History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c75.s4.9

v5.c75.s4.9

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.*