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{{Short description|1634 siege between the Mughal Empire and Bijapur Sultanate}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Siege of Parenda
| image =
| caption =
| date = 24 February – May 1634
| place = [[Paranda Fort]], [[Western Deccan]] (present-day [[Maharashtra, India]])
| result = Bijapur – Ahmadnagar victory
| territory =
| combatant1 = [[Mughal Empire]]
| combatant2 = [[Bijapur Sultanate]] [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]]
| commander1 = [[Shah Shuja (Mughal prince)|Shah Shuja]] [[Mahabat Khan]] Khan Zaman [[Jai Singh I]]
| commander2 = [[Murari Pandit]] [[Randaula Khan]] [[Shahaji]]
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
}}

The '''siege of Parenda (1634)''' was a 17th-century military conflict between the [[Mughal Empire]] and the [[Adil Shahi dynasty]] of the Bijapur Sultanate over [[Paranda Fort|Parenda Fort]], wherein Mughal forces besieged the Adil Shahi fort for four months. The siege took place during the reigns of [[Mughal emperor]] [[Shah Jahan]] and Bijapur Sultan [[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Muhammad Adil Shah]]. It was the second Mughal siege of the fort following a failed attempt in 1631, and was part of a string of Mughal military campaigns in the [[Western Deccan]]. The siege was led by Mughal general [[Mahabat Khan]], [[Viceroy of the Deccan|governor of the Deccan]], though the young prince [[Shah Shuja (Mughal prince)|Shah Shuja]] was its nominal commander. The siege lasted four months and was unsuccessful, with the fort remaining in Adil Shahi control.

== Background ==
The siege of Parenda occurred at a time when the Mughals under emperor [[Shah Jahan]] had been steadily attacking forts in the territory of the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]], of which the sieges of [[Kandhar Fort|Qandahar]], [[Dharur, Beed|Dharur]], and [[Daulatabad Fort|Daulatabad]] are examples. At this time, [[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Muhammad Adil Shah]] ruled over the Bijapur Sultanate.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":52">{{Cite book |last=Streusand |first=Douglas E. |title=Islamic gunpowder empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals |date=2011 |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=978-0-8133-1359-7 |location=Boulder, Colo |pages=228}}</ref> The fort of Parenda had been under the control of the [[Nizam Shahi dynasty]] of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, until a governor sold the fort to the [[Adil Shahi]] sultan.<ref name=":0" /> In 1631, the Mughals had tried to besiege the fort under the command of Azam Khan, but this endeavor failed due to a lack of adequate resources for supporting the imperial army.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":2" /> The [[viceroy of the Deccan]]<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Ramananda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TiVw3feqcygC |title=The Modern Review |date=1917 |publisher=Prabasi Press Private, Limited |pages=252 |language=en}}</ref> [[Mahabat Khan]] thereafter advised the young Mughal prince [[Shah Shuja (Mughal prince)|Shah Shuja]] to consider another offensive against the fort of Parenda, as a means to consolidating authority over the outer territories of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate; the sultanate had just been symbolically defeated with Mahabat Khan's successful [[siege of Daulatabad (1633)]]. Another provided justification was that Parenda could serve as a military base to campaign against the Bijapur Sultanate;<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yoI8AAAAIAAJ |title=The Cambridge History of India |date=1955 |publisher=CUP Archive |pages=193–194 |language=en}}</ref> the fort had great strategic importance as there was no other fortified position between Parenda and the Sultanate's capital city of [[Bijapur]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Flores |first=Jorge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZoREQAAQBAJ |title=Empire of Contingency: How Portugal Entered the Indo-Persian World |date=2024-10-15 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-1-5128-2645-6 |pages=99–102 |language=en}}</ref>

Mahabat Khan deputed expeditions led by his son Khan Zaman in the frontier of the Bijapur Sultanate. The latter also worked to establish military outposts spanning the line between Daulatabad and Parenda, so as to block off any Maratha forces. However, [[Shahji Bhonsle]] raised a puppet ruler to the Nizam Shahi throne and harassed the Mughal forces, which eased the pressure on Parenda and required that a Mughal force be deputed to deal with Shahji. This thwarted Khan Zaman's attempt to capture Parenda.<ref name=":2" />

== Siege ==
In response to Khan Zaman's failed attempt, Mahabat Khan himself and prince Shah Shuja left the Mughal base at [[Malkapur, Karad|Malkapur]], and marched to Parenda with a large army to besiege the fort personally, dating to 24 February 1634.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> Shah Shuja was the nominal commander of the army, with Mahabat Khan his right-hand man. [[Rajput]] noble [[Jai Singh I]] acted as the force's vanguard, arriving in the vicinity of Parenda in January. He later led a night surprise attack on the enemy's baggage camp on the 14th of March.<ref name=":4" /> Due to the lingering effects of the [[Deccan famine of 1630–1632]], resources to support the imperial army such as grass and firewood were scarce in the area, which posed a challenge to the Mughal forces; foraging expeditions had to be sent to distant areas where they were more vulnerable to attacks. Mahabat Khan himself was nearly captured on one such expedition, before being rescued by [[Khwaja Sabir|Nasiri Khan]].<ref name=":2" /> The Adil Shahi commanders [[Murari Pandit]] and [[Randaula Khan]] with Nizam Shahi commander [[Shahaji]] supported the fort with an armed force, which deterred Mughal efforts.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Gajanan Bhaskar Mehendale |url=https://archive.org/details/shivaji-his-life-times-by-gajanan-bhaskar-mehendale_202312 |title=Shivaji His Life & Times |pages=207-208}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The imperial army was also poorly organised, and Shah Shuja was not able to effectively control his generals. In light of the fact that seasonal rains were due, Mahabat Khan advised Shah Shuja to retreat to [[Burhanpur]]; the siege was lifted in May of the same year,<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Jadunath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O0oPIo9TXKcC&dq=siege+parenda+1634&pg=PA102 |title=A History of Jaipur: C. 1503-1938 |date=1984 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-250-0333-5 |pages=102–103 |language=en}}</ref> having lasted four months.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5" />

The siege of Parenda was closely monitored by the [[Portuguese State of India]], likely due to the strategic importance of the fort.<ref name=":1" />

== Aftermath ==
According to scholar Douglas Streusand, the failed siege had an adverse impact on the area surrounding the fort; approximately 1,256 square miles were depleted of food, and 5,017 square miles were depleted of fodder.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Streusand |first=Douglas E. |title=Islamic gunpowder empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals |date=2011 |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=978-0-8133-1359-7 |location=Boulder, Colo |pages=285}}</ref> Parenda Fort remained in Bijapur's hands and fell to Mughal control much later, only through bribery during the reign of Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Yazdani |first=Ghulam |author-link=Ghulam Yazdani |url=https://ignca.gov.in/Asi_data/15316.pdf |title=Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness The Nizam's Dominions |publisher=Baptist Mission Press |year=1926 |pages=17–18}}</ref> Disappointed by the failure of the siege, Shah Jahan recalled Shah Shuja and Khan Zaman to the imperial court, and reprimanded Mahabat Khan; Mahabat Khan died shortly after in October 1634 from natural causes.<ref name=":2" /> Some court chronicles of Shah Jahan's reign, though not all, omit mention of the Parenda siege, indicating that Shah Jahan wished to overlook this military failure.<ref name=":1" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{coord missing|Maharashtra}}

[[Category:Sieges involving the Mughal Empire|Parenda 1634]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Sultanate of Bijapur]]
[[Category:17th-century sieges]]
[[Category:1630s in the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1634]]
[[Category:Battles involving Ahmadnagar Sultanate]]

Siege of Parenda (1634) - Revision history

Robctr at 09:33, 24 October 2025