History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c76.s5.2

v5.c76.s5.2

But the situation was now complicated by the entrance of a new actor on the scene. The local Portuguese governor was bribed by the Marathas to give them shelter and to supply provisions to their forts and villages. Matabar Khan sums up the offences of the Portuguese Government thus:—"I have been here for four years. In the first, I reassured and conciliated the ryots who had fled to Jawhar and Ramnagar owing to the former Maratha disturbances, and induced them to return to their original homes, thus repeopling 600 villages in Konkan. In the second year, the Portuguese gave shelter to the families of the Maratha officers of Rajaram and helped them in attacking our fort Vaikunthgarh (?). In the third year they surprised fort Karnala from us, and constantly sent supplies and reinforcements to the forts belonging to Rajaram. Hence, all our ryots have fled and taken refuge in Portuguese territory. The recovery of Patta by the Marathas emboldened the Feringis still further, and Tristan de Melo,* their general of Salsette, summoned Shyamji Moro-dev, an officer of Rajaram, from the island of Khanderi and harboured him and his 1,500 infantry in the Portuguese village of Thana, agreeing to co-operate with him in attacking the fort of Mahuli and the village of Bhivandi held by the Mughals."