A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
In 1330, _Hamet_ a Mahometan Tartar, who resided in the city of Cambay,
by the assistance of a number of Arabs, Persians, and _Rumes_ or Turks,
usurped a great part of Guzerat, then possessed by _Deosing-rao_. Ali
Khan succeeded Hamet, and left forty sons, three of whom became kings.
The eldest _Peru-shah_ succeeded in the kingdom of Guzerat. The second
_Azeide-khan_ got the kingdom of _Mandou_ or Malwa by his wife; and the
third named Ali-khan acquired the kingdom of _Agimere_ in the same
manner. Peru-shah followed the example of his father and grandfather in
securing his kingdom against foreign enemies, and built the city of Diu
in memory of a victory over a _Chinese_ fleet. Sultan Mahomet his son
succeeded, and reigned at the time when Vasco de Gama discovered India.
He left the kingdom to his son _Modafer_, as most worthy; but in
consequence of a civil war, Modafer was slain, and his youngest brother
_Mahomet Khan_ was raised to the throne. An elder brother _Latisa Khan_
aspired to the kingdom, but without success; and after a succession of
civil wars it fell to _Badur_, or _Behauder Khan_, who was king of
Guzerat at this period. The former king _Modafer_ divided the
possessions belonging to Malek Azz who was lord of Diu among his three
sons, which destination gave great displeasure to his own sons who
coveted these territories. But _Badur_ was chiefly dissatisfied, and
even poisoned his father _Modafer Khan_. After this parricide, he fled
to the king of Chitore, where he killed a person even in the presence of
the king at an entertainment, and fled to Delhi. He there professed
himself a _Calendar_ or religious person, to shun the punishment due to
his crimes. These Calendars go about loaded with iron chains and live
abstemiously; yet with all their outward shew of religious austerity,
they practice all manner of lewdness and wickedness in secret. They
enter into no town, but blow a horn on the out-skirts, that people may
bring them alms. Sometimes they go about in bands of two thousand or
more, laying the country under contributions.
After remaining some time among the Calendars, Badur got notice of the
distractions prevailing in Guzerat, and went there with his chains in
search of the crown, and acquired the favour of the people so strongly
by his pretended religious austerity, that he was proclaimed king. To
secure his ill-gotten power, he caused Madrem-al-Mulk to be flayed alive
for having raised his youngest brother Latisa Khan to the throne, and
put to death all his brothers. Being desirous to take off _Malek Saca_
lord of Diu, Saca fled, and was succeeded by his brother _Malek Tocam_.
In the year 1527, one Stephen Diaz Brigas, a Portuguese who had fled his
country for some crime, came to India as captain of a French ship with
forty Frenchmen, and putting into Diu was there made prisoner with all
his men, who were cruelly put to death by order of Badur.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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