Shivaji and His Times c14.s5: §7. Dilir captures Bhupalgarh
Shivaji and His Times c14.s5
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§7. Dilir captures Bhupalgarh
c14.s5.1
Dilir Khan next marched to the fort of Bhupalgarh,[*] which Shivaji had built as a store-house of his property and a refuge for the families of his subjects in that neighbourhood during his wars with the Mughals. By great labour the imperialists dragged some guns to the top of a neighbouring height during the night, and next morning began to batter the walls and towers. The assault was launched about 9 A. M. and the Mughals fought with vigour till noon, when they captured the fort after heavy slaughter on both sides. Vast quantities of grain and other property and large numbers of people (who had sought refuge there from the neighbouring districts) were captured by the victors. Seven hundred survivors of the garrison were deprived of one hand and then set free; the other captives were evidently sold into slavery.
c14.s5.2
∗ Shambhuji's desertion to the Mughals and capture of Bhupalgarh: Jedhe S.; B. S. 471, 477-478, 500-501 (best.) Dil. 159-163 (reliable.) F. R. Surat, Vol. 108, Rajapur to Surat, 16 Dec., 1679, Bombay to Surat, 1 Jan., 1680 (return.) Sabh. 93-94. Bhupalgarh, 20 m. n.w. of Jath, 45 m. s.w. of Pandharpur, and 10 m. s.e. of Khanapur in the Satara district; the modern name of the village is Banur (Atlas, 40 N. E.); described in Bom. Gaz. xix. 455-456.
c14.s5.3
Before this Shivaji had sent 16,000 horse to relieve the fort. They arrived too late, but hovered on the four sides of the Mughals. Suddenly they learnt that Iraj Khan and Bajaji Rao [Nimbalkar] were bringing provisions from Parenda to the besieging army, and then they immediately hastened to intercept the convoy. But Dilir Khan detached Ikhlas Khan with 1,500 cavalry to the aid of Iraj Khan. Twelve miles from Bhupalgarh he overtook the Marathas. Ikhlas Khan's small force was enveloped and he took refuge in a walled village and repelled the Maratha assault with his back to the wall, doing great havoc among the enemy with his artillery, and slaying nearly one thousand of Shiva's men. Then large reinforcements arrived from Dilir Khan, at whose approach the Marathas fled. Dilir then went back to Bhupalgarh, burnt everything that he could not carry off, dismantled its fortifications, and returned to Dhulkhed. (B. S. 477—478; Dil. 160.)
c14.s5.4
The fugitive Marathas, however, scored a success. Near Karkamb (30 miles south of Parenda), they fell in with Iraj Khan, looted all his grain and the property of his troops, and forced him to flee with a few men into a small fort hard by, where he was afterwards relieved by his kinsman, Mir Muhammad Khan, the qiladar of Parenda. (Dil. 161.)
c14.s5.5
The fall of Bhupalgarh took place on 2nd April, 1679. Then followed a period of puzzling intrigue and counter-intrigue between the Mughal viceroy and the Bijapur nobility, and also quarrels between Masaud and Sharza Khan, Masaud and Dilir, and Masaud and his favourite Venkatadri. About the middle of this year Shivaji sent to Aurangzib a well-reasoned and spirited letter of protest against the jaziya, which was drafted by Nila Prabhu in eloquent Persian.