Nawab Ibrahim Khān on being invested with the Khīllat of the Nizāmat of the Ṣubah of Bengal, arrived at Jahangirnagar (Dacca) and devoted himself to administrative affairs. He unfurled to the oppressed the gates of justice and clemency, and did not allow an ant to be oppressed. As Emperor Aurangzeb was engrossed in fighting for twelve years in the Dakhin with Abul Hasan* alias Tana Shāh, the Ruler of that Province, and with Sīva and Sambha* Mahrattas, rebellious zamindars of Sattara, &c., disturbances* broke out in several parts of the Empire owing to the Emperor’s protracted absence from his capital. In the Ṣubah of Bengal, in the district of Bardwān, Subha Singh, zamindar of Chitwah* and Bardah, revolted, whilst Raḥim Khān the cut-nosed, who was leader of the Afghāns, joined the former with a contingent of Afghāns. Kishan Ram, zamindar of Bardwan,* who smarted under the former’s oppressions advanced with his force to encounter him, and was killed. And the latter’s wives and children, together with all his effects and treasures, were captured, and his son, Jagat Rai, taking to his heels, fled to Jahāngirnagar (Dacca), which was the Viceregal capital of Bengal. On hearing of this, Nuru-l-lāh Khān,* Faujdār* of the Chaklāh of Jasar (Jessore), Hugli, Bardwān, and Mednipur, who was very opulent and had commercial business, and who also held the dignity of a Sehhazāri, marched out from Jasar* in order to chastise and subdue the rebels. From the din of the enemy’s march, considering himself unable to stand the onset, he retired to the fort of Hugli, and sought for help from the Christian Dutch of Chuchrāh (Chinsurah). The enemy, on getting news of Nurullah’s cowardice, promptly set to besiege the fort, and after skirmishes reduced the garrison to straits. And that coward, acting on Shaikh S‘adi’s couplet:

throwing away his treasures and effects, considered it lucky to save his own life. With a nose and two ears, clad in a rag, he came out of the fort; and the fort of Hugli, together with all his effects and property fell into the enemy’s hands. From the occurrence of this disaster there was a universal commotion. The leading gentry and nobility of the town and suburbs, and the merchants and residents of the environs, together with their effects, took refuge in Chuchrāh (Chinsurah), which was a place of security. The Dutch leaders sailed up to the foot of the fort with two ships loaded with soldiers and armaments, and by a shower of cannon-balls, they battered the buildings of the fort, and flooded the harvest of numerous lives with the torrent of destruction. Subha Singh, not arranging terms of peace, fled to Satgaon, close to Hugli, and there, too, not finding it practicable to tarry, retired to Bardwan, and under the lead of Raḥim Khān marched thence with his rabble towards Nadia and Murshidabād, which was then called Makhsusabad. Amongst the women and children of the slain Kishan Ram that were captives in the oppressive grip of Subhā Singh, the former’s daughter was adorned with the ornaments of beauty and elegance and of chastity and modesty. That wretch of a villain (Ṣubha Singh) plotted to stain the hem of the maiden’s chastity with the filth of defilement. As fate would have it, that dog of a night wanted to pounce on that maiden,* and through seduction of Satan, it stretched out its hand towards her. That lion-like maiden with the swiftness of the wink of blood-shedding eyes, by means of a sharp knife which she secreted with herself for such an occasion, cut him up from below the navel to the belly, and with the same sharp knife cut asunder the thread of her own life. When this world-con­suming fire was extinguished, another arose in the person of that villain’s brother, by the name of Himat Singh. The latter also resolved to set the world on fire, and attempted to plunder and pillage the Imperial domains. And Raḥim Khān, owing to the strength of his rabble and clan, styled himself Raḥim Shāh. Placing crookedly on the head of pride the cap of vanity, and collecting a large number of low and ignorant badmashes, he redoubled the flame of insurrection,* so that from Bardwan to Akbarnagar (Rajmahal) on the west of the Ganges, half the Province of Bengal was harried by him. And whoever amongst the Imperial adherents refused to submit to him was punished and tortured. Amongst them, in the environs of Murshidabad, there lived an Imperial officer, named Neamat Khan, with his family and dependants. When he refused to join Raḥim Shāh the latter, thirsty for his blood, ordered his head to be brought. Seeing the measure of his life full to the brim, Neamat Khan prepared to drink out of the cup of martyr­dom, and advanced to the field. Tauhar Khān, his nephew, who was as brave as his name implied, spurring on his charger, made a brave onset. At length the forces of the enemy hemmed him in, and from every side attacked him, so that he drank the syrup of martyrdom, and his comrades, one after another, were levelled round him on the bed of annihilation. Neamat Khān, on see­ing this, without cuirass and armour, tying a sword to his unlined garment, mounted a swift charger, cut through the right and left wings of the enemy’s force, and, dashing up to the centre, inflicted a cut on the head of Raḥim Shāh. As fate would have it, Neamat’s sword striking against the latter’s helmet broke. From ferocity of disappointed rage, putting his grip on Raḥim’s face and seizing his waist with the hand, by sheer strength, Neamat dismounted Raḥim from his horse and threw him on the ground. With great agility then springing from his own horse, Neamat sat on the top of Raḥim’s chest, and drawing a dagger from his waist struck him on the throat. Accidentally, the dagger got entwined in the link of the cuirass of Raḥim and did not penetrate through to his throat. Meanwhile, the adherents of Rahim Shāh coming up wounded Neamat Khān, by inflicting cuts on him with swords and spears, so that he was disabled, and dragging him down from his saddle, they threw him down on the ground. Raḥim Shāh, recovering life in a way a second time, remained unhurt and unscathed. And they carried Neamat Khan to a tent, with his flickering life, in a state of fainting. From excessive thirst, he opened his eyes to signal for water. When the men of Raḥim Shāh brought a cup of water, his feel­ings revolted against his drinking it out of their hands, and thus with a parched lip he quaffed the goblet of martyrdom. The zamindars of the environs and the news-messengers, in succession, carried this woful news to Nawab Ibrahim Khān, to Jahangir­nagar (Dacca). The Nawab, to whom the following couplet is applicable:—

owing to pusillanimity, said: “War causes the spilling of blood of God’s creatures; what necessity is there that the blood of people on both sides should be shed?” And when from messages and news-letters, the gist of this disaster reached the Emperor in the Dakhin, an Imperial order was despatched to Zabardast Khān, son of Ibrahim Khān, conferring on him the office of Faujdar* of the chaklahas of Bardwan, Mednipur, etc., insisting on the chastisement of the miscreant enemy, and directing the Nazims and Faujdars of the Ṣubahs of Oudh and Allahabad and Behar, that, wherever they might get trace of the enemy, they should capture him with his women and children. It was also proclaimed that whoever would desert the enemy should be granted security of life, and whoever would join the enemy and thereby draw the paint of infamy on the face, should have his family extirpated. And so it came to pass. Shortly after, the Ṣubahdarī of Bengal and Behar was conferred on Prince ‘Azīmu-sh-shan, who was ordered to proceed to Bengal with a number of the Imperial officers.* The noble Khān, named Zabardast Khān, on the very receipt of the Imperial order, fitting out a fleet of war-vessels armed with artillery, sailed up from Jahangīrnagar (Dacca) with a numerous force, and spurred on the charger of war. Raḥim Shāh, on hear­ing news of the approach of the Imperial army of vengeance, swiftly marched to the banks of the Ganges, with a large army, consisting of infantry and cavalry. Zabardast Khān, mooring his war-vessels alongside the river-bank, quickly entrenched himself in front of the enemy’s force, arrayed his troops for battle, and placed in front of the entrenchment of those Gog-like people the projecting parts of waggons, in the shape of Alexander’s wall. On the next day, advancing from his entrenchment, he arrayed his troops, posting armed heroes and warriors in the right and left wings, in the centre, in the van, and in the rear. Placing the artillery in front, he advanced like the wave of the sea, and struck the kettledrum of war. When the din of call to battle resounded in the ear of Raḥim Shāh, the latter became perturbed, but moved with his intrepid Afghan soldiers to encounter the Imperialists. From the side of the Imperialists, Zabardast Khān ordered the artillery to be brought into action, and directed the discharge of muskets and war-rockets. The gunners and musketeers and rocketeers did not slacken their fire, whilst gallant combatants charged with their swords, and worked havoc in the enemy’s ranks.

After terrible carnage, the cowardly Afghans took to their heels and Raḥim Shāh retreated from the field. Zabardast Khān, who was strong and agile, became triumphant, and striking blows after blows, drove the Afghans like cattle to their tents. For three full hours the fire of warfare continued to blaze. Towards sun-down, owing to the excessive sultriness of the wind, and owing to terrible exertion and fatigue, the cavalry had to give up the chase. So the victors withdrew their hands from the work of blazing the fire of warfare and encamped on the battle-field, and set about washing, and burying the dead, and nursing and dressing the wounded. They passed the night in alertness and watchfulness, posting advance-guards and night-patrols. Next morning when the King of the East,* riding on a blue charger* and suspending the dagger of rays, advanced on the plain of the celestial sphere, the darkness of the hosts of night and the troops of stars became effaced, nay extinguished, by its one onset; and again triumphantly seeking vengeance, the victors set about setting their forces in battle-array. On the approach of the two armies, they charged with their spears, swords, and daggers. The Imperialists tying the girdle of devotion and self-sacrifice to the waist of their lives, engaged in killing the insurgents, and piled up a heap from the slain. And after two hours’ fighting the Afghan force was once again shattered. Raḥim Shah, stooping to the disgrace of flight, fled, and in a hapless state took the route to Murshidabad. Zabardast Khan to a distance of one farsakh rode forward, beat and chased the enemy, captured and slew a large number of the rebels, and capturing their treasures, effects, armaments and horses, triumphantly returned to his own camp. He then made a gift of the booty to the soldiers, according to their rank, and did not spare himself in winning their hearts. For three days he halted there, and looked after the nursing of the wounded. For the pur­pose of effectually blockading the passages, and cuting off the enemy’s supplies he despatched stringent orders to the zamindars and watchmen of passages. He sent the wounded soldiers, together with the more precious goods and spoils, to Jahāngīrnagar (Dacca), and detailed scouts in all directions for ascertaining the where­abouts of those who had fled. Raḥim Shāh, in a hapless condition and in an anxious mood, reached Murshidabad, and there exerted himself diligently to mobilise troops. Rallying round some of his vanquished rabble, who were in a state of disorder, and also others who were in straits and without armour and helmets, he opened out his treasures and chests, and by distributing horses and arms and by lavishing money, he quickly mobilised an army, and once again prepared for battle. Zabardast Khān,* on the fourth day, striking the kettledrum of march from the battle-field, advanced in pursuit of the enemy towards Murshidabad. In the meantime, the zamin­dars of the vicinity flocked in and joined the Imperialists. After marching several stages, Zabardast Khan encamped on the east side of the plain. Raḥim Shāh, seeing the overwhelming force of the Imperialists, felt himself no match for them, and cowardly fled to Bardwan. Zabardast Khān hotly chased him and gave him no rest.