Page:Historic Landmarks of the Deccan.djvu/99

 the women the wife and daughter of the Qazi, Muhammad Said, were captured. Papra kept the former for himself and placed the latter, who was eight or nine years of age, with a troupe of dancing girls, in order that she might learn their profession. After this exploit he continued his successful career until the inhabitants of Warangal sent a petition to the emperor Bahadur Shah, beseeching him to come in person and crush the rebel. The emperor replied that it would ill become his dignity to set forth in person, at the head of the imperial army, against a toddy-drawer; but he sent Yusuf Khan Ruzbihani, an active and resourceful officer, to suppress the rebellion. Shahpur was captured, but Papra contrived to escape to Tarikonda, which was garrisoned by some of his men. Here he stood a siege of nine months, at the end of which time many of his men having deserted him, he contrived to flee alone and without the knowledge of any to Hasanabad, two stages distant from Tarikonda. Here he was recognized, and was surrounded, wounded, and brought as a prisoner before Yusuf Khan. The captured bandit poured foul abuse on his conqueror and was suffered to live for a few days only, until his hoards were discovered. He was then severed into pieces, joint by joint. His head was sent to the emperor and his limbs were set above the gates of Haidarabad.

In 1767, during the war between the East India Company on the one side and Nizam All of Haidarabad and Haidar Ali of Mysore on the other, the Government of Bengal created a very successful diversion by despatching a force from Calcutta under Colonel Peach. This force landed in the northern Sarkars and occupied Khammamet and Warangal, thus immediately threatening Haidarabad. The movement induced Nizam Ali to treat with the Company's officers and the result of the negotiations was the treaty of 1768, which, though its terms have been adversely criticised by the historian of Mysore, finally detached Nizam Ali from his alliance with Haidar AH.

Since 1768 the history of Warangal has been uneventful. It was for some time a cantonment of the Haidarabad Contingent, but was abandoned many years ago.