History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c73.s5: § 5. Panhala won and lost by the Mughals.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c73.s5
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§ 5. Panhala won and lost by the Mughals.
v5.c73.s5.1
The famous stronghold of Panhala was still in Maratha hands when Shambhuji fell (Feb. 1689).† A Mughal general, Shaikh Nizam, was at that time engaged in investing it, [M.A. 320] but nothing came of his efforts, as the capture of such a fort was quite beyond the resources of any single general. About the middle of the year, after Raigarh had been closely invested and Rajaram was fleeing towards Jinji, Ruhullah Khan was sent to secure Panhala by bribery, but the defenders refused his offer at the time. The fall of Raigarh in October, however, took the heart out of them and they now sold Panhala to the Emperor, about December 1689. [Dil. ii. 97b, 111 b ; Ishwardas 140a ; Chitnis, ii. 32 ;
v5.c73.s5.2
∗ The date of Abul Khair's appointment is given in M.A. 330 as July 1689. Khafi Khan is, therefore, wrong in saying that the fort was recovered by the Marathas shortly before Shambhuji's downfall.
v5.c73.s5.3
† M.A. 435 says (but in recording the events of 1700) that Panhala had been captured by Prince Azam and recovered soon afterwards by Shambhuji (which means a date like 1686 or 1688). Here the name of the king is wrong, and consequently the date that follows from the name. Ishwards and Chitnis, with their confused order of events and lack of dates, imply that Panhala was sold to the Mughals by its qiladar near about 1690.
v5.c73.s5.4
Z.S. is silent.] But the Mughal garrison held it so negligently that the Marathas under Parashuram afterwards easily recovered it by surprise (about the middle of 1692).