Futuhat-I-Alamgiri by Ishwar Das Nagar- English Translation And Persian Text (An Old And Rare Book)

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During the first decade of the present century when Sir Jadunath Sarkar decided to write an authentic detailed "History of Aurangzib" he began collecting important source. materials, available in print of Ms. which are abundant in Persian, the literary language of Mughal India." Many of which have been listed by him in the detailed bibliography, given at the end of Vol. II, (Ist Ed.) of his History of Aurangzib, 2 addition to the official annals there are private histories which were " written by officials, but not having been meant for the Emperor's eyes, they supply us with many of the facts suppressed in the court annals." They however, contain many personal traits and graphic touches which the more formal official histories have excluded,”

Among the various private histories relating to the Aurangzib's reign, there are two written by Hindus in the Persian tongue, one of which is "Futuhat-i-Alamgiri" by Ishwar Das Nagar of Patan. The only Ms. of this work then known to be extant was British Museum Ms. No. Add, 23884 and Sir Jadunath Sarkar arranged to get a copy of the same transcribed for himself, because it was "a firsthand authority for much of that happened in Rajputana and Malwa," The existence of the only other copy. Edinburgh Ms. No. 218 of "Futuhat-i-Alamgiri" came to be known only after the publication of the descriptive catalogue of the Arabic and Persian Manuscripts in the Edinburgh University Library, Edinburgh.

Having realised the unique character and the great utility of Ishwar Das Nagar's Futuhat-i-Alamgiri, be carefully studied the same and prepared its English Translation from folio 47b upto the end. He also wrote a biographical essay on Ishwar Das Nagar "An Old Hindu Historian of Aurangzib," in which at the end he had given contents of Ishwar Das's said work.

Sir Jadunath Sarkar not only fully utilised "Futuhat-i-Alamgiri" in all the five volumes of his monumental work," History of Aurangzib", but at the end of Vol, IV, Sir Jadunath Sarkar has also appended a detailed analysis of events narrated by Ishwar Das Nagar in his work from 1685-90, and he has also given the corrected dates. Earlier in the second decade Sir Jadunath Sarkar intended to publish his English Translation of "Futuhat-i-Alamgiri", but when he took up the task of writing his second monumental work The Fall of the Mughal Empire", he gave up the idea of doing so. Therefore, 1 requested Sir Jadunath Sarkar, to oblige by lending me, the copy of his English Translation of Futuhat-1-Alamgirt", which he readily did. Thereafter I arranged to get typed ont two copies of the same, one of which along with the original Ms. was sent down to Sir Jadunath Sarkar, In my copy of the English Translation I noted down all the notes, comments and remarks of Sir Jadunath Sarkar for my information and help. All these notes and comments by Sir Jadunath Sarkar in that Ms. copy have been duly utilised and are given verbatim in the footnotes and are followed by "(J.S.)", to indicate his author ship of the same.