That island had been besieged by Shiva with a great force some months earlier. The neighbouring coast was dotted with his outposts and redoubts, and he also built some floating batteries and made an attempt to throw a mole across the sea from the mainland to the island of Janjira.*[1] The siege was raised at the end of 1675, at the arrival of the fleet under Siddi Sambal; but it was renewed next year with greater vigour than before. The Peshwa Moro Pant was sent with 10,000 men to co-operate with the fleet and the former siege-troops (under Vyankoji Datto.) If we can rely on the puzzling Marathi chronicle, the landing-place at Janjira and two gardens (?) outside the fort were stormed and the Siddis were driven to seek refuge in a citadel on a height in the centre of the island. The place was wholly invested.
But the attempt failed. Siddi Qasim arrived with the Mughal fleet, broke the line of investment, infused life into the defence, made counter-attacks, burnt the floating batteries and forced the Marathas to raise the siege (end of December 1676.) Janjira was saved "by the blessings of a living saint, and
- ↑ * Siege of Janjira : Orme, Frag., 48, 57. A very confused and obscurely written account of this struggle is given in the Marathi Shivadigvijay, pp. 192-196 and also in the Tarikh-i-Shivaji. It is evident that the last two works have transferred to Shivaji's reign some of the incidents of Shambhuji's siege of Janjira in 1681 and after
