New History of the Marathas v2.c24.124

v2.c24.124

On 27th February the brothers besieged the palace and the fort and posted their own guards at the gates for preventing ingress or egress. The strategic points in the city were also similarly guarded. The Maratha troopers were posted not far from the main entrance to the palace. Saiyad Abdulla and Ajit Sinh remained closeted all night with the Emperor, exchanging hot words and angry epithets which grew in tone and temper as the night advanced. The imperial city exhibited a ghastly appearance in the early morning of 28th February, the ministerial cavalry men riding through the principal streets and killing all who opposed them. Muhammad Amin Khan a partizan of the Emperor tried with his few determined followers to force open the palace gate and had a severe skirmish with the Maratha guards posted at the entrance. In this encounter some 1500 to 2000 Maratha horsemen were cut to pieces, prominent among whom were Santaji Bhosle of Nagpur and Balajipant Bhanu the grand-father of the famous Nana Phadnis. The ministers arrested the Emperor and confined him; and successively put on the throne two Shahzadas after short intervals. Muhammad Shah was ultimately installed who ruled until his death in April 1748. The deposed Farrukhsiyar was put to death two months later.