Riyaz al-salatin 118.2

118.2

At that time, the Portuguese Christians, on behalf of the king of their own country, were directed to build forts on the sea-shores of India. In the year 904 A.H., four ships of the Portuguese Christians came to the ports of Qandrinah and Kalikot, and the Portuguese after ascertaining thoroughly the state of affairs of the sea-board sailed back. And the next year, six Portuguese ships arrived at Kalikot, and the Portuguese disembarked, and made a prayer to the ruler of that place, who was called Samri, to prevent the Musalmans from trading with Arabia, urging that they (the Portuguese) would yield him more profit than the Musalmans. The Samri did not listen to their prayer. But the Christians commenced molesting the Musalmans in mercantile business, so that the Samri becoming enraged ordered the former's slaughter and massacre. Seventy leading Christians were slain; whilst the rest getting into sloops sailed out to save themselves, and alighted near the town of Kuchin, the ruler whereof was on terms of hostility with the Samri. There they obtained permission to build a fort, and within a short time they erected quickly a small fort, and dismantling a mosque which stood on the sea-shore they built on its site a church. And this was the first fort which the Christians erected in India. In the meanwhile, the inhabitants of the port of Kanor also leagued with them. The Christians erected a fort also there.