Riyaz al-salatin 111.1.6

111.1.6

At the ferry of Phulwar, from the rock of Tilgad'hi to the river Jon, he threw up an entrenchment, and remained behind it waiting for the enemy. Unfortunately, Murshid Quli Khan was ignorant of the wiles of the traitor in his own camp in the person of Mukhalis Ali Khan, and had, therefore, failed to take any precautionary steps against that double-faced scoundrel, and had thus ignored the saying of Shaikh Sa'di: — 'If thy relative be thy enemy, treat him outwardly as thy friend, But never be heedless of his treachery. For inside his heart, wound festers from thy envy, Whenever he thinks of the love-shackles of kinship.' Advancing from Bengal by forced marches with a large army, which numbered more than one lak cavalry and infantry, Ali Vardi Khan reached Mednipur, secured the adhesion of the Zamindars of that district by bestowing on them Khila'ts and gifts, and encamped at Jalisar (Jalasore), which was an Imperial outpost. On the banks of the river Sabanrikha, at the ferry of Rajghat, Rajah Jagardhar Bhanj, Zamindar of Morbhanj, had established a garrison of his Chawars and Khandaits, and had erected entrenchments. To cross, therefore, at the ferry of Rajghat which was protected by dense jungles and thorny trees, was found to be a difficult operation, and therefore, Ali Vardi Khan had to ask for help from the Rajah. The Rajah, however, was haughty owing to his command of a large army, and did not care for Ali Vardi Khan.