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JULY, 1921]
HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAH KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR
200
LXXV.-AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE ROYAL ARMY AGAINST THE FORTRESS
OF DHARUR AND OF THE DEATH OF KISHVAR KHIN. A. D. 1569–70. After Murtaza Nizam Shah had imprisoned Khûnzah Humayun and sent her to Shivner and had removed from their places some of those amirs who owed their elevation to her, such as Táj, Khân and 'Ain-ul-Mulk, news was brought to him that Kishvar Khân had built an exceedingly strong fortress in Dhårûr and had ravaged and laid waste all the surrounding country, and had also captured from the royal officers the fortress of Kondhana 171 and was about to maroh still further into the Ahmadnagar dominions, of which Dhârûr was the frontier post. Now that the king was freed from all anxiety in the matter of Khünzah Humâyân, he resolved to march with a strong army against Dhårûr. When Kishvar Khân heard of the intention of the king, he insolently wrote a letter to him saying that he had intentionally left Daulatábed to him, and that he had better retire thither and busy himself with the administration of the country dependent on that fortress, for that if he did not follow this advice he would only have himself to thank for what might follow 173
When the king became aware of the contents of this impudent letter, his wrath and jealoney of kingship were inflamed, and, although his army bad not yet joined him and the troops with him numbered no more than 6,000 horse, he regardless of the strength of the 'Adil Shahi army, which numbered more than 30,000 horse, mounted his horse after the evening prayers and pressed on with his small force in advance of his army. His officers, who were with him, endeavoured by various devices to detain him and to prevent him from pushing on; but he would not heed them, and pressed on with great speed by a little known road.
In the morning he reached Dhårür and besieged Kishvar Khân. Just then Shamshirul-Mulk, son of Tufal Khân, the ruler of Berar, joined the king with a thousand horse, 173 and as the amirs of Ahmadnagar had not yet come up, the accession of this force.greatly encouraged the troops and officers with the king. Murtaza Nizam Shah, without paying any heed to the artillery and musketry fire from the fortress, at once attacked it. Kishvar Khân was altogether unprepared for the arrival of Murtaza Nigam Shah, and for his attack on the fortress, and many of the defending force were slain.
Hindiya, one of the 'Adil Shâhî officers, urged Kishvar Khân to mount his horse and escape from the fortress. But since the evil star of Kishvar Khân Lâri prompted him to oppose the king, he declined to listen to Hindi ya's advice and took the field. In tha first charge the troops of Ahmadnagar made a breach in the defences of Dharâr and utterly defeated Kishvar Khan's army, slaying many of thom. When Kishvar Khan saw that his men were defeat. ed and that the troops of Ahmadnagar were pressing on, he took refuge in a bastion stronger and less accessible than the rest, and kept those who were attacking him at hay with his bow and arrow. Changiz Khâa, however, shot Kishvar Khân through the navel with an arrow, and for ever put an end to his boasting. The royal troops then resched him and brought him before Murtaza Nizam Shah, and he was just breathing his last when he was thus brought : 171 Kondhana, properly Khondhana, was too distant from Dharûr to have been captured by Kiskavar Khan. According to Firishta (ii, 264), it was captured by another force from Bijapur. Dharur is about twenty-seven miles south-east of Bir.
173 Firishta (ii, 268) mentions this insolent letter, but does not give its contents.
173 Firishta does not mention the assistance received trom Berar, and it is highly improbable that any was sent. Relations between Aḥmadnagar and Berar oontinued to be most strained, from the time of the murder of Jahangir Khan (see note 141) and Tufal Khan's subsequent refusal to join the Muhammadan alliance against Vijayanagar, until the expedition of 1672–1674 in which Berar was quinoxed to Ahmadnagar. Sayyid 'Ali's objeot seems to be to suggest that Tufal Khan was one of Murtaza Nigim Shah's amira.
