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HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHABI KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR
'Imâd-ul-Mulk then sent a message to Manjan Khan, saying that he had, by the exercise of no little ingenuity, succeeded in persuading the Gujaratis to abandon the siege, and urging Manjan Khân to sally from the fortress as they departed, attack the rearguard, and plunder the baggage, in order that Sultan Bahadur might be convinced of the bravery of the Dakanis and might abandon the attempt to conquer the Dakan. 'Imâd-ul-Mulk also sent a message to Burhân Nizam Shah saying that love and friendship had always existed between them and that he was at one with Burhân Nizam Shah in the endeavour to drive the strangers forth from the Dakan, the rulers of which were, in fact, all of one family. He advised Burhan Nizam Shah to march, together with Malik Barid, towards the Gujarâtis and to attack them, and promised that he could draw his army off from Sultan Bahadur's and attack the enemy in flank when the battle was at its height, so that the strangers would be overpowered.
OCT., 1920]
179
When Sultan Buhâdur marched from under the walls of Daulatabåd, Manjan Khan, with a force from the fortress, fell upon the Gujarâtis and put very many of them to the sword; and this daring act created a great impression on Sultan Bahadur and his army.
When the news of Sultan Bahâdur's march reached Burhân Nizam Shah, who was already apprized, by the letter which he had received and by the news of what had taken place at Daulatâbâd, of 'Ala-ud-din 'Imâd Shah's change of sides, he summoned Malik Barid and all the amfrs and the officers of his army, and ordered them to assemble their troops. A very large army assembled, and the king marched with it to attack the army of the enemy. Burhân Nigam Shah placed Malik Barîd in command of the advanced guard and followed him with the main body of the army.
The armies met in the neighbourhood of Bir, and Malik Barid, with the advanced guard, fell at once on the Gujar&tis, and a fierce battle began to rage. Malik Barid drove the advanced guard of the Gujaratis back on their main body; and when he found that the main body under Burhân Nizam Shah had not arrived, he fell back and joined it, and the whole army then marched against Sultan Bahadur's army.
A fresh battle now began. Some divisions of the army of Gujarât, which had advanced beyond the rest, could not withstand the attack of the Dakanîs and fled crabwise from the field, escaping sideways. One half of the Gujarâtis was thus put to flight, and of the Dakanis, 'Alam Khân the elder, tasted martyrdom on this day. The battle continued until darkness put a stop to the fighting and the two armies retired to their camps.71
It now began to dawn upon Sultan Bahadur that 'Alâ-ud-dîn 'Imâd Shah, who had constantly incited him to attempt the conquest of the Dakan by representing that the army of the Dakan was contemptible and of no account, had played him false, for he had seen what havoc the headlong valour of Malik Barid and his small force had wrought among the brave amire of Gujarât and he bethought himself that if Malik Barîd alone could show such bravery, the whole army of the Dakan under Burhân Nizam Shah would not be easily dealt with. He began, therefore, to repent of his expedition to the Dakan and thought of laying hands on 'Imâd-ul-Mulk, but 'Imâd-ul-Mulk had anticipated this intention and had withdrawn himself and his army to the distance of one stage from Sultan Bahâdur's camp. He sent a message to Sultan Bahadur, reminding him that he had formerly told him
71 This is evidently a garbled account of the battle fought in the neighbourhood of Daulatabad, in which Burhan and Amir 'All Barid were driven back into the hills. Alam Khan the elder, who was killed, was probably Aḥmad Nisam Shah's former candidate for the throne of Khandesh.
