"The source of the river Bhet (Jhelum)[*] lies in a fountain in Cashmeer,
named Tirnagh, which, in the language, of Hindostan, signifies a
snake - probably some large snake had been seen there. During the
lifetime of my father (Akbar) I went twice to this fountain, which
is about twenty kos from the city of Cashmere. Its form is octagonal,
and the sides of it are about twenty yards in length.
"I accompanied my father to this spot during the season of flowers. In
some places the beds of saffron-flowers extend to a kos. Their
appearance is best at a distance, and when they are plucked they
emit a strong smell. My attendants were all seized with a headache,
and though I was myself at the time intoxicated with liquor, I felt
also my head affected. I inquired of the brutal Cashmeerians who were
employed in plucking them, what was their condition, and they replied
that they never had a headache in their lifetime."
[*] - The Jhelum is called in Cashmere, Behat - a contraction of the
Sanscrit VEDASTA, which the Greeks slightly altered to Hydaspes.
[13] - The title of Noor-ul-deen is also mentioned by Jehangeer in
his Journal from Lahore to Cabul, and its origin is thus accounted
for in his own words:
"Now that I had become a king, it occurred to me that I ought to change
my name, which was liable to be confounded with that of the Caesars,
of Rome.
