A. H. 748. . manded the escort, with many of his people, and the rest of the King's troops under the command of one Hoossein Ally fled to Dowlutabad. The Ameer Judeeda pursued them closely, and before measures could be taken to put the place in a state of defence, they took it, being favoured by the garrison. Having experienced kindness from the viceroy, Alum-ool-Moolk, the insurgents spared his life and property, but the rest of the King's officers were put to death, and the public treasure was divided among the captors. The Ameer Judeeda of Guzerat and other parts, who had retired to the woods and mountains, hearing of the success of their brethren in the Deccan, joined them; and Ismael, one of their leaders, was proclaimed King, by the title of Nasir-ood-Deen. Mahomed Toghluk, hearing of this revolution, left Baroach, and proceeded towards Dowlutabad. The Ameer Judeeda drew out their army, and waited to give him battle. The two armies met; and the insurgent troops, though greatly inferior in point of numbers, roused by their danger and wrongs, assaulted the royal troops with such violence, that the right and left wings fell back, and the whole army was upon the point of flight. But many of the chieftains who fought in the van being killed, 4000 of the troops of the Ameer Judeeda fled, and night coming on, left the battle undecided. A council was called by the Ameer Judeeda, who had suffered severely in the engagement, and it was determined that their King, Ismael, should retire into Dowlutabad, with a strong garrison. That the remainder should disperse til Mahomed Toghluk might quit the Deccan; when they resolved to re-assemble at Dowlutabad. Mahomed Toghluk, meanwhile, having ordered Imad-ool-moolk, then at Elichpoor, to pursue the fugitives, himself laid siege to Dowlutabad. In this state of affairs, advices arrived that one Mullik Toghan, heading the Ameer Judeeda of Guzerat, had been joined by many of the zemindars, and had not only taken possession of Nehrwala the capital, but had put to death Moozuffur Khan, the Naib of Guzerat, had imprisoned Moiz-ood-Deen the governor, and after having plundered Cambay, was now besieging Baroach. Mahomed Toghluk, on hearing this news, left one of his generals to conduct the siege of Dowlutabad, and with the greater part of his army marched to Guzerat. He was plundered on his route of many elephants, and a great part of his baggage, by the Deccanees, by whom he was closely pursued. Having, however, arrived at Baroach, and encamped on the Nurbudda, Mullik Toghan retreated to Cambay, whither he was followed by Mullik Yoosoof Bokraz, whom the King detached in pursuit. Mullik Toghan engaged his pursuers at Cambay, and not only defeated them, but slew Mullik Yoosoof, and many other officers of distinction. He also caused all the prisoners taken in the action, as well as those formerly in confinement, to be put to death, among whom was Moizood-Deen, the governor of Guzerat. Mahomed Toghluk, hearing of this cruelty, and breathing nothing but revenge, hastened to Cambay; but Mullik Toghan, unable to oppose him, retreated, and the King, owing to the state of the weather and bad roads, was obliged to halt at Asawul. * Here advices were received, that Mullik Toghan had recruited his army at Nehrwala, and was returning to give battle. The royal troops met him at Kurry. Mullik Toghan had injudiciously caused his men to be intoxicated with strong liquors, so that they attacked the royalists with the fury of madmen; but the elephants in front checked their approach, and eventually threw them into disorder. An easy victory was obtained: five hundred prisoners were taken and put to death, and an equal number fell on the field. The King despatched the son of Mullik Yoosoof Boghraz in pursuit of Toghan after the battle; but he quitted Nehrwala, and fled, with his family and followers, to Tutta, in Sind. The King, meanwhile, went in person to Nehrwala, and was employed for some time in restoring order in Guzerat. At this time news arrived from the Deccan that the foreign officers had re-assembled under one Hussun Gungoo; had defeated and slain the royalist general, Imad-ool-Moolk, and had expelled all the royal troops towards Malwa. Also, that Ismael had resigned his regal dignity, to which Hussun Gungoo had succeeded, under the title of Alla-ood-Deen Hussun Gungoo Bahmuny. Mahomed Toghluk, on receipt of this information, * Now known by the name of Ahmudabad. began to consider his own severity might be the cause of all these disorders. He therefore resolved to govern with more mildness for the future. In the first place, however, he sent for his nephew Feroze, and other nobles, with their troops from Dehly, in order to employ them against Hussun Gungoo. Before these chiefs arrived, the Deccan army had become so formidable, that the King determined, in the first instance, to settle Guzerat, and to reduce Girnal (now called Joonagur), after which, he intended to march in person to the Deccan. He spent the greatest part of that year in Guzerat recruiting his army, and in the following year he was taken up in besieging Girnal and in reducing Kutch. Nizam-ood-Deen Ahmud states, that Mahomed Toghluk took the fort of Girnal; but other authors of good authority relate, that he desisted from the attempt, on receiving offerings from the Raja; and that the fort of Girnal was not taken by the Mahomedans till it fell to the arms of Mahmood Shah, Begurra of Guzerat, A. H. 873. (A. D. 1469.) Zeea-ood-Deen Burny informs us, that Mahomed Toghluk, addressing him one day, said, that the disorders of the state were of such a nature, that he no sooner put down disaffection in one place than it broke out in another, and asked the historian to suggest to him some remedy. Zeea-ood-Deen replied, that when disaffection had once taken root so deeply in the minds of the people, it was not to be exterminated without tearing up the vitals of the state. The King, he observed, ought now to be convinced how little was to be effected by mere punishment; and he stated that the wisest men had recommended that a monarch, in his circumstances, should abdicate the throne in favour of his heir, in order to obliterate the remembrance of former wrongs, and dispose the people to peace and good order. Mahomed Toghluk (says Burny) answered, in an angry tone, that he had no one whom he could trust, and that he was determined to scourge his subjects for their rebellion, whatever might be the consequence. The King, soon after this conversation with Burny, fell sick at Gondul, a town within fifteen coss of Girnal (Joonagur), where he remained till the arrival of Khwaja Jehan, whom he had previously sent to Dehly to conciliate and bring with him the principal men of the state. The King, having recovered a little from his disorder, mustered his army, and directed boats to be collected from Mooltan, Oocha, and Depalpoor, and to be brought to Tutta. Marching thence from Gondel, the army reached the banks of the Indus, which they crossed in spite of some opposition made by Toghan. The King was here joined by five thousand Mogul horse under the command of Altoon Bahâdur, with which reinforcement he proceeded to Tutta, in order to chastise the Soomura* Prince of Sind, who had given protection to Toghan. Within sixty miles of that city the King halted, to pass the first ten days of the month of * The dynasty of Soomura reigned for many years in Sind; and their history forms a part of this work. |