History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c77.s9: § 13. Siege of Khelna, 1702.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c77.s9
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§ 13. Siege of Khelna, 1702.
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Bidar Bakht was posted to guard the environs of Panhala and keep the road to Khelna open, while Md. Amin Khan descended into the lowlands of Konkan and ravaged the country up to the Konkani gate on the further (or western) side of Khelna, trying to close the enemy's grain supply to the fort through that side. The head of the Amba pass was held by Hamid-ud-din.
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The siege dragged on for five months (January-June 1702). During this year Nusrat Jang with his mobile division marched in pursuit of the Maratha field forces* nearly 6,000 miles and fought 19 great battles with them, besides numberless skirmishes. The details of his doings fill ten pages in the memoirs of his eulogist, Bhimsen. [Dil. 129a—138b, 141a.] It will be enough to say here that he passed fighting and chasing all the time, by way of Parenda, Charthanah, the lake of Lonar (in pargana Mehkar, Berar), to 20 miles from Elichpur, Nander, Maloni, Kaulas (in Haidarabad territory), Bidar, Maloni again, Mudgal (on the Bānganga), Maluni and Nander† again. No wonder that Bhimsen, a sharer in these campaigns should write of the result as, "This year much forced marching was done. All the troops became worn out and distracted in mind." And again, "The enemy were kept in rapid movement for eight successive months......The horses of the imperialists were so worn out as to be unable to walk, and many of our troopers had to march on foot....The elephants became lame and weak...I too lost my horses and camels." [Dil. 135b, 132b.]
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∗ The Marathas in Khandesh and Berar mustered nearly 60,000 men in concert with the local zamindars. Nusrat Jang's strength at one time sank to 2,500 only [Dil. 137 a.] The imperial subahdar of Berar at first durst not leave his capital Elichpur for joining Nusrat Jang, lest his small force should be cut off by the enemy in the open.
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† Parenda, 2 m. e. of the Sina, (18·15 N. 75·31 E.) Charthanah, 45 m.e. of Jalna, and 25 m.s. of Lake Lonar, (20 N. 76·33 E.), which is 12 m. s. e. of Malkapur in Berar. Nander, on the Godavari, 80 m. s. e. of Lonar. Maloni is either Billoli, 35 m.s.e. of Nander and 30 m.n. of Kaulas, or Banouli, 11 m.s.e. of Mudhol. Mudgal is said to be a dependency of Nander and situated on the Bānganga. There
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§ 14. *Fathullah's heroic efforts : fall of Khelna.*
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Meantime, the siege of Khelna went on. Fathullah advanced his covered lane to the ditch in front of the fausse braye (*rauni*) of the fort, in the face of a terrible fire from the walls which did heavy loss to the sappers and soldiers working there. "He spent *mohars* like cowries, and worked day and night with pickaxe and hammer in his hand, like one of the labourers," [K. K. 496.]
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The enemy in the *rauni* demolished the first ladders that Fathullah had planted in front of the end of his covered lane, reaching up to the height of the level ground below the fort-gate. But the Khan made more ladders, and by driving rafters (*dhab*) into the hard rock where the ladders ended, he reached the waist of the tower, but could
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is a smaller Mudgir 11 m.e. of Nander (on the Sitaba) and a much larger Mudhol, 40 m.e. of Nander but on a river unnamed in map. *Kaulas* is 30 m.n. of Bidar, and 65 m.s. of Nander. [Atlas, Sh. 56.]
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advance no further. The Mughal artillery beat in vain against the solid rock of the walls of Khelna; only a few stones were loosened from the tower, and success seemed as far off as ever.
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On the other hand, the catapults of the garrison showered huge stones ("100 to 200 maunds in weight"!) upon the advancing siege-works. They also raided the trenches at night. One day Fathullah himself was struck on the head by the flying splinters of a plank of the covering of the lane, smashed by a Maratha stone, and so severely injured that he could not leave his bed for a month afterwards.
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In fact, Fathullah was the hero of this siege. "He was of the same age as Aurangzib and a Turani (Central Asian) by race like him. Therefore, the Khan was fearless in speaking to the Emperor. When he was recovering from these injuries, a eunuch was sent by the Emperor to reprimand him for the folly of exposing himself to danger so recklessly. The grey-haired veteran replied, 'Tell His Majesty that when a wise man reaches the age of 80 or 90, his intellect suffers decay, his five senses do not remain unimpaired. I am a soldier, and therefore a hundred stages behind the prudent man, being as thoughtless now as on the day of my birth'! [K. K. 498.]
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But all his valiant exertions were thrown away against that impregnable rock. No better success was achieved at the Konkani (or western) gate of the fort. Here Muhammad Amin Khan had stormed the fortified hillock opposite this gate and commanding its *rauni* (4th March.) Bidar Bakht, who replaced the Khan, delivered an assault led by Jai Singh, the young Rajah of Amber, on 27th April, and captured the *rauni*, in spite of heavy losses. The next step was to drag big guns up to the position and batter down the Konkani gate with them.
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But the terrible monsoon of the Bombay Coast now burst on the heads of the devoted Mughal army. The rain fell incessantly for weeks on end. There was a race among the nobles for the capture of the fort by bribery, every one of them sending a private message to the qiladar Parashuram,* offering him a large sum of money if the key was surrendered through his hands, so that in the official history he might be described as its captor! [K. K. ii. 500.] Bidar Bakht seems to have bid the highest. On 4th June the Maratha commandant planted the prince's banner on the ramparts, and in the night of the 7th the garrison evacuated the fort. By the Emperor's command, none hindered them. [M. A.
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∗ On 9 March 1702 [copyist of *Akhbarat* wrongly writes 20 Shaban year 45=19 March 1701], we have this entry in the Court news-letter,—"Spies report that Parashuram, the head assistant (*peshdast*) of Ramchandra, is in Khelna and wished to cede the fort to the Emperor. Hearing of it, Trimbak Inglé [Dinglé] and other officers of the enemy have arrested and imprisoned him."
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457.] The Mughals lost at this siege six thousand mansabdars, according to Manucci, [iii. 419.]