Siege of Bijapur

The legendary "Malik-i-Maidan" cannon is stated to be the largest piece of cast bronze ordnance in the world.

Date	March 1685 – September 1686
Location	Bijapur Fort (now in Bijapur District, Karnataka)
Result	A long siege by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's forces leads to the capture of Bijapur Fort
Territorial changes	The Mughal Empire annexed all territories ruled by the Adil Shahi dynasty

Belligerents

Mughal Empire

Adil Shahi Dynasty

Maratha Empire

Commanders and leaders

Aurangzeb
Muhammad Azam Shah
Shah Alam
Abdullah Khan Bahadur Firuz Jang
Dilir Khan
Ruhullah Khan
Syed Mian
Qasim Khan
Khanzada Khan
Kilich Khan Bahadur
Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I
Jahan Khan Bahadur

Sikandar Adil Shah
Sarza Khan
Pam Naik
Muiz-ud-Din
Sher Khan Lodi
Bahlul Khan

Emperor Sambhaji

Melgiri Pandit

Strength

90,000 men-110,000
250 cannons
22,000 Matchlocks
18,000 War elephants

30,000 men
120 cannons
12,000 Matchlocks

Casualties and losses

5,000

12,000

The Siege of Bijapur began in March 1685 and ended in September 1686 with a Mughal victory. The siege began when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb dispatched his son Muhammad Azam Shah with a force of nearly 50,000 men to capture Bijapur Fort and defeat Sikandar Adil Shah, the then ruler of Bijapur who refused to be a vassal of the Mughal Empire. The Siege of Bijapur was among the longest military engagements by the Mughals, lasting more than 15 months until the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb personally arrived to organize a victory.

In 1637, the young Prince Aurangzeb was the Subedar of Deccan under the reign of his father the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. He led a 25,000 strong Mughal Army and besieged Bijapur Fort and its ruler Mohammed Adil Shah. The siege, however, was unsuccessful because the Adil Shahi dynasty sought peace with Shah Jahan mainly through the cooperation of Dara Shikoh.

Ali Adil Shah II inherited a troubled kingdom. He had to face the onslaught of the Maratha led by Shivaji, who had fought and killed Afzal Khan the most capable commander in the Bijapur Sultanate and the leaderless troops of Bijapur were thenceforth consequently routed by Shivaji's rebels. As a result, the Adil Shahi dynasty was greatly weakened mainly due to the rebellious Maratha led by Shivaji and his son Sambhaji.

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Wikipedia