Twilight of the Sultanate c14.s3.12

c14.s3.12

Lakshmi Chand, son of Bhēdachandra, was not slow to take advantage of this situation. He sent an urgent invitation to Husain Sharqī to strike at the enemy in distress. Husain collected a force in Bihar including a hundred elephants,⁵⁰ crossed the Ganga at Kantit and arrived near Varanasi. When he was at a distance of fifteen *kos*⁵¹ from Varanasi he sent messengers to Sālivāhan, brother and successor of Bhēdachandra, asking for his help. But Sikandar in the meantime had won over Sālivāhan,⁵² who, afraid lest Lakshmi Chand after victory should lay claim to the throne, readily accepted the Sultan's offer of friendship. Reinforced by Sālivāhan, Sikandar met Husain in battle near Varanasi and inflicted a crushing defeat on him. Husain Sharqī fled towards Bihar, but now Sikandar was determined to put an end to his constant pin-pricks once for all. He gave Husain hot pursuit and chased him out of Bihar. Husain went to Colgong,⁵³ situated within the kingdom of Lakhnauti, and sought shelter with Sultan Husain Shāh of Bengal (\textsc{a.d.} 1493-1518).⁵⁴ Sikandar consolidated his hold on Bihar⁵⁵ and obliged the chiefs of Sāran and Tirhut to acknowledge his suzerainty. The Sultan then proceeded to Colgong but retreated on obtaining an assurance from the king of Bengal that he would not help Husain Shāh against Sikandar.⁵⁶ After appointing Āzam Humayūn, son of Khan-i-Jahān, as governor of Darveshpur (situated near Maner) and Dariyā Khan Nūhānī as governor of Bihar, Sikandar Shāh returned to Jaunpur.