A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of IndiaSewell, Robert
History
A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India
Sewell, Robert
Vijayanagar (Empire) -- History
A few years after this there was a successful invasion of the Carnatic
country by Ala-ud-Din; but though the army returned with some booty
Firishtah does not claim for him a decisive victory. He does, however,
claim that the new Sultan extended his territory as far south as the
river Tungabhadra, "the vicinity of the fortress of Adoni." Ala-ud-din
died at the age of sixty-seven on Sunday, February 2, A.D. 1358,[39]
and was succeeded by Muhammad Shah. The Raya of Vijayanagar had
presented Ala-ud-din with a ruby of inestimable price, and this,
set in a bird of paradise composed of precious stones, the Sultan
placed in the canopy over his throne; but some say that this was done
by Muhammad, and that the ruby was placed above his umbrella of State.
Early in the reign of Muhammad it was discovered that the gold and
silver coins of the Bahrami Sultans were being melted down in large
quantities by the Hindus of Vijayanagar and Warangal, and numbers
of the merchants were put to death. At the same time Bukka I.,
supported by his friend at Warangal, demanded the restoration of
certain territories,[40] and as the Sultan was not ready for war, he
"during a year and a half kept the ambassadors of the Raies at his
court, and sent his own to Beejanugger to amuse his enemies." Finally
he resolved on war, and made extravagant counter-demands on the
Hindus. Bukka joined forces with Warangal, and Muhammad waged war
on the latter state, plundering the country up to the capital, and
retiring only on receipt of a large indemnity. Firishtah does not
relate that any further campaign was at that time initiated, and we
are therefore free to suppose that the Muhammadans were unable to
press their advantage. Warangal was not long left in peace, and it
may be well to glance at its subsequent history before returning to
the events of the reign of Bukka at Vijayanagar.
After an interval, enraged at an insult offered or supposed to have
been offered by the Rajah of Warangal, Muhammad made a rapid advance
to the former's city of "Vellunputtun," as it is spelt by Firishtah,
or "Filampatan," according to the author of the BURHAN-I-MAASIR. He
seized it, slaughtered the inhabitants without mercy, and captured
the unfortunate prince Vinayaka Deva.[41] The Sultan "commanded a
pile of wood to be lighted before the citadel, and putting Nagdeo in
an engine (catapult), had him shot from the walls into the flames,
in which he was consumed." After a few days' rest the Sultan retired,
but was followed and harassed by large bodies of Hindus and completely
routed. Only 1500 men returned to Kulbarga, and the Sultan himself
received a severe wound in his arm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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