MĪR KHĀN, an officer in the army of the Mughal emperor Bābar, was entrusted with supervising the prisoners held at Saidpur (Eminābād) during Bābar's invasion of 1520. According to Purātan Janam Sākhī, Gurū Nānak and Mardānā too were among the prisoners. Both were made to perform forced labour, Gurū Nānak as a coolie and Mardānā as a horse attendant. Mīr Khān, when he came to watch the prisoners, was startled to observe that the Gurū's load remained suspended a full cubit above his head and that the horse followed Mardānā without a halter. This information he conveyed to Bābar, who declared, "Had I known there were such faqīrs here, I should not have destroyed the town." He accompanied Mīr Khān to where the prisoners were working and observed that a handmill which had been given Gurū Nānak turned without any assistance.