History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c73.s7.2

v5.c73.s7.2

But the Emperor seems to have changed his plan again, as we find Bidar Bakht campaigning in the Bombay Kanara (Belgaon and Dharwar) during the second half of 1694, and his siege of Panhala began a year later, in April 1695. His first acts were marked by vigour. Opening his approaches and planting his artillery, he seized the village at the foot of the hill and demolished one bastion of the fort. [Akhbarat, 11 May, 1695.] But the promise of these opening operations was not fulfilled. A desultory siege was continued by him till the end of January 1696, when the disasters to Qasim Khan and Himmat Khan further south induced the Emperor to send the prince to Basavapatan, and to entrust the siege of Panhala to Firuz Jang, who, too, could effect nothing. In fact the capture of Panhala was quite beyond the power of any divisional army, as Aurangzib was to realise during his own siege of it in 1707.*