1879.] W. Irvine — The Bangash Nawals of FarruhTidhdd. 79 



Rajah Pirthipat, marching from Partabgarh, brought his army to the edge 

 of the Ganges, where he encamped. On the Nawab's arrival he crossed the 

 river and paid him a visit, when he was presented with a khila't and at his 

 own request he was posted to the vanguard. 



Reaching Allahabad the Nawab appears to have crossed over to Jhusi 

 on the other or left bank of the Ganges, where he planted his guns on the 

 high ground known as the fort of Rajah Harbong.* The whole of Allaha- 

 bad from Khuldabad up to the fort was burnt down and plundered, and 

 four thousand women and children were made prisoners. Nothing was 

 spared but the abode of Shekh Muhammad Afzal Allahabadi and the quar- 

 ter of Daryabad which was entirely occupied by Pathans.f 



The defence of the fort on the part of the Wazir was conducted by 

 Baka-ullah Khan and 'Ali Kuli Khan, Zarji. By chance one Indargir 

 SunyasiJ had come there on a pilgrimage with five thousand naked fight- 

 ing fakirs, who lay between the old city and the fort. These took the side 

 of the Wazir's people. Baka-ullah Khan, who was an able man and 

 experienced in war, threw a bridge over the river between the Beni (pro- 

 perly Tribeni) gate of the fort and the town of Arail, which is on the right 

 bank of the Ganges just below its junction with the Jumna. He left his 

 camp standing in that town, while morning and evening he marched his 

 troops to and from the fort. All day an artillery fire was kept up from the 

 walls upon the troops of Nawab Ahmad Khan. On his side the leaders, 

 Rajah Pirthipat and others, made every effort to carry the fort but with- 

 out success. 



At this time Rajah Balwant Singh, who had been directed to appear 

 in person, arrived at Jhusi. § He was introduced through the Nawab's son 



* Elliot's Supplemental Glossary, p. 466, "Harbong ka, raj." 



t Knizana 'Amira, p. 83. 



% Rajah Indar Gir was a Sunyasi from Jhansi in Bundelkhand. He had seized 

 parganah Moth (in the Jhansi district) in 1745, and building a fort there soon acquired 

 possession of 114 villages. About 1749-50 he was ejected from Moth by a force under 

 Naru Shankar, the Mahratta Subah, and he then found his way to Allahabad. 

 (Jenkinson's Jhansi Report, pp. 172 and 173). After the raising of this siege, he 

 was introduced to the "Wazir by Baka-ullah Khan, and accepted service on two 

 conditions (1) that he might beat his kettle-drums when in the Wazir's retinue, 

 (2) that in audience he should not be obliged to put his hand to his head. He took 

 part in the Rohilkhand campaign and was killed in Rajab 1165 H. (4th May 1752 — 2nd 

 June 1752), in the fighting between Safdar Jang and 'Amad-ul-Mulk. The " Life of 

 Hafiz Rahmat Khan," p. 49, says Najib Khan killed him with his own hand. In the 

 year 1762 we shall come across his chelas and successors, Aniip Gir Himmat Bahadur 

 and his brother TTmrao Gir. 



§ At Jhusi is the tomb of Shah Muhammad Taki, a descendant of Hazrat Ghaus- 

 ul-islam, Miran Hamid-ud-din, Muhammad Ghaus, Gwaliyari. 



