The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c19.14

v4.c19.14

In the following December Shujāʻ resumed operations on land and twice attacked Mīr Jumla, whose inferiority in artillery forced him to fall back from Belghāta towards Murshidābād. But Dāūd Khān, the governor of Patna, with a second army and plenty of boats and artillery, was advancing along the Ganges to co-operate with Mīr Jumla, and on hearing of this Shujāʻ evacuated Rājmahāl and fell back on Tānda. Thus, the whole country west of the Ganges was finally lost to Shujāʻ (21 January, 1660), who, however, held a line from opposite Rājmahāl to Tānda. Mīr Jumla easily crossed the Ganges with the help of the 160 boats received from Patna and then made a wide circuit round the north of Shujāʻ's position, reaching Mālda on 16 March. A month before this prince Muhammad Sultān had left Shujāʻ and returned to the imperial camp, but only to be sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of his life. On 15 April, Mīr Jumla crossed the Mahānandā and threatened to complete a circle round Shujāʻ, who could no longer resist, but fled precipitately with his family to Dacca, abandoning all his soldiers, servants and property in Tānda to the imperialists. Only sixty boats accompanied him, while 402 became the victor's prize.