第17章

"Kishen Roy was astonished at his boldness,and sent myriads of his people to defend the streets.The sultan drove them before him and gained the bank of a piece of water which alone now divided him from the citadel,in which Kishen Roy resided.Near this was an eminence,upon which stood a temple covered with plates of gold and silver set with jewels,much venerated by the Hindoos,and called in the language of the country Puttuk.The sultan,esteeming the destruction of it as a religious obligation,ascended the hill,and having razed the temple,possessed himself of the precious metals and jewels."The piece of water alluded to may have been the picturesque lake at Kamalapuram;but which was the temple that Mujahid destroyed?It seems useless to speculate,considering that the historian only wrote from tradition after a lapse of two centuries.There are many temples on hills to choose from,and several pieces of water.But the strangest part of the story is that we are not told how the Sultan succeeded in penetrating the outer lines of works,and in reaching a spot which divided him only from the inner citadel or palace enclosure.It must,however,be remembered that though in A.D.1443Abdur Razzak saw seven lines of walls,we are not certain how many there were in the days of Bukka Raya.

At this point Mujahid was attacked and nearly lost his life.

"The idolaters,upon seeing their object of veneration destroyed,raised their shrieks and lamentations to the sky.They obliged Kishen Roy to head them and advanced resolutely in astonishing numbers.Upon which the sultan formed his disposition.He laid aside his umbrella,and with one of his arms-bearers,an Afghaun named Mhamood,crossed a small rivulet to observe the numbers and motions of the infidels.AHindoo,who knew the sultan from the horse he rode,resolved,by revenging the destruction of his gods and country,to gain immortal reputation for himself.He moved unperceived through the hollows and broken ground along the bank of the rivulet,had gained the plain,and was charging towards the sultan at full speed,when Mujahid Shaw,at a lucky instant,perceiving him,made a sign to Mhamood Afghaun,who without delay charged the Hindoo.Mhamood's horse rearing,he fell to the ground.His antagonist,having every advantage,was on the point of putting him to death,when sultan Mujahid Shaw advanced with the quickness of lightning.The Hindoo,changing his object,aimed a heavy stroke at the sultan,giving at the same instant a shout of triumph,which made the spectators believe his blow was effectual.Luckily,a helmet of iron saved the head of the sultan,who now inflicted such a wound on his enemy that he was divided from the shoulder to the navel and fell dead from his horse,[60]upon which the sultan remounted Mhamood and joined his army on the other side of the rivulet."A battle ensued in which the Hindus were defeated;but while the invading force had hardly recovered from their fatigue,the Raya's brother[61]"arrived at the city from his government with a reinforcement of twenty thousand horse and a vast army of foot"[62]

The fighting then became furious.In the middle of the battle the Sultan's uncle,Daud Khan,[63]fearful for the safety of his sovereign,quitted his post at "Dhunna Sodra"[64]and joined in the engagement with distinguished gallantry.The Muhammadans were again victorious;but the enemy,having taken advantage of Daud Khan's movement,had captured the abandoned position,and thus seriously threatened the Sultan's retreat.He therefore left the field,and by skilful manoeuvring enabled the whole of his force to extricate themselves in safety from the hills.With between sixty and seventy thousand prisoners,mostly women,he retreated from Vijayanagar and sat down before Adoni;but after a siege lasting nine months the attempt was abandoned,and the Sultan retired to his own territories.Thus ended the campaign.

Firishtah gives a short account of the kingdom of Vijayanagar at this period (about 1378A.D.),from which the following extracts are taken.

"The princes of the house of Bahmanee maintained themselves by superior valour only,for in power,wealth,and extent of country the roles of Beejanuggur were greatly their superiors;"and he implies that at this time,as certainly in after years,all Southern India had submitted to the sway of the Raya.

"The seaport of Goa,[65]the fortress of Malgaon,[66]...belonged to the roy of Beejanuggur,and many districts of Tulghaut[67]were in his possession.His country was well peopled,and his subjects submissive to his authority.The roles of Malabar,Ceylon,and other islands and other countries kept ambassadors at his court,and sent annually rich presents."[68]

We must revert for a moment to the Sultan's uncle and his behaviour before Vijayanagar.It will be remembered that,filled with the best intentions,he had quitted his post to defend his king.

"The sultan,on seeing the standard of Daood Khan,was enraged,but stifled his displeasure till the gale of victory had waved over the standards of the faithful.He then called Daood Khan before him,and gave him a harsh reprimand for quitting a station so important that,should the enemy gain possession,not a mussulmaun could make his escape from the city."Daud treasured up his resentment at this treatment,and,being joined by other disaffected nobles,secretly plotted the assassination of the Sultan.The conspirators waited till Mujahid was on his way from Adoni towards Kulbarga,and then one night,that of Friday,April 16,A.D.1378,[69]while the Sultan was asleep in his tent,Daud,accompanied by three other men,rushed in and stabbed him.There was a struggle,and the unfortunate monarch was despatched by the blow of a sabre.[70]Daud at once proclaimed himself Sultan as nearest of kin --Mujahid having no children --and being acknowledged,proceeded to Kulbarga,where he was proclaimed.

The assassination of his nephew availed Daud but little,as the country was at once divided into two opposing factions,and on May 21,A.D.1378,[71]after a reign of only one month,the murderer was himself assassinated while at prayer in the great mosque of the capital.Meanwhile Bukka Raya overrun the Doab,advanced as far as the river Krishna,and invested the fortress of Raichur.

Daud was succeeded by Ala-ud-din's youngest son Mahmud I,[72]Mujahid's sister Ruh Parvar Agah having blinded Daud's son,then a boy of eight years,in order to prevent dissension.Mahmud was apparently welcome to all parties,for even the Raya raised the siege of Raichur and agreed to pay him the tribute exacted by Muhammad Shah;so at least says Firishtah.And during the whole of his reign of nearly twenty years there was peace and tranquillity at home and abroad.He died on the 20th April A.D.1397.[73]

The decease of Bukka I.of Vijayanagar must apparently,for reasons shown,be placed at about A.D.1379.