The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c22.30

v3.c22.30

In October, 1494, after spending the rainy season at Shamsābād he marched against Bhīl of Phāphāmau, who remained obdurate, laid waste his territory, and defeated his son Narsingh in the field. The raja fled in the direction of Sundha¹, but died on the way, and Sikandar, unable, owing to scarcity of provisions, was obliged to push on to Jaunpur, where most of the horses of his army died, from the hardships of the campaign, according to the chroniclers, but in fact owing to the improvident habit of destroying both crops and stores of grain in a hostile province. The rebellious landholders, at whose head was Lakhmī Chand, a son of Raja Bhīl, urged Husain Sharqī to attack Sikandar, assuring him that nine-tenths of the latter's cavalry horses had perished, and Husain marched from Bihār with all the forces which he could assemble and 100 elephants. Sikandar, whose losses had been exaggerated and had not proved to be irreparable, marched southward, crossed the Ganges by the ford at Kuntit, placed a garrison in Chunār, and advanced to Benares, sending Khān Khānān to conciliate Sālibāhan, another son of Raja Bhīl. Thence he marched to attack Husain, who was within thirty-six miles of the city, and on his way was joined by Sālibāhan, whose adhesion had been secured by the promise of his father's territory. He had repaired his losses, and he inflicted a crushing defeat on Husain, and pursued him towards Patna with 100,000 horse. On learning that Husain had continued his flight from Patna he marched with his whole army to Bihār, and Husain, leaving Malik Kandū in the fortress of Bihār, fled to Kahalgāon (Colgong). Sikandar, after detaching a force which drove Kandū from Bihār, left some officers to complete the subjugation of that province and marched into Tirhut, where he received the allegiance of the raja and, having left Mubārak Khān Lohānī to collect the tribute imposed upon him, returned to Bihār.