Padshah-namah 7: Campaign against Nizám Sháh and Khán-Jahán.
Bádsháh-náma, of 'Abdu-l Hamíd Lahorí (Elliot & Dowson, extracts) 7
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- English
Campaign against Nizám Sháh and Khán-Jahán.
7.1
[Text, vol. i. p. 316.] 7th Rabí'u-l awwal. When the rains were over, 'Ázam Khán and the great nobles who were with him left Dewalgánw, where they had rested during the rainy season, and marched against the rebel Afgháns. * *
7.2
At the conclusion of the rains, Khwája Abu-l Hasan also, according to orders, marched from the vicinity of the fort of Alang by way of Baglána towards Násik and Trimbak. When he reached Baglána, the zamíndár of that country, by name Bahar-jí, met him with four hundred horse. * * The Khwája entered the enemy's country by way of the ghát of Jaráhí. He found that the revenue officers and raiyats had left their villages, and had retired into the jungles and hills. So the country was desolate, corn was dear, and the soldiers of the royal army were in want of necessaries. The Khwája then sent detached forces into the hills, and also into the inhabited country, and they returned from each raid with abundance of corn and other necessaries, having killed or taken prisoners many of the enemy. The Be-Nizami now appointed Mahaldar Khan with a party of horse and foot to vex the royal army at night with rockets. He was also directed to attack the parties sent out to gather fuel and fodder, and to carry off their camels and bullocks whenever he could get a chance. Shah-nawaz Khan was sent against these assailants, and he, making a forced march of twenty kos, attacked them and put them to flight, and returned with great plunder. The Khwaja next sent Khan-zaman to attack the enemy's camp at Sangamnir. This force made forced marches, and reached the camp of the enemy, who dispersed and fled to the fort of Chandor. * *
7.3
At the close of the rains, the royal army left its quarters in Dewalganw, and marched forth against the Nizam-Shahis and the Afghans. On hearing of this, Mukarrab Khan and the other rebels left Jalnapur, where they had passed the rainy season, and retreated towards Pathri. 'Azam Khan, being informed of their retreat, followed them march by march. When he reached the village of Rambhuri, on the Ban-ganga river, he learnt that the Nizam-Shahis had ascended the Balaghat at Dharur, and had taken refuge in the fort of that place, while Khan-Jahan had not yet left his quarters at Bir. Khan-Jahan, having been informed of the movements of the Imperial army, called in a detachment which he had sent to collect the revenues in the dependencies of Bir, and awaited the arrival of reinforcements from Mukarrab Khan, who was at Dharur. 'Azam Khan conceived the design of attacking the forces of the rebel Khan before the reinforcements could reach him; so he marched from Rambhuri to Mahganw. Here he received a message from Saf-shikan Khan Razwi, commandant of the fort of Bir, informing him that Khan-Jahan was at Rajauri, twenty-four kos from Machhli-ganw, employed in dividing the spoil which his predatory followers had obtained by plundering the merchants at Kehtun and Kiorai. Several detachments which had been sent out to make collections had rejoined him, and as he had heard of the arrival of the Imperial army at Pathri, he had made up his mind to move off as soon as it came nearer to Bir.
7.4
'Azam Khan left a detachment in charge of his camp at Machhli-ganw to follow him quietly while he marched off after night-fall to attack the rebels. Four gharis of night remained when he reached Pipalnir, six kos from Bir, when he directed Saf-shikan Khan to make a demonstration with his force on Khan-Jahan's flank, so that he might think this small force to be the whole of the royal army, and refrain from moving away. Saf-shikan Khan accordingly drew out his force upon a ridge about a kos in front of the rebel army, which had taken post at the foot of the hills about four kos from Bir. 'Aziz, son of Khan-Jahan, advanced to attack Saf-shikan with a body of his father's troops, and at this juncture 'Azam Khan came up with the main body of the royal array, and 'Aziz was compelled to fall back in disorder to his father, whom he informed that the force which had first shown itself was Saf-shikan Khan's division, and that the whole of the royal army was coming up with all possible haste. Khan-Jahan, when he found that his retreat was cut off, determined to fight it out. * * But the royal troops forced their way to the top of the hill. Khan-Jahan sent away the elephant litter with his women to Siu-ganw, and then rallied his troops for a struggle. He sent his nephew Bahadur, in whose courage and daring he had great confidence, against Bahadur Khan and some others of the royal army, who, being few in number, were very hard pressed.
7.5
They dismounted, and, resolving to sell their lives dearly, they kept up a desperate struggle, and slew many of the enemy. Bahadur Khan received two wounds from arrows, one in his face, the other in his side, and several of his comrades were slain. Narhar Das also and many Rajputs fell. Sipahdar Khan and others, who had mounted the hill on the right, seeing the state of the battle, took shelter behind a stone wall, and kept up a discharge of arrows. Raja Bihar Singh Bundela now came up from the right wing to support Bahadur Khan. He joined valiantly in the struggle, and many of his men were killed. Raja Jai Singh and other rajas who were on another part of the hill, also joined in the fight. 'Azam Khan next came up in haste, and ordered a part of the left wing to advance. At this time, when many of the Imperial officers had fallen, and the result seemed doubtful, the favour of Heaven fell upon the royal forces. The ill-starred Bahadur, observing the successive arrivals of reinforcements for his adversaries, lost heart, and turned to flee with his Afghans. His father also fled. As the discomfited rebels hurried down the hill, they were harassed by showers of arrows and bullets. A ball struck Bahadur Khan, and he was unable to continue his flight. Paras Ram, a servant of Raja Bihar Singh's, came up and despatched him with his dagger; then he cut off his head, and sent it with his ring, horse and weapons, to Raja Bihar Singh, who forwarded them to 'Azam Khan.
7.6
The Khan gave the horse to the man who had slain Bahadur, the ring he sent to the Emperor, and the head he caused to be set up as a warning over the gate of Bir. The royal forces pursued the fugitives for three kos, and put many of them to the sword. But as the victors had been in the saddle from the first watch in the evening of one day to the third watch of the next day, and had marched more than thirty kos, men and beasts were both worn out, and were unable to go further. 'Azam Khan then called a halt, to allow of a little rest, and to give stragglers time to come up.
7.7
Khan-Jahan and his followers, whose horses were fresh, took advantage of this to improve their distance; but 'Azam Khan sent Muhammad Dakhni and the forces that were in Bir to maintain the pursuit, and he himself, after a brief interval, followed with the main force. When Khan-Jahan learnt that the victors were in full pursuit, he removed his ladies from the howda in which they had been carried by a female elephant, and mounting them on horses rode away with them. Darwesh Muhammad, with a party of pursuers, captured the elephant and howda, and made a number of Afghans and their women prisoners. Most of Khan-Jahan's men who escaped were wounded, and in their panic they were able to carry off nothing but the clothes they wore and the horses they rode. Khan-Jahan, with a few faithful followers, escaped into the hill-country. * * 'Azam Khan halted at Bir, to give his army a little rest. * * Khan-Jahan then proceeded from Siu-ganw to Bizapuri and Bhonsla, in the Nizam-Shahi territory, with the design of going to Daulatabad. On hearing of this movement, 'Azam Khan marched from Bir towards Siu-ganw with 20,000 horse.
7.8
At this time, Sahu-ji Bhonsla, son-in-law of Jadu Rai, the Hindu commander of Nizam Shah's army, came in and joined 'Azam Khan. After the murder of Jadu Rai, which has been mentioned above, Sahu-ji broke off his connexion with Nizam Shah, and, retiring to the districts of Puna and Chakna, he wrote to 'Azam Khan, proposing to make his submission upon receiving a promise of protection. 'Azam Khan wrote to Court, and received orders to accept the proposal. Sahu-ji then came and joined him with two thousand horse. He received a mansab of 6000, a khil'at, a gift of two lacs of rupees, and other presents. His brother Mina-ji received a robe and a mansab of 3000 personal and 1500 horse. Samaji son of Sahu-ji, also received a robe and a mansab of 2000 personal and 1000 horse. Several of their relations and dependents also obtained gifts and marks of distinction.
7.9
Khan-Jahan and Darya Khan, when they heard of the march of the Imperial forces towards Siu-ganw, quitted Bizapur and Bhonsla, and went to the village of Lasur, ten kos from Daulatabad. Nizam Shah also, on being informed of this advance, withdrew from Nizamabad, which he had built outside of the fort of Daulatabad, and around which his adherents had built various houses and edifices, and entered into the fort itself. Khan-Jahan and Darya Khan, no longer deeming it safe to remain at Lasur, went to fr-Kahtala, half a kos from Daulatabad, and a few days later Khan-Jahan removed his family to Aubash-darra, a place within cover of Daulatabad. Darya Khan, with a thousand Afghans, separated from Khan-Jahan, marched towards Chandor, and the ghat of Chalis-ganw, with the intention of attacking Andol and Dharan-ganw. This movement being reported to the Emperor, * * he appointed 'Abdu-lla Khan, whom he had summoned from the Balaghat, to act against Darya Khan, and sent him off on the 10th Jumada-l awwal. Darya Khan had ravaged Andol, Dharan-ganw, and sundry other places of the Payin-ghat of Chalis-ganw; but on hearing of the approach of 'Abdu-lla Khan, he turned back to the Balaghat. Want of rain and the ravages of the Nizam-Shahis and Afghans, had made provisions very scarce about Daulatabad;
7.10
so 'Azam Khan did not deem it prudent to advance in that direction, but thought it preferable to march against Mukarrab Khan and Bahlol, who were at Dharur and Ambajogai, in which plan of operations he was confirmed by a letter from Yaminu-d daula, who was at Ojhar. So he marched towards the ghat by way of Manik-dudh. [After some fighting] the royal forces ascended the ghat and took the village of Damanganw, twenty kos from Ahmadnagar. Next day they marched to Jamkhir, in the Nizam-Shahi territories. * * Leaving a force there, he next day proceeded to Tilangi. The garrison of the fort there had set it in order, and opened fire upon him. * * But in the course of one watch he took it by assault, put many of the defenders to the sword, took nearly five hundred prisoners, and captured all the munitions of the fort. When the royal forces reached the banks of the Wanjara, twelve kos from the fort of Uhartir, they found that Mukarrab Khan and his confederates had passed down the pass of Anjan-dudh, and had gone to the neighbourhood of Bir. 'Azam Khan then sent Sahu-ji Bhonsla to take possession of the districts around Junir and Sangamnir, whilst he himself, with the main force, went through the pass of Ailam to the town of Bir, and proceeded from thence to Partur, on the bank of the river Dudna. The enemy then fled towards Daulatabad.
7.11
But 'Azam Khan learnt that scarcity of provisions prevented them from remaining in that vicinity, and that they had moved off towards the Balaghat, by way of Dharur. He then determined to intercept and attack them. But he found that the enemy, having placed their elephants and baggage in the fort of Dharur, had the design of descending the Payin-ghat. So he went through the pass of Anjan-dudh, and encamped three kos from Dharur.