History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c75.s4: § 4. Capitulation of Mughal force in Dodderi.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c75.s4
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§ 4. Capitulation of Mughal force in Dodderi.
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When the food supply was absolutely exhausted and the water in the fort became scanty and unwholesome, Khanazad Khan, in despair of relief, sent his diwan and a Deccani captain of the imperial army to Santa to beg for terms of capitulation.
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Santa at first demanded a lakh of hun besides the elephants, horses and property of the Mughal army. But the treacherous Deccani captain whispered to him, "What is this that you are asking for? Raise your terms. This amount will be paid by Khanazad Khan alone as his ransom." At last the ransom was fixed at 20 lakhs of rupees; and all the cash articles, jewels, horses and elephants of the doomed army were to be given up, each general being allowed to go away on a single horse with the clothes he wore on his person. The generals individually signed bonds for their respective ransoms and each left a kinsman or his chief servant as security for its payment. The terms were faithfully kept on the Maratha side,* thanks to Santa's iron discipline, [K. K. corrected by M. A.]
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Santaji sent word that the men might come out of the fort without any fear and stay for two nights in front of its gate; those who had any money need fear no extortion but might buy their necessaries from the Maratha camp. The lean woebegone and bedraggled remnant of the imperial army filed out of the fort 13 days after entering it. The enemy gave them bread from one side and water from the other. Thus they were nursed back to life and strength in two days. On the third day Khanazad started for the Court with a Maratha escort. He had lost everything, but the imperial officers on the way supplied him and his men with horses, tents, dress, food and money to relieve their urgent distress. [M. A. 378, K. K. 433.]
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∗ But not on the Mughal side, according to Khafi Khan, who says, 'Not even half the ransom was paid as many of the hostages escaped from the wretch's army and he was [soon afterwards] killed. But the property seized by him was worth 50 or 60 lakhs." [ii. 433.]
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Meantime, the Emperor, then at Islampuri, 280 miles north of the scene of this disaster, on hearing of the danger to Qasim Khan, had sent Hamid-ud-din Khan from his side and Rustam-dil Khan from Haidarabad to support him. They had united near Adoni, but too late to do anything except to receive and help Khanazad on his return. Here Khanazad’s army was reclothed and newly furnished by the gifts and forced contributions from the officers and residents of Adoni. [M. A. 379, but *Akhbarat*, year 39. sh. 72, differs.]*
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§ 5. Santa slays Himmat Khan at Basavapatan.
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In less than a month from this stroke, Santa achieved another and equally famous victory. Himmat Khan Bahadur, who had been deputed to co-operate with Qasim Khan, had taken refuge in Basavapatan (40 miles west of Dodderi) on account of the smallness of his force, which did not exceed one thousand cavalry, though he had received the impossible order to go out and punish Santa. [M.A. 379.]
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∗ M. A. 375 has made an astounding mistake of date by saying that Khanazad and Qasim Khan united their forces before sighting the enemy, on 23 *Jamadi-us-sani* (= 19 Jan., 1696). But the absolutely trustworthy contemporary newsletter, *Akhbarat*, shows that on that date the mace-bearers sent by the Emperor returned to him at Brahmapuri after delivering his gifts to the vanquished officers, who had then reached Adoni. Qasim Khan had died more than a month before 19th Jan. The Madras Diary records on 5th Dec. 1695, the report of Qasim Khan having been *already* defeated, [say, about 20th Nov.]
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After the fall of Dodderi, Santa had planted his own garrison there and told off two divisions of his army to watch and oppose Hamid-ud-din (in the north) and Himmat Khan (in the west). On 20th January 1696, he appeared before Himmat Khan's position at the head of ten thousand cavalry and nearly the same number of infantry. His Karnataki foot-musketeers—the best marksmen in the Deccan, took post on a hill. Himmat Khan, with a very small force, advanced to the attack and dislodged them from it, slaying 500 of them. Then he drove his elephant towards the place where Santa was standing, when suddenly he was shot by a bullet in the forehead and fell down unconscious into the hawda. His driver wanted to turn the elephant back, but the captain of his contingent (jamadar), Ali Baqi, told the driver—"The Khan is alive. Urge the elephant onward. I shall drive the enemy back." But he, too, was wounded, thrown down to the ground and carried off by the enemy.. Then his son fell fighting. Santa received two arrow-wounds. The leaderless imperialists fell back to their trenches. At midnight Himmat Khan breathed his last. Three hundred of his men were dispersed and fled to various places. The rest held their fortified enclosure successfully for some days, after which the Marathas withdrew from its siege and went away with the captured baggage of the Khan.*
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§ 6. Mughal force at Basavapatan relieved.
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At the first news of Himmat Khan's perilous situation Aurangzib had ordered (22 January 1696) Hamid-ud-din Khan to hasten to the relief of Himmat at Basavapatan. On the 28th of the month the Emperor learnt of Himmat Khan's death and the blockade of his troops in the fort of Basavapatan by Santa; and a great effort was made to gather troops and retrieve the position in N. W. Mysore.
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Meantime, Hamid-ud-din Khan, after leaving his heavy baggage in the fort of Adoni, had started on 1st February for the relief of Basavapatan, which was being ably defended by Sayyid Azmatullah and Muhammad Euz (the qiladar). His force was 12,000 strong. Some twenty miles† before his destination he was attacked by Santa (26th February). But the Marathas were defeated and pushed back eight miles, their camp being looted by the Mughals. Santa fled to Khargdurg (?) The victorious Hamid, after a halt of two or three days for burying his dead and tending his wounded soldiers, marched to Basavapatan. Here a few days later Santa reappeared, but Hamid-ud-din made a sally from the fort and drove away the Marathas, taking 200 mares and many weapons from them. On receiving the despatches of these victories, the Emperor in open Court praised Hamid-ud-din very highly and wrote to Zulfiqar Khan, "That is how a soldier fights!" [Akhbarat.]
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∗ This narrative is based upon the despatch received by the Emperor on 2nd February and included in the Akhbarat of the next day, with some additions from M. A. The rest of M. A. and the whole of Khafi Khan (gossipy fabrication) have been rejected by me.
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† Probably at Cakargola, 4 m. e. of Harihar on the Tungabhadra, which latter is 22 m.n. of Basavapatan (Shimoga district.)