Behader Shah, having defeated his brother Kâm Bucksh, was A H. 1120.
A. D. 1708. desirous of remaining some time longer in that part of his dominions, in order to make a complete settlement of all the Soubah’s (or provinces) of the Deckan; but when the advices arrived of Bundah’s insurrection, and Vizier Khan’s defeat and death, the danger appeared too pressing to admit of delay: he therefore determined to move with his whole force towards Sirhind, sending before him an advanced army of cavalry and artillery, under the command of Sultan Kouly Khan, nephew of Rustum dil Khan; to which he joined all the Mussulmans who had fled from Sirhind and other parts, to avoid the fury of the Sicks. His Majesty ordered Sultan Kouly Khan to march by way of Dehly, and thereby stop the progress of the Sicks on that side;—protecting the inhabitants as much as possible,—to prevent the insurrection from spreading,—and to put every man to the sword that he should find with his hair and beard at full length;—that being the charac­teristic external of the Sicks.

Sultan Kouly Khan, with the zeal of a faithful servant, marched as expeditiously as possible, and having passed by way of Dehly, he came to Paniput; resolved to attack the Sicks, though his army was exceedingly weak, when compared with the prodigious force now got together under the enemy’s standard. The Sicks on their part, being flushed with victory, and confident in their numbers, were no less willing to come to action. The battle began, in which there was great slaughter on both sides, but espe­cially on that of the Sicks; who being destitute of discipline, and unprovided with artillery, suffered very severely; when Kisury Sing Buckshy, to whom Bundah had given the command of this division of his army, being killed by an arrow, the Sicks began to give way, were at length totally defeated, and the remainder of their army fled to join Bundah, who had remained with the rest of his forces at Sirhind. The next day, Sultan Kouly Khan being joined by a reinforcement sent after him by the Shah, under the command of the Vizier Khan Khanan, marched to Sirhind: Bundah drew up his army, which consisted of between forty and fifty thousand horse and foot, to receive the Mussulmans:—the battle was long and bloody;—but at length, the royal army mak­ing a desperate charge upon one part of the enemy’s front, broke through, and a general defeat ensued, with terrible slaughter of the Sicks. Bundah being unable to rally his disheartened troops, fled with as many as he could collect together, and took refuge in a strong fort called Loaghur,* which stood near Macawal; whither the royal army pursued them, and surrounding the fort began to lay siege to it.

In the mean time the Shah, hearing that Loaghur was invested. marched on as expeditiously as possible, and without halting at Dehly, joined the camp of the Vizier and Sultan Kouly Khan, before Loaghur. By the time that the siege had lasted a month, the besieged finding their provisions and ammunition fail them, and being determined to sell their lives as dear as possible, they sallied out of the fort sword in hand.—A desperate, but unequal conflict ensued; the greater part of the Sicks were cut in pieces on the spot; many were taken prisoners, in which number was their leader Bundah, who was confined in an iron cage, and together with the other prisoners was sent to Dehly, where they were all publickly executed, after having been offered their lives on con­dition of embracing the Mussulman faith, which they rejected with contempt. The few remaining Sicks fled to the mountains, where they concealed themselves; and the Zemindars and Riots of the country who had joined them during their insurrection, partly to secure themselves, and partly for the sake of plunder, now cut off their beards and hair, and returned to their original occupations.

From this time, during the reigns of Behader Shah, Jehander Shah, Ferocksir, and the short reigns of Rafi al Dirjat, and his brother, Abdul Summud Khan being Subadar of Lahore, none of this sect ever ventured to appear in arms; but concealed themselves by every means for near twelve years.