situated in it, are, however, roofless, much ruined,and advancing to destruction; and the gardens and terraces, with theirfountains, are covered by brushwood and tangled creepers. It is ahappy thing, however, that the liberality of the Indian Government hasarrested decay, wherever practicable, and that all the most beautifulbuildings have been restored, while repairs continue to be made asneedful.
The buildings so restored are--
The Mausoleum of Ibrahim Adil Shah, called the Ibrahim Roza; The Mausoleum of Mahmood Adil Shah; The Mehturi Mahal; The Jumma Mosque; The Assar Shureef; The Royal Well, with its cloisters; and some others.
Of the above, the Assar Shureef is one of the ancient royal palaces,which contains some sacred relics; and, being in the actual conditionin which it was left, is perhaps the most interesting of all.
By orders of Government also, drawings from actual measurement weremade a few years ago by a clever civil engineer and architect, of allthe principal buildings. These are now in the India Library in London;and, to any one curious on the subject, will give a far better idea ofthe superb Saracenic architecture of the Adil Shahy dynasty, than anydescription. Mahomedan architecture in India is always beautiful; butthere is a combination of grandeur and grace about that of Beejapoorwhich is not approached elsewhere, and a beauty of ornament andexecution nowhere exceeded. The Jumma Mosque, with its side aisles, wasconstructed for the accommodation of eight thousand persons at prayer;and the superb dome of the Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmood Adil Shah, builtof hewn stone, is the largest in its outward diameter in the world.
With these noble remains, the country around them, and its populationof all classes, I have been familiar for many years past; and suchdescriptions of scenery and character as may be found in these volumes,are the result of personal knowledge. The actors in my story are Hindusand Mahomedans; but the same passions and affections exist among themas among ourselves, and thus the motives and deeds of my charactersmay, at least, be intelligible. I can only hope they may prove ofinterest.
It was very strange, twenty-five years ago, to observe the remarkableinterval of exactly one hundred years, between the attack of Sivaji onthe Beejapoor Mahomedans in 1657, and the victory of Lord Clive overthose of Bengal at Plassey in 1757. Both results led directly to theestablishment of powers widely differing in their aims and characters,but not the less irresistible by the Mahomedans; and the victory atPertabgurh was as directly conducive to the establishment and extensionof the Mahratta authority, and the decadence of the Mahomedan, asthat of Plassey has been to our own sovereignty, and to the politicalextinction of both. But this curious accordance of dates becomesstill more interesting, when we observe that, on the anniversary ofa third century, June, 1857, the heads of Mahomedan and Mahrattapower were leagued against that which had subdued both; and know thattheir combined efforts however desperate, and their intrigues howevervirulent, proved alike futile.