Aurengzebe intended to have put himself at the head of Lis armies in the Decan, having found that his generals were not equal to the Ms htatta chieftain talents or skill ; but his persecution of the Ilindeos had stirred up the Raj pout tribes in Ajmeer, and he deemed it necessary, in the first place, to reduce them. Accordingly, be ad vanced towards their conntry in the year 1678. On the approach of his army, they abandoned the plain, and secur ed their herds, and their women and children, in the vallies within the mountains. Aurengzebe, insensible of the dan gers he was about to encounter, and ignorant both of the nature of the country, and of the resources and army of the rajahs, pushed on in the most imprudent manner, till at length the division, which he himself commanded, was unex pectedly stopped by insuperable defences and precipices in front; while the rajahs, in the course of one night, closed the passes in his rear, by felling the overhanging trees, and from their stations above prevented all endeavours of his troops to remove the obstacle. The favourite wife of the emperor, who had accompanied him in this war, was in closed in another defile of the mountains, where she was taken prisoner. The emperor himself, unable to escape and unwilling to surrender, was exposed to all the horrors of famine ; but most unexpectedly and unaccountably, after being thus confined for two days, the rajahs withdrew from their stations, and permitted him to escape. The em press, also, was sent hack; and the only recompense which the rajahs asked in return for this moderation was, that the emperor would refrain from destroying the sacred animals of the Hindoo religion ; but he ascribed their forbearance to fear of future vengeance, and continued the war. Be ing, however, a second time exposed to imminent danger, he resolved to leave the conduct of the campaign to his sons Azim and Acber, while he himself retired to Ajmeer, with his body guard of 4000 men. His sons continued the war each in a different part of the country ; but neither, at the end of the year, had been able to force the passes of the mountains.
We must now return to the Decan. Sevajee, in conse quence of a confederacy of princes against him, had been compelled to retreat ; but his spirits were not broken, nor his plans frustrated. lie soon resumed offensive measures, and was again successful in a most important enterprise. A convoy of money for the use and support of the Mogul army was coming to Aurungabad, of which he received early intelligence. He resolved to intercept it ; and ac cordingly, with a detachment of his best cavalry, he set out, and fell upon the convoy, before his approach was known, within a few miles of Brampore. He seized and carried off the whole ; but the excessive fatigues which he had undergone in this rapid march produced •inflam mation of the breast. His illness was concealed as long as possible ; but it proved fatal on the 5th of April, 1680. At the period of his death, the Nlahratta states comprised, on the western side of India, all the coast, with the back country, from the river Mirzeon to Versal, excepting the small territory of Goa ; to the south, Bombay, Salsette, and the Portuguese possessions between Bassein and Da maun ; to the north, along the other side of the ridge, they comprehended all the district as far as the mountains conti nued to the westward. The length of the whole might
be estimated at 400 miles, and the breadth at 120. At. the distance of 300 miles from this territory he was in posses sion, towards the eastern sea, of half the Carnatic. The whole had been acquired by his own abilities and enter prise ; and he left, at his decease, a permanent sovereign ty, established on communion of manners, customs, Ian goagc, and religion.
Aurengzebe could not restrain the emotions of his joy on hearing of Sevajec's death, nor the justice clue to his character, which he had denied him during his life. " He was," he said, "a great captain ; and the only one who had the magnanimity to raise a new kingdom, whilst he himself had been endeavouring to destroy the ancient so vereignties of India ;" he added, that his armies had been employed against him for 19 years, and nevertheless his state had been always increasing. He was accus tomed to apply to Sevajee the appellation of the Moun tain Rat.
Aurengzebe still remained at Azruir, directing the war against the Rajpoots, carried on by two different armies, under the command of his sons. In the year 1681, the army of Azim took the city of Chittore by surprise, where all the favourite objects of Hindoo warship were destroy ed. The rajahs, however, were not dispirited, and Au rengzebe deemed it prudent to recal his armies from the Decan. The whole lorce of the empire, which could with prudence be collected to one spot, was now employed against the two Rajpoots, under the command of the three sons of the emperor, and his own inspection. Of these sons, the youngest, Acber, was turbulent, arrogant, and mischievous. The army he commanded lay nearest the city of Ajmeer, where Aurengzebe was ; and Acber was easily bribed, by the promise of the support of the ra jahs, to attempt the seizure of his father, and the placing himself upon the throne. The scheme, however, was be trayed to Aurengzebe, and Acber judged it prudent to escape and take refuge near Guzerat. Mauzum, the eld est son, was ordered by Aurengzebe to follow Acber, and not to quit the pursuit till he had taken him : the fugitive, however, effected his escape ; and on the 1st of June, 1631, arrived at Pawleegur, a fort at the loot of the Ghauts, not far from Bombay.
Sambagee, who had succeeded Sevajee as chief of the Mahrattas, was at this time at Panda ; and shortly after wards he paid his personal homage to Acber, declaring, that he intended to accompany him with 30,000 horse to Brampore, and there proclaim hint emperor of the Mo guls.
Aurengzcbe, when he learnt that his son had effected his escape into the south of India, fully impressed with the necessity of prompt and vigorous measures, sent forward the two armies commanded by his sons, and soon after wards marched from Ajmeer with a third army, which he himself commanded. Before he set out, however, he con cluded a peace with the Rajpoots ; they agreed to surren der the district of Meirdah, which had been taken from Chittore by Shah Jehan; and the emperor, on his part, did not insist on the capitation tax—the constant source of uneasiness and turbulence with the Rajpoots.