MEERAN MAHOMED KHAN FAROOKY

Succeeds his father. — Kandeish invaded by Chungiz Khan of Guzerat, who takes Sooltanpoor and Nundoorbar — besieges Talnere — is opposed by Meeran Mahomed Khan and Toofal Khan of Berar. — The siege of Talnere relinquished, and Chungiz Khan flies to Guzerat. — Meeran Mahomed Khan raises an army of thirty thousand men — invades Guzerat, and claims the throne — is defeated in the battle of Ahmud-abad — is closely pursued by the Mogul Mirzas in Guzerat — they plunder Kandeish, and retire to Malwa. — Meeran Ma-homed Khan aids Toofal Khan of Berar against the King of Ahmudnuggur. — Toofal Khan loses his territory, and event­ually his life, in the struggle. — Boorhanpoor sacked by the Deccan army. — Meeran Mahomed Khan pays a large sum to obtain peace. — Death of Meeran Mahomed Khan.

MEERAN MOOBARIK KHAN was succeeded by his son Meeran Mahomed. In the same year Chungiz Khan of Guzerat, instigated by Etimad Khan, the prime minister of Moozuffur Shah III., invaded the district of Nundoorbar, and having compelled the Kandeish officers to retreat, boldly pushed on to the fortress of Talnere. Meeran Mahomed Khan, hearing of this inroad, called on Toofal Khan for assistance; and the combined forces of Kandeish and Berar marched to the western frontier. On their arrival at Talnere, they found Chungiz Khan strongly posted with ravines on his flanks, and his artillery and carriages of all descriptions forming a barrier in his front. Meeran Mahomed Khan used every effort in vain, during the day of his ar­rival, to induce Chungiz Khan to quit his posi­tion; but during the night Chungiz Khan fled singly to Baroach, leaving his army and all his artillery in the hands of Meeran Mahomed Khan, who, on the following day, occupied the ground which the enemy had quitted. At this time the Guzerat government was in a state of the utmost confusion, and a civil war prevailed. Most of the nobles were of opinion that Moo-zuffur Shah III., who was merely a pageant in the hands of Etimad-ool-Moolk, was not the son of Mahmood Shah, and they refused to acknowledge his right to the throne. Meeran Mahomed Khan, therefore, conceiving himself to be the only right­ful heir, and hearing that he might expect support from the Guzerat nobles, if he boldly asserted his claims, collected a force of thirty thousand horse, and marched to Ahmudabad. Chungiz Khan, who had, in the mean time, been successful in the civil war, was at the capital, whence he had expelled his rival Etimad-ool-Moolk and the King. On gaining information that Meeran Mahomed Khan, with a large force, had arrived near Ahmuda-bad, Chungiz Khan marched to oppose him with only seven thousand men, supported by the Dehly Mirzas (who are mentioned both in the Guzerat and Dehly histories), and gained a complete vic­tory. Meeran Mahomed Khan was glad to effect his retreat in safety to Aseer, leaving in pos­session of the Guzeratties his elephants, artil­lery, and all the royal equipage which the rulers of Kandeish assumed. A short time after this event, the Mirzas, having plundered great part of southern Guzerat, invaded Kandeish also; and before Meeran Mahomed Khan could collect an army sufficient to oppose them, they laid waste and levied contributions on several districts, and quit­ted the province.

A. H. 982.
A. D. 1574.
In the year 982, Moortuza Nizam Shah Bheiry of Ahmudnuggur invaded and subdued the country of Berar, and seized and confined Toofal Khan. One of the officers of his government came to Kandeish, and styling himself Imad-ool-Moolk, the representative of Toofal Khan, begged the assistance of Meeran Mahomed Khan. The latter was so deceived by this impostor that he actually sent a force of five thousand men to accompany him, in order to recover Berar. The impostor marched and laid waste the country; but Moortuza Nizam Shah, at the instance of Chungiz Khan * Isfahany, his prime minister, returned, and having dis­persed the Kandeish troops like sheep, turned his attention towards Meeran Mahomed Khan, who had been the means of this invasion. In conse­quence of which the King of Ahmudnuggur sacked Boorhanpoor, and moved on to Aseer, where after a close siege of considerable length Meeran Mahomed Khan was compelled to sue for peace, and paid to Moortuza Nizam Shah the sum of six hundred thousand moozuffuries, * a sum nearly equal to three hundred thousand siccas of silver, besides two hundred thousand moozuffuries to the minister Chungiz Khan.

A. H. 984.
A. D. 1576.
In the year 984, Meeran Mahomed Khan was seized by a fever, and after lin­gering some months, died. His only heir was his son Hoossein Khan, then a minor.