SEPT. 6, 1872.]
MUGHUL GRANDEES.
261
Jaipúr Rájahs were called ‘Mirzá Rájah', or Sarāmad-i-Rajahái Hind," Bahádur, &c. But the Hindús were worse off as regards titles than
‘Beg' was ever conferred by the early Dihlí emperors, or whether the Turks looked upon it as hereditary; but it was often used, though
the Muhammadans.
chiefly in official titles and in the form
-
In treating of Muhammadan titles, we must carefully distinguish those which were conferred from such as were assumed. First of all, the title of “Nawāb' was never conferred.
The
word is said to be a corruption of nuwwab, the
Bak.'f
The chief facts which we have to remember
in connection with Muhammadan titles are, (1) no title conferred by the Mughul emperors was hereditary ; and (2) with the exception of the title of Khán, no title was held by more than
plural of nålb, a deputy. The singular occurs
one grandee at the same time.
in náib vazir, náib barbak,t and other ante
of Bahádur Khán would only be conferred on a grandee, when the former holder had died, or had, through misconduct, lost it. Hence such titles, from their limited usage, were much
Mughul titles attached to offices. But ‘Nawāb' and ‘Nawāb Gáhib’ occur as epithets on inscrip
tions and in prefaces to books as early as Akbar's reign. Again, the word ‘Bahádur, a Turkish word meaning “brave,’ was only used as an epithet. Ahmad Shāh used it as title and ordered his name to be read in the Friday prayer
Thus the title
valued; in fact they ranked so high that they gradually brought the real name of the owner into oblivion.
Akbar's third Khánkhánán is
generally known in history as ‘the Khān
as “Muj'íhid uddin Muhammad Abū naçr Ahmad
khānan,’ but his real name Mirzá `Abdurrahim
Sháh Bahádur.” Hence also ‘Kampani bahádur,”
the name by which the E. I. Company is still
is rarely mentioned. There were many titles to which, from historical recollections, an un
known in India.
The modern “Khán Bahádur'
usual estimation attached, such as Khán Jahān,
is, in Bengal, by permission assumed by Muham madan Deputy Magistrates, whilst Hindú
Khán Zamān, Vazir Khān, Ācaf Khán, A'zam
Deputy Magistrates assume ‘Rái Bahádur'; it stands, of course, for “Khān-i-Bahádur,’ ‘the
courageous Khán.” The compound, however, is a modern abnormal one ; for “Khan' was con
ferred by the Dihli emperors, and so also • Bahádur' and ‘Bahádur Khán, but not ‘Khán Bahádur.’
Khán, Islám Khán, Sher Khān, Rustam Khán, Bahádur Khān, &c., and the emperors only conferred them for most distinguished services. As these titles recurred in different reigns, dis tinguishing epithets were used; thus we find a Khán Jahān-i-Akbarshāhī and a Khán Jahān-i-
Sháhjaháni. With the increasing number of the grandees after Akbar's reign the emperors
The word “ Khán' is a Turkish word, mean
had to invent new titles, and often availed
ing king,’ ‘prince.’ Thus we still say Khán
themselves, for this purpose, of events or pecu
F-Bukhard, the King of Bukhārā, for ‘Sul
liar circumstances connected with the service of
tán-i-Bukhárá,' which is also used. The title
a grandee. Thus Jahāngir rewarded a deserving
when conferred, had a high reputation. The word occurs also, as is well known, as part
officer who had first brought him the good news
of names, especially in Afghān names, and in many parts of India it is looked upon as hereditary. In fact, according to Sher Sháh I think, the Afghāns and their descendants are all Kháns. But the title of Khán which the
emperors conferred was the Turkish
title and
ranked above Beg or Be (the abbreviated form
of Beg). There are no cases on record to show that the Mughul emperors ever conferred ‘Beg' or ‘Be,” but many instances can be cited where foreigners with the title of Beg, after several years of service, received the title of Khán and then dropped the ‘Beg.’
I am not sure whether
of a victory with the title of Khushkhabar Khán, and another with that of Muarrikh Khán, for
his knowledge of history; and Sháhjahán con ferred descriptive titles as Qal'ahdār Khán, Ma halldár Khán, Dindår Khán, &c. Doctors re
ceived titles as Masih uzzamāni (the healing Messiah of the age), Masihulmulk, Hakim ul mulk, and so on, and many a court doctor rose to high military commands. Geographical titles were also in use, as Rūmī Khān, Ghaznin Khán, Kháfi Khán (from Kháf, or Khawāf, in Khurá sán), Habshi Khán, &c. Most of the titles have ‘Khán' as the second word; but there are a few
with ‘mulk, as Saifulmulk, Tájulmulk, and Im
—i. I have seen in modern times the barbarous sarámadah
Khwājah Jahán, qāim makám, &c., all without the Izáfat
for saràmad.
But ‘Khán-i-A’zam' is used with the Izáfat. -
+ observe that, in many titles the izafat.
the Persians
leave out
Besides the above examples, we have to say
Khan Khānān, Khán Jahān, Khán 'A'lam, Khán Daurán,
t I believe that the Uzbak Paí, mentioned in Mr. Thomas's valuable Chronicles of the Pathan Kings, (p. 99), should be called Uzbak Be.