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198
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JUNE, 1921
of Ahmadnagar and Dilâvar Khân with a corps from the army of Bijâpûr were sent forward into Berar as an advanced guard, and took possession of some of the districts and villages of that country after many conflicts with Tufâl Khân's troops, while the armies of Ahmadnagar and Bîjâpûr under Murtaza Nizâm Shâh and 'Ali Adil Shâh, followed them.
When Tufâl Khân became aware that the army of Ahmadnagar (and the army of Bîjâpûr) had invaded his territories, he realized that he could not meet them in the field and, with the remnant of his own wretched followers, took refuge in the fort of Gâwil, which was one of the strongest fortresses in Berar. The armies of Ahmadnagar surrounded the fortress and laid siege to it, but 'Alî 'Adil Shâh, ignoring his treaty with Murtaza Nizâm Shah, and breaking his pact with him, thereby disgracing himself, entered into secret negotiations with Tufâl Khân, from whom he received 100,000 hûns and 50 elephants as the price of a breach with Murtaza Nizam Shah.
'Alî 'Adil Shah, having been thus bribed, proposed that the suppression of Tufâl Khân should be postponed, and that the allies should first attack Ibrâhîm Qutb Shah and should afterwards devote their attention to Tufâl Khân. The amirs of Ahmadnagar were not aware of 'Alî 'Adil Shah's duplicity and, as his proposal appeared to them to be sound policy, they abandoned the siege of Gâwil and, with 'Alî 'Adil Shâh, retreated one day's march; and of the amire of Ahmadnagar, Ikhlas Khân, 'Azîz-ul-Mulk, and 'Ain-ul-Mulk were appointed to command the troops to be dispatched against the kingdom of Ibrâhîm Qutb Shah. It so happened, however, that some of the Bargîs and other officers of the army of Bijapûr attacked the baggage of the army of Ahmadnagar, and fighting ensued between them and the troops of Mansûr Khân, one of the chief amirs of Ahmadnagar who was on baggage guard that day. Mansûr Khân was slain in the fight and there was much slaughter on both sides. When Khunzah Humâyûn learnt of the aggression of the Bijâpûrîs and of Mansur Khân's death, her wrath knew no bounds and she determined to attack the enemy who had appeared in the garb of a friend. Miyân Manjhû and other officers of Ahmadnagar set themselves to allay the strife, which could not but result in the wasting of the kingdom of Ahmadnagar, and it was at last Bettled that 'Ali 'Adil Shâh should first retreat and march for his own country and that the royal army should then return to Ahmadnagar. Thus strife between the armies was allayed, the further outpouring of the blood of Muslims was prevented, and the two armies returned, each to its own country,163
After these occurrences, the treaties of peace and alliance between Murtaza Nizâm Shah and Tufâl Khân were renewed and confirmed, and the two rulers marched against 'Ali 'Adil Shâh; but he, not venturing to encounter the two armies, retreated before them, and the army of Aḥmadnagar again marched to Bîjâpûr. One day, as Maulânâ 'Inayatullah, who was now vakil and pishvd, Farhad Khân, Kamil Khân, Ghâlib Khân and other officers of the army were going about the fortress of Bijapur to view it, the garrison left by 'Ali 'Adil Shah to defend the fortress suddenly attacked them, and a desperate battle ensued, in which very many of the army of Aḥmadnagar were slain, many elephants were captured and the army of Ahmadnagar was defeated and dispersed. When the remnant of the defeated army reached its camp, Khûnzah Humayun retreated to Ahmadnagar. 164
(To be continued.)
163 Firishta says nothing about any active hostilities between the armies of Bijapur and Ahmadnagar, though relations must have been strained. Tufal Khan was the enemy of Aḥmadnagar rather than of Bijapur, and Firishta admits that he bribed 'Ali Adil Shah with large presents to make peace, but adds that the two armies retired from Berar together and apparently without any open rupture. The approach of the rainy season, when campaigning on the heavy black soil of the Dakan was almost impossible, was usually regarded as a sufficient excuse for the cessation of hostilities.-F. ii. 78, 254.
104 Firishta does not mention this expedition to Bîjâpûr, but says that is A.H. 975 (A.D. 1567-68) Muḥammad Kishvar Than of Bijapur captured some of the frontier districts and fortresses of the Ahmadnagar kingdom.-F. ii. 78, 254. It is extremely improbable that Tufal Khan should have allied himself with Ahmadnagar against Bijapur.
