History of India . seemedto be encompassed with real parterres. As to the ar-cade galleries round the court, every Omrah hadreceived orders to decorate one of them at his ownexpense, and there appeared a spirit of emulation asto who should best acquit himself to the monarchssatisfaction. Consequently aU the arcades and gallerieswere covered from top to bottom with brocade, and thepavement with rich carpets. On his birthday Aurangzib maintained the old Mo-ghul custom of being solemnly weighed in a pair ofgold scales against precious metals and stones andfood, when the nobles one and aU came wit
History of India . seemedto be encompassed with real parterres. As to the ar-cade galleries round the court, every Omrah hadreceived orders to decorate one of them at his ownexpense, and there appeared a spirit of emulation asto who should best acquit himself to the monarchssatisfaction. Consequently aU the arcades and gallerieswere covered from top to bottom with brocade, and thepavement with rich carpets. On his birthday Aurangzib maintained the old Mo-ghul custom of being solemnly weighed in a pair ofgold scales against precious metals and stones andfood, when the nobles one and aU came with offerings GKAND LEVEES AND CELEBEATIONS 137 of jewels and gold, sometimes to the value of £2,000, festivals often ended with the national sport, anelephant-fight. Two elephants charged each other overan earth wall, which they soon demolished; their skullsmet with a tremendous shock, and tusks and tnmkswere vigorously pKed, till at length one was overcomeby the other, when the victor was separated from his. Ay ELEPHAKT FIGHT AT JAIPUB. prostrate adversary by an explosion of fireworks be-tween them. In the jovial days of Jahangir and ShahJahan, fair Nautch girls used to play a prominentpart in the court festivities, and would keep the jollyemperors awake half the night with their voluptuousdances and agile antics; but Aurangzib was uncoguid and would as soon tolerate idolatry as a Nautch. 138 AUEANGZIB THE PURITAN EMPEEOR Indeed even his wives played but a small part in hislife. According to Manucci, the chief wife was a Eajputprincess, and became the mother of Mohammad andMuazzam, besides a daughter. A Persian lady wasthe mother of Azam and Akbar and two nationality of the third, by whom the emperor hadone daughter, is not recorded. Udaipuri, the motherof his youngest son, Kam Bakhsh, was a Christian fromGeorgia, and had been purchased by Dara, on whoseexecution she passed to the harem of Aurangzib. Even on every-day occasions, when there were nofestivals
Size: 1865px × 1340px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorjacksona, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1906
