History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c59.s4.1

v4.c59.s4.1

One such family, bearing the name of Bhonslés, originally lived in the Patas sub-division of the Puna district, as the headmen (patil) of two villages. Towards the end of the 16th century they migrated to the village of Virul or Elur, within sight of the hill-fort of Daulatabad and the caves of Ellora. They followed agriculture and gained much local credit by their sober honest character and religious benefactions. Some buried treasure that they discovered in their fields enabled them to buy arms and horses and develop into captains of mercenaries. The decline of the Nizam-Shahi dynasty and the Mughal invasion of the Deccan at the close of the 16th century gave them the chance of rapid rise. Some of the Bhonslés were won over by the Mughals with high mansabs and salary, others changed masters frequently in quest of better pay, during the first quarter of the 17th century.