Shivaji and His Times c9.s2.10

c9.s2.10

He sent his light cavalry to plunder Berar and Telingana.† The viceroy Bahadur Khan, on hearing of it, set out from Ahmadnagar due eastwards, left his heavy baggage at Bir (70 miles to the east) and Qandahar, and arrived as fast as he could near the fort of Ramgir (18·35 N. 79·35 E.) in pursuit of the raiders. But they had been two days beforehand with him, looted the village at the foot of the fort, and carried off the families of most of the inhabitants for ransom. So the baffled Mughal general returned by way of Indur (modern Nizamabad), 95 miles due west of Ramgir. Entering the Qutb-Shahi territory, he ravaged the land at the instigation of Dilir Khan. The Marathas in their retreat divided into two bodies; one turned south-west to their own country by crossing the frontier of the Golkonda State, and the other moved northwards by way of Chanda into imperial territory. Dilir Khan was sent off to pursue the first division, while Bahadur Khan tried to bar the advance of the second.