History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c76.s4: § 5. Matabar Khan’s victories in Nasik district.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c76.s4
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§ 5. Matabar Khan’s victories in Nasik district.
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Matabar Khan, a Sayyid of the Navaiyat clan of Arabs long settled in Kalian, was at first employed in the subordinate capacity of a thanadar in the Nasik district. Even there his enterprising spirit and far-sightedness had inspired him to enlist about a thousand hill-infantry (Kolis, Bhils, and Mavles) of the Western Ghats and to bring many of the zamindars round Patta and other Maratha forts over to the imperial side by lavish bribes. An influential local Maratha leader, Harji Jakhré, had left Tarbiyat Khan (the Mughal thanadar of Nasik) in anger and was living at Sonamba (a village six miles s. w. of Sinnar and 9 miles n. e. of Patta.) But Matabar Khan gave him a large cash subsidy, a horse and a robe, and sent him at the head of the above-mentioned force to capture Patta, one of the most valued forts of the Marathas, where Shivaji had sought refuge in his last year and which he had renamed Vishram-garh.
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∗ Career of Matabar Khan, based upon the letter-book of his secretary, Jethmal entitled *Karnamah* (I. O. L. MS.)
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At first the enterprise failed through Tarbiyat Khan's jealous opposition. But at the end of 1687, Matabar was placed by the Emperor in charge of the Nasik district, as thanadar, and on the 11th January following he sent a second and more successful expedition against Patta. A force composed of imperial troops and his own retainers scaled the walls of that fort by means of rope-ladders at midnight, 17th January, 1688. This was the first great Mughal success in that quarter. Patta is a large fort with many other enemy forts in its vicinity.
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Matabar had spent Rs. 45,000 of his own to effect its capture; but the Emperor gave him in return Rs. 2,000 only, with a robe of honour, an elephant, and a promotion of 500 in his rank (zat.)
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Matabar next turned against Kulang (9 miles s. e. of Igatpuri railway station), where Shivaji had built lofty palaces for himself, and against the smaller forts in that neighbourhood, such as Bābhar, Tabāka and Ratangarh (9 miles s. of Kulang.) But "Kulang is loftier than Daulatabad fort by some 450 yards, and steeper in its scarped sides, so that it cannot be captured by blockade or escalade." The Mughal general, therefore, found out through his spies that the wives and children of the Kulang garrison were living in concealment in the skirts of the hill crowned by Prabal* fort in Konkan. A detachment of 1,000 infantry captured them by a night attack with heavy slaughter on both sides. Another detachment surprised some of the smaller forts. Then the garrison of Kulang capitulated and also gave up the forts dependent on it. Undha Kāwani, Harish (4 miles s. of Trimbak), Tringalvadi† (12 miles s. of Nasik), Madangarh, and Murdant were next besieged and taken.
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To crown all, the famous hill-fort of Trimbak was invested by a force of 2,000 men, who constantly patrolled round it for six months, so as to cut off its grain supply. But a prolonged siege in that region always involved the risk of Maratha bands raiding the other parts of the district which were denuded of troops. Matabar Khan, therefore, bribed the qiladar with Rs. 80,000 in cash and kind and the offer of high rank in the Emperor's service and induced him to yield the fort (8 January 1689.) Telang, Rao and Shyamraj, the commandant and civil officer of the fort, were high officers of Shambhuji, and had often commanded his field armies independently.
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Trimbak was so important a place that Matabar Khan rightly expected and demanded that the Emperor should reward him and the Maratha qiladar on the same lavish scale that he had adopted when he secured Salhir by bribing its qiladar Asuji (1687). But, though Matabar had spent 1,20,000 out of his own pocket on these enterprises, the Emperor in return granted him only a quarter of this amount, and even then the grant was not actually paid for years afterwards. He, however, received a promotion of 500 in rank.
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∗ Also called Muranjan, three miles west of Matheran. † Tringalvadi fell after the surrender of Trimbak, the garrison of the former holding out in order to see what bribe was paid to the men of Trimbak for its capitulation.
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§ 6. Final Mughal conquest of N. Konkan.
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The triumphant thanadar of Nasik now crossed the Ghats and descended into Konkan. At this time came the cheering news of the capture of Shambhuji, the terror of the Mughals in the Deccan. The north Konkan plain now lay at the invader's mercy, without any defender worth a thought. In this region the most important fort was Mahuli (18 miles n. e. of Kalian), while the cities of Kalian and Bhivandi were the chief seats of government and trade respectively. Further south, Zulfiqar Khan was soon to penetrate with an army and lay siege to Raigarh, the Maratha capital, which actually fell, after a ten months' siege, on 19 October 1689.
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On 11th March 1689, Matabar Khan received the Emperor's order to march against Mahuli. He immediately issued from Nasik, but had to halt for some days outside the city, in order to allow the neighbouring thanadars and other officers appointed to his force sufficient time to join him with their forces,—his own contingent being only 1,000 strong. Resuming his march on 3rd April, by way of the Kashtighat (4 miles n. n. e. of Birvada) and Birvada (4 miles n. e. of Atgaon railway station), he reached Khardi, 9 miles north-east of Mahuli, on the 17th. The country was desolate and lacked water and fodder, while no grain could be had locally. Provisions for the invaders had to be ordered from Surat.
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Between Khardi and Mahuli lies a difficult pass, which a party of Marathas from Mahuli held against the advancing Mughals, but they were put to flight after a three hours' struggle. Matabar's force, however, was too small, as only a few of the officers ordered to reinforce him had actually joined him, and he had not with him artillery munition, gunners, musketeers, rocket-men, farriers, water carriers, sappers and pioneers adequate to the siege of a fort like Mahuli. So, he wrote to the Court for these necessaries and turning away from Mahuli arrived at Kalian on the 27th, and then laid siege to Dugad,[*] 9 miles north of Bhivandi.
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The capture of Mahuli by attack appeared impossible to Matabar Khan, in view of the limited force and time at his disposal and his utter lack of gunners and gun material. As he wrote in his despatches, "Mahuli was the seat of the governor of the Konkan plain under the Ahmadnagar dynasty.
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∗ The Persian MS. reads Dugadi, Dargadi or Dargavi.
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It is well provisioned. Five to six thousand infantry are required for investing it completely, and its siege will cost much money and time." It stands on the top of a hill range with two other strong fortified peaks close to it, namely Palasgarh and Bhandargarh on the north and south. Matabar, therefore, set himself to gain the fort by corruption. Through Narso Mahadik he opened negotiations with Dwarkoji, the *havladar* of Mahuli, and other leading officers of the place, promising them high ranks in the imperial army if they submitted. They asked for an imperial letter formally granting these terms. Such a letter addressed to Dwarkoji reached Kalian on 28th July 1689.
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§ 7. More hill-forts taken by Matabar.
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While the plan for buying Mahuli was maturing, Matabar Khan was not inactive. At midnight, 17th July, in the midst of a severe storm of wind and rain, a party of 900 Kolis and Bhils, sent by him under Raghuji and Kakaji, silently scaled the fort of Prabal.* The Maratha garrison fought till dawn, and then laid down their arms. His next acquisitions were Karnala, Mukut-garh, Malang-garh, Chanderi, Khatuda, Manikgarh, Sankia and Dugad. With the fall of Mahuli all North Konkan, from the Koli country southwards to the latitude of Bombay, passed into the possession of the imperialists, while the capture of Raigarh (October 1689) was followed by the Mughal occupation of much of South Konkan including the ports of Chaul and Rajapur.
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∗ It was a most important fort, and used to have a garrison of 5,000 in Shivaji's time.
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Matabar Khan's achievements brought lustre to the Mughal arms in that quarter. As his Secretary writes in the introduction to his letter-book, "The Khan captured about 50 forts which Shivaji had seized in his lifetime. He cleared the hills from Aurangabad to the sea, especially the Nizam Shahi Konkan plain and the district of Junnar, from the impure dust of the presence of the infidels. The thana of Kalian and other parganas in North Konkan had been ruined by twenty years' unbroken Maratha predominance. These he recovered, strengthened, colonised, and caused to be cultivated again, and beautified with new mansions, gardens, canals etc." [Karnamah, 3-4.]
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After these arduous and successful campaigns extending over more than a year, Matabar Khan returned to Kalian (1690) and gave himself up to repose and pleasure for a few years. He beautified this city by building a governor's mansion, a private residence (haveli), a mosque, a Turkish bath, a garden, a porticoed hall (iwan), and a terrace with a reservoir of water and fountains in the middle. A fort was also built near the village of Barha and a lofty hall of audience for public ceremonies. Here his wife died suddenly at the age of 56, and was buried in a magnificent tomb, built near the tank of Saniala at a cost of a lakh of rupees.
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§ 8. Revival of Maratha activity, 1693.
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But early in 1693, the military position was reversed. The execution of Shambhuji, the capture of his capital with his entire family, and the helpless flight of his successor Rajaram to the Madras coast, in 1689, had for a time stunned the Marathas and effaced all opposition to the Mughal power in Maharashtra. But within two years from this the Marathas recovered from the blow; they organised a large force and sent it to the East Coast, where it raised the siege of Jinji and closely blockaded the Emperor's army and son there (Jan. 1693). This signal success reacted on the military situation in the western theatre. The Mughals lost their dominant position there and were driven to assume the defensive. Roving Maratha bands harried Mughal territory in the Deccan on all sides and began to recover the forts recently acquired by the imperialists but slenderly held.
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Konkan served the Marathas as an excellent base for organising these operations, as the Western Ghats formed a screen in their front, while the possessions of the friendly Portuguese along the western coast afforded a safe refuge to the wives and children of their fighters even when the enemy descended into the eastern belt of Konkan. The Ghats, with their countless forts and intricate pathways, were the most suitable place for launching expeditions from, being equally convenient for surprising the Mughals and evading their strong outposts. Thus the natural strategic value of Konkan was heightened by the present distribution of the rival forces.
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In such a situation Matabar Khan was not the man to rest in idleness. He bade adieu to his hard-earned repose in the newly-built palaces and gardens of Kalian and once more took to campaigning.