History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.252.3

c11.252.3

‘Imād-al-Mulk was slain, and his army fled to Daulatabad and sought shelter there, and Malik Jauhar with Khudāwand Zādah Qiwām-al-Dīn and other Amirs, not being able to withstand Hasan in Daulatabad, evacuated those districts and made for Dhārānagar."¹³⁷ The *Burhān-i-Ma’sir* which is pre-eminently a history of the Deccan and the author of which is a contemporary of Firishta positively asserts that when ‘Ala-al-Dīn Hasan came to know that the enemies were pursuing him, he sat in ambush and when their forces came near, he made a surprise attack in which the royal army was defeated and ‘Imād-al-Mulk was slain.¹³⁸ Against this we have the testimony of Hājjī-ad-Dabīr, who says that when the Sultan left for Broach, Hasan got his opportunity and a fierce fight raged between him and the imperialists in which ‘Imād-al-Mulk Sartez was killed and his companions fled into the mountains.¹³⁹ He is supported by Firishta who gives a detailed account of the battle and the particulars which he relates irresistibly lead to the conclusion that preparations were made on both sides and that the engagement was a hotly contested one.¹⁴⁰ Whom are we to believe in the face of this conflicting evidence? It is true, none of these historians is a contemporary writer, but they are all excellent secondary authorities whose sources of information are found to be generally reliable.