New History of the Marathas v1.c17.65

v1.c17.65

After a full inquiry into the condition of affairs in the different theatres of the war and receiving correct reports from the various commanders and officers, Aurangzeb arranged a fresh plan of campaign against Sambhājī’s dominions and assigned definite duties to each general. The task of simultaneously attacking Sambhājī and the Portuguese, as the latter were reported to be harbouring Akbar, was assigned to Shah Alam, Aurangzeb’s eldest son, and was carried out by him, at first with some success. But Shah Alam suffered such dreadful privations in that expedition that the Emperor for the present gave up his attempt against Akbar and Sambhaji, and directed his attention to the subjugation of Bijapur and Golkonda, the two Muslim States from whom Sambhājī received occasional support and who, being both Shias in their faith, had long been objects of particular execration to the fanatic Emperor. He moved his armies to the south early in 1685, invested Bijapur on 27 March and captured it after a heroic resistance on 12 September 1686. Similarly Golkonda was invested on 28 January 1687 and it surrendered to him on 1st October of that year. So during these three years his main attention had been withdrawn from the Maratha country. Abul Hasan Tanashah the king of Golkonda was kept in confinement at Daulatabad.