Bihmandkhani, Muhammad

   Author of Tarikh-i Muhammadi (completed in 1434), which is a chronicle of Islamic history down to that of the Delhi sultanate and of the rise of the independent kingdom of Kalpi in 1390 as well as its struggle with the neighboring states, including the sultanates of Malwa and Jaunpur. Muhammad was the son Malik Bihmand, who rose to prominence in the service of Tughlaq noble Firuz Khan. Firuz Khan's son, Junaid, had assigned to Muhammad the fiscal subdivision (pargana) of Chaurasi. During the 1390s, the ruler of Kalpi gave him Erach as a territorial-cum-revenue assignment (iqta'). At Erach, Muhammad fought against Sharqis and was wounded. Muhammad's short account of Timur's invasion (1398) is important for the anguish he expresses over the sufferings inflicted upon the Indians, Hindus as well as Muslims. He calls Timur "a cunning and mischievous ruler." According to him, the important Tughlaq nobles as well as the Hindu chief of Mewat were captured and carried to Samarqand "where they suffered martyrdom."