New History of the Marathas v2.c24.35

v2.c24.35

With the increase of distance from his home, Shahu began to grow impatient and restless about his release and was advised, in the midst of his gloom by his never failing guardian angel the Begum Zinat-un-nisa and other friends, not to wait for formal sanads of appointment from Azam Shah, but to quit the camp at once and proceed to his home country. He readily acted upon this advice and left the Mughal camp on 8th May at Doraha about 20 miles north-west of Bhopal. The Muslim writers assert that he ran away, the Maratha writers that he obtained permission to go back, leaving behind, as hostages, a small party including his mother, wife and Madan Sinh, an illegitimate brother, in case he should upon his return home assume a hostile attitude. Jotyaji Kesarkar was left behind to obtain the formal sanads which were under preparation, when completed. That Shahu was not pursued shows that Azam Shah either tacitly consented or was helpless under the circumstances. The terms of his release as they had come under discussion from time to time were (1) that he was to rule the small swarajya of his grandfather as a vassal of the Mughal Empire ; (2) that he was to serve his liege lord whenever called upon to do so with his contingent of troops ; and (3) that he was also permitted to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from the six Mughal provinces of the south. It may be noted in passing that the first two of these are the same terms which Aurangzeb himself had granted to Shivaji in 1667, and all three of which later on, Shahu obtained from Muhammad Shah in 1719 in formal sanads, notwithstanding all the wars and wranglings during the intervening period.