Indian Antiquary Vol 51

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

Page 77

APRIT, 1922)
THE HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAHE KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR
69
In a short time, however, the officers of the army found that they could not endure the domination of Kâmil Khân and allied themselves with Kishvar Khân in order to overthrow. him.234 They gucceeded in their design, and, having removed Kâmil Khân from the control of affairs, left the coast clear for Kishvar Khân who now assumed supreme power in the state. Kish var Khân was apprehensive of Sayyid Mustafa Khân, one of the greatest, wisest, and most politic and resourceful of the amirs of Hindústân, who was then engaged in a holy war against the infidels of Vijayanagar, and he therefore sent the Sayyid Mirza, Nûr-ud-dîn Muhammad Nishâbûrî, with some amirs, havaldars, and officers of the army with orders to seize and slay him. This infamous force slew Sayyid Mustafa Khân, who was, in truth, the chief pillar of the Bijapur state 236
When Murtaza Nizâm Shâh heard of the plight to which the kingdom of Bijapur was reduced, Owing to the quarrels between the amits, he ordered the vakils of his kingdom to send an envoy to Golconda to confirm and renew his treaties with Ibrahim Qutb Shah and to make an offensive and defensive alliance between the two states in order that Ibråhim Qutb Shâh might join him in attacking Bijâpûr.
SalAbat Khan and Asad Khân sent an envoy to Golconda to make the alliance and then jointly appointed Malik Bihzâd-ul-Mulk, the Turk 236, the sar-i-naubat of the right wing of the army, commander-in-chief of the army of invasion, associating with him & number of the most famous amirs, such as 'Adil Khân and niost of the silahdars, Foreigners, Da kanis, and Africans.
Malik Bihzâd-ul-Mulk, after he had assembled and equipped the army, marched with it towards Sholâpûr, and when the army, which was very numerous, entered the kingdom of Bijapur, the lot of the inhabitants of that state was indeed hard. The troops plundered and laid waste the country for a considerable distance on each side of the line of march, destroying many towns and villages, while the garrisons of the posts on the road and the civil governors scattered and fled on the approach of the royal army, some of them fleeing as far as the capital, where they spread the news of the invasion.
When Kighvar Khân heard of the approach of the army of Abmadnagar, he ordered the assembly of the army of Btjâpûr to the number of some 20,000 horse and sent some of the amirs, such as Afzal Khân, Mughul Khân, and Miyan Budh û with 10,000 horse, to the ageistance of the other army of Bijapur, ordering the officers first to effect a junction with the army which had been sent to the relief of Bidar, and, acting in conjunction with that army, to attempt to drive out the army of Ahmadnagar. 987
234 Kamil Khan's offence was that he treated Chand Bibi Sultan, sister of Murtaza Nizâm ShAh I. widow of 'All Adil Shah I, and guardian of the young king with disrespect; and it was at her request, that Haji Kishvar Khan removed and beheaded him-F. ii, 93, 94.
336 Kishyar Khan had enraged the officers serving in the field against the army of Ahmednagar by demanding from them all the elephants which they had captured. They conspired to depose him from the poet of all and plahud and to reinstate the Sayyid, Mustafa hân. Kishvar Khan forestalled their plans by causing Mustafa Khan to be put to death. He was strangled by a man named Muhamman Amin-F. ii, 98.
336 Firiahta says that Malik Bihzad-ul-Mulk was a Circassian. He was thus & follow-countryman of SalAbat Khan, and this will explain his advancement. The army of Borar under the veteran Sayyid Murtal Babzavar was ordered to accompany the army sent from Ahmednagar, and Sayyid Murtaza thus found himpell, to his dingust, subordinate to BihzAd-ul-Mulk, Whether this humiliation of Sayyid Murtaza was the cause or an effect of the bitter enmity between him and PalAbat Khan cannot be dotormined, but it is improbable that SalAbat Khan would have put this slight on Sayyid Murtaza unless they had already been on bed terms.-F. ii, 280.
337 According to Firishta, Muhammad Aqd the Turkman was in command of tho frontier fortrone of Naldrug or Shahdrug, and the force sent to his assistance was commanded by 'Ain-ul-Mulk Kan'Anl, with whom were associated Jund Mir, Ankas Khan, and the African amire Ikhla Khan and Dil@var Who F. ii, 04, 101, 281.