Indian Antiquary Vol 51

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

Page 38

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
By this atrocious outrage the whole of the foreigners in Ahmadnagar were dispersed. Most of them took refuge with 'Ali 'Adil Shâh; some joined Sayyid Murtazâ, the amir-ulUmrd of Berar, while a few, who could neither fight nor flee, hid in lanes and byways.
After the event the king took up his residence in Sahib Khân's house and stayed there for a long while. As nobody was allowed access to him, men began to doubt whether he was still alive and to give utterance to vain imaginings, but Şâhib Khân who greatly feared the remnant of the foreigners, which had taken refuge with Sayyid Murtaza in Berar, and who found that the king's fondness for himself was greater than ever, endeavoured to obtain an order for a general massacre of them, in order that they might be entirely rooted out and that he might be relieved from anxiety regarding them. He told the king that blood lay between him and the foreigners and that they were planning vengeance against him, wherefore he went in great fear. He implored the king to order a general massacre of them in order that his heart might be set at rest, but the king revolted from an action so base, and endeavoured in other ways to set at rest Şâhib Khân's fears and to soothe him; but in spite of all these endeavours, Sâhib Khân's burning hatred of the foreigners would not be quenched, and one night in his rage he let himself down from the wall of his house and fled with a small number of his followers towards Bîjâpûr. As soon as the flight of this wicked wretch was made known to the king, who could not endure the absence of his beloved, he started in pursuit of him, by forced marches, came up with him near Parenda, and delighted him by promising to carry out his will, and, having thus rendered himself obedient to his desires, sojourned with him where he had found him.218
30
[ FEBRUARY, 1922
But Sahib Khan was not to be put off by fair words, and was ever insistent on the fulfilment of his object, which was the slaughter of Sayyid Murtazâ and all the foreigners. The king, in order once more to set this wretch's mind at rest, decreed that the army should march from Parenda to Bidar and should capture that fortress, in order that Şâhib Khân might be appointed to the government of Bidar with the title of Barid-ul-Mulk, and that as soon as Sayyid Murtazâ joined the royal army in its expedition against Bidar he might be overthrown. The foolish Sahib Khân was pacified by this means and the royal army marched from Parenda towards Bidar. When the army reached the Makûna tank and encamped there, Şâhib Khân exerted himself to the utmost to open the siege, and the royal army prepared to invest the fortress.219
When 'Alf 'Adil Shâh heard of the expedition of the army of Ahmadnagar against Bidar he sent the Rizavi Sayyid, Mir Muhammad Rizâ, as an envoy to Murtaza Nizâm Shâh in order that he might ascertain whether the latter had any grievance against 'Ali Adil Shah and might strive to remove it and to promote peace and goodwill between the two kingdoms. The Sayyid reached the royal camp on the banks of the Bidar tank, had an audience of the king, and acquitted himself of his mission. As long as 'Ali Adil Shâh lived, Mir Muhammad Rizâ remained at the court of Ahmadnagar as the Bijapur ambassador.
318 According to Firishta, Sahib Khan was disgraced by Salabat Khan and fled to Bidar with two or three thousand horse and many elephants. There is no mention of his having gone to ParendaF. ii, 276, 277.
319 On the arrival of Sahib Khan and Murtaza Nizam Shah before Bidar, 'All Barid Shah, here unceremoniously called Malik Barid, shut himself up in the fortress and appealed to 'Alf 'Adil Shah I for help. Ali Adil Shah sent him 1,000 horse on condition that he gave up to him two handsome eunuchs whom he possessed. The condition was fulfilled and one of the eunuchs slew All Adil Shah.F. ii, 88, 277, 348.