Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c9.s2: § 7. Afghan soldiers murder the governor, seize and plunder Patna
Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c9.s2
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§ 7. Afghan soldiers murder the governor, seize and plunder Patna
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The terms were at last settled and 13th January was fixed for the ceremonial presentation of the Afghān chiefs and their retainers. During the Court held for the purpose, there was an immense and boisterous crowd of three to four thousand Afghān soldiers fully armed, under Shamshir Khān, in the street leading to the palace, while the Audience Hall (*Chihil satun*) was thronged with another band of 500 Afghāns under Murād Sher Khān, who had come first and who after presenting his followers one by one, told them to take leave of the governor in order to make room for Shamshir Khān’s men. At this farewell ceremony, one Abdur Rashid Khān, according to their preconcerted plan, stabbed at Zainuddin with his waist-dagger, but his hand shook so much from nervousness that the weapon had no effect. Then Murād Sher Khān started up and with one tremendous blow of his sword cut Zainuddin into two from the shoulder-blade to the pelvis.
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Then followed a general assault and plunder of the governor's officers and attendants, many of whom were slain or wounded, some after an attempt at self-defence and others helplessly. A few escaped after being stripped of their robes and arms. The whole palace and city were now in uproar and alarm; but the surprised and out-numbered royal troops could do nothing without a leader or known plan of defence. The porters and guards fled from their posts in the harem, but Zainuddin's widow promptly closed the gates and thus saved the women's quarters from an immediate sack. No stand was made against the Afghāns, who seized the murdered governor's aged father Hāji Ahmad and tortured him for seventeen days to make him divulge the place of his buried treasure, till at last (on 30th January) death released him from his sufferings. Guards were placed round the palaces of the two murdered nobles and thus Zainuddin's wife and children became prisoners. The entire city passed into the hands of the Afghāns, and the people were subjected to frightful oppression and insult for the sake of extorting money. The news that a king of their own race had again risen in Afghanistan and had captured Kābul and Qandahār almost unopposed, and was advancing victoriously upon Delhi, had emboldened the Dārbhangā Afghāns to do these acts of violence and usurpation. They dreamt of a return of the days of Sher Shah, another Afghān of Bihār who had driven out the Mughal from the throne of Delhi and given the sovereignty of India to an Afghān dynasty once again.
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For three months (13th January to 16th April, 1748) Bihār tasted Afghān rule. But it was a quite different type of Afghān rule from the strong orderly and beneficent administration which Sher Shāh had given to the province of his birth two centuries before.
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Hāji Ahmad’s buried treasure was dug out from beneath the stone of the Prophet’s footprint where he used to keep it concealed. Sixty to seventy *lakhs* of Rupees in gold and silver coins besides jewellery were secured in his house. Zainuddin’s house yielded about three *lakhs* according to popular report, but only a few thousands according to another statement. “During their few days of power the Afghāns robbed and dishonoured the people of Patna to an unspeakable extent.” (*Siyar*, ii. 159—163.) “In the same way they surrounded the houses of the great men of the city and robbed them.
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Plunder and sack by the Ruhelas raged in the city and its environs ; the life, property and family honour of multitudes were destroyed, and the signs of Doomsday appeared.'' (Salimullah, 129a.)
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§ 8. Gathering of Afghan army under rebel chiefs.
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After seizing the Government of Patna, Shamshir Khān encamped outside in Jafar Khān's garden, leaving Murād Sher Khan in charge of the city. Knowing that Alivardi was sure to come and call him to account for his misdeeds, he prepared himself for the coming contest by increasing his army with feverish haste and lavish expenditure of money on Afghān recruits and summoning his tribesmen from all sides to his standard. ''This year Afghāns swarmed out of the ground like white ants. Every day the citizens of Patna were roused by the noise of kettle-drums five or six times, and on inquiry learnt that an Afghān captain named so-and-so had come from such and such a place with his contingent of so many men to enlist under Shamshir Khān or Sardār Khān'' and was marching through the town to the camp in full military pomp. (Siyar, ii. 162). In this way nearly 40,000 horse and a somewhat smaller number of infantry were gathered round the Afghān leaders in the course of three months,—the cavalry were almost entirely Pathāns and the foot consisted of a strong body of Bahelia musketeers under a *bakhshi* of their own. In addition to these, the Marāthas, then in Bengal, were repeatedly written to for coming to Patna and joining the Afghān army in an attack on Alivardi. When the news came that the Nawāb was advancing from his capital towards Bihār, Shamshir Khān and Murād Sher Khān had the Nawāb’s daughter, Amina Begam (the widow of Zainuddin), and her little daughter and son taken out of their palace in Patna, placed them in a bullock cart without a roof or awning over their heads, and thus carried them in public exposure and humiliation through the streets of the city to their camp outside it. It only made the citizens condemn and curse these shameless miscreants.
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§ 9. *Alivardi marches into Bihar against the Afghān rebels.*
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The news of the tragic death of his son-in-law and brother, the widowhood and humiliation of his daughter, and the loss of the entire province of Bihār threw Alivardi into the deepest grief and depression of spirit. The Nawāb held a council and offered everyone of his followers a free choice between staying at home or accompanying him in that dangerous enterprise. As for himself, he told them, his heart was set on death in honourable fight rather than bearing such sorrow and humiliation any longer. They all vowed to follow him to the death. Loans were hastily raised from far and near, and the soldiers’ dues were cleared in part. Efficient arrangements were made for the protection of Murshidābād during his absence. (Siyar ii. 164-165.) Fifteen hundred men from Purniā joined him on the way. In the meantime the Peshwā Bālāji Rāo had been appealed to for aid and was reported to be approaching Patna from the west.
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On February 29, Alivardi issued from his camp at Amāniganj and marched towards Bihār. At Komrāh (25 miles north of Murshidabad, on the way to Rājmahal) he was brought to a long halt, as his troops refused to go further unless they were paid more money. The Nawāb, however, satisfied his troops, resumed his march, passed through Sakrigali (c. 17 March) and reached Bhāgalpur. Here the Marāthas under Mir Habib, who had hastened behind him from Bengal, issued from the shorter and unfrequented jungle path that they had taken, and on the nālā of Champānagar attacked the rear of the Nawāb’s army, but were put to flight after doing some loss to the camp-followers. They then hastened westwards in advance of the Nawāb and joined the Afghāns some distance east of Patna, as also did the party of Jānoji. At Mungir the Nawāb halted for some days to give rest to his wearied troops and then pushed on to Bārh on the Ganges, 34 miles east of Patna (c. 14 April.)
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The Afghāns at Patna after inviting Mir Habib, Mohan Singh and some other Marātha officers to an interview, confined them, demanding 30 to 40 lakhs of Rupees as their pay, on the ground that they had been led into this rebellion at the instigation of the Marāthas, who had promised to pay their expenses. The generals were released only after Mir Habib had given bankers' security for two lakhs of Rupees. Then the allies advanced towards Bārh to oppose Alivardi.* The Afghān army was about 35,000 strong; the Marāthas were reported as 30,000 (Siyar, ii. 167), but 12,000 is a more probable number. All the artillery of Patna fort accompanied the rebels; the Nawāb's army is estimated in Siyar, (ii. 164) at 15,000 horse and 8,000 barqāndāzes (foot musketeers.)
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∗ Shamshir Khan left his diwan Ahmad Khan Qureshi (misspelt in the Bengal Consultations as Hamed Khan Carachea) with 2,500 men behind him in charge of Patna. (Beng Consult, 8 March and 26 April, 1748). This Ahmad was the grandson of Daud Khan Qureshi, the founder of Daudnagar. (Siyar, ii. 129.)