Padshah-namah 22: Campaign against Bijapur.
Bádsháh-náma, of 'Abdu-l Hamíd Lahorí (Elliot & Dowson, extracts) 22
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Campaign against Bijapur.
22.1
[p. 411.] Asaf Khan proceeded on his expedition, and arrived at Nander, where he remained two days. There he left the main part of his army, and proceeded express to the fort of Kandahar, which he inspected. One stage further on he came to the fort of Bhalki. * * * Orders were given for the reduction of the place, and entrenchments were commenced, but it was resolved to attempt the capture of the place by escalade at night. The garrison got notice of this, and evacuated the place under cover of darkness. * * * Asaf Khan then marched towards Kalanor, a flourishing place belonging to 'Adil Khan. When he arrived at Sultanpur, near the city of Kulbarga, the general in command had taken the principal inhabitants into the fort of Kulbarga, which was well armed with guns, muskets, and other instruments of war. Next day 'Azam Khan, under the directions of Asaf Khan, made an attack upon the town, and carried it, notwithstanding a heavy fire from the fort.
22.2
The victors plundered whatever they could lay their hands on, and captured many horses in the ditch of the fortress. Asaf Khan did not deem it expedient to attempt the reduction of the fortress, as it would have been a difficult undertaking and a cause of delay; so he retired, and encamped near the river Nahnura. Then he advanced to the vicinity of Bijapur, and encamped on the borders of a tank between Nauras-pur and Shahpur. The enemy every day came out of the ditch into the plain, and there was a warm interchange of rockets, arrows, and musketry. But although the enemy kept up also a heavy fire from the fortifications, they were regularly driven back to the shelter of the walls. Asaf Khan used to take every precaution for the safety of the detachments which went out every day to collect fodder, but the army was large and the animals numerous, so this was no easy matter.
22.3
The enemy were constantly on the alert, and struck whenever they got an opportunity. * * * At the beginning a man named Shaikh Dabir, one of the confidants of Khawass Khan, came out with overtures of peace and offers of tribute; but as they were not worthy of trust, they were rejected. Afterwards Mustafa Khan, son-in-law of Mulla Muhammad Lahori, kept up a secret correspondence with Asaf Khan, expressing his devotion and proposing to admit the Imperial troops into the fortress. * * * After much negociation, it was agreed that Mustafa Khan and Khairiyat Khan Habshi, uncle of Randaula, should come to Asaf Khan and arrange for the transmission of tribute and the settlement of the terms of peace. Accordingly both came out of Bijapur, * * * and it was finally agreed that 'Adil Khan should send tribute to the value of forty lacs of rupees in jewels, valuables, elephants, and money, and that he should ever after remain faithful to his allegiance. A treaty in these terms was accordingly drawn up. * * * The two negociators returned to Bijapur, and Shaikh 'Abdu-r Rahim Khairabadi went in with them to obtain 'Adil Khan's signature to the treaty.
22.4
On the third day the Shaikh was sent back with a message that they would send out their own wakils with the treaty. Next day they came out with certain propositions that Asaf Khan considered reasonable, and he accepted them. It was agreed that the treaty should be sent out next day. As they were about to depart, one of the wakils, who was a confidant of Mustafa Khan, dropped a letter of his before Asaf Khan, without the knowledge of his companion. The letter said that Khawass Khan was well aware that provender was very scarce in the Imperial army; that the fetching of grass and fuel from long distances was a work of great toil to man and beast; and that in consequence it would be impossible for the Imperial army to maintain its position more than a few days longer. Khawass Khan had therefore resolved to have recourse to artifice and procrastination, in the expectation that Asaf Khan would be obliged to raise the siege and retire baffled.
22.5
The siege had lasted twenty days, and during that time no corn had reached the army, and before its arrival the enemy had laid waste all the country round, and carried off the grain to distant places. The provisions which the army had brought with it were all exhausted, and grain had risen to the price of one rupee per sir. Men and beasts were sinking. So it was resolved, after consultation, that the royal army should remove from Bijapur into some better supplied part of the enemy's country, that the Imperial army might be recruited, and the territory of the enemy be wasted at the same time. With this intention the royal army marched along the bank of the Kishan Ganga to Rai-bagh and Miraj, two of the richest places in that country. Wherever they found supplies they rested, and parties were sent out to plunder in all directions. On whatever road they went they killed and made prisoners, and ravaged and laid waste on both sides. From the time of their entering the territories to the time of their departure they kept up this devastation and plunder. The best part of the country was trodden under, and so, as the forces had recovered strength and the rains were near, the royal army passed by the fort of Sholapur, and descended by the passes into the Imperial territories. 15,000 men of the enemy, who had followed them to Sholapur, then turned back to Bijapur.