Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c54.s3.1

v4.c54.s3.1

Lakhwā found himself clearly outnumbered by the forces of Daulat Rao, especially the trained battalions, and he wisely took to the Deccani tactics of making rapid movements and surprise attacks, skirmishing and avoiding close engagements and sieges. Of this art he was a passed master. Leaving the neighbourhood of Ujjain he marched away to the Rāghogarh district to join his ally Durjan Sal Khechi. On the way thither near Shahjahanpur he fell in with Mir Khan's brother, who was escorting Mir Khan's camp and baggage. By a sudden night attack (on 27th November) Lakhwā routed these forces (4,000 horse and foot) killing and wounding 200 of them and taking 300 Ruhelas prisoners. The fugitives fled to Purānā, abandoning to the victors all their camp, eleven pieces of artillery, some elephants, many camels and 300 horses. Three days later, Durjan Sal Khechi defeated Bālā Rao Inglé and obliged him to flee to the fort of Araun. (PRC. ix. No. 26. Mohan S. differs.) Jaswant Holkar had given up the side of the Widows, but there could be no real alliance between him and Sindhia. The Peshwā, under pressure from Daulat Rao invested Kāshi Rao with the robes of the head of the Holkar State, and thus shut out Jaswant’s darling, the orphan son of Malhar II (c. 10 December 1800.) Embittered by this disappointment, Jaswant suspended hostilities with Lakhwā Dādā, who then very wisely secured Jaswant’s neutrality by restoring the district of Shahjahanpur to Mir Khan and marching towards Rājgarh (in the Khechi country), where he arrived about 19th December. Here joining his ally Durjan Sal Khechi (the founder of the Khilchipur barony), he moved on to Bundelkhand, planning to leave the Widows under the protection of the Rajah of Datiā (Satrajit Bundela) and with his help roam about levying contributions from the jāgirs of Daulat Rao’s partisans. On the way, they overtook the forces of Bālā Rao Inglé on 28th December 1800, and after a bloody fight forced him to flee to the neighbouring fortress of Pichor, which Lakhwā invested.*