Indian Antiquary Vol 49

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

Page 78

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
| APRIL, 1920
Pali is a fortress situated on a high mountain peak rounded like a dome, extremely strong, and well-nigh impregnable. When the prince arrived before it, he ordered that a regular siege should be undertaken, and that the siege train should open fire upon it. The army set itself to obey these orders, and to capture the fort from its accursed and idolatrous defenders. The garrison defended the fort most strenuously, but to no avail, for weak gnats and ants, how numerous soever they may be, cannot resist the storm wind. At last victory declared for the Muslims; the vile misbelievers were overpowered, and this strong fortress fell into the hands of the prince. The troops proceeded to slay and plunder, granting no quarter, so that a large number of the unbelievers, young and old, were put to the sword, and rich spoil, elephants, horses, money, and goods, fell into the hands of the captors, and the smoke of annihilation rose from the dwellings of the idolaters and misbelievers. After thus wiping out the infidels, the prince appointed one of his trusty officers to the command of the fort of Påli, with instructions to repair its ramparts and bastions, and marched for Kot Danda Rajpuri, and encamped before the fort.
The fortress of Danda RÂjpuri17 is a fortress on the shores of the Indian Ocean, so stuated that the waters of the ocean come up on two sides of it, and it is approached on the third side by a road across the dry land, but athwart this road runs a deep and broad artificial ditch, connecting the two branches of the sea. The ramparts and bastions of the fort are of stone, and are very high. The garrison of that fort, a band of vile unbelievers, had the greatest confidence in its strength, and contumaciously banded themselves together to oppose the prince. But since the prince was under God's special protection, he was in no way perturbed by the thought of the strength of that fortress, and fearlessly ordered his valiant troops to attack it and send the contumacious miscreants to hell. The army attacked it with great valour, and a terrible fight was fought. The garrison of the fortress discovered that it was useless to attempt to contend with the prince's victorious army, and came forth and humbly submitted themselves to the prince, imploring mercy both for them. selves and their children. The prince, in his mercy, ordered the troops to spare the lives of the inhabitants of the fortress, but to plunder their property, in order that they might furnish an example to other contumacious wanderers from the right way, and that nobody might henceforth swerve from obedience, or incline towards disobedience. The army, in accordance with the prince's orders, sacked the place, taking possession of all that belonged to the unbelievers.
In short, in a brief space of time all the forts and districts of the Konkan, both above the Ghats and below the Ghats, were captured by the prince's army, and there remained nobody who had not submitted to the prince's authority, although the infidels had been many and had fought valiantly.
17 Danda and Rajpuri were two forta standing on either bank of the Rajpuri creek, on an island at tho entrance of which now stand the fort and village of Janjira, situated in 18° 18'N, and 73° E., fortyfour miles south of Bombay Island. Janjira is the capital of the State of the same name.