Page:Aurangzíb and the Decay of the Mughal Empire.djvu/21

Rh Kandahár from the Persians. In these wars the Emperor's son Aurangzíb won his spurs.

The reign of Sháh-Jahán is notable chiefly for peaceful prosperity. His ministers were men of the highest ability. Sa'd-Alláh 'Allámí, a converted Hindú, was the most upright statesman of his age; and 'Alí Mardán and Ásaf Khán were men of approved integrity and energy. The French traveller Tavernier speaks of the gracious government of the Emperor as 'like that of a father over his family,' and bears witness to the security of the roads and the just administration of the law. A Hindú writer of the time vies with his Muhammadan and Christian contemporaries in extolling the equity of Sháh-Jahán's rule, his wise and liberal administration of the land, the probity of his courts of law, his personal auditing of the accounts, and the prosperity of the country resulting from all these causes.

The general tranquillity of the empire left Sháh-Jahán ample leisure to indulge in his favouritė passion for display. To this day, his great works at Agra and his splendid palace at New Delhi testify to his grandiose conceptions of architecture. He christened his new city Shahjahánábád, and for generations this was the only name given to Delhi on coins and in official documents. It was completed in 1648, after being ten years a-building, and, according to all accounts, it must have been the most magnificent palace on the face of the earth. He is said to have