Page 167 - Lohgarh

Banda Singh Bahadur’s Return to Sadhaura and Lohgarh w 167

Shah’s court and expressed his complete loyalty for the new head of
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the Empire. Jahandar Shah increased his mansab to seven thousand
zaat and seventh thousand cavalry; out of which five thousand were
do-aspa (double horse). At that time, this was the highest mansab of
the Mughals. He was also given the title of “Chain Muhammed,
Mohammed Amin Khan, and Firoz Jang”. The same day, Jahandar Shah
told Mohammed Amin Khan to go on expedition against the Sikhs, and,
also granted him command of nine thousand soldiers and asked Muaraff
Khan too to join him. On 29 March, the new Emperor sanctioned a
force of 9000 soldiers, to be led by Mohammed Amin Khan, for the
expedition against the Sikhs. On 5April Mohammed Amin Khan met
Jahandar Shah and requested him to sanction ten thousand soldiers.
On 9 April Mohammed Amin Khan sent Muaraff Khan on the expedition
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against Banda Singh. He gave him a good number of soldiers as well as
a lot of ammunition.
On 23 April 1712 Mohammed Amin Khan again met the Emperor
and told him that he had prepared two thousand soldiers for expedition
against the Sikhs. He demanded another two thousand cavalry and three
thousand foot soldiers. At this the Emperor allowed him to enrol fifteen
hundred cavalry at a salary of Rs 25 per month and two thousand foot
soldiers at a salary of Rs 4 per month.
In the early days of May 1712, Jahandar Shah (the new Mughal
Emperor) left Lahore for Delhi. He reached Sultanpur Lodhi on the 7 th
of May 1712. Having rested for a day, he left for Delhi via Sarhind. He
had made stop-overs at Dakhani Saran (near Nakodar), Nurmahal,
Phillaur, Sunet (Ludhiana), Doraha and Khera; he reached Sarhind on
the 20 of May 1712. Here, he received reports that Banda Singh was
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present in Lohgarh. People told him that the soldiers of Banda Singh’s
army had committed oppression and atrocities on them during the reign
of Bahadur Shah (in 1710). When the Emperor would return to
Akbarabad (Agra), the rebels would wander in the district of Sarhind;
thus there was no security for the people there. If due care was paid to
them, they would show firmness in staying on; otherwise they would
like to move away from that place along with the Emperor. The Emperor