Page:Shivaji and His Times.djvu/52

32 Sonaji Pant was secretary (dabir) and Raghunath Ballal Korde was paymaster (sabnis.) These four officers had been sent by Shahji about 1639. To them Shivaji now added Tukoji Chor Maratha as commander-in-chief (sar-i-naubat) and Narayan Pant as divisional paymaster. (Sabh. 7 and 8; Chit. 21; T. S. 10b.)

The year 1646 marks a crisis in the history of Bijapur. The king fell seriously ill, and for some time his life was despaired of. Though he lingered on for ten years more, these years were by popular belief held to be a portion of the life of the saint Shah Hashim Uluvi, given away by that holy man to the king. (B. S. 312.) During this time no serious business was attended to by Muhammad Adil Shah. The expansion of territory in the Karnatak went on under some of the nobles, but at the capital the king was inert, and the administration fell into the hands of the queen Bari Sahiba. The official history of Bijapur is significantly silent about Muhammad Adil Shah's doings from 1646 to his death in 1656.

This was Shivaji's opportunity. Even before the death of Dadaji, he had begun his annexations. In 1646 he had sent his captains Baji Pasalkar, Yesaji Kank and Tanaji Malusare with a force of Mavle. infantrymen and occupied Torna fort by tricking its Bijapuri commandant. Here he seized Government treasure amounting to 2 lakhs of hun. The captured fort was newly named Prachandgarh, a name which it soon lost. Five miles east of it, on the crest of the