As an hour on Monday had been chosen for my entry into the city, on Sunday, the 24th, I halted. At this place some melons came from Kariz, which is a town dependent on Herat, and it is certain that in Khurasan there are no melons better than those of Kariz. Although this is at a distance of 1,400 kos, and kafilahs (caravans) take five months to come, they arrived very ripe and fresh. They brought so many that they sufficed for all the servants. Together with these there came oranges (kaunla) from Bengal, and though that place is 1,000 kos distant most of them arrived quite fresh. As this is a very delicate and pleasant fruit, runners bring by post as much as is necessary for private consumption, and pass it from hand to hand. My tongue fails me in giving thanks to Allah for this.
"Thankfulness for Thy favours is one of Thy favours."
On this day Amanat Khan presented two elephants' tusks; they were very large, one of them being 3 cubits 8 tassu (finger-breadths) in length and 16 tassu in circumference; it weighed 3 maunds and 2 seers, or 24 1/2 Iraq maunds. On Monday, the 25th, after six gharis, I turned towards the city in pleasure and prosperity at the propitious hour, and mounted the elephant Surat-gaj, a favourite elephant of mine, which is perfect in appearance and disposition. Although he was fractious (mast), I had confidence in my own riding and his pleasant paces (?). [680] Crowds of people, men and women, had assembled, and were waiting in the streets and bazars and at the gates and the walls. The city of Ahmadabad did not seem to me so worthy of praise as I had heard. Although they had made the main road of the bazar wide and spacious, they had not suited the shops to this breadth. Its buildings are all of wood and the pillars of the shops slender and mean (zabun). The streets of the bazar were full of dust, and there was dust from the Kankriya tank up to the citadel, which in the dialect of the country they call Bhadar. I hastened along scattering money. The meaning of Bhadar is 'blessed' (bhadra). The houses of the Sultans of Gujarat, which were inside the Bhadar, have fallen into ruin within the last fifty or sixty years, and no trace of them is left. However, our servants who have been sent to the government of this country have erected buildings. When I was proceeding from Mandu to Ahmadabad, Muqarrab Khan had done up the old buildings and prepared other places for sitting that were necessary, such as a jharokha, a public audience hall, etc. As to-day was the auspicious day for the weighing of my son Shah Jahan, I weighed him in the usual manner against gold and other things, and the 27th year from his blessed birth began in pleasure and enjoyment. I hope that the Giver of gifts will bestow him on this suppliant at His throne and let him enjoy life and prosperity. On the same day I gave the province of Gujarat in jagir to that son. From the fort of Mandu to the fort of Cambay, by the road we came, it is 124 kos, which were traversed in twenty-eight marches and thirty halts. I remained at Cambay for ten days; from that place to the city of Ahmadabad is 21 kos; which we traversed in five marches with two halts. Altogether, from Mandu to Cambay and from Cambay to Ahmadabad by the road we came is 145 kos, which we accomplished in two months and fifteen days; this was in thirty-three marches and forty-two halts.