Muntakhab al-lubab 172: Seventh Year of the Reign, 1129 A.H. (1717 A.D.).

172

[Text, vol. ii. p. 777.] After Amiru-l umara Husain 'Ali had defeated Daud Khan, he went to Aurangabad, and busied himself in settling the country. There he heard of the doings of Khandu Daphariya, general in chief of Raja Sahu. In each of the two subas of the Dakhin a Mahratta chief was appointed subadar for the collection of the Mahratta chauth, in the same way as Imperial subadars were appointed. Khandu held the suba of Khandesh. On the road to the port of Surat he had built a mud fort and placed a garrison in it. All caravans that passed were required to pay the chauth, i.e. a fourth part of the value of property of merchants and others which was in the convoy. If they agreed to pay, they passed safe; if not, they were plundered, the men were made prisoners, and were not released until a ransom was paid for each.
Husain 'Ali sent his bakhshi, Zu-l fikar Beg, with three or four thousand horse and five or six thousand musketeers, to chastise this chief. After Zu-l fikar Beg had passed through the pass between Aurangabad and Khandesh, he learnt that Khandu, with eight or nine thousand horse, was near the confines of Baglana and Galna, seventy kos from Aurangabad. He was anxious to attack him, but Khandu made an ignominious flight, and led Zu-l fikar Beg towards thorny and difficult jungles. For all the scouts reported that there was no good opportunity of engaging the enemy, Zu-l fikar Beg, proud of his own courage, and seconded by the advice of some ignorant men of Barha, paid no heed to their reports, but attacked Khandu. At the first attack many of the enemy were killed; but Khandu, according to Dakhini practice, took to flight, drawing after him in pursuit four or five hundred well-mounted horse. Having thus dispersed the army of the Barhas, he suddenly faced round, and falling upon Zu-l fikar Beg with a large force, he closed the way by which support could be rendered to the scattered horse, and attacked so fiercely that the army of Islam was in hard straits. Zu-l fikar Beg and a number of his brave followers were killed. Of the rest of the army, those who wished to save their lives threw themselves from their horses, laid down their arms, and were taken prisoners alive. Those who resisted were all put to the sword. It is commonly said that not one bullock, camel or horse belonging to that army was saved.
Amiru-l umara Husain 'Ali sent Raja Muhakkim Singh, his diwan, with a suitable force, to punish Khandu. He also directed his own brother Saifu-d din 'Ali Khan, Subadar of Burhanpur, to support the Raja. Saifu-d din had gone out of Burhanpur towards Sultanpur and Nandurbar for settling the country. These two famous chiefs pursued Khandu, in the hope of retaliating upon him, or of removing his posts so that they might no longer trouble the country and people of Khandesh. But they accomplished nothing, Khandu bided his time, and went to Raja Sahu, who was in a secure fortress. His garrisons, which were posted in various places, held their ground. Whenever the army of Amiru-l umara approached, their force fled, and as soon as it had departed, they returned and re-occupied their positions. Muhakkim Singh succeeded in engaging some other Mahratta forces which were plundering in the vicinity of Ahmadnagar, and drove them under the walls of the fort of Sattara. They were, however, unable to exact revenge from Khandu for the death of Zu-l fikar Beg, and the destruction of his army.
The fact of the disagreement between the Emperor and the Saiyids was well known from the farmans and orders which had been sent secretly to Raja Sahu, the diwans and the chief zamindars of Karnatik, desiring them not to obey Husain 'Ali Khan. They had accordingly showed resistance, and no settlement of Bijapur and Haidarabad had been effected.