Muntakhab al-lubab 68: Affairs of the Dakhin. Death of Sivaji.
Muntakhabu-l Lubáb, of Kháfí Khán (Elliot & Dowson, extracts) 68
- Language
- English
Affairs of the Dakhin. Death of Sivaji.
68.1
[Text, vol. ii. p. 270.] Khan-Jahan Bahadur Kokaltash, after arriving at the Khujista-bunyad Aurangabad, according to order, laid siege to the fort of Salir. Many Rajputs were killed, and many Musulmans also fell. He pressed the siege for four or five months, but making no impression, he withdrew to Aurangabad. The hell-dog Sivaji went forth with an army on a plundering expedition, and while Khan-Zaman, the Subadar, was at Burhanpur, he entered Khandesh, and plundered the town of Dharan-ganw, one of the most flourishing places in that country. * * * Afterwards he ravaged and burnt Chopra and other parganas. He then marched against Jalna, a rich mercantile place in the Balaghat. * * In the course of the same year he was attacked with illness and died. The date of his death is found in the words, "Kafir ba-jahannam raft," "The infidel went to hell," which was discovered by the writer of these pages. Sivaji left two sons, Sambha and Ram Raja. The former succeeded him. He made Kahkalas, the Brahman who brought him from Allahabad, his minister.
68.2
Sivaji had always striven to maintain the honour of the people in his territories. He persevered in a course of rebellion, in plundering caravans, and troubling mankind; but he entirely abstained from other disgraceful acts, and was careful to maintain the honour of the women and children of Muhammadans when they fell into his hands. His injunctions upon this point were very strict, and any one who disobeyed them received punishment. But the son, unlike his father, obtained an evil name by collecting round him women of all tribes, and by assailing the honour of the women of the places in which he dwelt. His father never showed any backwardness in attacking and plundering prosperous places, but he never made any attack upon Aurangabad and Burhanpur, the provincial capitals of the Imperial dynasty. If any of his counsellors advised an attack upon these places, he very wisely and prudently forbade it; "for," said he, "if we attack these places, the honour of Aurangzeb will be wounded, and he will march hither himself, and then, God knows how the strife will end!"
68.3
When Sivaji was dead, his wretched son Sambha desired to surpass his father. He raised the standard of rebellion, and on the 20th Muharram, in the twenty-third year of the reign, corresponding with 1091 A.H. (15th February, 1680), he attacked Kakar Khan Afghan, who acted as collector of the jizya, under Khan-Zaman, the Subadar of the Dakhin. Sambha was returning with nearly twenty thousand men from a plundering expedition in Birar. He made a forced march of three or four kos, as was the practice in those days, and early in the morning made his attack, while his victims were entirely ignorant of his approach. Thus he fell upon Bahadur-pur, one kos and a half from Burhanpur. This place was rich, and there were many bankers and merchants in it. Jewels, money, and goods from all parts of the world were found there in vast abundance. He surrounded and attacked this place, and also another town called Hasan-pura, which was outside of the fortifications, and his attack was so sudden and unexpected, especially upon Bahadur-pur, that no one was able to save a dam or a diram of his property, or a single one of his wives and children.
68.4
Kakar Khan, with his men in the city, saw the smoke of these towns rising to the sky, but he had not a force sufficient to go out and attack the plunderers, so he shut himself up within the walls and looked after the security of his gates and defences. Seventeen other places of note, such as Hasan-pura, etc., in the neighbourhood of the city, all wealthy and flourishing places, were plundered and burnt. Many honourable men girded on their swords, and, joining in the fight, attained martyrdom. Others submitted themselves humbly to the will of God. Some who were near the fortress took their wives and children by the hand, and fled in distress within the walls. For three days the plunderers ravaged these towns at their will. Large sums of money fell into their hands, much of which had been buried for long periods, and sometimes in places unknown even to the householders. They then repeatedly attempted to carry the fortress by assault. But the officers took their stations at the gates and other points of attack, and with great bravery beat off the assailants. Being unable to enter the city, the plunderers carried off with them the gold, silver, jewels, and other articles of value which were portable; but many other things which they had taken they were obliged to leave behind, because they could not carry them. The property which was thrown into the streets of the bázárs and burnt exceeded all computation.
68.5
Intelligence of this raid upon the neighbourhood of Burhánpúr was carried by runners to Aurangábád, to Khán-Jahán Bahádur Kokaltásh. He immediately took horse, and accomplished three or four days' march in one day and night, and reached the pass of Fardápúr, thirty-two kos distant. There it became necessary to wait three or four watches to rest the animals, and to provide means for crossing the river. According to the current reports of some men who took a worldly view of things, and had a bad opinion of Khán-Jahán, some emissaries of Sambhájí came to him with an immense sum of money, and prevailed upon him to halt there for four or five watches. One thing is certain. After the enemy were repulsed from Burhánpur, the burden of their plunder, and the knowledge of Khán-Jahán's pursuit, prevented them from reaching their renowned but distant fortresses. They were obliged to go to the fort of Sálír, in Baglána, which was the nearest of their strongholds. They went by way of Mustafá-ábád or Chopra. Under these circumstances the proper course for Khán-Jahán was to leave Fardápúr without delay, and, bearing towards his left hand, to pass through Dharan-gánw and Chopra, to intercept the marauders. But, through the representations of Sambhájí's emissaries, he went towards his right hand, contrary to what was desirable, and proceeded to 'Ídal-ábád.
68.6
When the enemy heard this, he made the most of his opportunity, and carried off all the plunder he could transport, and all his prisoners, by a rapid march, through Chopra, to the fort of Salir, which he reached in four or five days. The principal inhabitants of Burhanpur wrote a statement to Aurangzeb, describing the success of the enemy, the loss inflicted on the property and honour of Muhammadans, and the discontinuance of the public prayers on Fridays. Aurangzeb then wrote a letter strongly censuring Khan-Jahan, and announcing his own intention of proceeding to the Dakhin. In his anger he took away from Khan-Jahan all the increased honours and emoluments he had conferred upon him in that year. Considering the disorders in the Dakhin, and the flight of Prince Muhammad Akbar, he gave orders for his travelling equipage to move towards Burhanpur.