Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c47.s2.22

v4.c47.s2.22

After their victory at Patan (20th June 1790), Sindhia’s generals had by-passed Jaipur city, entered Kishangarh territory and taken Parbatsar, Sambhar and some other places on the Jaipur-Mārwār border, where they set up their own posts. Thence they proceeded to Ajmer, took the city (below the fort) at the gallop, dominated the Ānāsāgar lake and began to exchange fire with fort overlooking it. (August. *DY*. S. 37). The battle of Mertā, fought less than a month after this, destroyed all Rathor hopes of raising the siege of Ajmer, and so, at last, on 3rd January 1791, Budh Singh, the Jodhpur envoy in Mahādji’s camp made the following settlement through Sindhia’s minister Ābā Chitnis: The Maratha dues were fixed at sixty lakhs of Rupees, and a memorandum admitting this claim was signed by the envoy. Out of this sum, 7½ lakhs were to be paid at once; for 20 lakhs Sambhar, Parbatsar and two other mahals were mortgaged, but their revenue was to be collected by the Rajah’s men and paid to the Marathas, and the full amount was to be cleared in four years; 22½ lakhs were to be provided in kind, i.e., in jewels, clothing, horses, elephants &c. to be delivered by instalments in four months. The remaining ten lakhs were written off as compensation for the trampling down of crops by the invading army. In addition, Ajmer fort was to be restored to the Marathas, who would then hand Mertā back to the Rajah. (DY. S. 4.)