[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Travellers (1500–1858)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel) › [Storia do Mogor](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci) › [Storia do Mogor (Irvine)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine) › 265.3 # Storia do Mogor 265.3 Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 265.3 - **Language:** English ### [265.3.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.1) On hearing this answer, the prince laughed and said : ' For this speech I want to give you your liberty ; what have you to give me ?' Tevara replied : ' If you release me, I will give you forty thousand pagodas' worth of precious stones.' ' What security shall I have ?' responded the prince. ' My chief wife shall be left as hostage,' replied the other ; ' but you will have to swear not to touch her.' The prince was satisfied, but just then the general came in, made over his staff to the prince, and said that if he liberated Tevara he would turn jogi, or wanderer. As for the forty millions promised, he undertook to give double on condition that in his presence the prisoner were ordered to be killed. The prince asked Tevara how he wished to die. He replied that he should like to die at the hands of the Madura general. But first let them cut off one leg and one arm; let a sword be made over to him, and another put in the hands of the general. Thus fighting, his life could be taken. The prince ordered the prisoner to be mutilated in his presence. To this he retorted by abusive language. In this manner they went on removing one limb after another. But he had such endurance that he uttered much abuse both of the prince and of his general. Finally he was decapitated. ### [265.3.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.2) After his death, they went on conquering his territory and chastising the rebels until they reached his capital, into which the general entered with a large force, and the whole kingdom was brought into subjection. The Marava women pledged their word to each other that they would deny their husbands all marital rights, and not allow them near them until \[169\] they had taken vengeance for their sons and their Tevara. Thus put to shame, the men killed in one night the general and all the soldiers in the town. They raised to the throne a nephew of Tevara, who made a brave defence until he came to terms with the Prince of Madura, conceding the government to that prince more by force than by free will. ### [265.3.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.3) These Marava women are very brave and faithful to their husbands. There was once a woman of this race who lived in a house outside the village. Her husband was away, and she had an unweaned infant. By chance a faqir arrived and asked for alms. Seeing her beauty, and that the house stood at a distance from the village, he formed designs against her, and shut the garden-gate from inside. The woman became aware of the faqir's evil thoughts and ran for her room, fastening the door on the inside. In her hurry she had left her child outside. On reaching the door the faqir prayed her to open, saying thousands of amorous words, to which the woman did not reply. On finding that she did not answer, the faqir threatened her that if she did not open the door he would kill the infant. She uttered not a sound. In a rage the faqir cut off one of the infant's arms, and through a hole there was threw it inside. In spite of this she did not open her mouth. The faqir went on severing the child's limbs, and threw the pieces in as he had done the first. Finally he decided to get into the room by mining under the threshold enough to let his body through. Seeing the faqir's deliberate attack, and the danger to her honour, the woman placed herself close to the hole with a large stick in her hand, so that when the faqir's head emerged she applied the stick with such energy that his brains came out. Thus did she inflict justice for the death of her son. Towards evening the husband returned. ### [265.3.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.4) Finding the door fastened inside, he called to his wife. As she gave no answer, he climbed over the garden wall. On drawing near the door of the room, he saw the entrails of the infant and the dead faqir with half his body outside. He shouted for his wife, and she from inside, without opening the door, gave an account of the event. The husband went at once to report to the ruler. On hearing the story, the latter praised the woman highly, and, going to the spot, made her mount his elephant, and took her all round the town as a token of great honour. When the prince of that land heard of the case, he gave orders that all faqirs found in his territories should be killed. In this way more than three thousand faqirs were destroyed — men who, under the cloak of sanctity, are the greatest villains in the world. Up to this day no faqirs wander into those parts. ### [265.3.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.5) The Prince of Tanjor had a daughter of rare beauty. Inflamed by reports about her, the Prince of Madura asked her in marriage, saying he was anxious to become his (Tanjor's) son-in-law, and they two united would be able to resist the armies of the whole world. The Prince of Tanjor was much offended at this embassy, and replied that his daughter could not be given to him, seeing his great inferiority in blood and rank. He should remember how humble his forefathers were (referring to the emperor Ram Rajah having raised his ancestors from a lowly condition). He must not entertain such lofty ideas. By this answer the Prince of Madura was thrown into a great rage, and gathering all his forces, he started in person to devastate the lands of Tanjor. The latter also made ready his whole army, and sent his general in advance to impede the progress of the Madura ruler. But such was the sagacity and astuteness of that prince that he brought the Tanjor general over to his side with all his troops. When the Tanjor prince heard of his general's treason, he was greatly concerned, and took the field himself with a strong army, and awaited the arrival of the Madura prince. In a few days the two forces were in sight of each other. But the Tanjor leaders, already tampered with by the Madura prince or the traitorous general, gradually deserted their prince and sovereign ; by daybreak he found himself entirely abandoned, and was forced to retire into the city. ### [265.3.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.6) He made efforts to collect the people to defend the place, but through the great confusion that existed could not succeed ; and in desperation he loaded his cannon with all his great store of precious stones, and scattered them over the country. When this had been done, he went to his magnificent palace, where, shutting up seven hundred wives that he had, together with his daughter and all his wealth, he blew them up by a powder-mine, reserving only his most cherished wife, who was anxious to die in his company. He liberated fifteen thousand and three hundred concubines, who had been picked from the most lovely women in his kingdom. ### [265.3.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.7) Let not the reader start at the prince having this number of women. For in this so great was his haughtiness and vainglory that he wanted to imitate one of his gods called Quisina (Krishna), of whom it is said in their Scriptures, that he had this number of wives. While these things were happening, the enemy came and attacked the city. In order not to be made prisoner and be disgraced, the king decided to die bravely. He came out with three sons and eighteen horsemen, his relations, bearing on his horse's hindquarters his beloved queen. She, at the approach of the enemy's mighty force, felt afraid, and spoke tender words to her husband, saying that as evil Chance was so great a tyrant as to rob her of further delight in his society, she prayed him to end her life with his own hand, so that she might not fall into the enemy's power; nor should they ever obtain that delight he had enjoyed, while she would escape the horror of further afflictions. She repeated several times supplications to the same effect, but the prince was unable to steel himself to such cruelty, seeing the great love he bore her. Still, the arguments of the afflicted and determined princess were so strong that, finding the enemy already close upon them, he was forced at length to yield to her entreaties. Seizing his sword, he cut off her head, and, his blade all bare and crimson, galloped into the enemy's ranks, followed by his companions, and in a brief space ended his life. ### [265.3.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3.8) Thus did the Madura prince become lord of \[171\] Tanjor. The cause of the ruin of that prince (Tanjor) was his want of capacity and his ambition to be like the god Krishna in regard to the daughters and wives of others, mostly his captains and generals. Being thus aggrieved, these men perpetrated the treason referred to. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.265.3) · Pramāṇa