a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第30节

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e　of　the　campaign；　in　complete　contrast　to　that　of　the　remainder　of　the　history；　reads　like　the　account　of　an　eye…witness；　especially　in　the　passages　describing　the　fortress　of　Raichur＇244＇　and　the　camp　　where　the　supplies　were　so　great　that　〃you　could　find　everything　that　you　wanted；〃＇245＇　where　〃you　saw〃＇246＇　the　goldsmiths　and　artisans　at　work　as　if　in　a　city；　where　〃you　will　find〃＇247＇　all　kinds　of　precious　stones　offered　for　sale；　and　where　〃no　one　who　did　not　understand　the　meaning　of　what　he　saw　would　ever　dream　that　a　war　was　going　on；　but　would　think　that　he　was　in　a　prosperous　city。〃　Note　also　the　description　given　of　the　extraordinary　noise　made　by　the　drums；　trumpets；　and　shouts　of　the　men；　so　that　even　the　birds　fell　down　into　the　soldiers'　hands　stricken　with　terror　and　〃it　seemed　as　if　the　sky　would　fall　to　the　earth；〃　and　〃if　you　asked　anything；　you　could　not　hear　yourself　speak；　and　you　had　to　ask　by　signs。〃　Many　such　instances　might　be　given；　but　not　to　be　tedious　I　will　invite　attention　to　only　three　more；　viz。；　the　account　given　by　Nuniz　of　how；　when　receiving　the　men　of　the　city　after　its　surrender；　the　king；　〃casting　his　eye　on　Christovao　de　Figueiredo；　nodded　his　head；　and　turned　to　the　people　telling　them　to　observe　what　great　things　could　be　effected　by　one　good　man；〃＇248＇　his　description　of　the　behaviour　of　the　defeated　citizens　when　Krishna　Deva　made　his　triumphant　entry　into　the　city；　and　his　narrative　of　the　ambassador's　reception　at　Vijayanagar　by　the　king　after　the　conclusion　of　the　campaign。＇249＇　It　may　be　remembered　that　our　other　chronicler　Domingo　Paes；　was　at　Vijayanagar　with　Christovao　de　Figueiredo　some　months　after　the　battle；　even　if　he　were　not　personally　present　in　the　fighting　at　Raichur。

The　great　interest　of　Nuniz's　narrative　lies　in　the　fact　that　it　is　the　only　detailed　account　extant。　Barros　related　the　events　in　historical　fashion；　taking　his　facts　from　this　very　chronicle；　but　he　was　never　in　India；　and　his　brief　summary　is　altogether　wanting　in　the　power　and　force　contained　in　the　graphic　story　of　Nuniz。　The　other　Portuguese　writers　pass　over　the　war　very　lightly。　It　appears　as　if　it　hardly　concerned　then；；　further　than　that　at　its　close　Ruy　de　Mello　seized　the　mainlands　near　Goa。



Political　Effects　of　the　Battle。

And　yet　it　had　far…reaching　effects。　The　Hindu　victory　so　weakened　the　power　and　prestige　of　the　Adil　Shah　that　he　ceased　altogether　to　dream　of　any　present　conquest　in　the　south；　and　turned　his　attention　to　cementing　alliances　with　the　other　Muhammadan　sovereigns；　his　neighbours。　The　victory　also　caused　all　the　other　Muhammadan　Powers　in　the　Dakhan　seriously　to　consider　the　political　condition　of　the　country；　and　this　eventually　led　to　a　combination　without　which　nothing　was　possible；　but　by　the　aid　of　which　the　Vijayanagar　Empire　was　finally　overthrown　and　the　way　to　the　south　opened。　It　furthermore　greatly　affected　the　Hindus　by　raising　in　them　a　spirit　of　pride　and　arrogance；　which　added　fuel　to　the　fire；　caused　them　to　become　positively　intolerable　to　their　neighbours；　and　accelerated　their　own　downfall。

It　equally　affected　the　fortunes　of　the　Portuguese　on　the　coast。　Goa　rose　and　fell　simultaneously　with　the　rise　and　fall　of　the　second　Vijayanagar　dynasty；　and　necessarily　so；　considering　that　its　entire　trade　depended　on　Hindu　support；　for　the　king　of　Portugal　was　never　well　disposed　towards　his　hereditary　enemies；　the　〃Moors。〃　This　is　a　point　frequently　left　unnoticed　by　writers；　on　Portuguese　colonial　history。　The　two　most　recent　authors　of　works　on　the　subject；　Mr。　Danvers　（〃The　Portuguese　in　India〃）　and　Mr。　Whiteway　（〃The　Rise　of　Portuguese　Power　in　India〃）；　pay　very　little　attention　to　the　internal　politics　of　the　great　country　on　the　fringe　alone　of　which　the　Portuguese　settled；　and　on　the　coast　of　which　their　vessels　came　and　went。　Mr。　Danvers　devotes　one　short　paragraph　to　the　battle　of　Raichur；＇250＇　and　another＇251＇　to　the　destruction　of　Vijayanagar。　Mr。　Whiteway　does　not　even　allude　to　the　former　event；　and　concludes　his　history　before　arriving　at　the　date　of　the　latter。　Yet　surely　it　is　easy　to　see　that　the　success　or　failure　of　maritime　trade　on　any　given　coast　must　depend　on　the　conditions　prevailing　in　the　empire　for　the　supply　of　which　that　trade　was　established。　When　Vijayanagar；　with　its　grandeur；　luxury；　and　love　of　display；　its　great　wealth　and　its　enormous　armies；　was　at　the　height　of　its　power；　the　foreign　traders　were　eminently　successful：　when　Vijayanagar　fell；　and　the　city　became　desolate　and　depopulated；　the　foreign　traders　had　no　market　for　their　goods；　and　trade　decayed。　So　that　this　great　Hindu　victory　at　Raichur　deserved　a　better　fate　than　to　be　passed　over　by　the　historians　as　if　it　had　been　an　event　of　small　importance。


The　Events　that　followed　the　Battle。

Nuniz　gives　us　in　detail　an　account　of　the　events　that　followed　the　victory　of　Krishna　Deva　Raya；　and　considering　that　he　wrote　only　about　fifteen　years　after　their　occurrence；　we　should　do　well　to　receive　his　account　as　probably　true　in　the　main。　Firishtah；　perhaps　naturally；　preserves　a　complete　silence　on　the　subject。

Nuniz　tells　us　that　when　the　city　of　Raichur　surrendered；　the　Hindu　king　made　a　triumphal　entry　into　it；　and　treated　the　garrison　with　kindness　and　consideration；　while　the　other　Muhammadan　kings　sent　envoys　to　Krishna　Deva　Raya　on　hearing　of　his　success；　and　received　a　haughty　and　irritating　reply。　Krishna　Deva　then　returned　to　Vijayanagar　and　held　high　festival。　Shortly　afterwards　an　ambassador　arrived　from　the　defeated　Shah；　and　was　treated　with　scant　courtesy　for　more　than　a　month；　after　which　he　was　received　in　audience；　when　the　king　sent　answer　by　him　to　his　enemy；　that　if　the　Adil　Shah　would　come　to　him；　do　obeisance；　and　kiss　his　foot；　his　lands　and　fortresses　should　be　restored　to　him。　No　attention　being　paid　to　this；　the　Raya　set　out　to　search　for　the　Shah；　hoping；　that　he　would　be　induced　to　do　homage　in　the　manner　demanded　and　appearing　to　ignore　altogether　the　effect　which　would　necessarily　be　produced　on　the　minds　of　the　other　kings　of　the　Dakhan　by　this　contemplated　supreme　humiliation　of　one　of　their　number。　The　submission　never　took　place。　Krishna　led　his　army　as　far　north　as　Bijapur；　the　Adil　Shah's　capital；　which　for　a　time　he　occupied　and　left　sadly　injured。　Then　Asada　Khan；　the　Shah's　wily　courtier；　successfully　brought　about　the　death　of　his　personal　enemy；　Salabat　Khan；　by　inducing　the　Raya　to　order　his　execution；　an　act　to；　which　the　king　was　led　by　the　machinations　of　the　arch…intriguer；　who　subordinated　his　chief's　interests　to　his　own　selfish　ends。

King　Krishna　had；　in　the　city　of　Bijapur；　taken　prisoner　three　sons　of　a　former　king　of　the　Bahmani　dynasty；　who　had　been　held　captive　by　the　Adil　Shahs；　and　he　proclaimed　the　eldest　as　king　of　the　Dakhan。＇252＇　This　abortive　attempt　to　subvert　the　rule　of　the　five　kings　who　had　established　themselves　on　the　ruins　of　the　single　Dakhan　sovereignty　naturally　fell　flat；　and　only　resulted　in　stiffening　the　hostility　which　these　sovereigns　felt　towards　their　common　foe。

A　little　later　Krishna　Raya's　son；　a　young　prince　on　whom　he　desired　to　confer　his　crown；　and　in　whose　favour　he　had　even　gone　so　far　as　openly　to　abdicate；　died　suddenly　of　poison；　and　the　king；　then　himself　in　a　dying　condition；　arrested　and　imprisoned　his　own　minister；　Saluva　Timma；　and　his　family。　In　this　he　was　aided　by　some　Portuguese　who　happened　to　be　present　at　the　Durbar。　On　Saluva　Timma's　son　escaping　to　a　〃mountain　range〃　　perhaps　Sandur；　on　the　south　of　the　capital；　where　there　are　still　to　be　seen　the　remains　of　a　strong　fortress　built　of　cyclopean　masonry　on　the　summit　of　the　highest　hill；　now　known　as　Ramandrug　　the　king　summoned　Timma　and　his　brother　and　son；　and　had　their　eyes　put　out。

About　this　time　the　Adil　Shah　advanced　again　to　retrieve　his　broken　fortunes；　but　fled　incontinently　on　hearing　the　news　that　Krishna　Deva　was　advancing　in　person　to　meet　him。　That　the　king；　though　sorely　ill；　did　indeed　move　in　the　manner　stated；　seems　to　be　confirmed　by　the　statement　of　Nuniz　that　on　the　way　he　bought　six　hundred　horses　from　the　Portuguese。　Krishna　began　to　make　preparations　for　an　attack　on　Belgaum；　then　in　the　Adil　Shah's　possession；　and　sent　an　envoy　to　invite　the　assistance　in　this　enterprise　of　the　Portuguese　at　Goa；　but　he　fell　too　seriously　ill　to　carry　out　his　project；　and　died　shortly　afterwards　at　the　age　of　from　forty…two　to　forty…five　years。　It　was　then　the　year　1530　A。D。

He　was　succeeded　by　Achyuta。

So　far　Nuniz。　We　learn　something　more　from　other　writers。　Barros　states　that　about　the　year　1523　Saluva　Timma；　the　king's　minister；　invaded　the　mainlands　near　Goa；　which　had　been　recently　acquired　by　the　Portuguese　under　Ruy　de　Mello；　that　he　advanced　towards　Ponda　with　a　small　force；　but　that　he　was　attacked　and　driven　back。＇253＇　Shortly　after　this；　viz。；　in　April　1524；　the　Muhammadans　of　Bijapur　attacked　these　same　mainlands　with　success；　during　the　viceroyalty　of　Dom　Duarte　de　Menezes。　On　October　31　of　that　year　the　Chamber　of　Goa　wrote　a　report　to　the　king　of　Portugal　in　which　occurs　the　following　passage：　

〃The　mainland　which　Ruy　de　Mello；　who　was　captain　of　this　city；