and sanads granting Inams and jagirs began to pour from the Maratha court in an unbroken current to Maratha lords for raising forces against the Mughals. They particularly brought their fivefold service to the notice of the Chhatrapati. They say: "We have not joined the Mughals ; We have managed to carry on cultivation ; We pay revenue to Government ; We have employed large forces to protect the country from robbers and raiders, and, in addition We fight the battles of the Chhatrapati at the risk of our lives.” These letters of the Maratha lords also repeated the inducements that Aurangzeb had offered them, and demand something better, saying to the Chhatrapati, “ We, your own kith and kin, should not at least fare worse than strangers who come and obtain handsome rewards from the Emperor.” The main purport of them was, that the Maratha bands should roam anywhere and everywhere, plunder the Mughal treasure and territory, and ravage them in all possible ways. These sanads were in actuality promises of future reward, assuring the military leaders that they would be considered owners of the territory they would subjugate in any quarter of India. This game became profitable for a time to the roving Maratha bands ; they borrowed money, raised troops and carried on expeditions to distant parts of India. The process gave a sudden impetus to the business of banking and fighting. The Jinji siege dragged on through 1694 and 1695. The Jinji garrison made spirited sorties, destroying the Mughal trenches and outposts, while Santaji Ghorpade held the roads by which the imperial Mughal convoys sought to reach the besiegers. So feeble at last did the investing army become, that the Maratha commanders resolved to raise the siege. According to Maratha chroniclers, the Maratha forces nearly numbered at 100,000 by this time. Of these 10,000 were with Chhatrapati Rajaram in Jinji. 20,000 were actively opposing the imperial Mughal troops in the western Deccan. The remainder were divided into 3 contingents each of 20,000, commanded respectivey by Senapati Santaji Ghorpade, Parsoji Bhonsle, honoured by the appellation of 'Senasahibsubha' or master of the army, and Siddhojirao Nimbalkar; to whom Rajaram had given the title of 'Sarlashkar', or chief of the cavalry. Lastly, 10,000 troopers formed a flying column under Jaysinghrao Dhanaji Jadhav. After three failed attempts to conquer Jinji, it was captured only after seven years on 8 January