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78 been in the service of the renowned Khán Jahān Lodí, and was killed in the beginning of the rebellion of his master, in the fight near Dholpur. Dáúd entered the service of Prince Dárá Shikoh, and distinguished himself in the field and in council. In the 30th year of Sháhjahán's reign, when the executive of the government was in Dárá's hands, Dáúd was Faujdár of Mathurá, Mahában, Jalesar, and several other districts. On the death of Sa'dullah, he was put in charge of the Prince's tuyùl, and received orders to guard, with two thousand horse, the roads between Agra and Shahjahánábád. In the same year, at the request of the Prince, the emperor made him a Khán; hence he is best known in history as Dáúd Khán. At the outbreak of the war between Dárá and Aurangzib, Dáúd held an important post and, together with Satr Sál Háṛá, commanded Dárá's vanguard. In the first battle, which was fought near Samogar, 9 miles east of Agra, (6th Ramazán 1068, or 28th May 1658, A.D.) Dáúd's brother Shaikh Ján Muhammad was killed. Dárá was defeated and retreated to the Panjáb, and ordered Dáúd to guard the Guzar i Talwan, a well-known ford of the Satlaj south of Jálindhar: but when Dárà fled from Láhor to Multán, Dáúd crossed the river, burned and sunk the ships, and joined the Prince. Seeing that his cause was hopeless, he left him near Bhakkar, and went through Jaisalmir to Firuzah, his ancestral home. He had not been there long, when Aurangzib sent him a khil'at, in order to win him over to his party. Dáúd accepted it, and, on Aurangzib's return from Multán to the capital, paid his respects at Court, when he was appointed to a command of Four Thousand with 3000 horse. He served immediately afterwards in the war with Shujā’, and pursued that Prince under Mir Jumlah. When Shujá’ had fled, Dáúd was sent to occupy Patna, and during his stay there was appointed Governor of Bihár. For some time he continued his operations against Shujá’, who was forced to retreat from Tándah, near Gaur, to Eastern Bengal; but when the Prince had withdrawn beyond the frontiers of the empire, Dáúd returned to Patna, and prepared to subject several refractory zamindárs of Bihár. He also received orders to invade Palámauṅ, which he finally conquered in the end of December 1660. Dáúd had scarcely returned from Palámanṅ to Patna, when he was called to Court. On his arrival, he was appointed, together with Mirzá Rājah Jai Singh, to take the field against Sivá Bhoṅslah. Aurangzíb also raised him to the rank of a commander of Five Thousand, with 4000 horse, 3000 duaspah and sihaspah troopers, and made him governor of Khándesh. He conquered Fort Rudramál, and marched with Jaisingh to Fort Purandhar, during the siege, devastating Sivȧ's country with 7000 horse, especially the districts of Rājgaṛh and Kundanah. Returning from his excursions to Jai Singh, he took the command of the right wing of the Imperial army, and attacked A′dil Shah of Bijápur.

In the 9th year of Aurangzib's reign, he was recalled from Khȧndesh to Court, but was in the following year sent as Governor to Barár, and not long afterwards to Burhánpur. In the 14th year, he went again to Court, and was appointed Governor of Iláhábád.

'The date of his death is not recorded.'—Maásir.

His son Hamid Khán also distinguished himself as a brave soldier. He died in the 25th year of Aurangzib's reign (beginning of A. H. 1093, or A. D. 1682). The Bibl. Indica edition of the Maásir i ’A′lamgírí calls him (on p. 217, l. 8)  n, and in the last line,  n.

Colonel E. D. Dalton lately favoured me with a short biography of Dáúd Khan, written by one of Dáúd's descendants. According to that biography, Dáúd is the son of Kabír Khán, son of Farid Khān, and the (younger) brother of Bhikan Khán. The Maásir ul Umará makes Bhikan Khán Dáúd's father. The paper contains no notice of the various services which Dáúd performed; but it mentions that the town of Dáúdnagar in Bihár was founded by him in A. H. 1083, or 1672–73 A.D., and that he died at Rohtásgaṛh on the 19th Zil Hajjah 1084, or 17th March 1674. It concludes with a few verses in the long hazaj metre, the last of which contains the Táríkh of Dáúd's death.

The values of the letters in the last three words, when added up, will be found to give 1084.