Sayyed Mahmud Khan
Encyclopedia
Sayyid Mahmud Khan Barha, also known as Mahmud Khan, was a general
in the Akbar'r army, Amiral Kabir Sayyid Mahmud Khan Barha, son of Sayyid Mubarak (also known as Makhan), was the first person of this family - the Saiyids of Barah - to rise to the rank of a nobleman. This he did through his bravery and valour during the Timurid Dynasty
. He joined the service of Bairam Khan
. In the first year of Akbar's reign and in the same year he was sent with Ali Quli Khan Shaibani to put down Hemu
who, after the defeat of Tardi Beg Khan, had out of pride collected a large force and started from Delhi
and assume the title of Vikramadwitya. Sayyid Mahmud was deployed in vanguard
against Hemu and he fought valiantly and captured artillery of Hemu which he had sent to the battlefield in advance at Panipat
Ali quli Khan and Sayyed Mahmud Khan won the battle of Panipat before Akbar and Bairam Khan reached the battlefield of Panipat.
In the 2nd regnal year 964 Hijri corresponding to 1557 CE he was appointed to chastise Haji Khan, a slave of Sher Shah Suri
, who had taken possession of Ajmer
and Nagaur
(present day Rajasthan), and was showing signs of rebellion. In the third year he was deputed to capture the fort of Jitaran in Jodhpur
, which he won from the Rajputs. When Bairam Khan's affairs were upset, he joined the king’s service, and received Pargana of Sarwat (present-day Muzaffarnagar
) as a fiefdom
in Doab of Ganga-Jamuna.
In the seventh year on 16 May 1562 Adham Khan
Koka, younger son of Maham Anga
, overwhelmed with envy over Shams-ud-Din Ataga Khan
, murdered Shams-ud-Din Ataga. Mun'im Khan who had secretly instigated the crime, became panic stricken and attempted to flee to Kabul. En route to Kabul, when he was passing through the fief of Sayyid Mahmud Khan Barha at Sawat present day Muzaffar Nagar, Mun'im Khan was captured by his men. Sayyid Mahmud Khan recognized him and took him back to the royal threshold with honour. Emperor Akbar pardoned him at the intercession of Mahmud Khan Barha. In the seventeenth year of Akbar's reign he went to Gujarat in attendance on Khan Kalan. Later, he was sent in pursue of Ibrahim Hussain Mirza.
Afterwards when the emperor turned his persona attention to this affair, and immediately recalled the officers who had been sent, Mahmud Khan swiftly joined the emperor Akbar near Sarnal a town in Gujrat
and distinguished himself. When the Mirza was defeated and retreated towards Agra
, he with other officers was appointed to pursue him.
In the eighteenth of Akbar's reign he was sent in advance with a number of officers to Gujarat, and when the emperor during his march reached Mirtha near Jodhpur
, Rajasthan he joined the royal party. In the battle with Muhammad Hussain
he and a few men formed the reserve, Sayid Mahmud took his place with a number of officers in the centre, and during the conflict advanced courageously beyond the centre, and fought bravely. In the end of the same year he with other Barha Saiyids and Saiyids of Amroha
led an expedition against the territory of Madhukar Bundela
of Orchha
in Bundelkhand
and conquered it.
Sayyed Mahmud was a straightforward and outspoken man and it is stated in history books that when Akbar deputed him against Madhukar Bundela and he returned victorious, after performing outstanding deeds of valour, he reported to the Emperor that he performed such and such deeds of valour Asaf Khan remarked "Miranji! This victory was due to the Iqbal-e-shah" (glory or good fortune of King), he replied "Why do you tell untruth? Iqbal-e-shah was not there, it was I and my brothers who wielded two-handed swords there". The king smiled and favoured him with the gifts of all kind and he was granted a Standard
and Drums, a great honor.
He died on 2 October 1573 and is buried at his ancestral place Mujhera
in Muzaffarnagar
district. His rank was four thousand personal (Zat) and two thousand horse (sawar). He had six sons sayyid Hashim, sayyid Qasim, Sayyid Alim, Sayyid Salim, Sayyid Jahangir, and Sayyid Ali Asghar Styled Saif Khan Barha
. All of his sons became prominent in Akbar and Jahangir
's reign and were Mansabdar
.
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....
in the Akbar'r army, Amiral Kabir Sayyid Mahmud Khan Barha, son of Sayyid Mubarak (also known as Makhan), was the first person of this family - the Saiyids of Barah - to rise to the rank of a nobleman. This he did through his bravery and valour during the Timurid Dynasty
Timurid Dynasty
The Timurids , self-designated Gurkānī , were a Persianate, Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turko-Mongol descent whose empire included the whole of Iran, modern Afghanistan, and modern Uzbekistan, as well as large parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the...
. He joined the service of Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan also Bayram Khan was a important military commander, general of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal emperors Humayun and Akbar.-Background:...
. In the first year of Akbar's reign and in the same year he was sent with Ali Quli Khan Shaibani to put down Hemu
Hemu
Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, Hemu Vikramaditya or simply Hemu was a Hindu Emperor of India during the sixteenth century, in medieval times...
who, after the defeat of Tardi Beg Khan, had out of pride collected a large force and started from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and assume the title of Vikramadwitya. Sayyid Mahmud was deployed in vanguard
Vanguard (military tactics)
The vanguard is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.- Medieval origins :...
against Hemu and he fought valiantly and captured artillery of Hemu which he had sent to the battlefield in advance at Panipat
Panipat
Panipat بَنِبَت is an ancient and historic city in Panipat district, Haryana state, India. It is 90 km north from Delhi and 169 km south of Chandigarh on NH-1. The three battles fought at the city were turning points in Indian history. The city is famous in India by the name of "City of...
Ali quli Khan and Sayyed Mahmud Khan won the battle of Panipat before Akbar and Bairam Khan reached the battlefield of Panipat.
In the 2nd regnal year 964 Hijri corresponding to 1557 CE he was appointed to chastise Haji Khan, a slave of Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...
, who had taken possession of Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
and Nagaur
Nagaur
Nagaur is a city in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. It was founded by the Naga Kshatriyas.- History :...
(present day Rajasthan), and was showing signs of rebellion. In the third year he was deputed to capture the fort of Jitaran in Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, which he won from the Rajputs. When Bairam Khan's affairs were upset, he joined the king’s service, and received Pargana of Sarwat (present-day Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar is a major city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was established in Mughal period by a Sayyid Jagirdar, Munawar Lashkar Ali, and so named in honour of his father, Muzaffar Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of the Muzaffarnagar district. It is a...
) as a fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
in Doab of Ganga-Jamuna.
In the seventh year on 16 May 1562 Adham Khan
Adham Khan
Adham Khan was a general of Akbar. He was the younger son of Maham Anga, he thus became the foster brother of Akbar. In his fourth regnal year, Akbar married him to the daughter of Baqi Khan Baqlani.-Conquest of Malwa:...
Koka, younger son of Maham Anga
Maham Anga
Maham Anga was the wet nurse of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, and often referred as his foster mother as she took care of young Akbar, as his own mother, Hamida Banu Begum was mostly away, with his father, Humayun was in exile, throughout Akbar's growing years...
, overwhelmed with envy over Shams-ud-Din Ataga Khan
Ataga Khan
Shamsuddin Muhammad Atgah Khan , also known as Khan-e-Kalan Shamsu'd-Din Muhammad Khan Atgah Khan, held important positions in the court, including that of wakil to which he was appointed in November 1561,much to displeasure of Maham Anga, whose son Adham Khan, eventually murdered him in 1562...
, murdered Shams-ud-Din Ataga. Mun'im Khan who had secretly instigated the crime, became panic stricken and attempted to flee to Kabul. En route to Kabul, when he was passing through the fief of Sayyid Mahmud Khan Barha at Sawat present day Muzaffar Nagar, Mun'im Khan was captured by his men. Sayyid Mahmud Khan recognized him and took him back to the royal threshold with honour. Emperor Akbar pardoned him at the intercession of Mahmud Khan Barha. In the seventeenth year of Akbar's reign he went to Gujarat in attendance on Khan Kalan. Later, he was sent in pursue of Ibrahim Hussain Mirza.
Afterwards when the emperor turned his persona attention to this affair, and immediately recalled the officers who had been sent, Mahmud Khan swiftly joined the emperor Akbar near Sarnal a town in Gujrat
Gujrat
Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
and distinguished himself. When the Mirza was defeated and retreated towards Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, he with other officers was appointed to pursue him.
In the eighteenth of Akbar's reign he was sent in advance with a number of officers to Gujarat, and when the emperor during his march reached Mirtha near Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, Rajasthan he joined the royal party. In the battle with Muhammad Hussain
Muhammad Hussain
Muhammad Hussain is the name of:*Muhammad Hussain Najafi , Pakistani Twelver Shia Muslim Grand Ayatollah*Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah , Lebanese Twelver Shia Muslim Grand Ayatollah...
he and a few men formed the reserve, Sayid Mahmud took his place with a number of officers in the centre, and during the conflict advanced courageously beyond the centre, and fought bravely. In the end of the same year he with other Barha Saiyids and Saiyids of Amroha
Amroha
Amroha is a small town in the north-western Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is located north-west of Moradabad, near the Sot River...
led an expedition against the territory of Madhukar Bundela
Bundela
The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of Chattari lineage who ruled several states in central India, in Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.The Bundelas are the most prominent Rajputs hailing from Central India...
of Orchha
Orchha
Orchha is a town in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh in 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River , 80 km from Tikamgarh &...
in Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
and conquered it.
Sayyed Mahmud was a straightforward and outspoken man and it is stated in history books that when Akbar deputed him against Madhukar Bundela and he returned victorious, after performing outstanding deeds of valour, he reported to the Emperor that he performed such and such deeds of valour Asaf Khan remarked "Miranji! This victory was due to the Iqbal-e-shah" (glory or good fortune of King), he replied "Why do you tell untruth? Iqbal-e-shah was not there, it was I and my brothers who wielded two-handed swords there". The king smiled and favoured him with the gifts of all kind and he was granted a Standard
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
and Drums, a great honor.
He died on 2 October 1573 and is buried at his ancestral place Mujhera
Mujhera
Mujhera is a village in the Jansath sub-division of Muzaffarnagar District in Uttar Pradesh. It is the seat of the Kundliwal branch of Sadaat-e-Bahra....
in Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar is a major city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was established in Mughal period by a Sayyid Jagirdar, Munawar Lashkar Ali, and so named in honour of his father, Muzaffar Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of the Muzaffarnagar district. It is a...
district. His rank was four thousand personal (Zat) and two thousand horse (sawar). He had six sons sayyid Hashim, sayyid Qasim, Sayyid Alim, Sayyid Salim, Sayyid Jahangir, and Sayyid Ali Asghar Styled Saif Khan Barha
Saif Khan Barha
Saif Khan was a favorite of Emperor Jahangir since he was a prince and chief of Sayyeds of Barha in Jahangir's time. Jahangir writes in his memoirs in the narration of his first regnal year "Sayyed Ali Asghar Bahra who has not a rival in bravery and zeal, is son of Sayyed Mahmud Khan Barha who was...
. All of his sons became prominent in Akbar and Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
's reign and were Mansabdar
Mansabdar
Mansabdar was the generic term for the military -type grading of all imperial officials of the Mughal Empire. The mansabdars governed the empire and commanded its armies in the emperor's name...
.