Pursuit of Jhujhar; extinction of his family.
News arrived about the exact route of the fugitives, and on 27th October the pursuit was resumed. Arriving at Chauragarh the imperialists found that Jhujhar had evacuated that fort also, after breaking up the artillery, burning all property, and blowing up the old Gond palaces. A Mughal garrison was posted here, but the main army encamped four miles off, at Shahpur. Here they learned that Jhujhar was flying south through the Gond kingdoms of Deogarh and Chanda, with 6000 soldiers and 60 elephants, and making about 16 miles a day. Though he had got a start of 14 days, the Mughal generals took up the chase from Shahpur with a light force which daily covered 40 miles. On the frontier of Chanda they came upon his traces and doubled their speed. Jhujhar turned at bay, fought the Mughals obstinately, but was defeated and driven into the jungle, and the pursuit was resumed. The fugitive, encumbered with women and property, and hindered in his movements by his paucity of horses, had no peace. He could not snatch any sleep, nor refresh his worn-out horses. As soon as he halted for the night, he heard of the approach of the pursuers, broke up his camp and urged his tired men and beasts on again. All means of escape were tried; the foot-tracks of the elephants were rubbed out; treasure-laden elephants were sent by another path to lure the Mughals away from the road taken by the Bundela chief. But the imperialists were too astute; they neglected everything else and steadily pursued the rebel himself. They also bribed the local land-owners, who showed them the way and kept them regularly informed of the movements of Jhujhar, so that the jungle was now a hindrance rather than a shelter to him. And from the vindictive Gonds no Bundela could expect mercy.
Jhujhar’s party was now divided, but all to no purpose. His sons were overtaken, and got no time to slay their women, as was the Rajput custom when death was to be preferred to dishonour. A few of the ladies had been stabbed, when the Mughals fell upon them, slew the guards, and captured the Bundela royal family. [Pad. 1.B. 110—115.]
The rebel chief and his eldest son Vikramajit had fled into the heart of the jungle, where their doom overtook them. The Gonds, moved by their instinct of plunder and hope of reward from the Mughals, surprised the exhausted princes in their sleep and cruelly did them to death. Their heads were cut off and sent to the Emperor ( December, 1635), who exposed them on the gates of his camp at Saihur.
But their lot was happy in comparison. Happy too was Rani Parvati, Bir Singh’s widow, who died of her wounds. A more terrible fate awaited the captive ladies who survived; mothers and daughters of kings, they were robbed of their religion, and forced to lead the infamous life of the Mughal harem,—to be the unloved plaything of their master’s passion for a day or two and then to be doomed to sigh out their days like bondwomen, without knowing the dignity of a wife or the joy of a mother. Sweeter far for them would have been death from the hands of their dear ones than submission to a race that knew no generosity to the fallen, no chivalry to the weaker sex.
Three captives of tender age, (two sons and one grandson of Jhujhar,) were made Musalmans. Another son, Udaybhan, and Shyam Dawa the old and faithful minister of the house, who had taken refuge in Golkonda and been delivered to Shah Jahan, refused to apostatize and were executed in cold blood. [Jbid. 116- 117, 133, 139.]*
The fort of Jhansi, with its big guns and war material was forced to capitulate at the end of October. The imperial officers now organised a regular hunt for the buried treasure of Bir Singh. The jungle was carefully searched and many wells filled with gold and silver were discovered in its untrodden depths. The spoils of war amounted to one krore of Rupees besides other valuable property.#
As for the Gonds, their services against Jhujhar were forgotten. The imperial forces in pursuit had reached the frontier of Chanda, the leading Gond kingdom. Such an honour had to be dearly paid for. The Rajah of Chanda was compelled to wait on the victors on his frontier, on the bank of the Pranhita river, pay down 6 Jakhs in cash, and promise an annual tribute of 20 elephants or Rs. 80,000 as an equivalent. [ Pad. I. B. 117.] This opened the door to future troubles, and his kingdom was subjected to repeated exactions by the Mughals in the next reign.
*According to Khafi Khan, i. 519, 523, the converts were Durgabhan, a son of Jhujhar, and Durjan Sal and Narsingh Dev, his grandsons.
# Pad. 1.B. 119, 133, 139, and (for buried treasure) 110, 117, 123.