Adam Khan Gakhar
Adam Khan Gakhar | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1541–1562 |
| Title | Sultan |
| Predecessor | Sultan Sarang Khan |
| Successor | Kamal Khan |
Sultan Adam Khan was a 16th-century chief of the Gakhar tribe in the Salt Range and the wider Pothohar region, and is commonly presented as the successor to Sultan Sarang Khan in leading Gakhar resistance on the frontier. He is best known in Mughal-era narratives for securing the fugitive Mughal prince Mirza Kamran and surrendering him to Emperor Humayun in 1553. Accounts of the Sur period also present him as a frontier power who resisted Sur authority in the Salt Range and remained important to Mughal–Sur struggles over control of the north-western approaches.[1]
Background
The Gakhars were an influential tribal polity in the Pothohar and Salt Range belt. Adam Khan is repeatedly described as a prominent Gakhar leader in this upland region, where control of routes, passes, and fortified points made local chiefs politically significant during periods of imperial competition.
Relations with the early Mughals
Adam Khan, accompanied by a Gakhar force, attended the Mughal emperor Babur to Delhi, and the Pothwar region was confirmed to the Gakhars in return for service. The Gakhars were remembered as having long-standing friendly relations with Babur and his family, and Adam Khan's base is associated with Pharvala, described as a fortified headquarters linked with the leading branch of his lineage. This early Mughal alignment shaped later frontier politics when rival regimes sought to bring the Salt Range under control.[2]
Conflict with the Sur Empire
During the Sur period, the Gakhars remained persistent opponents of Sur authority in the Salt Range. After earlier Gakhar reverses, Adam Khan carried on the fighting, and Islam Shah Suri was unable to fully subdue the Gakhars; the Janjuas also joined them against Islam Shah. These struggles formed part of the wider frontier resistance that complicated Sur control of the north-west.[3]
Surrender of Mirza Kamran to Humayun (1553)
In September 1553, Adam Khan secured Mirza Kamran while he was attempting to evade capture and surrendered him to Emperor Humayun, receiving reward for doing so. The episode is treated as decisive in ending Kamran's ability to rally opposition, and Kamran was later blinded in Mughal custody.[4]
Under Akbar
Under Akbar, an imperial order divided territories in Adam Khan's possession, assigning a share to Kamal Khan. Adam Khan resisted and was subdued by a royal force; he was captured, his son fled toward Kashmir but was later taken, and the territory was transferred to Kamal Khan. The division has been cited as an example of Mughal policy aimed at weakening an over-powerful local tribe by balancing rival claimants.[5]
Death and Legacy
After his defeat under Akbar, Adam Khan was captured and his territory was transferred to his nephew and rival Kamal Khan. One account records that “Kamal Khan kept Adam Khan near him until he died,” while another version summarizes the outcome as Adam Khan being deposed and his principality made over to Kamal Khan; later retellings even claim he was “ultimately put to death,” and a separate note adds that the precise date remains uncertain. In Mughal-centered narratives, his legacy rests on two turning points: the surrender of Mirza Kamran to Humayun, followed by Kamran's blinding, and Akbar's subsequent handling of Gakhar power through territorial division and the strengthening of rival claimants as a means of curbing an over-powerful frontier tribe.[6][7][8]
References
- ^ Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1951). The History and Culture of the Indian People: The Mughal empire. G. Allen & Unwin.
- ^ Griffin, Lapel H. (1940). Chiefs and families of note in the Punjab revised and unlarged edition by G.L. chopra vol.1. Government Printing, Lahore.
- ^ Roy, Nirod Bhushan (1934). The Successors of Sher Shah. S. A. Gunny.
- ^ Smith, Vincent Arthur (1958). Akbar the Great Mogul 1542-1605. S. Chand.
- ^ Elliot, Henry M. (1867). The History of India as Told by Its Own Historians: The Muhammadan Period ; Edited from the Posthumous Papers of the Late Sir H. M. Elliot by John Dowson. Trübner.
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India: Punjab (2 v.). Usha. 1984.
- ^ The History of India as Told by Its Own Historians the Muhammadan Period Edited from the Posthumous Papers of the Late H. M. Elliot by John Dowson. Trübner and Company. 1873.
- ^ Caroe, Olaf; Caroe, Sir Olaf (1962). The Pathans, 550 B.C. - A.D. 1957. Macmillan.