six months' siege, on the 19th Muharram, 1113 (16 June, 1701), the flags of the Prince and of Rúhu-llah Khán were hoisted over the fortress by Paras Rám, the commandant, himself, who had stipulated that no man of the royal army should go in with the flag. He solicited a night's grace, and through shame' he and his family went out during the darkness of the night, with all the property they could carry. A large number of the garrison remained in the fort, but the Emperor in his mercy ordered. that no one of them should be molested; so they came out and departed to their native wilds. * * The name of the fort was altered to Sakhkharalaná.

The clemency and long suffering and care of the Emperor were such that, when he ascertained that several fortresses had been long and vigorously besieged by the forces appointed to the duty, and that the garrisons were in difficulty, he paid sums of money to the commandants, and so got the forts into his possession. It often happened also that he gave the same sum of money, neither more nor less, to the officer conducting the siege. The heavy rains, and the overflow of the rivers and streams, had induced Aurangzeb to defer his march until the end of the rainy season. But he was moved by the irresolution and the advice of some of his amirs, who pined for ease, and complained of the dearness of grain and the insalubrity of the climate, and by the grumbling of the inexperienced and hard-tried soldiers. So at the end of Muharram he marched for Bír-gánw.1 [Great difficulties, dangers and losses from rains and floods.] In the course of one month and seventeen days the fourteen kos between the forts of Khelna and Parnála were traversed, and on the 12th Rabi'u-l awwal the camp was pitched under the latter. [Further hardships of the march and great difficulty in crossing the Kistná.] Seventeen days were occupied in the transit of the river, but Bahadur-gárh1 was at length reached, and there the army halted for a month. At the end of Rajab, though only half a life remained in the bodies of the men, the army marched to

1 See note, post, p. 383.

effect the conquest of Kandána. On the 16th it reached that fortress [and the siege was at once begun].

FORTY-SEVENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN, 1114 A.H. (1702-3 A.D.).

the

The Mahrattas.

[Text, vol. ii. p. 510.] After the siege (of Kandána1) had gone on for three months and a half, and many men had been killed, and the directors of the siege were in difficulty, the fort2 was bought from the commandant for a sum of money. The army then marched and remained for a month at Púna, and the neighbouring villages.3 3 In the middle of Rajab the army marched against Rájgarh, the earliest fortress and retreat of the restless infidels of this country. * At the beginning of Sha'bán army sat down before the fort. The circuit of the fort was so great, twelve kos in measurement, that a complete investment sufficient to prevent the throwing in of supplies was impossible. **On the 15th Shawwál the royal flag was planted on the first gate of the fortress, and many of the garrison were slain or put to flight. But Hainájí, the commander, kept up an ineffectual resistance for twelve days longer, when he asked for terms. They were conceded on condition that the commander himself should come to the first gate, carry the royal flag into the fortress, and evacuate the place on the next day. * Next day the garrison marched out with their families, and all the property they could carry. *The fort received the name of Baní-Sháh

garh.

When Rám Rája died, leaving only widows and infants, men thought that the power of the Mahrattas over the Dakhin was at an end. But Tárá Báí, the elder wife, made her son of three years old successor to his father, and took the reins of govern

1 Now Singarh, eight miles south of Púna.

2 "The name Bakhshinda-bakhsh was given to it" (see post, p. 382).

3 Prince Muhíu-1 Mulk, son of Prince Kám Bakhsh, died here, so the name of Púna was changed to Muhíábád.

ment into her own hands. She took vigorous measures for ravaging the Imperial territory, and sent armies to plunder the six súbas of the Dakhin as far as Sironj, Mandisor, and the súba of Málwá. She won the hearts of her officers, and for all the struggles and schemes, the campaigns and sieges of Aurangzeb up to the end of his reign, the power of the Mahrattas increased day by day. By hard fighting, by the expenditure of the vast treasures accumulated by Shah Jahán, and by the sacrifice of many thousands of men, he had penetrated into their wretched country, had subdued their lofty forts, and had driven them from house and home; still the daring of the Mahrattas increased, and they penetrated into the old territories of the Imperial throne, plundering and destroying wherever they went. In imitation of the Emperor, who with his army and enterprising amirs was staying in those distant mountains, the commanders of Tárá Báí cast the anchor of permanence wherever they penetrated, and having appointed kamáish-dárs (revenue collectors), they passed the years and months to their satisfaction, with their wives and children, tents and elephants. Their daring went beyond all bounds. They divided all the districts (parganas) among themselves, and following the practice of the Imperial rule, they appointed their súbadárs (provincial governors), kamáíshdárs (revenue collectors), and ráhdárs (toll-collectors).

Their principal súbadár is commander of the army. Whenever he hears of a large caravan, he takes six or seven thousand horse and goes to plunder it. He appoints kamáish-dárs everywhere to collect the chauth, and whenever, from the resistance of the zamindars and faujdárs, the kamáísh-dár is unable to levy the chauth, he hastens to support him, and besieges and destroys his towns. And the ráhdár of these evil-doers takes from small parties of merchants, who are anxious to obtain security from plunder, a toll upon every cart and bullock, three or four times greater than the amount imposed by the faujdárs of the government. This excess he shares with the corrupt jágirdárs and faujdars, and then leaves the road open. In every súba (province)

he builds one or two forts, which he makes his strongholds, and ravages the country round. The mukaddams, or head men of the villages, with the countenance and co-operation of the infidel súbadárs, have built forts, and with the aid and assistance of the Mahrattas they make terms with the royal officers as to the payment of their revenues. They attack and destroy the country as far as the borders of Ahmadábád and the districts of Málwá, and spread their devastations through the provinces of the Dakhin to the environs of Ujjain. They fall upon and plunder large caravans within ten or twelve kos of the Imperial camp, and have even had the hardihood to attack the royal treasure. would be a troublesome and useless task to commit to writing all their misdeeds; but it must suffice to record some few of the events which occurred in those days of sieges, which, after all, had no effect in suppressing the daring of the Mahrattas.

It

A force of the enemy, numbering fifteen or sixteen thousand horse, proceeded towards the port of Surat, and, after ravaging several districts, they went to cross the Nerbadda, which runs between Ahmadábád and Surat. The Imperial officers in charge of Ahmadábád took counsel together, and sent a suitable force against them, under Muhammad Beg Khán, and ** ten or twelve sardárs, with thirteen or fourteen thousand horse, and seven or eight thousand trained kolis of that country. Nerbadda, and encamped upon its bank. Mahratta army approached within seven or eight kos. Two or three well-mounted light horsemen appeared on one side, and the Ahmadábád army made ready to receive them. After a conflict, the infidels took flight, and were pursued by the Imperial officers for two or three kos, who captured several mares, spears, and umbrellas, and returned rejoicing.

They crossed the Next morning the

The men of the army, delighted at having put the enemy to flight, had ungirded themselves and taken the saddles from their horses. Some went to sleep, and some were engaged in cooking or eating, when a picked force of seven or eight thousand of the enemy's horse came suddenly upon them

like a flood. These men had been concealed among the trees and rocks near the river, and had sent out their spies to watch for an opportunity. The untried men of Ahmadábád lost their wits, and found no means of saddling their horses or girding on their arms. They had no experienced officers among them, and when the Dakhinís made their attack, a panic fell upon the army. On one side was the river, which the tide from the sea made unfordable, and on the other the advancing tide of the enemy. Many men were killed and wounded, and a great many threw themselves into the water, and were drowned. The enemy effected a complete overthrow of the Imperial army.

Dahiná Jádú, according to the general report of the sardárs, was a man of the highest influence. He now proposed terms of peace. His proposal was that conciliatory letters should be addressed to all the principal officers of the Rání, inviting them to wait upon Aurangzeb. When they had arrived in the vicinity of the royal camp, Rája Sáhú (son of Sambhájí) was to be placed in charge of Prince Muhammad Kám Bakhsh, and to be sent some four or five kos from the camp, so that the Mahratta sardárs might have an interview with him first. With the approval of Rája Sáhú, the chiefs were then to pay their respects to Prince Kám Bakhsh, and to return in his custody to the royal camp, where they were to receive the honour of admission into the royal service. Orders were accordingly given for the sending nearly seventy letters to various Mahratta chiefs. But, after all, the plan did not please Aurangzeb, who prudently felt misgivings as to the craftiness of the Mahrattas, and was apprehensive that if they assembled forty or fifty thousand horse near the royal camp, they might by this pretence carry off Rája Sáhú and Prince Kám Bakhsh to their hills of difficult.

access.

Sultán Husain was summoned to Court; ** but his visit was countermanded, and he was ordered to go and lay siege to the fort of Torna.