a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第9节

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〃Mahummud　Shaw　halted　a　week　on　the　field；　and　dispatched　accounts　of　his　victory　to　his　own　dominions。　In　performance　of　his　vow　of　massacre　he　next　marched　towards　the　camp　of　Kishen　Roy；　who；　thinking　himself　unable　to　oppose　notwithstanding　his　numerous　force；　fled　to　the　woods　and　mountains　for　shelter。　The　sultan　followed　him　from　place　to　place　for　three　months；　putting　to　death　all　who　came　in　his　way；　without　distinction。　At　length　Kishen　Roy　took　the　road　of　Beejanuggur；　his　capital。　The　sultan；　pursuing；　soon　arrived　with　his　army　near　the　city。〃

To　make　a　long　story　short；　the　Sultan　besieged　Vijayanagar　in　vain　for　a　month；　and　then　retreated　across　the　Tungabhadra；　harassed　at　every　step　by　masses　of　the　Hindus　from　the　city。　He　halted　at　last　in　an　open　plain；　and　the　king　also　pitched　his　camp　at　no　great　distance。　Muhammad's　retreat　had　been　deliberately　carried　out　in　order　to　draw　on　his　enemy；　and　cause　him　by　over…confidence　to　neglect　proper　precautions。　The　ruse　was　successful。　The　Muhammadans　made　a　sudden　and　unexpected　night…attack。　Bukka　（called；　as　before；　〃Kishen〃）　was　off　his　guard；　having　indulged　in　wine　and　the　amusements　provided　by　a　band　of　dancing…women。　The　slaughter　was　terrible；　and　the　Raya　fled　to　Vijayanagar；　ten　thousand　of　his　troops　being　slain；　　〃But　this　did　not　satisfy　the　rage　of　the　sultan；　who　commanded　the　inhabitants　of　every　place　round　Beejanuggur　to　be　massacred　without　mercy。〃

Then　Bukka　tried　to　make　peace；　but　the　Sultan　refused。

〃At　this　time　a　favourite　remarked　to　the　sultan　that　he　had　only　sworn　to　slaughter　one　hundred　thousand　Hindoos；　and　not　totally　to　destroy　their　race　The　sultan　replied　that　though　twice　the　number　of　his　vow　might　have　been　slain；　yet　till　the　roy　should　submit；　and　satisfy　the　musicians；　he　would　not　pardon　him　or　spare　the　lives　of　his　subjects。　To　this　the　ambassadors；　who　had　full　powers；　agreed；　and　the　money　was　paid　at　the　instant。　Mahummud　Shaw　then　said；　'Praise　be　to　God　that　what　I　ordered　has　been　performed。　I　would　not　let　a　light　word　be　recorded　of　me　in　the　pages　of　time！'　〃

The　ambassadors　then　pleaded　that　no　religion　ordained　that　the　innocent；　and　particularly　helpless　women　and　children；　should　suffer　for　the　guilty：　

〃If　Kishen　Roy　had　been　faulty；　the　poor　and　wretched　had　not　been　partakers　in　his　crimes。　Mahummud　Shaw　replied　that　the　decrees　of　providence　had　so　ordered；　and　that　he　had　no　power　to　alter　them。〃

The　ambassadors　finally　urged　that　as　the　two　nations　were　neighbours；　it　were　surely　best　to　avoid　unnecessary　cruelty；　which　would　only　embitter　their　relations　with　one　another；　and　this　argument　had　effect。

〃Mahummud　Shaw　was　struck　by　their　remarks；　and　took　an　oath　that　he　would　not　in　future　put　to　death　a　single　enemy　after　victory；　and　would　bind　his　successors　to　observe　the　same　lenity。〃

For　some　years；　no　doubt；　the　promise　was　fulfilled；　but　we　read　of　wholesale　massacres　perpetrated　by　sovereigns　of　later　date。　As　to　Muhammad；　Firishtah　glories　in　the　statement　that　he　had　slaughtered　500；000　Hindus；　and　so　wasted　the　districts　of　the　Carnatic　that　for　several　decades　they　did　not　recover　their　natural　population。

Thus　ended　the　war；　and　for　some　years　there　was　peace　between　Vijayanagar　and　Kulbarga。

Muhammad　Shah　died　on　21st　April　A。D。　1375；＇55＇　and　was　succeeded　by　his　son　Mujahid；　then　nineteen　years　old。　Shortly　after　his　accession　Mujahid　wrote　to　Bukka　Raya　（still　called　〃Kishen　Roy〃　by　Firishtah＇56＇）；　〃that　as　some　forts　and　districts　between　the　Kistnah　and　Tummedra　（Tungabhadra）　rivers　were　held　by　them　in　participation；　which　occasioned　constant　disagreements；　he　must　for　the　future　limit　his　confines　to　the　Tummedra；　and　give　up　all　on　the　eastern　side　to　him；　with　the　fort　of　Beekapore　and　some　other　places。〃　This　〃Beekapore〃　is　the　important　fortress　of　Bankapur；　south　of　Dharwar。　The　Dakhani　sovereigns　always　looked　on　it　with　covetous　eyes；　as　it　lay　on　the　direct　route　from　Vijayanagar　to　the　sea；　and　its　possession　would　paralyse　Hindu　trade。

The　Raya　replied　by　a　counter…demand　that　the　Sultan　should　evacuate　the　whole　of　the　Doab；　since　Raichur　and　Mudkal　had　always　belonged　to　the　Anegundi　family。　Bukka　declared　the　Krishna　river　to　be　the　true　boundary；　and　asked　that　the　elephants　taken　by　Sultan　Muhammad　should　be　restored。

The　Sultan's　answer　was　a　declaration　of　war。　He　advanced　in　person；　crossed　both　the　rivers；　and　arrived　before　Adoni。　On　hearing　that　the　Raya　was　encamped　on　the　bank　of　the　Tungabhadra；　he　left　one　force　to　besiege　the　fortress；　sent　another　to　advance　towards　Vijayanagar；　and　himself　marched；　probably　in　a　north…westerly　direction；　towards　the　river；　〃by　slow　marches　and　with　great　caution。〃　The　Hindu　prince　at　first　prepared　to　receive　his　attack；　but　for　some　reason＇57＇　lost　heart　and　retired　to　the　forests　on　the　hills　of　Sandur；　south　of　his　capital。

Firishtah　here　pays　a　tribute　to　the　interest　felt　by　the　inhabitants　of　this　part　of　India　in　the　new　city；　then　only　forty　years　old；　but　evidently　growing　in　grandeur　year　by　year。

〃Mujahid　Shaw；　having　heard　great　praises　of　the　beauty　of　the　city；　advanced　to　Beejanuggur；　but　thinking　it　too　strong　to　besiege　at　present；　he　moved　in　pursuit　of　the　enemy　in　the　field。〃

Now　follows　a　passage　on　which　it　is　difficult　to　place　full　reliance；　but　which　only　echoes　common　tradition。　It　runs　to　the　effect　that；　on　the　advance　of　the　Sultan；　the　Raya

〃fled　through　the　woods　and　hills　towards　Seet　Bunder　Ramessar　followed　by　the　sultan；　who　cut　passages　for　his　cavalry；　through　forests　before　inaccessible。　In　this　manner　the　roy　fled　from　place　to　place　for　six　months；　but　never　dared　to　appear　without　the　woods。　It　was　in　vain　that　the　favourites　of　the　sultan　represented　the　pursuit　as　fruitless　and　destructive　to　the　troops。　He　would　not　desist。　At　last　his　good　fortune　prevailed。　The　health　of　Kishen　Roy　and　his　family　became　affected　by　the　noxious　air　of　the　woods；　and　they　were　warned　to　quit　them　by　the　physicians。。。。　Driven　by　necessity；　he　retired　by　secret　paths　to　his　capital　of　Beejanuggur。　The　sultan　despatched　an　army　after　him；　while　he　himself；　with　the　ameer　al　amra　Bahadur　Khan　and　five　thousand　men；　went　to　amuse　himself　with　the　sight　of　Seet　Bunda　Ramessar。

〃The　sultan　at　this　place　repaired　a　mosque　which　had　been　built　by　the　officers　of　Sultan　Alla　ad　Dien　Khiljee。　He　broke　down　many　temples　of　the　idolaters；　and　laid　waste　their　country　after　which　he　hastened　with　all　expedition　to　Beejanuggur。〃

It　is　a　fact　that　a　mosque　is　declared　to　have　been　erected　by　Malik　Kafur　on　the　sea…coast　in　1310；　but　apparently　not　at　Ramesvaram；　which　lies　in　the　extreme　south　of　India；　on　the　eastern　coast　opposite　the　island　of　Ceylon。　Moreover；　it　is　extremely　improbable　that　a　Muhammadan　sovereign　could；　in　the　fourteenth　century　A。D。；　have　penetrated　so　far　south　with　such　a　handful　of　men。　They　would　have　been　harassed　at　every　step　by　myriads　of　Hindus；　who；　though　doubtless　trembling　at　the　sight　of　a　Muhammadan；　would；　we　may　be　sure；　never　have　permitted　5000　men　to　traverse　in　peace　1000　miles　of　forest　and　mountain；　for　Ramesvaram　is　fully　500　miles　from　Vijayanagar。　Malik　Kafur's　expedition　is　said　to　have　taken　place　after　the　conquest　by　him　of　the　Ballala　Rajah　of　Dvarasamudra　in　Maisur；　when　he　erected　a　mosque　on　the　SEA…COAST　OF　MALABAR；　and　therefore　nowhere　near　Ramesvaram。　Colonel　Briggs　has　observed　this　difficulty；＇58＇　and　thinks　that　the　place　alluded　to　must　be　Sadasivaghur；　on　the　western　coast；）　south　of　Goa；　adding；　〃The　spot　。。。　is　called　Cape　Ramas　on　our　maps。〃＇59＇　He　believes；　however；　that　the　remains　of　an　old　mosque　do　exist　at　Ramesvaram；　and　its　date　should　be　settled。　Leaving　it　to　others　better　informed　to　throw　light　on　this　point；　I　return　to　Bukka　Raya　and　his　doings。

Firishtah　says　that　there　were　two　roads　to　Vijayanagar：

〃one　fit　for　the　passage　of　armies；　the　other　narrow　and　difficult。　As　the　former　was　lined　with　ambushes；　he　chose　the　latter；　through　which　he　marched　with　a　select…body　of　troops；　and　appeared　suddenly　in　the　suburbs　of　the　city。〃

If　Mujahid　came　up　from　the　Malabar　coast；　the　former　of　these　two　roads　would　perhaps　be　the　usual　route　adopted　by　travellers；　which　leads　through　open　undulating　plains。　Avoiding　this　route；　the　Sultan　may　have　turned　the　Sandur　hills　by　a　flank　movement　to　his　right；　and　approached　either　along　the　valley　of　Sandur　or　along　the　valley　which　now　carries　the　main　road　from　Bellary　to　Vijayanagar；　between　the　Sandur　hills　and　the　hills　that　surround　the　latter　city。

〃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　precio