History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c37.15

v2.c37.15

Abu'l Fazl openly states that as Khān-i-'Aẓam's heart was set on returning from Bengal immediately, he left the negotiations to Wazīr Khān and left for Hajipur near Patna, his own Jāgir. As soon as Khān-i-'Aẓam had left, Qaṭlū Khān proposed impossible conditions, which the Mughals could not accept. The Mughals were unprepared for battle, and though they drew up their forces at Sherpur Atai in the Murshidabad district, they were compelled to add Madaran (Jahanabad sub-division of the Hooghly district), Medinipur and other places in Orissa, to be left in possession of Qaṭlū Khān. Qaṭlū was still playing with the Mughal officers. At first he agreed to send his nephew as a hostage but later on failed to meet Ṣādiq Khān who had gone to meet him. It was some time before the Mughal officers woke up to the fact that Qaṭlū Khān Lohānī was gaining time by those stratagems. So from Burdwan they crossed the river Dāmodar and found Qaṭlū firmly planted in the modern districts of Howrah and Medinipur.¹ Shāhbāz Khān now wrote to his officers from Tāṇḍā stating that, as Qaṭlū was not strong enough to face the imperialists in the field, some of them had better join the army which was opposing Mā’sūm Khān on the Jamnā (the old Jamna near Gobardanga and other places in the 24 parganas). Accordingly Wazīr Khān and a number of officers remained in Orissa and Ṣādiq Khān with others came to Bengal.² Mā’sūm Khān was again defeated in the battle of the Jamunā by Shāhbāz Khān (15th November 1583) and the Mughals finally reached Ghoraghat. While Shāhbāz Khān pursued Ma’sūm Khān into Mymensingh, one Jabbarī escaped from Coochbihar to Ghoraghat. As the country between Ghoraghat and Medinipur was empty of Mughal troops he succeeded in occupying Tajpur, Purneah and Tāṇḍā, thus dividing the Mughals into two parts.³ Wazīr Khān, who had been left in charge of the army in Orissa, remained at Burdwan and it was only when Ṣādiq Khān arrived that Qaṭlū, tired of waiting, broke camp and retired to Orissa. The Mughals pursued him and caught him up at Tukaroi, the scene of Dāūd’s discomfiture nine years earlier. In desperation Qaṭlū took refuge in the forest of Dharmpur. The Mughal officers began to treat with him and Qaṭlū presented sixty elephants and sent his nephew. The hostage and the envoys arrived at Court on the 11th June, 1584. Orissa was left entirely to the Afghans and Ṣādiq Khān was sent to Patna and Wazīr Khān to Tāṇḍā.⁴