[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Mughals (1526–1857)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal) › [Later Mughals (1707–1857)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later) › [Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirīn](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin) › [A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa) › 33.19 # Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 33.19 A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 33.19 - **Language:** English ### [33.19.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.1) Whilst Nizam-aaly was putting on his Qhylaat, Ragonat and Madh8-rao were going to pass the rainy season at P8nah, where dissentions soon arose between them to such a high degree, that MadhS-rao's Ministers determined to seize Ragonat's person on the first opportunity. It was in the year 1176. But the latter receiving timely notice of this scheme, thought proper to provide for his safety. He set out from P8nah with a small number of followers, and took to the road of Nassuc. There was at that time at Aoreng-abad, a noble personage, by name Mahmcd-mSrad-qhan-bahadyr, who had been sent thither by Nizam-aaly, to negotiate with the two parties and to pacify that nation. This nobleman hearing that Ragonat-rao had quitted P8nah in distress, marched out of the city, and met him upon the road, very near Nassuc. This was a lucky event for the fugitive, whose mind was full of fears and anxiety; for having advanced before his people to meet MSrad-qhan, he saluted him as a welcome friend; and the Marhatta Grandees concluding from this step of MSrad-qhan's that Ragonat-rao's cause was supported by Nizam-aaly, they flocked to him with their troops in such numbers, as soon to give his retinue the appearance of something like a military force. Ragonat-rao being thus reinforced, advanced from Aoreng-abad to Ahmed-nugur; whilst MadhS-rao, on his side, was quitting P8nah with a body of troops, and pushing for his enemy; ### [33.19.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.2) and having soon overtaken him, an engagement took place, in which MadhS-rao, the nephew, was worsted by Ragonat-rao, the uncle. The next day he came to see him, and made use of many excuses. Whilst they were conferring together, Nizam-aaly, who had marched with intention to support RagSnat-rao, arrived, but he found the quarrel already made up. It was at a place called BedercanSr, where the Marhatta Prince advanced to meet him, and where they embraced each other; after which they interchanged several entertainments. RagSnat-rao, to acknowledge the readiness with which Nizam-aaly had marched to his assistance, made him a present of several Districts to the amount of fifty lacs a year, to which he added the Fortress of DoSlet-abad. The patents of these two grants were drawn up in due form, and put in his hands. But this whole affair having been managed by MSrad-qhan alone, it gave so much jealousy to Radja Pertavent, the Prime Minister, that he resolved to break a treaty which seemed to eclipse him. ### [33.19.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.3) Without waiting till Nizam-aaly's people should have taken possession of the fortress, or settled Collectors and Governors all over the ceded Districts, he turned his master's mind in such a manner, that he proposed to arrest Ragonat-rao, and to substitute in his stead another Marhatta Prince, called Djano-dji, son to Rago-dji-bosslah, who was then Mucasdar or hereditary Collector of the Province of Barar, and whom he brought to camp under promise of putting him at the head of the regency at Ponah. But whilst Nizam-aaly was regulating another man's house, he experienced dissensions in his own. His brother, Mirza-mogul deserted from his family, in order to throw himself in the arms of the Marhattas, but having soon discovered that his new friends were much more inclined to quarrel amongst themselves than to pay any attention to either his person or interest, he took a disgust at his situation, and came back to his brother, who received him kindly. Meanwhile the first treaty having been broke in so unexpected a manner, Nizam-aaly marched with a numerous army against Ragonat-rao, who being unwilling to try his forces in a pitched battle, wheeled round, and commenced plundering and ravaging the country; a practice from which there is no weaning a Marhatta. With thirty thousand horse, he advanced to the very suburbs of Aoreng-abad, and asked of the inhabitants of that city an immense contribution. ### [33.19.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.4) But Mutemen-el-mulk, Governor of the Province, availed himself so well of the small force and small artillery, which he had at hand; he distributed the burghers so well upon the towers and walls of the city, and made so good an use of the activity of the Himmet-qhan-bahadyr, Cutval of the Police; that Ragonat-rao was kept in play with negotiations and messages, until Nizam-aaly might be at hand. Nevertheless, the Marhatta, who was apprised of the state of the place, resolved to storm it. On the twentieth of Shaaban, in the year 1177, his people advanced at day-break to the foot of the wall, and applied to it a number of scaling ladders, as well as some of the loftiest elephants, by which expedient they got upon the wall; and tearing some boards from about the gates, they wanted to make use of them as a bridge to get down from the towers. But Himmet-qhan and Mirza-bakyr-qhan having run directly to that part, and exhorted some of the bravest citizens that had followed them, to exert themselves in defending their honor and their families, this exhortation had such a good effect, that those brave burghers, some of whom were so ill armed, as to have no other arms than their own slippers, fell vigorously upon those that had got upon the wall, and overthrew them down on the other side, where they all perished; nor did another attack on an opposite part of the city succeed better. ### [33.19.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.5) There were likewise numbers of Marhattas slain, and here likewise the citizens bravely defended their walls against the escalade. In the confusion the driver of the elephant on which Ragonat-rao rode, having been struck by a musket-ball and an arrow, the animal turned its back; and this arrow, like a line drawn across, parted the combatants. The attack ceased at once; and Ragonat-rao, having had full time to bite the finger of shame and disappointment, returned to his camp. The next day, on hearing that Nizam-aaly's victorious standards were at hand, he decamped, and marched into the Buglana. This was the sixth day after Aoreng-abad had been invested; and Nizam-aaly arrived at the very time, when the Marhattas had turned towards Barar, with intention to saccage that province. But Nizam-aaly, advancing by long marches to Balapoor, threw himself in their way, and stopped them short, as by a wall. Ragonat-rao, sensible of this, wheeled round his rear, and giving him the slip, he marched close under the walls of Aoreng-abad, on his way to Haïder-abad itself, a Capital at fifteen days' journey from the latter city. Nizam-aaly pursued, and advanced on his pursuit as far as the shores of the Ganga of Decan. There he altered his mind, and instead of scampering after those freebooters, he thought it more advantageous to turn about, and to march straight to Poonah. ### [33.19.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.6) Being arrived beyond Ahmed-nugur, he informed his Commanders as well as his army of his intention, and he declared that he meant no less than to pay those freebooters in kind, by burning their habitations and sacking their country. He was as good as his word, and putting his design into execution everywhere, he advanced within ten cosses of Poonah, where he encamped. The inhabitants of that Capital had fled with their families, either to the strongholds, or to some difficult mountainous tracts; and the city remaining empty, it was set on fire, and with all its buildings, levelled with the ground; and both that city and its territory were plundered, sacked and ruined; nor was anything spared. Let us admire that Providence, which by Divine ways of its own, could bring about such an unexpected change. Three years before, whilst Baladji and his nephew, Sada-syo, were alive, the Marhatta name was so much respected from the bottom of Decan up to the walls of Lahor, that no man could be found daring enough to lay his hand upon a straw belonging to a man of that nation; and behold! a short time after, Pünah itself, the Capital of that formidable Marhatta Empire, falls a prey to gangs of plunderers, and those buildings, that had cost lacs upon lacs, are plundered and sacked, and then given for food to a devouring fire. ### [33.19.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.7) The date of this expedition has been conserved in the following verses of the composition of Mir-evlad-mahmed-zeca, nephew to Mir-gulam-aaly, the freed, that famous Poet of Belgram, and here is the chronogram of that event, in the last verse of the following quartrain: "This second Assef-dja, as powerful as Solomon, "Has burned and ruined the Capital of those Brahmans. "Hear the date from your keen-sighted Poet Zeca: "The Mussulman army has set on fire Pünah." Whilst Nizam-aaly was sacking Pünah, Ragonat-rao was before the walls of Haider-abad, exerting every nerve to make himself master of the city. But the Governor, Dilir-qhan, the Aoreng-abadian, had so well encouraged the citizens, had raised such a body of troops, made such a provision of necessaries, and disposed every thing so ably and with so much order, that all Ragonat's attacks and efforts proved abortive, and they ended only in his losing a great number of men. So that finding himself baffled here also, he fell back and retreated. The remainder of this singular campaign is not come to my knowledge, in such a manner as to enable me to speak of it properly. Nevertheless, although little is to be expected from my slender abilities, I hope to be able to give a proper account of it, as soon as I acquire more particulars and more certain information on the subject. ### [33.19.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.8) This much is only come to my knowledge, upon the affairs of Decan, that at this time, that is in the year 1195 of the Hedjira, Nizam-aaly-qhan, who richly deserves the title of second Assef-dja, enjoys now the dominion of most of the Provinces left him by his father, and governs with a firmness of command that does him honor. Only there is a report that in the war which rages now between the English and Haider-naic, in the Province of Arcat, and again between the English and the Marhattas in the western parts of Decan, Nizam-aaly is not so neutral as he looks, and that underhand he favorizes the Indian cause. But this I offer only as a surmise, as the truth of it is what God only may know. ### [33.19.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19.9) My memoirs are much more certain with respect to the affairs of Hindostan, and the Capital of the Empire. Sordj-mull the Prince, Djatt, was unwilling to submit to Nedjib-ed-dowlah, whom the Abdali-king had appointed guardian of the young Prince Djuvan-baqht, as well as Regent of the Empire, until Shah-aalem himself should be arrived from Azim-abad. Sensible of the weakness of the Empire, he resolved to benefit by it at any rate, notwithstanding the dreadful chastisement that had been inflicted under his very eyes upon the Marhattas, and he opened a negotiation for that purpose with the Governor of the castle of Acber-abad. Without reflecting on the consequence of his action, he engaged him, under promise of a large sum of money, to deliver that citadel to him. And thus a Hindoo and a Djatt became the master of one of the two Capitals of Hindostan, that is of a mighty city where the Babrian Emperors had been these many ages hoarding up their treasures, stores, and precious fortune. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.later.siyar-al-mutaakhkhirin~en-mustafa.33.19) · Pramāṇa