I N D E '

I T N R OD U CTI ON .

I CR AP . . E arly H ist ory

I I s . The L a t of the Ya da vs

I I I T e a lu ks . h T g I l V . The Af ghan S o dier

V The Kin d om of med i am . g Ah N z

VI Th F oun din of med a ar . e g Ah n g

VI I h F i s ie . T e r t S ge

V The ec ond ie e III . S S g

I ' o r buil of one ' ird a nd . F t t St Th F ourth Sieges

' The lar es Gun in t he World , g t

'I A D ec isive Ba le . tt

G e Men 'I I . r at

C and Bibi 'III . h

’ 'I V The F if ie e ' C and Bibi s . th S g h

D efen c e

he x e ' h ’ 'V. T Si th Sieg C an d Bibi s D eath

'VI The even ie e ' Mo uls S th S g gh , Ma hratta s and British

INTRODU CTION

On my arrival at Ahmednagar I was much impressed by its noble fort , and was curious I T to learn its history . asked questions . he

f I n replies were vague and fanci ul . have ow

i r made some sl ght esearch , and have found very interesting the life of the Deccan Queen , C E hand Bibi , contemporary of Queen liza beth , and also the other simple tales narrated

As here . no work of this nature has hitherto been published , and the facts are undoubtedly I of local interest , have been induced to

F r bookform . o I place them in my facts , have relied largely on the Bombay Gazet ' teer , which refers freely to the history by

F erishta A D . 5 , written at Bijapur ( . 90

’ I have also referred to Meadows Taylor s

the R books , kindly lent to me by egimental

. F or Munshi the photographs, I am indebted

. A . u . to Mr . C Wild, Bijap r

AHME D NAGAR CE CI L COWL E Y , .

1 4th D ecember, 1 91 8 .

OHAPTE R I

E AR L Y H ISTORY

The S ign Post outside Ahmednagar Post

ffic P O e indicates the road to aithan, an

almost ruined city and fort about 50 miles

distant .

C P In the era before hrist, aithan was the

capital of the kings of the An dh abritya

e . Dynasty, who ruled the D ccan

Greek Chroniclers refer to Paithan i as

fine silks and muslins to which the city early

T e gave its name. h industry still exists

e e the r th r , but manufactu e of the modern

n P material is pri cipally carried on at oona .

In the neighbourhood of Paithan are th e

e E h wn caves of llora, which are the finest of their kind in the world . They exceed in size 2 Tal es of Ahmed nagar

E a C and number the leph nta aves at Bombay.

It has b een establish ed by rock inscriptions

a s e 2 4 B C . th t the cave dat back to about 0 . Other inscription s record that some of the

s the P pillar were gift of two men of aithan ,

’ one of whom was the king s physician . A C 1 4 94 hmednagar ity was not founded till ,

but for several hundred years before then , the country around was the home of a people ,

the outlines of whose history has reached us .

Bhin ar It is said that the city of g , about two A miles outside hmednagar , is almost as P ancient as aithan , and this may be true, as P it is on the caravan route from aithan , and is situated on a stream which bears its name , and is about two days ’ journey from

Paithan .

F An dhrabhrit as ollowing the y , came two

R ashtrakuta successions of the kings , who

A D 00 973 . 4 ruled from about . to , with a break E arly History 3

550—670 from , and gave their names to Maha

The rashtra and the Mahrattas . caves at Parner and elsewhere with their excellent workmanship and inscriptions , are attributed

e to th ir period , and also ancient coins found N I I I at asik . Govind . was one of their kings and was a mighty ruler over immense territory .

Chaluk 550-670 y kings reigned from , and

973- 1 1 90 i again from , and to the r period belong the caves and temple at Harish c h n d ra a yad in Akola .

They were succeeded by the D eogiri Yad av as , who were invaded and conquered by the

Mahomed an s Tu l ak , under Mohamed g in

1 2 94 F or . a great many years the country

Mahomed an was then ruled by Dynasties , and under them attained splendour and power . CHAP TE R I I

LAST OF THE YAD AVS

One of the last kings to rule before the Mahomed an invasion of the Deccan was

R 1 2 7 1 - 1 31 0 c ontem or amchandra , , who was p h E ary wit dward I .

A book written in 1 2 90 by a Brahman saint is still preserved and refers to R am chandra in the following words ' At Niwas there is a ruler of the earth R am

Yad av chandra , who is an ornament to the R ace , the abode of all arts , and the supporter

The d of Justice . city of Niwas is to ay

n 35 know as Nevasa , and is miles north of

’ R amc han d ra s Ahmednagar . prime minister

d in a Hemad ri was an able a m istrator n med , L a st of the Yad avs 5

Pe i an d was who was of rsian orig n , an engineer of c onsiderable skill . S cattered over the

District there still exist twenty - six H e mad pan ti walls and temples built and T named after him . hey are made of huge blocks of stone , placed upon each other without any mortar , and defy the ravages of time . CH APTE R I I I

THE TU GL AKS

At Mahomed an first the emperors , who

e were already established at Delhi , w re con tent to accept tribute from the kings of the

' As however Deccan . , , this tribute was not

’ Al a-ud - Malikka regularly paid , din s general fur proceeded several times to enforce pay

H e ment at the point of the sword . led several

s campaigns with this object , and ucceeded in placing Mahomed an garrisons in many

’

of the chief forts and towns , and finally

D ev iri took up his own residence at g .

The D ev iri Yad avs g , however , fought on

m an d Malikkafur spiritedly for any years , on

’ being recalled to Delhi during Al a- ud - din s last

1 3 1 8 - illness in , they rose in a well organised revolt , in which they almost recovered Maha

- rashtra . Al a ud , driving out many garrisons The Tugla ks 7

’ din s son then took the field personally , and succeeding in capturing and flayin g alive the last of the resisting chiefs . Governors

were appointed from Delhi for a time , and

’ in 1 338 Al a- ud - din s grandson Mohamed

Tu l ak E g , then mperor of Delhi, came to the

Deccan with a vast quantity of elephants ,

material , nobles and their women , and

C D ev iri established his ourt at g , the name of which he changed to Daulatabad , or the

H e Abode of Wealth . built the cemetery of R saints called oza at Khuldabad, just outside

Auran zebe Daulatabad , where g , the last of the A Delhi sovereigns to reign in hmednagar , 1 7 was buried in 07 . Daulatabad is not far

from Paithan .

After a while Tugl ak considered the securi ty of his Court to be doubtful and took it

back to Delhi . CH APTE R I V

S I THE AFGHAN OLD ER .

F or a period of 50 years or so after the first Mahomed an invasion there was great F unrest in the Deccan . or centuries the

wealth of the country had been increasing . Gold and precious stones had been amassed

by the wealthier classes and the nobility , and there was a plentiful supply of fine and richly wrought clothing and orna

The Mahomed an ments . conquerors did not scruple to use the fruits of conquests to the full . They plundered and laid waste the T land . heir exactions , instead of leading to a subdued spirit in their newly ac quir ed territories , tended to maintain a spirit

- of discontent and non acquiescence . The Afghan S oldier 9

Among the Delhi troops was an Afghan

H H e named asan . had been born in Delhi, E the capital of the mpire , and being of very low rank , became a soldier in the natural

As course of events . was the custom in those

days , he was also a tiller of the soil , and had farmed a plot of land which he rented from E a friend of the mperor . One day he had

accidentally found a treasure in the land , and

had the honesty to report it to hi s landlord,

a Brahmin named Gangu , who rewarded his honesty by using his interest at court for the advancement of the soldier . By aid of H this interest , and his own ability , asan

rose to considerable station in the Deccan , and his character and love of fair -play in c lin ed him to join a movement to cast aside

the misrule of the Delhi authorities , and to

His restore law and order . merit singled 1 0 Tal es of A hmed nagar

him out as a leader , and assisted by a

Mahomed an s number of other , and by the

nobles of the Deccan , he was successful

H e in his attempt . established a govern

authori ment , and treated local chiefs and

H e ties in a fair and friendly way . granted a measure of independence to the Koli

chiefs , so long as they remained quiet .

Pa erakoli It is said of one of these chiefs , p ,

of Jawah , that his yearly revenue was nine

lakhs of rupees . Gradually the greater por tion of Maharastra came under Hasan ’ s

H e . e e influence assum d the titl of king , and the e Bahaman i nam Gangu , in honour of the astrologer who had first assisted his for

The of A a- - tunes . reign l ud din Hasan

Bahaman i 1 2 Gangu lasted only years ,

( 1 347 but he was succeeded by his

e son , and subsequently by eighte n other

CHA PTE R V

THE K INGDOM OF AHMED N I'AM

Towards the latter end of the 1 sth century the Bahamani kin gs had their capital at

e r T Be d u . heir kingdom was mainly ruled

by a number of governors , who exercised

The authority on their behalf . four largest provinces of the kingdom had their centres

at Bij apur , Berar , Daulatabad and Gol

konda , and the great authority vested in the governors of these places, became a source of weakness to their kingdom . In 1 480 the prime minister , a man named Maho

med Gawan , proposed a scheme to the king

His to remedy this . plan was to subdivide

each of the great provinces into two , to leave only one fort in the hands of the governor The Kingd om of Ahmed Nizam 1 3

fi of each province , and to garrison and of cer the other forts direct from the capital , and to pay these garrisons direct from head

S a quarters . uch system would undoubtedly have destroyed the power of the four great T governors . hey were filled with alarm at

the prospect , and managed to induce the king to have Gawan put to death

H e was succeeded as prime minister by

- ul - l Nizam Mulk Bhairi, a man of great abi ity,

i His who had had a curious h story . origin al Tima a name was p , and he was the son

of a Brahmin village accountant , and was

taken prisoner during a punitive expedition , and brought as a slave to Mohamed S hah i I Baham an . , the father of the present

His king . royal master was so struck with his abilities that he made him playmate to his on b s , and allowed him to e educated 1 4 Tales of A hmedn agar

and reared with him , and on Mohamed

man i Baha . S hah II ascending the throne ,

Timapa had taken his place as a great man

H e in the kingdom . had a military com

mand , and was granted large estates in the district stretching from Poona to D aul at a

bad , and covering the area of modern

As Ahmednagar . he had reached manhood

Mahomed an he had adopted the faith , and been given the name Nizam- ul - Mulk

’ Bhairi , the latter being his father s name .

On being appointed prime minister , he sent A his son hmed to manage his estates , and nominated to the governorship of D aul ata

brothers Malikwa 1 Mal ekashraf bad , two , j and , from whom he exacted promises of fidelity A T to his son hmed . hese brothers are 1 4 referred to in the next chapter . In 86

-ul - Nizam Mulk was assassinated , and his son The Kingd om of Ahmed N izam 1 5

assumed his father ’ s titles under the name of

- - ul - Ahmed Nizam Mulk Bhairi , and remain

in h ad min is ed his country estates , whic he

e H e t ered with gr at ability . rapidly obtain ed a reputation as a general and as a civil 1 489 administrator . In the governors of Bijapur and Berar declared themselves

independent kings , and the king of the

Bahaman is became anxious to reduce the A power of hmed , who in the meantime

( S had attacked and captured hivna , and had

’ secured to himself 5 years revenue of Maha

e rastra , togeth r with all the places of greatest

S - e P strength in West and outh W st oona . A general named S haik Movallid Arab was

his first sent against him , but forces were

A P is routed by hmed near aranda , and all h e h lep ants , heavy baggage and tents were

n A A take by hmed back to Junna . second 1 6 Tales of Ahmed nagar

Bahamani force was then despatched against A hmed , who avoided a general action , but by a flank movement with horse , captured the camp of the rearguard at

e Bedar , and s ized all the women

Bahaman i of the offi cers of the force .

These women he treated with proper respect , P and took them to his fortress at aranda .

As a result of his courteous conduct , many of the officers of the Bahaman i army declined A to fight further against hmed , and on his f sending the women back , the o ficers with At drew from action . the same time , the governor of Paranda also withdrew from the

n i B ahama army , and sent his son to join

Ahmed , who took up a position in the hills 1 0 A about miles west of modern hmednagar .

Jahangir Khan , the general commanding the

Bahamani E h e t wo forces , marched to ing r , The Kingdom of Ahmed Nizam 1 7

A miles from hmednagar , where he was over taken by the rains . During the continuance

of the rains , Jahangir Khan and his army , fancying themselves secure , gave them selves up to luxury and pleasure . On 2 8th 1 490 A May , , hmed , being well informed of f ’ the state of a fairs in his enemy s army , made a forced night march , and suddenly

- The attacked his camp at day break . attack

The h was completely successful . Ba aman i

ofii c ers troops were utterly routed . Many of distinction were slain . Others were taken

f . prisoners , and after being led about on bu fa Ah ’ loes in med s triumphal march , they were A sent as prisoners to Bedar . hmed gave thanks for his victory and built a palace and laid out a garden on the site of the

battle , which was thereafter called the

Victory of the Garden . During the same 1 8 Tal es of Ahmed nagar year Ahmed reduced Dauda R ajapur in the

un Central Konkan , and thereby secured broken communication between his Deccan

His territories and the sea coast . power and dominions were now so great that his people urged him to take upon himself the 1 490 title of king , and in he did so , and his

His name was read in the public prayers . capital was still at Junna.

2 0 Tal es of Ahmedn agar

was desirous of establishing a kingdom for

himself, and in order to avoid counter

claimants , assassinated both his brother and A his son , the nephew of hmed , and pro

claimed himself king of Daulatabad . Bibi ' anat escaped back to her brother , who A vowed vengeance against Malik shraf , and for many years devoted himself to the ful 4 1 494 filling oi the punishment . In 1 90 and

he marched against the fort and besieged it , c but raised the siege ea h time .

By this time he realised that the neigh

bourhood of the Victory of the Garden was Th of great strategical value . e country

around was open , fertile , and free from jungle , and the position commanded the passes from

Kan d esh C , Gujarat and Berar into entral

H e Deccan . selected a site close by between two rivers , and decided to found his capital The F oun din g of Ahmed n agar 2 1

1 494 H e there . It was commenced late in .

built a fort and several palaces , and called A m A the place h ednagar , or the fort of hmed .

S uch was the success and écl at of the

new king , that his capital grew apace , and

F erisht a A according to , the great hmednagar

historian , within two years of the founding

of the city , it was equal in splendour to

either Baghdad or Cairo .

Ahmed ’ s chief object at this time was the punishment of the murderer Malik A A shraf , and twice a year hmed sent his

e armies , at the arly and late harvests , to lay waste his crops and besiege the fortress of F Daulatabad . inally in 1 499 the soldiery in A the fort decided to surrender to hmed , and A on hearing this Malik shraf fell ill and died . Ahmed then placed his own garrison in the

city , and added its territories to his own . Ta les of A hmed n agar

1 5 H e Ahmed died in 08 . had once built a tomb for himself in the R oza or Cemetery of S aints at Khuldabad outside Daulatabad ,

E Ta luk founded by the mperor g , but learning that permission would be denied for his burial there , he built another tomb for

himself a few hundred yards outside the A Nalegaon gate of hmednagar , and called R T it the Bagh oza . his tomb is at the present day one of the finest of the build ings of the city, and is again referred to in ' Chapter .

A His hmed was a great man . life deserves

The to be kept in memory . way in which he quietly and firmly established his kingdom , placed him on a level with the great Afghan soldier from whose dynasty

H e he seceded . is reported to have been a quiet man , of great continence , kindness The F oun din g of Ahmed n agar 2 3

He and modesty , and firm and strong .

ad min is was also a great swordsman ,

trator and general , and by these qualities commanded and kept the allegiance of his

nobles , of the foreigners who served under

him , and also of his sturdy Mahratta

peasantry , who made such excellent soldiers . CH APTE R VI I

THE FIRST S IEGE

S 1 508 - 1 553 Burhan Nizam hah, , was the A second king of hmednagar . H e was

endowed with much political sagacity , and

His C was an able general . ourt contained

T A Pe C al many urks , rabs , rsians , and entr F Asians . ollowing on the fall of the Baha h mani dynasty , there was muc international C S intrigue in entral and outhern India , and

n there was constant campaig ing , as many as four or five different armies being in the

field at one time . Burhan was drawn into

e the vort x , but successfully steered his kingdom 4 till the end of his long reign of 5 years . In 1 52 5 he three times beat armies of Bahadur S B hah , a mighty king of Gujarat , but ahadur The F irst S iege 2 5

was too strong to accept defeat , and personally marched against Burhan who retreated to Junna , leaving Bahadur to lay siege to the fort of Ahmednagar which then

F or consisted of mud and stone . three months Burhan from a position in the hills , harrassed the besiegers of the fort , which held out , but ultimately Burhan sued for peace , and the Guj arat king raised the siege and withdrew , leaving the fort intact . CHA PTE R VI I I

THE SECOND S IEGE

T s hese were indeed stirring days . A in

the Occidental world , great wars and events T were taking place , so too in India . here was

- E l e much marching and counter marching .

hant s e p w re used in vast numbers , cannons T were made by the thousand . here were

d c - many tens of thousan s of mat hlock men , armed with the ancient type of long- barrelled matchlock , but their number was exceeded

still by the number of archers and swordsmen ,

The armed with swords of curious types . sturdy peasantry were industrious tillers of

ha the soil , and there s rarely been a period of greater agricultural prosperity . But they were

was all trained to the use of arms, and war

2 8 Tales of Ahmed nagar

e 2 1 Ahmed I . was ngaged in campaigns, 1 8 his son Burhan I . fought campaigns , 1 559 and his son Husain nine campaigns . In

’ e during the latter s r ign , the kingdom was subj ected to a formidable invasion by a

R am combination of three armies , those of

R Vi a n a ar aja , the warrior king of j y g , of

S G olkon d a Ibrahim Kutub hah , the king of , A A S li . and of dil hah , the king of Bijapur H usain , whose generals had hitherto been

everywhere victorious , looked for further

- ul - strength in an alliance with Imad Mulk ,

the king of Berar, to whom he made over

tures , and to whom he married his daughter .

The three allied sovereigns in the mean h A time reac ed hmednagar , to which they T . e laid siege heir armies wer vast , and

’ accordin g to the translation of F erishta s

H - istory by Maj or General Briggs , their The S econd S iege 2 9

Infantry alone numbered men .

H s u ain , however , was not inside the fort , and was at large with the major portion of his army and established his head- quarters at P aithan , whence he got into communication

h S Golkond a with Kut hah , the king of , on e of the besiegers who , jealous of the

’ Bijapur king s army , convived at passing

i supplies to the garr son , which was exceedingly h S strong . Kut hah eventually quarrelled with

both his allies , and withdrew his army , and returned to Golkond a with a promise of

’ s Husain second daughter in marriage, leaving H only two enemies for usain to deal with .

’ I mud ul - H e - ih - Mulk , us in s new son law , sent

e e an d a larg forc to assist him , he was able

’ to so thoroughly cut o ff the besiegers supplies and harass their forces , that they were glad h him to conclude a peace wit , under which 30 Tales of Ahmed n agar

he made certain concessions, the chief of which was the cession of the fortress of

Kalliani to Bijapur . CHAP TE R I '

FORT BU ILT OF STONE THIRD U SI S AN D FO RTH EGE .

The fort of Ahmednagar had thus for t un ately escaped inviolate from its second

e A n d si ge . its good fortune was in great measure due to the political and military sagacity of the king , as well as his great H strength . usain resolved to at once make this fort impregnable , and commenced to e build it of ston , and to surround it with a

The deep ditch . work was commenced in 1 559 and was practically completed by 1 562 , but was improved in later years . Husain was fortunate in his design in C S having at his ourt two great men , alabat — Khan architect , engineer , general political

i n d admin strator and reformer , a Chulbi 32 Tal es of Ahmed n agar

R umi Khan , General and Master of Ordi

H e nance . was also in close touch with the Portuguese who had established a Colony at

R evan d ra , at the edge of his dominions ,

and was in his task assisted by their advice .

As were H time on , usain chafed under the compulsory cession of the fortress of 1 562 Kalliani , and in endeavoured to retake Ali A it from Bijapur . dil Shah at once re

R am R called aja to his aid , and also obtained the assistance of the kings of Bedar and

Berar in punishing the disturber of the peace . 700 500 Husain , with guns and cannon , marched to meet them , but heavy rain fell and rendered his cattle and guns useless, and he was forced to retreat , taking with him only

H e 40 out of the 700 guns . threw supplies A into the fort of hmednagar , and withdrew

he d r m to Junna , where rallie and efor ed F ort Built of S ton e Third dc F o urth S ieges 33

The i his army . allies in the meant me laid A siege to the fort and followed Husain . fter

’ several weeks the allies found that H usain s army was attaining such strength that they withdrew the investing forces from the fort

H The to assist in an action against usain . fort thus escaped uncaptured from its third H siege . usain , however , avoided a general

action . In several minor engagements he

inflicted loss on the allies , and on the rains 1 563 of setting in , the allies returned to Ahmednagar and settled down to its fourth

’ R am R siege , the main portion of ajah s army being to the south of the fort , on the bank

of the S in a R iver . During the night heavy

l an d rain fell in the hi ls , the river came down in flood so suddenly that it swept away

’ R am R 300 of aja s men , horses , and Th practically the whole of his transport . e 34 Tales of Ahmed nagar

allies , disturbed by this disaster , and con sid erin g the new fort to be wellnigh impreg d nable , etermined to raise the siege , (the

e The fourth) , and withdr w their armies . fort was not again invested by neighbour ing states until the Moghuls marched

- R C against Queen egent hand Bibi , but it was a factor of importance in many subse

quent internal disturbances .

Among the foreigners who entered king

man f e and use of , skilled the manu actur [ in I ' i n . n ca non the re gn of king Burhan , he

a e two e n u ns he m d ormo s canno , t larger of

(Master of the Plain) an d the secon d D huld an “ ' - Th r n or D estroyer . ese cannon we e cast i

A and s Khan in hmednagar , a large depre sion in the garden is still pointed out as being the

site where they were mould ed . The larger

h 40 an d of the two weig s tons , is the largest

piece of cast brass ordnance in the world .

CHAPTE R '

THE LARGEST GU N IN THE WORLD

Among the foreigners who entered king

’ Burhan s service was a Turk named Chulbi

R n umi Kha , who was an expert artillery man , skilled in the manufacture and use of cannon . In the reign of king Burhan , he made two enormous cannons the larger of the two being named Malik - i- Madan “ (Master of the Plain) and the second D huld an

“ ’ — r T o Destroyer . hese cannon were cast in the garden outside the tomb of Chulbi R umi A Khan in hmednagar , and a large depression in the garden is still pointed out as being the

e Th e site where they were mould d . e larg r 40 of the two weighs tons , and is the largest piece of cast brass ordnance in the world . 36 Ta les of Ahmed n agar

They were lost by King Husain in 1 562 in the battle before the third siege of Ahmed f nagar , when owing to the di ficulty of movement in the wet clay Husain abandoned them together with 700 other guns and 500 elephants to Ali Adil S hah of

R am R a al - - Bij apur and ja . M ik i Maidan

was dragged by elephants to Bij apur , and

mounted on a bastion of the fort , where it

remains to this day , a much prized trophy ,

and proof of the prowess of the nation .

n D huld a met with a less splendid fate . It R was capsized in the iver Krishna , near

Bijapur , where it can still be seen when the

water is low .

In 1 553 Chulbi R umi Khan had been advanced to the command of an army which moved against the Portugese fort and sett le

The n . th ment campaig was successful , e The L argest Gun in the World 37

Portuguese promising not to molest or

’ encroach on Ahmed n agar s dominions . A 1 562 1 563 fter the severe losses of and ,

’

Khan , as Master of the King s Ordnance , devoted all his energies to the creation of A fresh rtillery , and the whole kingdom f roused itself to e fort , the king and Court being guided by his mature experience and advice .

In two years time , five hundred brass A cannon were cast in hmednagar . CHAPTE R 'I

A DEC I SIVE BATTLE

King Husain realised the futility of fi ght ing against so strong a combination as that

1 562 - 63 which had operated against him in , especially when the heart and soul of the combine was a strong and astute monarch

R am R and general such as aja , king of

r Vijayn aga . By clever diplomacy he regained

- in - the sympathy of his son law , the king

Golkon d a of , and also that of the king of

H e n Bedar . also e tered into an alliance Ali A S with dil hah , king of Bijapur, to

b eautful whom he gave his daughter, the T C . Princess hand Bibi , in marriage his union he further strengthened by a marriage

’ between Ali Adil S hah s sister Princess of M P R Bijapur and urtaza , rince oyal of

Ahmednagar .

40 Tal es of Ahmed naga r

The l al ies therefore , on the near approach

of battle , gave pause , reconsidered their position , and came to the conclusion that

they were unable to cope with their enemy , skilled as he was , and supported by such formidable forces .

T hey thereupon made overtures of peace ,

R am R f but aj a refused to listen to their o fers , H and the allies , of whom usain was the

strongest in character, resolved to fight to

The alli Mahomed an the death . es were all

T H an d a kings . heir enemy was indoo , it p peared that the supremacy of Mahomed anism as well as the temporal power of the allied

The kings was at stake . armies therefore A placed themselves in battle array . hmed nagar decided to take the post of honour in Ali A S the centre of the line , with dil hah on

Golkond a his right , and Bedar and on his left . A D ecisive Battle 4 1

E xpecting to receive the weight of the

H the attack in the centre, usain entrusted command of his guns and the disposition of

Chulbi R T his forces to umi Khan . his astute artilleryman following the device recently adopted by the king of S weden in the E uro l pean wars , covered his front with his arti lery , 300 pieces in all , which he placed in three

— e lines the small st in front , the medium

sized in the middle , and the largest behind

nu a wise plan, as rapid loading was then

To known . make the fire of the guns dead l o y , he l aded each with hundreds of copper

coins , and had the fuses of the whole ready H to be lighted at a word of command . e further covered his artillery by a strong

the d force of archers , and awaited a vance

of the enemy . 42 Tal es of Ahmed n agar

The R am R aj a moved to the attack . de fending archers maintained a heavy discharge

as he approached . On the enemy arriving

close , the archers withdrew , and disclosed the front line of guns which let go their

The murderous charges at close range . front

line of gunners then withdrew , and the second line of guns was discharged with T deadly effect . heir gunners withdrew , and the third line of guns was instantly fired .

The slaughter in the ranks of the enemy was

The terrific . attack was broken , and the

’ allies horse and foot , charged into the masses H of indoos , who broke and fled utterly routed

v leaving asty booty in the hands of the allies .

R am R aj a was overtaken by an officer

The mounted on an elephant . elephant him seized in its trunk , and he was carried

who m prisoner to the allied kings , im ediately A D ecisive Battl e 43

’ had him beheaded and R am R ajah s head

His and body were taken to Ahmednagar .

skull was preserved , and is still treasured in the little city of Bhin gar by the d esc en a d nts of his executioner , and his tomb at Ah mednagar is still in good repair .

The driver of the elephant was buried

beside the tomb of Ahmed I . in the Bagh R oza , and his grave is denoted by a monu ment resembling a howdah .

The elephant on its death was also honour R ed by burial just outside the Bagh oza , and its grave is still distin guished by a

mound of earth . CHAPTE R 'I I

GREAT ME N

King Husain died after the Battle of

t he H ukeri , and was succeeded by his son

Murtaza Nizam Shah (1 564 - 1 588) whose reason appeared to become slightly affected

The as he aged . kingdom , however, was fortunate in possessing at this time several men of great intellect and administrative

ability , and the country under their guidance was maintained for a few years at the pinnacle of prosperity and power to which

’ H e it attained in us in s day .

CHANGI'K HAN .

T Changiz Khan , a noble of urkish origin , was a minister and general of great

an integrity and attachment to the throne, d Grea t M en 45

The managed public affairs for some time . h king , owever , filled with suspicion , pres cribed a draught of poisoned medicine for him , which he quietly accepted and drank

The in his own home . palace he built and occupied in the city is still in good

’ repair , and is now used as the District Judge s

Court .

SALABAT K HAN .

S alabat Khan ( 1 51 9 to whom

reference has already been made , was also one of the greatest men of the Nizam S hah 1 51 8 dynasty . Born in , he was of good

family , and served his apprenticeship in the

H e Court of Burhan . early proved himself

an expert engineer and architect , and was at the height of his profession when the fort

was built of stone , and no doubt took a

r T considerable part in its const uction . he 46 Tales of Ahmed n agar

' F building of the pleasure palace of arah Bag , ' d just outside the city , at one time entruste S to his uncle , alabat Khan I . by Burhan I . , was finally completed by the nephew ,

who erected a number of other palaces

and public buildings , both within and without

His the fort . chief usefulness, however , lay

in the large public works instigated by him .

H e cut seven large aqueducts to bring water to the city and fort from perennial supplies

in the hills . In some places these aqueducts 0 F 6 . were carried ft underground . our of

them , with slight alterations, are used for supplying the modern city and cantonment with water . Over a million fruit trees are said to have been planted by him throughout

H e f the kingdom . took o fice under Murtaza , and in his reign became Minister without a

an d a rival, continued in power for sever l

48 Tal es of Ahmednagar

- the latter, suspicious of the heir apparent , attempted to put him to death . E ventually the king upbraided him with

e S i tr achery , and alabat Khan immed ately begged the king to appoint a place for his c onfinement , and submitted himself to the

’ king s guards , and was carried to prison , where he remained till the troublous times

’ H e which followed the king s death . then

emerged for a few months , but was broken in health an d spirit and died in 1 589 at the age 0 of 7 years , and was buried in a tomb which stands out prominently on the rocky summit of the eastern extremity of a range of hills A F six miles from hmednagar . rom this site can be seen great stretches of the country for the material prosperity of which he did so much , and the tomb itself can be se from many miles around . Great M en 49

F E R I S HTAH

F erishtah h , the istorian , was brought by

’ his father from the Caspian S ea to Murt aza s

H e court while still a young boy . served there in a military capacity during the troubles

’ which occurred at the end of Murtaza s

reign, and finally , with many other foreigners

who were expelled from the kingdom , took

refuge at the court of Bijapur , where he

was favourably received , and where he wrote h the famous history, in connection with whic he testifies that the king of Bijapur spared

no expense in supplying him with materials .

’ F erishtah s History narrates many of the

facts related in this book . CHAPTE R 'I I I

CHAND BI BI

Chand Bibi (1 550- 1 594) is the favourite heroine of the Deccan , and is the subject A d of many legends . Born at hme nagar , she H was the daughter of King usain , and the sister of Murtaza and his brother Burhan

I I . A 1 564 , both kings of hmednagar . In she Ali A S was married to dil hah , king of the sisterkin d om his g of Bijapur , and on death was regent for four years for his nephew

S he to Ibrahim . was also aunt Ismail and i A Ibrah m , kings of hmednagar , and was related to many other of the ruling houses of the Deccan . Descendant of a line of able

kings , she inherited their intellect and ability . During her married life she was the constant Chand Bibi 51 companion of her husband in all his

n doi gs , and was present at the battle of

H r R am R the uke i , when aj a was defeated T and slain . hereafter during a tour of several years in which her husband was engaged in the settlement and pac ifi c ation of the territories which had fallen to him under the terms of partition, by her tact and charm she was of great value in securing the loyalty of the Chieftains of the Beyd urs and other spirited tribes .

’ A r fter her husband s death, her pe sonal heroism and general ship during the siege 1 2 of Bijapur (approx . 58 ) undoubtedly 1 590 saved that city from capture , and in , A d at the siege of hme nagar , her dauntless courage saved the fort from the Moghuls .

- Her wisdom and self reliance , her pure administration and noble deeds in critical 52 Tales of Ahmed nagar

’ d ays deserve their lasting place in the people s affection .

s Of remarkable beauty , she was unbles ed by children , and retained her grace of figure until the day of her violent death .

A lways elegantly dressed , she used to ride

astride on a richly caparisoned steed , whether

t o . the field , on tour , or hunting In deference to custom, her face used to be slightly con cealed by a wisp of some fine material , but she never wore a formal veil .

At B ij apur there is a portrait taken of her

’ by a Persian artist before her husband s death .

It is a profile , exquisitely painted in body

f al colour , with none of the sti fness which usu ly

The accompanies Oriental pictures . features

r The are regular and ve y beautiful . com plexion fair , with a faint tinge of carnation

- th h . The through e c eeks eyes blue grey ,

Chand Bibi 53

The with long dark eyelashes . mouth is very

gentle and sweet in expression , and bears a slight smile , but there is a decided tone of

firmness about the full round chin and grace ful throat , and the forehead has a breadth and

power which must have been very remarkable .

H er education proceeded for many

years after her marriage , and she became P A T skilled in ersian, rabic , urkish and

Toorki , and spoke the dialects current in the S h army with fluency . e drew and painted

flowers with ease and delicacy , played upon

vina the with skill , and had a great many

other accomplishments . With her husband ,

she fostered trade , literature and the arts of

peace , and prosecuted those works for the defence and adornment of his capital which

still remain as monuments of his enlightened

The liberality . c ity of B ijapur at this 4 5 Tal es of Ahmed n agar

’ i On her husband s death , her ndependent political life began as regent for the minor king . In those times it was a rare thing

to find nobles , ministers , and generals of a native kingdom true to their allegiance for

long , and serious dissensions occurred between powerful factions and encouraged the inva sion of the kingdom by the kings of Berar ,

Beed u and Golconda , and the close invest

The ment of the city . queen , accompanied k by her nephew the ing , used to go from

i post to post at n ght , cheering , encouraging

l The and directing al . weather was the severest of the rainy season , and after days of drenching rain and bombardment by the

enemy , a portion of the city wall gave way . Notwithstanding the torrential downpour Chand Bibi 55

h the queen guarded the breac in person ,

c oll ec ted ' the masons of the city , and person

su er mten d ed ally p the work of repair , leaving the spot neither by day nor night till it was

H er safe against attack by storm . devotion

and spirited personal valour inspired c onfi

in dence all , which now amounted to positive

The enthusiasm . leaders of the various

factions went to her in a body , and sub mitted themselves to her authority . In less than a month many thousands of the followers of the different nobles were collected under

proper command within and without the city , and the besieging armies thought it advisable

to raise the siege . It had lasted a year .

By her personality Chand Bibi main A S tain ed perfect order till Ibram dil hah ,

the young king , came of age and her regency

terminated . 56 Tal es of Ahmednagar

Meanwhile the armies of the Moghuls began T to move southwards . hough no act of

invasion occurred , the queen became uneasy , and in 1 585 Murtaza being king of Ahmed r S naga , and alabat Khan his minister, in

order to consolidate the two kingdoms , she

Mirain H arranged a marriage between ussein , R A Prince oyal of hmednagar , and the sister A S of Ibrahim dil hah . Being aunt to both

ac c om contracting parties , she decided to

- A pany the bride elect to hmednagar , her

she own native town , from which had been

2 0 s The absent for over year , splendour and pomp of the wedding were magnificent .

King Murtaza , however , was in his dotage , and shortly after her arrival at Ahmednagar occurred the incident of the burning of R am

’ ’ n R aja s jewels , and two attempts on his so s life

The n w n by the king . prince thereupo e t into Cha nd Bibi 57

rebellion, and the garrison of the fort being

favourable to him , he entered it with his

troops , and seizing the king , placed him in a bathroom of the fort and had a huge fire

lighted under it , so that the king was

f The su focated by the steam . new king

Mirain H ( ussein) proved headstrong , suspicious

and cruel . In one day , for fear of treason , he put to death 1 5 princes of the line of

n The C successio . Queen hand decided to

A The stay on in hmednagar . threat of the

Moghuls was ever present to her vision , and she feared internal political dissension would weaken her two beloved kingdoms , and prove an inducement to invasion .

Mirain Hussein ( 1 588) only reigned for six

He months . declared in a fit of drunkenness that he would have his prime minister (a Turk)

the beheaded, and made plans to do so, but 58 Tales of Ahmed n agar

minister by a clever ruse captured the king

the and declared him deposed . In disturbances that followed both the king and the minister

The were slain . troops and the mob put to death every foreigner they could find in the

The fort or the city . massacre lasted for

seven days , and only a few escaped .

Ismail Nizam S hah ( 1 588 nephew C of Queen hand , and son of her brother All Burhan , was then declared king . sorts of factions arose , both political and religious , and the king of Bijapur sent an army to

. s secure safety Jamal Khan , the stronge t man

F or 1 5 in the kingdom , marched to meet it . days the two forces lay facing each other without action , and finally a peace was

a e concluded , under which Jamal Khan rem in d regent , and agreed to pay C huns) to Bijapur . Queen hand returned to

60 Tales of Ahmed nagar

S C Nizam hah , and proposed Queen hand as regent .

Ali Nehang Khan approached S hah , the son of Burhan Nizam S hah I then upwards of 70 years of age , and induced him to leave his retirement and assume the royal canopy . In the meantime the Moghuls moved their

armies still further south , and awaited an

excuse to invade the wealthy country . CH APTE R 'I V

THE FIF TH SIEGE 'CHAN D BIB I ’ S DEFENCE

hi In t s condition of chaos, an appeal was C made to Queen hand, to come and use her personal infl uence and ascendancy in the

he cause of law and order . S thereupon left the Bijapur court and returned to her palace in Ahmednagar fort ( 1 594) in the hope that

she might be able to unite the country . U A Malek mbar , an byssinian who had risen from slavery to become Governor of

Daulatabad , and who was a shrewd man and a

capable administrator , and who had held his hand till he could decide on what would

be the best course for the country , welcomed A h d id er. h number of other c iefs the same . 62 Tal es of Ahmed n agar

In the meantime Mian Manju had entered P into correspondence with rince Murad , son E A of the mperor kbar, and had invited him

to e A bring the Moghul forc s to hmednagar . P t rince Murad seized the opportuni y , and A marched on hmednagar , laying siege to the 1 4 1 594 fort on th December , having with

him a vast army of foot and cavalry .

C Queen hand had rallied a considerable force .

S he took command of the defence personally

and used daily to inspect the guns , sentries , and

troops , and by her calmness and serenity main f ained a spirit of confidence m the defenders .

he t o S also sent a successful appeal Mian Manju ,

Yekl as Khan and Nehang Khan to lay aside f their di ferences for the common cause , and to

e The unite th ir strength against the invaders . kings of Golconda and Bijapur also sent assist a nce at her request , and the friendly forces The F ifth S iege 63

ni T u ted their armies . hough they did not

the advance to attack Moghuls , they were able to restrict the activities of their foraging

parties , and kept them very short of supplies .

The besiegers slowly but methodically T closed in on the fort . hey advanced by means of saps and trenches and by the night 1 9th F 1 596 of ebruary , , had laid five mines , which it was their intention to explode at

he the . t dawn next morning During night ,

e e e e e e e how v r , the d f nd rs w r made aware

the e of plans of the en my , and under

the personal direction of the queen , began

- T to counter mine . hey discovered and

the destroyed two of mines , and were in the act of removing the powder from the P largest mine , when rince Murad gave A orders for it to be sprung . tremendous explosion blew a large breach in the

of the wall fort , and put fear into 64 Tales of Ahmed n agar

the defenders , who commenced to flee , but the

queen , clad in armour , with a veil on her head, n and a draw sword in her hand , leaped into

The the breach and stayed the panic . Moghuls

did not immediately attack , and the defenders , taking advantage of the delay, hurriedly put

the breach into a rough state of defence , and

ai trained on to it all their av lable artillery ,

loaded as on a previous occasion , with copper

The coins . Moghuls stormed the breach at

’ four o clock in the afternoon , but the garrison w resisted ith heroism , inspired by the wonder T ful example of the queen . ime after time was the attack repeated , and time after time

repelled, and it was not till nightfall that the carnage ceased , by which time thousands of dead lay in the ditch ' U nder cover of the darkness the queen repeated her deed of

s Bijapur , and personally uperintended the The F ifth S iege 65

s i repair to the breach . Working at fever sh

ad heat , by dawn she had h the wall rebuilt to a height of seven feet , and felt prepared to P resist another attack . But the army of rince

e Murad was short of supplies . Daunt d by the splendid defence , and harassed by the allied

e him ~ he cavalry b hind and around , made an offer to withdraw his forces provided that

Ahmednagar agreed to cede back to the

Moghuls the disputed territory of Berar .

At first the queen declined these terms, but on reflection decided that if the allies were beaten in a general action , equally good

f S he terms might not again be o fered , therefore signed a treaty in the name of Bahadur, the P infant king , and rince Murad marched away, H f leaving the fort uncaptured . istorians di fer as to the merits of the action of the allies who came to her assistance but only hovered 66 Tales of A hmed na gar

i d b t around and fa le to attack the Moghuls, u all are agreed in according to the queen the greatest praise for her magnificen t defence of the fort .

68 Ta les of Ahmed n agar

d into rebellion against the queen , and lai

siege to the town of Bid , which the Moghuls

T i . had occupied . his rash action speed ly drew P the wrath of the Moghuls . rince Murad being E A dead , the mperor kbar sent his second son ,

P . rince Danyal , to the relief of the city Nehang Khan fled and sought refuge at C Ahmednagar . Queen hand realised that

’ the Battle of the God avery and Nehan g s action had probably decided the fate of the Nizam Dynasty , but still hoped that by discreet diplomacy she might be able

S he to save it . refused Nehang Khan admis

he P sion to the fort , and fled further . rince

h a Danyal , owever , followed in his w ke with a large army and a powerful siege train

e specially equipp d , and manned by skilled

and daring miners from the North , and laid

the h h siege to fort , w ic was again bravely The S ixth S ieg e 69

- The E defended by the Queen R egent . mperor

Akbar had however set his mind on the reduction of the fort and proceeded to Bur b it anpur to direct . Operations were unceas ingly pressed forward . Mines were formed from the trenches of the prince , but the besieged broke into them and filled them . One mine was carried under the palace in the

The fort before being discovered . queen

The began to despair of success by arms . armies of Golconda a n d Bijapur dare not

assist her , and practically no troops were operating on her behalf outside the fort . After four months ’ gallant defence she came to the conclusion that she could no longer

hold the fort , and that it would be policy to surrender it on the condition that the Moghuls allowed her to move with the young king and

. s s the garrison to Junna . By thi mean she 70 Ta les of Ahmedn agar

hoped to maintain an independent kin gdom w A n . n even ithout hmed agar On heari g this , H m a id Khan , the commander of the fort ,

rushed into the streets crying Treason ' e l T tr ason , the queen wil betray us . he

D ekhanis , wrought to a high pitch of nervous

en 1 6 t sion by weeks of strain and anxiety,

an d forgetful of all their past debts to the

queen , rushed in a mob to her private H apartments , where amid Khan cut her T down with his drawn sword . hus ended

C n the life of ha d Bibi , in the palace where she

S he was born . was doubtless buried within

the fort , No tomb marks her grave , but she

still lives in the memory of the people , beloved

and honoured .

a'

T e h fort held out only four days longer .

On the fourth day several mines were h h sprun g . A uge crack began to s ow in one The S ixth S iege 7 1

The 1 80 bastion . besiegers placed mans of

gunpowder therein , and on it being exploded the bastion and many yards of the wall were

The thrown into the air . breach was stormed . F ift een hundred of the defenders were put

The u to the sword . g ns and ammunition captured were beyond compute and a

u e valuable booty , treas re and jew ls fell to T . he k the victors boy ing was taken prisoner , and the Moghuls reigned in Ahmednagar CHAPTE R 'VI

S V SI 'M S THE E ENTH EGE OGHU L , M AHRATTAS AND BRITISH .

Malik U mbar for some years endeavoured to maintain the claims of the Nizam S hah A Dynasty to the hmednagar Kingdom . Wise

and courageous , he to some extent succeeded . but on his death , in the absence of a strong

the champion or claimant , kingdom expired .

During the century that followed , the Mahratta Chieftains in outlying forts began to l grow strong and ho d . The E mperor Auran g A zebe moved his court to hmednagar, and

1 707 an d died there in , on his death the dissensions among his sons weakened the 1 7 1 6 Moghul power in the Deccan . In a bloody battle was fought near Ahmednagar

a d erav h hra t between Kh n Dab ade , a Ma t i The S even th S iege 73 l H Ali in eader , and usain , of the Moghuls , which the advantage lay with the Mahrattas , and the fall of the Moghul power was com pl eted in 1 748 when the fort and district

C l n - ul passed to the hin Ki ich Kha , Nizam 7 9 . 1 5 Mulk , Governor of Malwa In the fort was betrayed by a bribe of a large sum of

’ money by the Nizam s Commandant to the T Mahrattas . here was much fighting in the F E Deccan , in which rench and the ast India

0 0 9 C . 1 7 5 ompany tr ps participated In , for P services rendered , the eshwa ceded to his

D aul atrav S c in d ia A general , the fort of hmed 2 nagar and certain lands . In 1 80 the British entered into a treaty with the Peshwa for

1 3 in mutual defence . In 80 S c d ia commenced P to march against the eshwa , and on being cal led on to desist by General Well esley

(afterwards the Duke of Wellington) , he 74 Tal es of A hmed n agar

cynically advised the General to withdraw to

S e Madras, eringapatam , or Bombay . W llesley A however moved against hmednagar, and 7th A 1 803 on ugust , , attacked and took

e the town , which was held by a large numb r

o of tr ops, and then proceeded to invest the H fort . e seized a position to the east of the 400 wall , yards distant , and opened fire with

The fi re a battery of guns . was maintained f without pause , and with deadly e fect , andafter

’ two days battering , the commander of the fort offered to surrender the fort on condition

that the garrison should be allowed to depart

To with their private property . this General

n 1 2 th Wellesley agreed , and on the morni g of 1 803 August , , the garrison marched out and

General Wellesley took possession . On marching in he found the fort in excellent i repair , w th a vast amount of stores and

The gunpowder of good quality . interior

i Mill r S u erin te e t i is i ss Pr te b . r t h I a Pre n d y B e , p nd n , B nd , mb a an d P ubl ish b M ss s a Maz ao o e r . Tha k n d g n, B y , ed y c er Com an L imite om ba p y , d , B y .