After a little lie advanced and occupied Ghazni and Kabul (May A.D. 1738, A.11. Safr 1151). The court of Dehli being at this time occupied by the Mahrattas, his messages to the Indian Government were neglected, and one of his messengers was cut. off by the Afghans (October A.D. 1738, A.11. Shaban 1151). He therefore advanced through the mountains (November A.D. 1738, Ail. Rainzan 1151), defeated a'small force under one of their governors, threw a bridge across the Indus, advanced through the Panjab, and met with no real hindrance till he approached the Jumna, within 100 miles of Dehli, when he found himself in the neighbourhood of the Indian army. The armies closed at 'Carnal, and the battle (12th February 1739, 15th Zikaida 1151; ended in the complete rout of the Indian army. Khan -i -Daman, the commander-in-chief, wan killed. Sadat Khan, viceroy of Oudh, was taken prisoner, and Muhammad Shah, the emperor, sent Asof Jab to tender his submission, and him self repaired with a few attendants to the Persian camp. The two kings marched towards Dehli which they reached in the beginning of March 1739, and took up their residence in the palace. Nadir stationed his troops about the town, tc preserve order and protect the people. But, or the second day of the occupation, a report spretie that Nadir was dead, on which the Indians fel on all the Persians within their reach, and fron their isolated positions about 700 were sacrificed Nadir exerted himself personally to suppress tin , insurrection, but he was soon assailed with stones arrows, and firearms from the houses, and one o his chiefs was killed at his side by a shot aimed a hiinself. On this he ordered a general massacre of the Indians (Fraser's Nadir Namah, p. 183). The slaughter raged from sunrise until the day was far advanced. It was attended with all the horrors that could be inspired by rapine, lust, and thirst of vengeance. The city was set on fire in several places, and was soon involved in one scene of destruction, blood, and terror. At length Nadir ordered it to be stopped, and his order was at once obeyed. 30,000 are stated by the author of the Nadir Namah to have been slain, but the numbers killed have been given at 120,000 to 150,000. Nadir afterwards seized the imperial treasures, also the celebrated peacock throne ; and every inhabitant was forced to dis close the amount of his property, and pay accord ingly. Torture and murder were employed to enforce payment. Nadir concluded a treaty with Muhammad Shah, by which all the country west of the Indus was ceded to Persia, his son was married to a daughter of the house of Timur, and he reseated Muhammad on the throne, in vested him with the ornaments and crown with his own hands, and commanded all the nobles to obey him, on pain of his future vengeance. At length he marched from Dehli, after a residence of 58 days, carrying with him a treasure in money amounting at the lowest computation to eight or nine kror of rupees, besides, to the value of several kror or millions sterling, in gold and silver plate, valuable furniture, and rich stuffs of every. description, and jewels of inestimable price. He also carried off many elephants, horses, camels, and led away several hundred of the most skilful workmen and artisans.
Up to the taking of Dehli, he was perhaps less sanguinarythan the generalityof Asiatic monarchs. He had been a rigorous though not unjust master ; but after the sack of Dehli he gradually became a cruel and capricious tyrant. The first years after his return from India were occupied in the conquest of the kingdoms of Khorasan, Khiva, and Bokhara, which he subdued and evacuated.
He attempted to reduce the bill tribe of Lezgi, and led three campaigns against the Turks ; but he became doubtful of the Persians, all. of whom continued Shiahs at heart, and was especially jealous of his eldest son, Razza Kuli. In the belief that a wound he had received in a forest when hunting had been inflicted by an emissary, he put out his son's eyes. His remorse, instead of softening his heart, exasperated his fury, and he taunted all who entreated him for mercy with their failure to intercede when his own son was in danger. His cruelties and extortions led to revolts, which drew on fresh enormities ; whole cities were depopulated, and piles of heads raised to consummate their ruin ; eyes were torn out, tortures inflicted, and no .man could count for a moment on his exemption from death in torments. During the last two years of his life, his rage was increased by bodily sickness, until it partook of frenzy. On the day before' his death, while labouring under a feeling of impending evil, he leaped on his horse in the midst of his camp, and was on the point of flying from his own army,' to take refuge in a ,fortress. But he and sent for the. Afghan chiefs in his service, appealed to their fidelity for the pieservation of his life, and ordered them to displace his Persian guards, and seize on the principal nobles.
These orders became known, and his death was resolved on. A number of conspirators, among whom were the captain of his guard and the chief of his own tribe of Afshar, entered his tent at midnight. They involuntarily drew back when challenged by that deep voice at which they had so often trembled, but they soon re covered their courage. One of them made a blow at the king with a sabre, and brought him to the ground ; he endeavoured to raise himself, and attempted to beg his life, but the conspirators redoubled their blows until he expired. He had been the boast, the terror, and the execration of his country (A.D. Sunday, 10th May 1747, A.II. 10th Jamadi-ul-Awal 1160). The Afghans, about 4000 in number, led by Ahmad Khan Abdali, unaware of their master's death, on the next morning made an attack on the Persians, in the hope of being still in time to rescue the Shah. In this Ahmad Khan Abdali was joined by the Uzbaks, but they were worsted and compelled to retreat to their own country, which they did in good order.
Nadir Shah's plunder destroyed the Moghul empire. The Mahrattas, the nawab of the Car natic, the Asof Jahi family of Hyderabad, the subandars of Bengal and Oudh, and the Jat of Bhurtpur, all declared for independence, and set the imperial power at defiance.
One of Nadir'Shah's features of policy was the colonization of the countries he conquered, and in pursuance thereof he encouraged settlement in Afghanistan by the various tribes of the vast Persian empire. At the time of his death, numbers, under such intention, had reached Meshed, and were subsequently invited to come by Ahmad Shah. Hence at Kabul, at This day, are found Juanshir, Kurd, Rika, Afshar, Bakhtiari, Shah Sewan, Talish, Baiyat, in short, representatives of every Persian tribe. Under Ahmad Shah and his successors they formed the principal portion of the ghulam khaua, or household troops.
Ouseley mentions that one of the attendants, who at a levee presented to him pipes and coffee, was a grandson or great-grandson of the mighty Nadir Shah. —E/phinstone's India ; Tr. of a Hindu; Rennell's Memoir; Ouseley's Tr. ; Cun Sikhs; Pere Bonin, Lettres Edifiantes ; Balfour's Memoirs of Hazin ; Elliot's India ; Sair-i-Alutaakhirin ; Vambery ; Baillie; Fraser in Tr. R. Geog. Soc.; Oriental Biography.