Mir
Jumla
This is
the story of a person who deserves greater prominence in our history text
books, for it holds many lessons for us to this day.
His life, traced from numerous Persian
sources, has been researched and written by Shri Jagadish Narayan Sarkar in his
book – The Life of Mir Jumla.
A young
employee came to Dakshin Bharat from Isphahan of Persia around 1630 CE, seeking
his fortune. He became a trader, sought multiple sources to build his financial
empire and won the confidence of the Sultan of Golconda with his shrewd
dynamism and diplomatic skills. His wealth continued to grow when he wielded immense
power and strategized military campaigns. He was instrumental in bringing the power of Islam, kept at bay by the
Vijayanagar empire until its downfall in 1565, to the Karnatak regions
including Tamilagam. He also strategized Aurangzeb’s ascent to Power and then
went on to ‘unfurl the banner of Islam’, in his own words at Bengal and Assam. He
passed away at 70 and retained loyalty to his native land of Persia till his
end. His last wish was his bones to be sent to Najf, Persia and his possessions
there be converted to endowments. His name was Mir Muhammed Sayyid, generally
known as Mir Jumla .
Firmly
rooted to his ideology, this man with diplomatic finesse, had successful
dealings with Hindu Tamils, Telugus, the Mohammedans of Deccan and Mughals, the
Dutch, Portuguese, the Danes and the English. His interests in trade, governance and war
were all hugely successful. His military also comprised of a bunch of such varied people.
Descriptions
from Historical Sources
Aurangzeb
wrote to his father Shahjahan in 1654, “Mir Jumla has got hold of a populous
country containing forts, ports and mines… possessing a pleasing countenance, a
medium stature, wisdom, and quickness of apprehension and well-behaved to
others, he had under his control many worthy officers.”
“In
short, … though Mir Jumla’s rank was that of a noble, he possessed the power,
wealth and grandeur of a ruling prince.”
The
Trajectory
He rose from
being a record keeper, and went on to become the Governor of Masulipatnam, and
then the Wazir of the Golconda state. Circumstances forced him to transfer his
allegiance to Shahjahan. It was through Aurangzeb stationed in the Deccan, that
his relations with the Mughals began and he played a significant part in
Aurangzeb’s fight with his siblings. He later became a Wazir in the Mughal Court, then Governor of Kandesh and, the
Viceroy of Bengal.
While in
the employment of a diamond trader, he learnt the trade and started trading in
his own account. He farmed some diamond mines around Golconda in the name of
his family and amassed diamonds in sacks, bought ships and engaged in maritime
trading.
With
growing wealth, political ambitions followed. By shrewd, well-placed
generosity, he gained many friends in the Royal court of Golconda. He was
brought into the administration to infuse better efficiency which he did with a thoroughness which
impressed the Royalty.
The
plains lying between the eastern ghats and the east coast, from Andhra to the
coast of Madras were richer. Its diamond mines, fertile valleys and hoard of
buried treasures of old Hindu dynasties evoked a deep desire among the invaders to capture this large, rich province.
Zahun-ibn-Zahuri describes the region in Muhammadnamah – “The climate there was delightful and the air refreshing. Rains were plentiful for a bountiful harvest in the 17th century when it surpassed even Egypt and Syria in agriculture, and it’s stores of grain ‘kissed the sky’. Even small qasbas were well populated and ordinary citizens were fairly well off.
The homestead of every householder displayed morning and evening, the prosperity of Faridun in Iran. No day passes when a villager did not lavishly distribute, the products of his fields as alms.
The sky-scraping trees of golden hue, yielded luxuriantly, fruits of
various kinds – jamun, pomegranates and
grapes, while the mangoes were of surpassing sweetness. A bounteous nature lavished her favours on the country, and the visitors’ minds were sure to be
captivated by the varied foliage of trees, naseem flowers and the songs of
birds. “
Thevenot,
a French traveller, also remarks in 1686, that the region was exceedingly
fruitful, and provisions were very cheap there, as the sheep, patridges and fowl
were plentiful. Important towns on the coast, like Negapatam, Tranquebar,
Mylapur and San Thome testified to a flourishing commerce of the region. *
Military Campaigns
In 1636,
Deeds of submission / partition was drawn between the ruling powers of that Era
- Shahjahan and the two Sultans, Adil Shah of Bijapur and Qutb Shah of Golconda,
which effectively blocked any expansion in the North.
After
the fall of the Vijayanagar empire in 1565, the remnants of the empire were
restricted to the area between Nellore to Pondicherry in the east and the
frontier of Mysore in the west. There was no harmony among the Nayakas and the
Kings to effectively face the Islamic onslaught in the South.
The East
Coast around Kovalam and Thirupporur were not in the destructive path taken by
Malik Kafur and Ulugh Khan and had not witnessed its horrors. During the period
of Madurai Sultanate of about 50 years, the Sambuvarayars and then the Hoysolas
provided a safe haven for the Indic communities.
Having
made peace among themselves, the Sultans were keen on capturing the Eastern
Karnatak up to the plains of Vellore, Jinji and Valikandapuram near Thanjavur.
In April
1642 Mir Muhammed Sayid captured Nellore, Kondaveedu and Sriharikota. The English
factors who got their permission to trade from Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka in
1639, observed from Fort St George, “ What with the king of Bijapur on one side
and the King of Golconda on the other, the Gentues themselves being divided
among themselves, it is even impossible, their country can continue. “
Not mindful of the dangers that lurked, the Nayaks of Thanjai, Madurai and Jinji squabbled among themselves and the Raja at Chandragiri was weak with internal troubles. During the years, 1642 and 1643, Mir Muhammed on behalf of Qutb Shah, took over the coastal regions north of Pulicat.
In August
1646, the English factors, again recorded that the Muhammedans were gathering
ahead.” The Dutch had built a fort at Pulicat in 1609. It was eventually taken
by the British in 1781 and occupied by them in 1795.
Mir
captured Erragondapalem, at Kambam, in Kurnool district. He extracted 500000 pagodas and made a pact for
payment of 100000 pagodas every year.
Udayagiri
was lost when its commander in chief Mallaiya to whom the Raja of Chandragiri
had entrusted the fort treacherously surrendered Udayagiri. Six more forts of
Cuddapah district were captured.
In December 1646, he took over Pulicat and San Thome. “From Pulicat, the Mir advanced, burning and plundering the land, leaving a trail of terror among the fleeing populace or coercing some nobles into siding with him.
Ponneri, Poonamallee, Kanchi and Chingleput ( ‘which in strength and impregnability was equal to the seventh heaven’ ) fell one by one. Vellore was then captured. He was stationed at Kanchi in March 1648.
He governed from Swarigonta, a dependency of Vellore, 30 miles from Jinji,
says his biography.
Jinji fell in 1648 and Thanjavur in 1649 to the Bijapur forces. Gandikota was captured in 1650, followed by Gutti by Mir.
The French traveller, Tavernier
visiting him in 1652, speaks of him as the owner of the diamond mines of
Vajrakarur in the taluk of Gutti. Tavernier also found the militia of Mir Jumla
in the vicinity of Chandragiri with his
captains meeting the nobles and chiefs of the country all being idolators... “^
He had a
setback when Baji Ghorepare, as a general of the Bijapur Sultanate defeated Mir
and expelled him from Gandikota in 1652.
A settlement was reached with Mir forced to pay 5 lakhs and 50 thousand
huns and 4 best pieces of diamonds.
Bijapur
generals captured Vellore and with the Nayak of Madurai aligning with Bijapur, by 1653, Hindu independence in the South came
to an end.
Powered
by Religious zeal – Quotes from the book
In one
of his letters, Qutb Shah wrote: “The territories of the Hindu Karnatak have
come under my possession with its villages and forts. The banner of Islam has
been unfurled there. The shrines of idols and places of pilgrimage have been
converted into mosques and places of worship of muslims and practices of the
Islamic religion have been widely diffused. Three qitas of village under a
town, are set apart according to the rules of the Shariat, for the inhabitants
of Najf. As these territories were conquered through the energy and efforts of
Mir Jumla, the mutawaliship of these villages have been conferred on him and
his family. The total income of these places should be sent to Najf, “My
Successors are hereby ordered that no interference should be made in this
arrangement. “
Speaking
of his victories in the Karnatak, Mir Jumla wrote to Nawab Khalifa -i- Sultan,
wazir of Persia, “By God’s grace and Padshah’s luck, the banner of Islam has
been flown in the infidel country of the Karnatak, and that of Hinduism has
been brought down… the voice of Islam and he practices of our saints have been
manifest here.”
***Najf,
was the site of the tomb of Ali, is a place of pilgrimage of Shias. Tabrezi,
42a-43a, 70a-72b, Mir Jumla- Iran Correspondence, JBors June 1942.
The
English Factory Records refer to Rustam Beg’s plunder of a Pagoda at Triplicane
. EIM 1937-38, pp52-54, Love I 142 and n; and EFI IX, 262
As
an instance of conversion of temples into mosques, it may be noted that in
1653, Rustam Beg, havaldar of the Poonamallee fort built a mosque, by
demolishing the upper part of a temple.
Mir
Jumla pillaged the temples, by plundering their wealth and collecting together
the idols whether of gold, silver or copper and melted them for casting
cannons.
In his
letter to Khalifa -I –Sultan, wazir of Persia, Mir Jumla noted, “ The entire
body of rebels and rajas in these parts, have been brought within the fold of
my control.”
From the
English records, we understand Mallappa, Sayyid Ibrahim, Timmaji Bala Rau, were
his representatives at the Chennai, Poonamallee regions. In 1653, Rustam Beg,
son of Zulfiqar Astarabadi, was the havaldar of Poonamallee.
Wealth
Wealth
that flowed with Power has an uncanny similarity with the financial empires
built by the Corrupt Political Powers of the current generation.
The
total revenue obtained by Mir from Karnatak was 43 lakh rupees a year.
His
principal sources of income were
1.
Land revenue
2.
The Carnatic Plunder
3.
Diamond Mining
4.
Commercial activities, including control of internal production and
monopoly of articles of food and clothing in Karnatak (Bengal came in
5.
Customs
6.
Octroi duties
7.
Slavery licences
8.
Presents
9.
Impositions
“With the establishment of the Muhammmedan rule, there
was a change in the nomenclature and classes of persons connected with land and
abridgement of the privileges of village
proprietors and increase of assessment of land.
Plunder of minerals and natural resources, Monopoly
and control over certain sectors, ‘Presents’, and issue of licenses continue to
enrich all adventurers to this day.
Mir Jumla made a vast ‘fortune’ by acquiring the
wealth of captured forts, ‘hoarded treasures’ at various places, and other
spoils of war. Plundering many old temples and seizing all precious stones of
the idols contributed to his loot. According to Catrou, a French Jesuit Priest, “he compelled the inhabitants of the
Karnatik to surrender to him whatever they possessed of gold and jewels; and he caused those who had buried their
treasures to expire under the severity of the lash.”
The Kullur mines on the river Krishna, under his
jurisdiction was the largest mine in Golconda. Worked by 60000 men, women and
children, these yielded stone varying from 40 to 900 carats in weight. The
contractors paid 20% ad valorem royalty to the government besides the
permission to dig.
Mir Jumla could manufacture and procure large quantity
of Saltpetre – Potassium Nitrate that occurs as a mineral. It is one of the
major constituents of gunpowder. Arthashastra mentions using its smoke as a
weapon of war. Today it finds uses in fertilizers, toothpaste, and in various
medications etc.
(Note – Doesn’t it Remind us of Granite quarries,
Sand mining etc of today?)
The basis of his economic power was monopoly.
He charged monopoly prices and tried to control
internal production. He established a monopoly of trade in all ‘brown’ or
‘unbleached cloth’ in his new conquests and they were sold at 20 % profit.
Again, sale of grain seemed to be a strict monopoly. Paddy
and other necessaries coming to Madras through his jurisdiction had to pay
customs, while paddy was sold to the towns people at 25 % more than the market
price.
The English at Madras could not sell anything except
the articles purchased from the men of the Nawab’s farmer at prices 50 % higher
than those prevailing in the neighbourhood.
He wanted to impose Monopoly on all imported goods too. He also endeavored to increase the
customs on articles of common consumption sold in the market at Madras, eg
provisions, betel, herbs in violation of the Nayak’s grant of 1639.
The Nawab used to get half the fee for licensing
slaves.
Even this business model seems to survive to this day
in a altered form.
Criminal Justice System
Tavernier in 1652 has noted that the criminal justice
system under Mir Jumla was quick and brutal. Hands and feet cut off and thrown
into the field, stomach cut open and thrown into the drain were some
punishments recorded by Tavernier.
His relations with Qutb Shah, Sultan of Golconda, on
whose behalf he conducted his military expeditions and annexed territories,
soured after which he received the protection of the Mughals at Delhi and moved
over to repeat his military successes at Bihar, Bengal and Assam.
As a first generation immigrant from Persia, he has played a significant role in shaping some events in our history.
He was a energetic and worked hard towards fulfilling his ambitions.
His life is also a study on the flaws in the functioning of the Indic Forces.
The root causes of these flaws need to be identified and rectified to avoid this history being played out again and again in bigger magnitude with deadlier consequences.
*Page
28, Life of Mir Jumla by Jagadish Narayan Sarkar
**
Page 42 Life of Mir Jumla by Jagadish Narayan Sarkar.
^
Page 52 Life of Mir Jumla by Jagadish Narayan Sarkar.
Land
distance of 1 Go = 6 Miles
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