History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c64.s6: § 6. Prince Akbar seeks refuge with Shambhuji, June 1681.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c64.s6
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§ 6. Prince Akbar seeks refuge with Shambhuji, June 1681.
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Prince Muhammad Akbar, the fourth son of Aurangzib, had crowned himself Emperor (1st Jan. 1681), issued a manifesto deposing his father, and advanced on Ajmir to defeat and capture him; but the pretender's army had melted away and he had been driven to take to flight from the neighbourhood of Ajmir (16th January),—as we have seen in Chapter 37. After being long pursued by his father's forces through Rajputana, Akbar at last crossed the Narmada near Akbarpur (9th May) under the guidance of the faithful Durgadas Rathor and made his way to Maharashtra. Two days later he wrote to Shambhuji begging asylum with him, but being unable to wait for a reply he pushed on through Khandesh and Baglana, writing again to Shambhuji. About the third week of May, Khan-i-Jahan heard of the Prince's coming and set out at night from Aurangabad northwards, evidently in the direction of Burhanpur. On the way he learnt from a letter of the faujdar of Baglana that Akbar had taken the route to Nasik. The Khan immediately swerved to the west and marched to Nasik only to find out that Akbar had passed that town one day before him. The Prince entered Konkan by a pass near Trimbak. On crossing the Mughal frontier he was welcomed by several high officers of Shambhuji and conducted with honour to Pali (1st June.)*
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The Prince was accompanied by 400 cavalry, a small body of infantry (mostly Rajputs with a few Muhammadans) and 50 camels for transport. The residence chosen for him was "a large house covered with straw, at the foot of Pali-garh''; the walls were lined with white calico and the floor covered with ordinary carpets.
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∗ Dil 170 171 Pali fort (Atlas, 25 S E) is 6 m due east of Nagothna and overlooks the same Amba river Raigarh is some 25 m s s e of Pali Akbar was lodged at the village of Padishahpur, 6 m east of Pali and two miles south of Dhondsa Chit 11 11, says that the name of the last village was changed to Padishahpur in honour of the new Emperor, but the two villages are quite distinct The Belgaum Gazetteer (ed 1884) makes the absurd statement that Pachapur, north of Belgaum was Akbar's residence
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Three hundred Maratha foot soldiers were told off to form his body-guard, and Shambhuji's subahdars (collectors) near about waited on him to pay their respects. A fortnight after his arrival, Hiraji Farzand (a natural son of Shahji) brought him a letter from Shambhuji with presents,—a thousand hun, a large string of great pearls with a diamond pendant, a large aigrette set with diamonds, and many pieces of costly cloth. Netaji Palkar was left in attendance upon him as Shambhuji's representative. "All the respect imaginable is paid to him and provisions for himself horse and men are daily brought in by the several subahdars, (it) being Shambhuji's order. He is in want of money but hath with him jewels of great value." (Bomb. to Surat, 10th and 21st June, 1681, quoted in Orme's Frag. 268—270; M.A. 211; Akh.]
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Shambhuji waited for an auspicious day to be chosen by his astrologers for paying his first visit to the new Emperor. But there was considerable delay in his coming. He at first suspected his guest's friendly intentions, and was later too engrossed in watching a conspiracy in his own Court to leave his capital.
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§ 7. Internal condition of the Maratha Court.
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After gaining Raigarh (18 June 1680), Shambhuji imprisoned his chief enemies, including their leaders, Annaji Datto and Nilkanth Moreshwar Pinglé. The latter's father Moreshwar Trimbak Pinglé had retained the Peshwa-ship by a timely desertion of Rajaram's cause, but he neither deserved nor enjoyed his new master's confidence ever after. Early in October Moreshwar died, and Shambhuji so far forgave the past as to set his son Nilkanth free and bestow the vacant prime minister-ship on him. A still greater act of royal clemency was the release, at the same time, of the arch-traitor Annaji Datto from prison and his appointment to the post of Accountant-General (Majmuadar), which was second only to the Peshwa-ship in influence.
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But the unquiet ambition of Annaji Datto abused his master's unexpected generosity. In August 1681, he formed a conspiracy with Soyra Bai, Hiraji Farzand, and some other leading men to murder Shambhuji and give the throne to Rajaram, under the protection of Prince Akbar. They intended to kill Shambhuji by putting poison in his dish of fish. But a boy who was in the secret "prevented his eating of it; he gave some of it to one of his servants and a dog; both died in a few hours." Another story is to the effect that the conspirators invited Akbar to join them, but he declined and promptly informed Shambhuji of the plot.
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The traitors were immediately seized, flung into prison, and put to torture. Annaji Datto, his brother Somaji, Hiraji Farzand, Balaji Avji Prabhu, and Mahadev Anant, with three others were killed by being flung in chains under the feet of elephants. Twenty more culprits were sentenced to death later. Rajaram’s mother, Soyra Bai, who had been the prime mover of every conspiracy against Shambhuji, was charged with having poisoned her husband (a year and a half earlier), and she was put by Shambhuji to a painful death, through poison (according to the Bombay factory report) or by starvation (according to Chitnis.) All this happened in October 1681. Her father’s family, the Shirkés, fell under Shambhuji’s persecution; their property was seized, many of their members were killed, and the rest fled to Mughal territory, entered the imperial army, and tried to carry on their blood-feud with him to the end of his days.
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Throughout this dismal affair, Akbar’s conduct had been spotlessly upright, frank and loyal to his host, and Shambhuji appreciated it.*
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∗ The story of this conspiracy and its punishment is based entirely upon the English Factory Records, which disprove Chitnis. Bombay to Surat, 30 Aug., 8 Sep. and 12 and 27 Oct. 1681 in