Page:History of Aurangzib (based on original sources) Vol 1.djvu/301

CHAP. XI.] Forty miles west of Bidar, on the old road from the holy shrine of Tuljapur to Golkonda, stands the city of Kaliani, the ancient capital of the Chalukya kings and of the Kanarese country. With the fall of the Kalachuris in the twelfth century, it ceased to be a capital, and afterwards passed into the hands of the Deccani Muslim powers as a mere dependency of Bidar. But the large mounds surrounding the town indicate its greater extent in days of yore.

Mahabat Khan having cleared the road of hovering bands of the enemy,

Aurangzib on 27th April set out with light kit and arrived before Kaliani in a week's time. The place was immediately invested, and through Mir Jumla's exertions and supervision the siege trenches were pushed on to the edge of the ditch by nth May. Day and night the garrison kept up a ceaseless fire from the walls; they made fierce onslaughts on Mir Jumla's trenches, but to no purpose. The bands of the enemy roving outside gave greater trouble and retarded the siege. They established