Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c22.s4.9

v2.c22.s4.9

A month later the Maratha invasion of the Panjab began. Their main army under Raghunāth and Malhar,—whose strength rumour swelled to two lakhs of men,—reached Sarhind and laid siege to it, while their raiding bands spread all over the district, plundering the villages around. Adina Beg with his own troops and a hired force of professional Sikh freebooters from the west of the Satlaj, crossed that river and joined the Marathas before Sarhind. After a few days’ exchange of gunfire, Abdus Samad found his position untenable. In trying to escape he was wounded and captured, along with Jangbāz Khan and other Afghan captains, but well treated by Raghunāth (21 March. DC.) “The Marathas and Sikhs so thoroughly looted Sarhind city that none of its inhabitants, high or low, male or female, had a cloth left on his person. Pulling the houses down, they carried off the timber and dug the floors up for buried money.” [TALS. 164b. Miskin, 173.]