Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c54.s7.12

v4.c54.s7.12

But before the month of September ended, the military balance was upset and a complete change of strategy was forced on Jaswant Rao. After his arrival at Sangamner, on 2nd August, he had employed himself for three weeks in capturing Gālnā, Chāndor, and some other forts in the Chāndor range, and levying contributions from the North Nāsik district. Then on 11th September, he moved south and west to Nāsik city and demanded a ranson of thirty lakhs from that holy place. His detachments under Māné and Shahāmat Khan were ordered to unite ten kos east of Rāhuri (a road centre 20 miles north of Ahmadnagar), to bar the approach of Sindhiā's reinforcements to their great military depot at Ahmadnagar. A large detachment of Daulat Rao's army, consisting of paltan and fauj under Sadāshiv Bhāskar, starting from Burhānpur, had already crossed the Godāvari and was marching to the relief of Ahmadnagar. It reached the environs of that fort on 16th September and next day set out for Kātrābād-Māndavgāon, eighteen miles south of it, to expel Māné's raiding bands from the region of Rāsin, Bhose and Kārkomb.