By now Akbar had grown into a 18 year old youngman although in maturity he was decades ahead.
Bairam Khan was appointed the guardian of Akbar when the latter was at a very raw age. The former guided him along and ruled on his behalf when Humayun had become history. He failed to gauge how fast his charge Akbar was maturing up beyond years. 18 year old Akbar had an old head of 30 years. He now didn’t put much importance to the suggestions or directives of Bairam Khan. But Bairam Khan naturally wanted Akbar to remain a dependent juvenile and let him take decisions. It becomes a habit. Akbar went along till he was too immature to analyse situations. But he matured amazingly fast. He realised what his being emperor meant. His thinking evolved. He started evaluating the decisions of Bairam Khan. Akbar reached at the conclusion that their failure in Ranthambhor and Malwa were due to faulty vision and planning of his mentor Bairam Khan. Young emperor realised he no more could afford to blindly follow the decisions of his mentor.
Since the time of Humayun, Bairam Khan had been closely associated with the royal family. The late emperor himself had appointed him as the guardian of juvenile Akbar used to call him ‘Khan Baba’. In the beginning Bairam Khan was merely a personal attendent of Humayun but he impressed the latter with his intelligence and soldierly talents. When Bairam was 16 years old he performed a brave act in a battle. Since then he stayed close to Humayun in many more battles. Pleased with his services, later Humayun appointed him as the governor of Kabul. Bairam Khan put the responsibilities of ruling the Kabul on his confidants and himself stayed latched to Humayun. May be, he expected a greater role in the empire.
After the death of Humayun, Bairam Khan played a lead role in installing his charge Akbar on the throne of Delhi through imprompter coronation of the lad at Kalanaur. He began to rule the empire on behalf of his charge.
As time passed the number of detractors of Bairam Khan multiplied in the court who were jealous of his sway over the juvenile emperor. Prominent amongst them was Begum Maham Anaga, the milk-mother (nurse whose breasts Akbar had suckled) of Akbar.
Both the camps, namely Bairam Khan group and Maham Anaga group were thirsting for each other’s blood. Maham Anaga ever tried to get Bairam Khan away from Akbar and take the young emperor under her influence. In fact, Maham Anaga camp had the covert support of Akbar who wanted the influence of Bairam Khan over him eroded.
Once a situation aggravated into an open confrontation between the too groups and the swords came out of sheaths. A skirmish followed.
Bairam Khan was taken prisoner and produced before emperor Akbar. For the young ruler it was a golden chance to get rid of his overbearing mentor.
So, Akbar said to Bairam Khan, “Baba! You’ve three choices. Choose anyone you like.”
The three options provided by Akbar were :
1. If Bairam Khan wanted to rule, he may take the districts of Kalpi and Chanderi and run them.
2. If Bairam Khan wanted to stay on in the court he could at the same position and honour as before.
3. If Bairam Khan wished to remove himself from Delhi he could go on Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. The state would make necessary arrangements.
Bairam Khan opted for the last choice. It would be humiliating for him to get reduced to a minor functionary managing two unimportant districts who till yesterday was the power behind Moghul empire. Staying on in court as a silent spectator while his detractors mocked at him was even more unapalatable. So, Bairam Khan opted to leave everything and go on Haj pilgrimage.
He made his wish known to Akbar and the emperor ordered the arrangements needed to be made.
Bairam Khan reached the port city of Patan Nagar in Gujarat to board the ship bound for Arabia. It was the January month of 1561. Bairam Khan was boating in Sahaslung lake. For the evening Namaz he came ashore. There Mubaraq Khan Lohani arrived with some of his associates on the pretext of meeting him. Bairam Khan moved forward to greet the visitor. Mubaraq made a move to embrace Bairam Khan and in that act he stabbed in latter’s back getting the dagger into the Bairam’s heart.
Bairam Khan fell down. His body rocked in pain in the pool of blood.
Mubaraq gave vent to his feelings. He barked, “You killed my father at Machhiwara and this is my revenge!”
Then, the son of Bairam Khan was only four years old. When Akbar learnt about the tragedy he got the women folk of Bairam Khan sent for to Delhi. After a few days he married one of the wives of Bairam Khan. Begum Saleema Sultan was the one he married.
It would be worth a mention here that the credit of winning big states like Gwalior and Jaunpur goes to Bairam Khan. He might have conquered Malwa and Ranthambhor as well had he not been distracted by the conspiracies that were constantly getting hatched in the royal court.
