On These Mountains Dwells A Small King Called Tibbet,[254] Who
Lately Sent One Of His Daughters To Shah Selim, By Way Of Making
Affinity.
[Footnote 254:
Little Thibet, a country hardly known in geography, is on
the north-west of Cashmere, beyond the northern chain of the Vindhia
mountains. - E.]
Nicholas Uphet, [or Ufflet] went from Agra to Surat by a different way
from that by which I came, going by the mountains of Narwar, which
extend to near Ahmedabad in Guzerat. Upon these mountains stands the
impregnable castle of Gur Chitto, or Chitore, the chief seat of the
Ranna, a very powerful rajah, whom neither the Patans, nor Akbar
himself, was ever able to subdue. Owing to all India having been
formerly belonging to the Gentiles, and this prince having always been,
and is still, esteemed in equal reverence as the pope is by the
catholics, those rajahs who have been sent against him have always made
some excuses for not being able to do much injury to his territories,
which extend towards Ahmednagur 150 great cosses, and in breadth 200
cosses towards Oogain, mostly composed of, or inclosed by inaccessible
mountains, well fortified by art in many places. This rajah is able on
occasion to raise 12,000 good horse, and holds many fair towns and
goodly cities.
Ajmeer, the capital of a kingdom or province of that name, west from
Agra, stands on the top of an inaccessible mountain, three coss in
ascent, being quite impregnable. The city at the foot of the hill is not
great, but is well built and surrounded by a stone wall and ditch. It is
chiefly famous for the tomb of Haji Mundee, a saint much venerated by
the Moguls, to which, as formerly mentioned, Akbar made a roomery, or
pilgrimage on foot, from Agra, to obtain a son. Before coming to this
tomb, you have to pass through three fair courts; the first, covering
near an acre of ground, all paved with black and white marble, in which
many of Mahomet's cursed kindred are interred. In this court is a fair
tank all lined with stone. The second court is paved like the former,
but richer, and is twice as large as the Exchange at London, having in
the middle a curious candlestick with many lights. The third court is
entered by a brazen gate of curious workmanship, and is the fairest of
all, especially near the door of the sepulchre, where the pavement is
curiously laid in party-coloured stones. The door is large, and all
inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and the pavement about the tomb is all
mosaic of different-coloured marbles. The tomb itself is splendidly
adorned with mother-of-pearl and gold, having an epitaph in Persian. At
a little distance stands his seat in an obscure corner, where he used to
sit foretelling future events, and which is highly venerated. On the
east side are three other fair courts with each a fair tank; and on the
north and west are several handsome houses, inhabited by sidees, or
Mahometan priests.
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