Kilich Khan II
Encyclopedia
Hajji Nawab Khwaja Abid Siddiqi, Khwaja Abid Khan, Kilich Khan Bahadur, Ghazi Kilich Khan son of Shaikh Mir Ismail Siddiqi ( Alam Shaikh Siddiqi ) better known as Kilich Khan I a title given by Emperor Shah Jahan
later he became a Nawab
under Emperor Aurangzeb
.He was a loyal general of the Mughal Empire
. He was the father of Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung also a Mughal General and the grandfather of the celebrated Nizam-ul-Mulk Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I
of Hyderabad
.
city of Samarkand
. His father was Khwaja Ismail Siddiqi s/o Shaikh Allahdad Siddiqi s/o Abdul Rehman Shaikh Azizzan Siddiqi 14 in direct descent from Shaikh Shihab uddin Siddiqi Suhrawardy of Suhrawada in Kurdistan a celebrated Sufi mystic lived in Persia, a renowned scholar known for his piety and knowledge of the law and was even honored with the title Allum-ul-Ulemma (wisest of the wise). Through his fathers side of the family Nawab Khwaja Abid Siddiqi could trace his lineage back 34 generations to the first Caliph
of Islam
Abu Bakr
Siddiqi and on his mothers to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
himself .
and arrow
, he kept the Quran attached to his Quiver
and rode along with a Crescent
standard and a yellow
flag.
Henry Brigs a historian wrote,
It was in 1655 that Kilich Khan undertook a pilgrimage
to Makkah. But on his way there he stopped off in India
to present himself before Mughal
Emperor Shah Jahan
. The Mughal
Emperor bestowed on Kilich Khan a Khilat or dress of honour and promised him that after he returned from Makkah he could take up a post on his personal staff. He was promoted to Sadar-i-Qul ( Supt. of Endowments ) 1681 - 1685, Subedar of Ajmer 1667-1672, Subedar of Multan 1672-1676, Amir-i-Haj 1676-1680. Faujdar of Zafarabad ( Bidar ) 1686-1687. Granted the title of Azim Khan 1657, and Qilich Khan Bahadur 1680.
to India
in 1658 to take up his post serving the Emperor Shah Jahan
, only to find that the Emperor had been taken ill and so Kilich Khan decided to throw his lot in with Prince Aurangzeb
.Taking command of one of the Mughal armies, Kilich Khan played a crucial role in the Battle of Samugarh
. For this he was rewarded by being made Sadr us Sadur (President of Presidents) and one of the Emperor's most trusted generals.
He then proceeded to follow Aurangzeb
around India
as the Emperor pursued his dream of bringing all of Hindustan
under the Timuri Flag. Many battles were fought and many Forts besieged but it was during the Siege of Golconda
in 1687 that Kilich Khan shone through as the Emperors most loyal and courageous general
.When Aurangzeb
's army left to attack Golconda
, it was under the command of Kilich Khan's son Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung.
Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung was so keen on taking the fort in a sudden assault, he sent his father incharge of the storming party. However Kilich Khan was hit the shrapnel of a powerful cannon ball
, the bombardment which completely severed
his arm. He returned to the Mughal camp on his horse refusing to dismount. Aurangzeb
's Vizier-e-Azam (prime minister
) Asad Khan noticed that while the surgeons were busy taking bits of bone and iron from his wound, he was stoically sipping coffee. Kilich Khan died a few days later, his arm was also found identified by the signet ring he always wore on his finger. Kilich Khan is buried in a tomb at Kismatpur near Himayat sagar only a few Kilometers from where he had died at Golconda
. Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh India.
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
later he became a Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
under Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
.He was a loyal general of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. He was the father of Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung also a Mughal General and the grandfather of the celebrated Nizam-ul-Mulk Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I
Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I
Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi was a Mughal nobleman the founder of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. He established the Hyderabad state, and ruled it from 1720 to 1748...
of Hyderabad
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
.
Birth
Kilich Khan was born in Adilabad near the ancient Silk RoadSilk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
city of Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
. His father was Khwaja Ismail Siddiqi s/o Shaikh Allahdad Siddiqi s/o Abdul Rehman Shaikh Azizzan Siddiqi 14 in direct descent from Shaikh Shihab uddin Siddiqi Suhrawardy of Suhrawada in Kurdistan a celebrated Sufi mystic lived in Persia, a renowned scholar known for his piety and knowledge of the law and was even honored with the title Allum-ul-Ulemma (wisest of the wise). Through his fathers side of the family Nawab Khwaja Abid Siddiqi could trace his lineage back 34 generations to the first Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr was a senior companion and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632-634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death...
Siddiqi and on his mothers to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
himself .
Early life
Kilich Khan broke with family tradition and became a fighter rather than a scholar. Kilich Khan is known to have utilized the Composite bowComposite bow
A composite bow is a bow made from horn, wood, and sinew laminated together. The horn is on the belly, facing the archer, and sinew on the back of a wooden core. Sinew and horn will store more energy than wood for the same length of bow...
and arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
, he kept the Quran attached to his Quiver
Quiver
A quiver is a container for arrows. Quivers have been traditionally made of leather, bark, wood, furs and other natural materials; modern quivers are often made of metal and plastic....
and rode along with a Crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
standard and a yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
flag.
Henry Brigs a historian wrote,
In youth he was trained to the use of the bow, the spear and the sword. Riding on horseback was familiar to him from the moment he could toddle alone from his mother's knee as it is to this day to everybody from the plains of Arabia to the hills of AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and he was specially taught to regard the cause of the CrescentCrescentIn art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
and the Quran as the great purpose of his existence
It was in 1655 that Kilich Khan undertook a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Makkah. But on his way there he stopped off in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to present himself before Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
. The Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor bestowed on Kilich Khan a Khilat or dress of honour and promised him that after he returned from Makkah he could take up a post on his personal staff. He was promoted to Sadar-i-Qul ( Supt. of Endowments ) 1681 - 1685, Subedar of Ajmer 1667-1672, Subedar of Multan 1672-1676, Amir-i-Haj 1676-1680. Faujdar of Zafarabad ( Bidar ) 1686-1687. Granted the title of Azim Khan 1657, and Qilich Khan Bahadur 1680.
Later life
He returned from his pilgrimagePilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1658 to take up his post serving the Emperor Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
, only to find that the Emperor had been taken ill and so Kilich Khan decided to throw his lot in with Prince Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
.Taking command of one of the Mughal armies, Kilich Khan played a crucial role in the Battle of Samugarh
Battle of Samugarh
Battle of Samugarh, Jang-e-Samugarh, , was a decisive struggle in for the throne Mughal war of succession 1658-1659 between the sons of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan after the emperor's serious illness in September 1657...
. For this he was rewarded by being made Sadr us Sadur (President of Presidents) and one of the Emperor's most trusted generals.
He then proceeded to follow Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
around India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as the Emperor pursued his dream of bringing all of Hindustan
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
under the Timuri Flag. Many battles were fought and many Forts besieged but it was during the Siege of Golconda
Siege of Golconda
In January 1687, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb led his forces to besiege the Qutb Shahi dynasty at Golconda Fort and was home to the Kollur Mine. The ruler of Golconda was the well entrenched Abul Hasan Qutb Shah. Aurangzeb and the Mughal army had successfully conquered two Muslim kingdoms: Nizams...
in 1687 that Kilich Khan shone through as the Emperors most loyal and courageous general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.When Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
's army left to attack Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
, it was under the command of Kilich Khan's son Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung.
Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung was so keen on taking the fort in a sudden assault, he sent his father incharge of the storming party. However Kilich Khan was hit the shrapnel of a powerful cannon ball
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
, the bombardment which completely severed
Severed
Severed: Forest of the Dead is a 2005 zombie suspense horror film directed by Carl Bessai and set in a remote logging community following an incident where a genetic experiment goes wrong.-Premise:...
his arm. He returned to the Mughal camp on his horse refusing to dismount. Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
's Vizier-e-Azam (prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
) Asad Khan noticed that while the surgeons were busy taking bits of bone and iron from his wound, he was stoically sipping coffee. Kilich Khan died a few days later, his arm was also found identified by the signet ring he always wore on his finger. Kilich Khan is buried in a tomb at Kismatpur near Himayat sagar only a few Kilometers from where he had died at Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
. Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh India.
Children
Having had issue, five sons and two daughters. Nawab Ghaziuddin Khan, Nawab Khwaja Hamid Khan Bahadur, Nawab Rahim Chin Kilich Khan Bahadur and two sons died young. Khadija Begum Sahiba and another daughter married to Nawab Riyat Khan Bahadur.Promotions
- 1000 zat (infantry, meaning that he had been granted lands that would provide 1000 infantry in times of battle) Granted in 1655 by Emperor Shah Jahan.
- 3000 zat and 500 sowar in 1657 (sowar were cavalry troops) Granted by Emperor Aurangzeb.
- 4000 zat and 700 sowar in 1658
- 4000 zat and 1500 sowar in 1665
- 5000 zat and 1500 sowar in 1681