Medieval History

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From Bharat-Rakshak:

Berad Resistance to Mughals

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->From Mysore north through the Malnad region and all the way to Bijapur were lands colonized by the Berads—a race of aboriginal Kanarese belonging to the lowest Dhed caste on account of their life style. Although many of them were Lingayets or Vaishnavs they had no dietary restrictions and ate mutton, beef, pork, and fowl with gusto and drank to excess. Their race name means “hunter” in Kanarese and they also indulged in cattle-lifting and other crimes. Alternatively called Bedars/Beydurs these people were dark, muscular, and of middle height; with round faces, thin lips, and frizzled hair. A popular story ran that the Mughal historians were so impressed by their fighting qualities that they changed the name Berad to Be-dar, meaning fearless.

It is these fighting qualities that are of importance to our study. For the purpose of hunting and war the Berads had adopted the matchlock and had become adept in the use of this firearm [1]. Their tribal organization—where headmen controlled different bands of younger fighters—ensured discipline and unity in their ranks. Not surprisingly they had become the steadiest and most accurate musketeers in 17th century South India. Another singular name used for them was kala-piadas or black foot-musketeers. Later on these same Berads formed the bulk of Tipu Sultan’s French-led infantry.

We are not concerned here with the history of the entire tribe; our focus is on their one large kingdom based in Sagar. The Berad King of Sagar used the title Nayak and is known in Persian histories as Pam Nayak.

<b>Geo-Political Background </b>

His opponent in 1680 was the Mughal commander, Dilir Khan, a Ruhela Afghan. These Ruhelas will be covered in detail in future articles; for they also provided examples of the superiority of infantry formations. Here it will suffice to say that Dilir Khan’s tribesmen had colonized the district of Shajahanpur in modern Uttar Pradesh, and Dilir Khan had won the position of a Mughal Mansabdar (Commander) under Shah Jahan.

In the 17th Century the North Indian Mughal Empire had planted its feet firmly into the southern peninsula. The outstanding historical fact of the Indian sub-continent has been its geographical unity—any empire; whether based in the northern plains, the eastern jungles, or the southern plateau; will attempt to bring the other regions under its control. The Mughals were living up to this idea of India’s unity [2].

Dilir Khan had served in this region first under Prince Aurangzeb and later under Mirza Raja Jai Singh, playing an important part in the latter’s famous victory over Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom. He thus had a good knowledge of the terrain, the forts, and the military forces in the peninsula. Apart from the young Maratha Kingdom these forces were; the two decaying Shia Sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda, and the numerous remnants of the Vijaynagar Empire further south [3].

The Berads of Sagar had been tributaries to the Bijapur Sultans, but now that the Sultan was a mere figurehead and the various Bijapuri officers were carving out their own personal estates, Pam Nayak lived and functioned as an independent king.

The Mughal General had two duties to perform—protect Mughal territory from Shivaji’s raids and annex Bijapur—the Sultanate of Golconda was expected to simply fall into the lap of the Mughal Empire because of its weak condition. In 1679-80 Dilir Khan set his eyes on Bijapur. He hoped to gain allies among its nobles and use the resources of this kingdom to crush Shivaji. Unfortunately these negotiations did not mature and the angry and stubborn Afghan went ahead and laid siege to the city of Bijapur.

In the meantime Shivaji sent his cavalry to raid and plunder the Mughal dominion to his heart’s content. Aurangzeb sent an angry letter to Dilir Khan ordering him to withdraw from Bijapur [4]. The disgraced general, foiled in his purpose and with nothing to show for his expenditure of men and money, decided to wreak vengeance on Bijapuri territory. He roamed about like a mad dog, slaying and looting with fiendish cruelty, and in his crazed, bloody wanderings came upon the fort of Sagar.

<b>The Battle of Sagar, 1680 </b>

To save his people from needless slaughter, Pam Nayak offered to pay 1.5 Lakh Rupees as ransom for his capital but Dilir Khan demanded no less than ten times that amount! The Mughals pitched their camp at Gogi, five kilometers north of Sagar, and laid siege to that fort. 

On the first day (20th February) Dilir Khan decided to storm the village at the base of the fort. The village was manned by a force of Berad infantry and in addition was protected by a wall skirting its homes and fields, so Dilir’s initial plan was thwarted by the firing from the Berad matchlocks. The Mughals then laid siege and began firing their own matchlocks and swivel guns. The exchange of fire continued all day long—towards sunset when the firing on both sides began dying down the Berad infantry delivered a sudden charge and drove the Mughals back with loss. Dilir Khan retired back to Gogi. 

The next day he returned with his entire muster of artillery and cavalry [5]. The Berads took shelter behind rocks, in the nearby jungles, on the fort parapet, inside huts—and manfully faced the reckless firing. At last the gate of the village was breached. The Afghan stood near the broken gate on his elephant while his men poured into the village and began looting the houses. But the fighting wasn’t over just yet. 

Dilir Khan imagined that the Berads had either been cowed or had made their escape from the pressure of the Mughal artillery—no such luck. From the fort walls, from the nearby hillocks, and from the surrounding jungle, a blaze of fire descended on the crowd of Mughals, Sayyids, Rajputs, and Afghans [6]. As his soldiers began dropping like flies, Dilir ordered a retreat; soldiers around him and with his son in the nearby fields were still maintaining their order. 

All of a sudden the firing ceased and through the smoke and the haze the Berad infantrymen tumbled down, sword in hand, to complete the rout. Attacked on all sides the two remaining Mughal wings gave up their order and bolted; the Berads bringing down the Afghan cavalrymen in their expensive armor and costly dresses. Dilir Khan’s son escaped with his bare life—the total Mughal casualties on that day mounted up to 1700 men.

The battle was decisive. For some time Dilir Khan plotted revenge on the Berads but the spirit of his soldiers was utterly broken and they threatened to abandon him if he did not withdraw from this foreign land. The Afghan’s military reputation and finances alike were utterly ruined—his troubles ended with his death only three years later in 1683. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->