point of the sword. He then mounted some of his own guns there, and began to bombard the enemy's lines. By the 27th of the month the enemy began to lose courage, and retreated further back, entrenching themselves on the back of the river that flowed by the foot of the fort. The road from Daud Khan's encampment to this entrenchment lay through thick forest. Two or three days were spent in having the jungle cleared. On the 1st of Jamadi-ul-Awwal, when the road became passable for troops, Daud advanced and attacked the enemy's entrenchments. He deputed Shaikh Tatar and Shaikh Ahmad, his two nephews, with his own contingent, together with some of the Imperial Mansabdars and the son of Raja Bihroz with his own followers and a detachment of Mirza Khan's troops, on the left wing to make an assault through the bill passes. Shaikh Safi, with another detachment, was posted on the right wing, and he himself with Mirza Khan, Tahawwur Khan, Raja Bihroz, Abu Muslim, Saiyid Nijabat and a number of Mansabdars took post in the centre. In this way the (nemy were attacked from three sides. The fight lasted for about 6 hours. Many gallant deeds were performed by Daud's troops. Ultimately they won the day, the enemy suffering heavy casualties in both killed and wounded. The greater number took to the hills and forests, the remainder fleeing for refuge to the fort. Daud Khan had originally intended first to occupy the enemy's entrenchments and then consolidate the position won, and afterwards seize the fort before the enemy had time to recover from the blow inflicted on them; but the troops were in such high spirits, and so flushed with victory that they could not be restrained from pressing on to the fortifications of the town. Wading through the river they hurled a series of attacks upon the ramparts. The enemy were thrown into confusion and defeated, and with difficulty managed to escape to the lower fort and the hill entrenchments. The Raja emptied the fort of all stores and valuables, and hurriedly sent away all his wonen and children into the jungle; while believing in the impregnability of the position, he himself stood his ground with a band of followers. He fought with dogged courage and resolution. The invaders,

however, broke through the outer fortifications and, entering the town, reached the gate of the fort and stormed it. The fight raged furiously till three hours of night had passed, when the besieged began to give way. About 1-30 A. M. the chieftain escaped through a gate leading into the jungle, and fled. Both the forts were thus captured by the invading army and the whole country brought under subjugation. In this fight 61 men of the invading force were killed, and 177 wounded. The casualties on the other side were very heavy. After a few days the scouts brought in news that the emeny had collected again and entered the Deokan fort, and were trying to fit out a new force to give battle again. Daud deputed Shaikh Safi with a detachment of troops to crush them. The latter pushed on with all speed towards Deokan and besieged the fort, when the emeny abandoned it in a panic and fled precipitately.

Daud Khan stayed in Palamau for some time to make the necessary arrangements for the government of the country. Having got things into order, he handed over charge to a Mangli Khan, who was appointed by order of the Emperor to be Faujdar of the new territory. After this he returned to his own province of Bihar. (1) Daud Khan was rewarded by the Emperor for his achievements with a special robe of honour, and on a later occasion, for the same services, was raised to the position of Commander of 4,000 horse.

On his way back to Patna, Daud Khan is said to have selected a site near the old village of Anchha on the bank of the Sone river in the Gaya district, to establish a post with a view to protecting the road from robbers who infested the jungle in that vicinity. (2) He had the jungle cut down, and submitted a plan

(1) According to the Tarikh-i-Daudia, a mosque still stands in the old fort of Palamau as a souvenir of Daud's conquest. The following couplet, which is found on one of the walls of this mosque, gives the date of its crection as 1072, A.H. (by the rules of Abjad) :·

:-

Kufr-i-derin bud Pālāmūn az nabard Haliyā aūd Khan Islām Kard.

(2) The insecurity of the jungle round about Anchha and Bhadohi was then proverbial. This fact is borne out by a local saying of the time, which is quoted in the Tarikh-i-Daudia, and which runs thus: Anchhà lãnghe aur Bhadohi tab jino ghar ae batohi, i.c, only after he has passed Anchha and Bhadohi, you can be certain of the wayfarer reaching home.

to the Emperor for the construction of the town called after him Daudnagar. (1) He also left a garrison of troops at the Kothi fort which in after years became a considerable village The Pathans of the place still trace their descent from the Afghan soldiers of Daud Khan (Asar-i Sharaf, p. 90).

Unfortunately no record has been found of any change or improvement in the administration of the province introduced by Daud Khan. A tablet has been preserved on a building in the Khwaja Kalan Thana of the Patna City, which points to the erection of a judicial court building, called 'Dar-ul-Adl', by one of his officers, Jafar, in 1072 A.H. It is possible that he may have had other similar buildings erected under his orders at other important places in the province. He continued in his office at Patna till some months (2) in the year 1074 A. H., when he was succeeded by Lashkar Khan.

In Jamadi-us-Sani, 1074 A. H., (3) when he was serving as an auxiliary with Raja Jai Singh, he was appointed Subadar of Khandesh, and was ordered to proceed with an expedition under the Raja against Sivaji Bhonsla, and to leave one of his relatives with a contingent of troops at Burhanpur, the capital of Khandesh, for the management and administration of the province.

It will contribute to the better understanding of the narrative of Daud Khan's services in the expedition against Sivaji if we take a bird's-eye view of the Deccan as it was in those days. Of the Deccan generally it is sufficient to say that from the time when Shah Jahan subjugated the territory governed by Nizam-ul-Mulk, authority there had been relaxing to an extent which was rapidly bringing about disruption of the bonds. that held society together. The struggles between the sons of Shah Jahan, and the accession to the throne of Bijapur of a minor named Sikandar Ali Adil Shah completed the confusion. Anarchy was almost universal. Might was right. The people had everywhere abundant reason to realise the truth (') Alamgirnama, pp. 856 and 877.

(3) Maäsir-i-Alamgiri, p. 49; Khafi Khan, p. 178 and Alamgirnama, p. 873, (3) Tarikh-i-Daudi ▲,

of the Indian proverb "The buffalo is to the man who holds the bludgeon." Sivaji, an adventurer, had by his sheer daring and clever machinations climbed to the highest pinnacle of power in that part of the country. He had won over the corrupt servants of Bijapur, who connived at his misdeeds and depredations, and had gained the upper hand over all that part of the peninsula. He had acquired great influence, and had amassed vast wealth by plundering neighbouring jagirdars. Emboldened by his success, and trusting to the strong force he had raised, he began to openly defy not only the Bijapur Government, but the Imperial Government also. He made Rajgarh fort and Chakna his strongholds, and erected other forts elsewhere. By and by he possessed some 40 forts.

Afzal Khan, one of his generals, was deputed by Sikandar Ali Adil Shah to chastise Sivaji, but he was treacherously assassinated by the latter in a meeting very cunningly planned. Since then he had become supreme in the Deccan, and was causing the Imperial Government severe loss. Aurangzeb was at length compelled to despatch an expedition against him. The Emperor appointed Raja Jai Singh to command the expedition, and associated Daud Khan and others with him.

Daud, on his arrival at the scene of operations of the expeditionary force, was charged with the duty of arranging for the safe passage of the whole army across a plateau. In this he acquitted himself with great credit, and proved his foresight and power of organization. After this he pushed on with all speed and joined the main body of the army. He took an active part in the storming and capture of Purandhar and Rudarmal forts. After the taking of these forts he was sent with others

Sivaji, and raid

to advance from two sides into the territory of it. With Raja Jai Singh he penetrated to the region of Rohira and the submontane tra ts near the fort of Rajgarh on the 21st Shawal, 1076 A. H. About 50 villages belonging to the enemy were burnt down, and 4 villages situated below the hill were raided. Three days later he reached the foot of the fort, but as the country was a mass of hills and ravines, he encamped for the

night on the high land of 'Khunjan-Keora', and left next day for Sivapur, whence he proceeded towards Kandana fort and raided its environs. On the 29th Shawal he effected a junction with the army under the command of Qutb-ud-din Khan. The combined force then marched on towards Lohgarh fort. A battle was fought outside the fort with the enemy, who sustained a severe defeat and fled, taking refuge within the fort. The villages of the vicinity were burnt and raided, a base being establishied here for the time being, whence raids into the surrounding country were carried on. Shortly afterwards the Rajgarh fort, which Raja Jai Singh had laid siege to in person, fell, and Sivaji surrendered on the terms dictated by the Raja. Throughout these operations Daud Khan is said to have shown great courage and power of organization. The first expedition against Sivaji thus ended successfully. Daud Khan, along with others, was rewarded by the Emperor for his services, and was raised (1) to the rank of Panj-hazari-char-hazar sawar, 2,000 of the horse to bo do-aspa and seh-aspa.

Though the object of the expedition had been achieved, still Daud Khan was left in the Deccan with Raja Jai Singh. He was, however, in 1077 A. H. summoned (2) to the Imperial Court for a short time in order to accompany His Imperial Majesty on an expedition he proposed to make to Persia. When the idea of this expedition was given up, Daud was sent back to the Deccan to co-operate with Raja Jai Singh in punishing Adil Khan of Bijapur, who had of late shown dilatoriness (3) in paying tribute.

The army commanded by Raja Jai Singh arrived within 14 miles of Paltun Fort in the Bijapur territory on the 7th Jamadi-us-Sani, 1076 A.H. The enemy thereupon evacuated the fort without offering any resistance. The expeditionary force now penetrated into the enemy's territory, and spread in different directions. Much fighting ensued, and fort after fort (1) Alamgirnama, p. 917.

(*) Alamgirnama, pp. 975, 986.

(2) Alamgirnama, p. 988 and Maasir-i-Alamgiri, p. 51.