Rustam Dil Khan

Rustam Dil Khan came from a family that had served the Mughal Empire through several generations. His grandfather, named Sayyid Muhammad Zanzwari, was native to Iraq. Following a stint in the region of Khurasan, he migrated to Mughal India in the early 17th century, joining the service of the emperor Jahangir. Zanzwari held the governorship of Delhi during some point of his career, and was titled Mukhtar Khan. Rustam Dil Khan's father was Jan Sipar Khan, who followed in his father Zanzwari's footsteps by joining the Mughal service. He supported Aurangzeb during the latter's struggle for the Mughal succession, and was later made faujdar of the city of Bidar. Aurangzeb selected him to personally escort Abul Hasan Qutb Shah during the latter's arrest after the Mughal conquest of Golconda. Jan Sipar Khan was subsequently made the first permanent governor of Hyderabad Subah, and served for twelve years before his death in 1700. Rustam Dil Khan's mother was a daughter of a Mughal noble named Khan Zaman. == Career ==

Rustam Dil Khan assisted his father Jan Sipar Khan during the latter's governorship of Bidar. Jan Sipar Khan was promoted to governor of Hyderabad, following which Rustam Dil Khan took over the governorship of Bidar. He served for a brief period in the late seventeenth century, though the exact dates of his tenure are unclear. Rustam Dil Khan served as the deputy governor of Hyderabad during his father's tenure. His father stayed at the capital while he led military expeditions against threats to imperial authority in the province. At this time, he was a rank-holding noble. Notable events he was involved in during this time include: his capture of Venkat Rao, a rogue deshmukh, in 1691; his successful negotiation of tribute with Anand Ashwa Rao, a rebellious Valama chief, in 1692; and his unsuccessful pursuit of Maratha general Santaji in 1695. Governor of Hyderabad Following Jan Sipar Khan's death in 1700, the Mughal prince Kam Bakhsh was made the governor of Hyderabad. Rustam Dil Khan was made the prince's deputy governor, and his rank was increased. The prince held this position in absentee, making Rustam Dil Khan the effective governor of the province. In 1703, the Bedar chief Pidia Nayak occupied Kondaveedu Fort and plundered the coastal districts - the emperor Aurangzeb reduced Rustam Dil Khan's rank for his inaction. Just over a year after Rustam Dil Khan's governorship began, a large Maratha force of 50,000 occupied the capital city of Hyderabad and freely plundered it for three days. Rustam Dil Khan holed himself up in the Golconda fort and eventually got the attackers to withdraw, only by using funds illegally obtained from the imperial treasury. == Patronage ==

As the Mughal governor of Bidar, Rustam Dil Khan built a mosque in the city, within the tomb-shrine of Sufi saint Shah Ali Qadiri. Though local records attest that Rustam Dil Khan's governorship was until 1688, the mosque's inscriptions date the structure to the year 1695, indicating he may have governed for a longer term. In 1702, Rustam Dil Khan built a mosque in Hyderabad named the Kali Masjid, located in Yakutpura. An inscription on the mosque indicates that he built it a year after his father Jan Sipar Khan's death. The mosque was built close to Rustam Dil Khan's former residence, known as Imli Mahal. The mosque's courtyard contains the tombs of both his father and himself; he constructed his father's tomb during his lifetime, and was interred here following his execution. == See also ==