The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c21.23

v3.c21.23

In 1426 Mubārak traversed Mewāt, plundering the people, on his way to Bayāna to attack Muhammad Khān, a rebellious member of the Auhadī family. Most of the rebel’s men deserted to the royal standard and Muhammad Khān was sent, with all the members of his family, to Delhi, where he was interned in Jahānnumā. The district of Bayāna was divided into two fiefs, Bayāna itself being granted to Muqbil Khān and Sīkrī, later to be known as Fathpūr, to Khair-ud-dīn Tuhfa. Mubārak marched from Bayāna to Gwalior and returned to Delhi, which he reached in March, 1427, by way of the eastern bank of the Jumna. Shortly after his arrival at Delhi Muhammad Khān Auhadī and his family escaped from the capital and took refuge in Mewāt, where many of his former followers assembled around him. Muqbil was absent from Bayāna on an expedition, and Khair-ud-dīn Tuhfa held the fortress with an inadequate garrison. Muhammad Khān was joined by all classes of the inhabitants and Khair-ud-dīn was obliged to evacuate the fortress and retire to Delhi. Malik Mubāriz was sent from Delhi to recover Bayāna and besieged the place, but the garrison defended it obstinately while Muhammad Auhadī withdrew to Jaunpur to seek help of Ibrāhīm Shāh. Mubārak Shāh recalled Mubāriz and marched in person to Bayāna, but before he could form the siege was disturbed by an appeal from Qādir Khān of Kālpī, who implored his aid against Ibrāhīm Shāh, who was marching on Kālpī with the intention of annexing it. Mubārak abandoned for the time all intention of reducing Bayāna and turned against Ibrāhīm, who, having plundered the district of Bhongāon, near Mainpurī, was preparing to march on Budaun. Mubārak crossed the Jumna, and, on reaching Atraulī, sixteen miles from Koīl, learnt that Mukhtass Khān, Ibrāhīm’s brother, was threatening Etāwah. Mahmūd Hasan was detached against him and forced him to join forces with his brother, and the army of Jaunpur traversed the Doāb and crossed the Jumna near Etāwah with a view to supporting the garrison of Bayāna. Mubārak crossed the river near Chandwār (now Fīrūzābād) and Ibrāhīm, in February, 1428, marched towards Bayāna and encamped on the banks of the Gambhīr, while Mubārak encamped at a distance of ten miles from him. Neither was anxious to risk a battle and for some time the operations were confined to affairs of outposts, but on April 2 Ibrāhīm drew up his army for battle, and Mubārak, who lacked even the ordinary merit of physical courage, deputed his nobles to lead his army into the field. The two armies fought, with moderate zeal and without any decisive result, from midday until sunset, when each retired to its own camp, but on the following day Ibrāhīm retreated towards Jaunpur. He was followed for some distance, but Mubārak would not permit the pursuit to be pressed, and ordered that it should be abandoned. His encomiast praises his forbearance towards fellow Muslims, but we may believe that he did not choose to provoke too far an adversary whose strength he had not fully gauged.