Indian Antiquary Vol 49

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 107

JUNA, 1990)
HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAH KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR
103
officers of their army who had stirred up strite against the prince, were caught in the clutches of fate and it was the good fortune of the prince that such a victory was gained by Jalal Rami Khan we will be the preface of all the noble geets and deeds of kings till the end of time.
Rami Khen, when the slaying was finished, took large qnantities of plunder, and took those eighteen persons who had been the chief amirs of the king's army, mounted on buffaloes, to the prince's camp."
When the news of the victory reached the prince, he first rendered thanks to God, and then, with the sound of trumpets and drum, gave the signal for rejoicing throughont his army. At this moment Rami Khán arrived at the prince's camp with the captive amire. Romi Khân made his obeisance to the prince and was loaded with favours and encouraged to expect great advancement. He received a royal robe of honour, and the king's amtrs also participated in the favours bestowed on him, for they received robes of honour and were given leave to depart for Bidar. By such landable actions the prinos captivated the hearts of these men, nay most of the amfrs of the king's army, and made all those who had been his enemies subservient to him, so that in a short time the greater number of the army which had opposed him, both Dakanis and Foreigners, submitted themselves to him and were enrolled among his servants.
The prince, after this famous victory, which was the dayspring of his fortune and the origin of royal reign and kingly power, returned in triumph to his capital and showered favours upon, and executed justice among the people of Junnar and the districta, until nobody was seen in his dominions with a torn collar, it we except the dawn with its collar torn by the torch, and no blood was seen on any, if we except the gloaming tinged by the reddy light of the lamp. X.-AN ACCOUNT OF AUMAD SHH'S ENTHRONEMENT ON THE THRONE OF SOVEREIGNTY,
.. HIS DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. It has already been mentioned that in the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah Bahmani the king's authority was much shaken, and most of the amirs, maliks, and officers, turning aside from the path of obedience and submission took the road to the desert of contumacy and rebellion. Among these was Majlis-i-Rafi' Malik Yasuf 'Adil Khan, who by the king's authority held the country of Bijapur and all its dependencies in jagir. He raised the stan
35 This account differs widely from Firishta's, who gives to Ahmad himsoll the credit of the victory As Jahangir Khan's forco advanced, Ahmad fled from Parenda to Paithan, whence ho psuccessfully aught aid from Fathullah 'Imad-ul-Mulk of Berar, As Jahangir Khan approached Paithan, Ahmad retired and occupied the hilly country of Jer, where he was joined by Napr-ul-Mulk Gujarati from Qadirabad. Jahangir Khan marched to Nikapar and cut oft Ahmad's retreat to Jannar. The two armies lay within aix leagues of each other for nearly a month and as the rainy season had begun Akmad's troops waffered severely. But the mers of the royal army, believing that Ahmad could not cacape, neglected all military precautions and gave themselves up to foasting and drinking. Ahmad marshed by night to Nikapor, arrived there early on the moming of June 19, 1490, and fell on the royal army while most of thein were still in a drunken sleep. Nearly the whole of the army was slain, including the amte Jahangir Khan, Sayyid Imag, Sayyid Lagfullah, Nigam Khan, and Fatbullah Khan. The other camera were captured and Ahmad, after stripping them down to the knees and parading them round bin camp on buffaloes, sent thom back to Bidar. The battle was known as “the battle of the garden," from garden which Ahmad laid out on its site. This battle established Ahmad's independence.