He commanded a mercenary force of Rajputs from the eastern region (Purab), which included Awadh, Bihar and the area around Varanasi.
[6] He remained a decisive factor in the politics of north and central India during his life and was responsible for sinking the fortunes of many kings by his sudden defections.
[10] Dirk H. A. Kolff mentions that Silhadi, who was kept under surveillance in camp of Bahadur Shah of Gujarat opted to convert to Islam as a radical solution during siege of Raisen fort by the Gujarati Army.
[11] In 1531, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat reached Dhár, hearing that Silhadi kept in captivity certain women who had belonged to the harem of Sultán Násir-ud-dín of Málwa, Bahádur marched against him and forced him to surrender and embrace Islám.
When he saw that his men in the fort of Raisen, under the command of his brother Lakshman, were sorely put to defend themselves against the Gujarati army, he told the sultan that he wished ‘to be dignified with the nobility of Islam’.
The sultan was delighted, ‘repeated to him the words expressing the unity of God’, whereupon Silhadi accepted the faith receiving a special robe of honour and various kinds of food from the royal kitchen.
Lakshman, after a siege of months, sent a message to the sultan asking him to summon Silhadi to his presence, to forgive him and to offer him an assurance of safety.
They must have realised that they were thus to be cut off from Rajasthan, the land of their Sisodia allies, from Hindustan, which included the Purbiya recruiting grounds, and finally, from Malwa.
The right way of bravery is this, that we should perform jauhar of our women and children, and should ourselves fight and be slain; and there should be no further longing left in our hearts.’ Nizamuddin, who describes the scene, singles out Durgavati as the main pleader for such drastic action.
‘Rani Durgawati, taking her daughter-in-law, who was the sister of Rana Sanga, with (her) two children by the hand got into the jauhar and they with seven hundred beautiful women were burnt.’ Silhadi, Lakshman and Taj Khan then armed themselves and died as consecrated warriors in a fight with the sultan’s Deccani infantry at the foot of the fort.