Shivaji and His Times c13.s11.4

c13.s11.4

Sher Khan flung himself with the remnant of his army into the fort of Tiruvadi in his rear. At night he tried to escape from it to Tevenapatam, a suburb of Cuddalore. The Maratha horse, noticing the movement, gave chase and drove him into Akala Nayak's wood, which lay in the way. Five hundred of the Khan's horsemen offered battle and held up the pursuers for two hours. Then the moon set and Sher Khan ran away with some of his cavalry and elephants southwards out of the wood. Shivaji's men continued the chase. Sher Khan fled before them at full gallop and had just time to throw himself the next day (27th June) with a hundred horsemen, into the poor fort of Bonagir-patam, (or Bowanigiri) on the Vellar river, 22 miles south of Tiruvadi, where he was immediately blockaded by the Marathas. In this encounter Shivaji's men captured 500 horses, two elephants, twenty camels and many oxen tents and war drums from the Khan.