The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c11: Chapter V. Rama Raya and the Deccani Muhammadans
The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c11
- Language
- English
Chapter V. Rama Raya and the Deccani Muhammadans
v1.c11.1
SUMMARY.—1. Policy of Rama Raya with the Muhammadans of the Deccan.—2. First encounter of Venkatadri with Ibrahim Adil Shah.—3. Bijapur and Ahmadnagar against Vijayanagara and Bidar.—4. Successful campaign of Rama Raya against Ahmadnagar.—5. Bijapur attacked by Vijayanagara, Ahmadnagar and Golkonda.—6. Capture of Kaliyani by Vijayanagara from Bidar.—7. Friendship between Rama Raya and Ibrahim Qutb Shah.—8. Last expedition of Vijayanagara and Ahmadnagar against Bijapur.—9. First campaign of Vijayanagara and Bijapur against Ahmadnagar.—10. Second campaign. Siege of Ahmadnagar. Depredations of the Hindus in Muhammadan territories.—11. Rama Raya's intervention against the pretensions of Abdulla Adil Shah to the throne of Bijapur.—12. End of the friendship between Rama Raya and Ibrahim Qutb Shah.—13. Rebellion of the Naigwaris against the Sultan of Golkonda fostered by Rama Raya.—14. Concerted plans of the Muhammadans against Vijayanagara. Rama Raya's preparations.
v1.c11.2
CONTEMPORARY SOURCES.—1. Ferishta, Anonymous Chronicler of Golkonda, *Burhan-i-Ma'asir*.—2. Couto, Faria y Sousa, Souza.—3. *Ramarajiyamu*, *Vasucharitramu*, *Annals of Hande Anantapuram*.
v1.c11.3
THE policy of Rama Raya in his relations with the Deccani Muhammadans was that of a shrewd diplomatist of the modern type. He always tried to keep his opponents divided so as to weaken their power. To attain this, he used to ally himself now with one, now with another sovereign, for the purpose of waging war against the rest; so that during the twenty three years of his rule, he successively made war against all the Sultans of the Deccan, and always returned home victorious over the followers of the Prophet.
v1.c11.4
The *Vasucharitramu* states that "the Nizam (of Ahmadnagar), Kutupasahi (Kutb Shah of Golkonda) and the Sapada (Adil Shah of Bijapur) fled to the forests before his march" ¹. And in the *Svaramelakalanidhi* it is said that with his brothers' aid he ‘conquered all Parasikas’, that is the Muhammadans ¹. The British Museum plates of Sadasiva state that “the dust raised by his armies appears like smoke that drives away those gnats”, *viz.*, the Muhammadans ². And probably also his wars with the Mussulmans inspired the statement of the Mangalampad grant of Venkata II that “Rama Raya had slain in battle all his enemies” ³.
v1.c11.5
¹ S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, *Sources*, p. 216.
v1.c11.6
¹ Ibid., p. 190.
v1.c11.7
² *Ep. Ind.*, IV, p. 3.
v1.c11.8
³ Butterworth, I, p. 29, v. 16. Rama Raya’s campaigns against the Muhammadans are recorded in the *Rama Raya Cheritra*. Cf. Wilson, *The Mackenzie Collection*, p. 263.
v1.c11.9
2. The struggle between Vijayanagara and the Muhammadans started early in the reign of Sadasiva, almost on the very day of his coronation. Ferishta says that when Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur heard of the revolution that took place in Vijayanagara to dethrone the usurper Salakam Timma Raju, and of the subsequent election of Sadasiva as Emperor of Vijayanagara, he thought it a good opportunity, and despatched Asad Khan with the bulk of his army to reduce the important fortress of Adoni. No sooner did this news come to Vijayanagara, than Rama Raya likewise sent his brother Venkatadri with a strong force to relieve the fort, which was on the point of surrendering. On his approach Asad Khan raised the siege and moved towards him. A sharp engagement ensued and the Muhammadan general, finding that he was likely to have the worst of the action by reason of the vast superiority of the enemy, retreated in good order, followed by Venkatadri at a distance of about twenty one miles. In the evening Asad Khan encamped, and Venkatadri, with a view to obstructing further retreat, halted likewise at a distance of about eight miles. On the following day before sunrise, Asad Khan with four thousand chosen horse surprised the camp of Venkatadri, whose self-confidence had thrown him wholly off his guard against this manoeuvre. The Muhammadans penetrated the Hindu tents before the alarm was given. Venkatadri had scarcely time to make his escape, and left his treasures, family and elephants in the hands of the victors ⁴.
v1.c11.10
⁴ This defeat is perhaps the one referred to by Correa, IV, p. 440.
v1.c11.11
At daybreak Venkatadri collected his scattered troops, and drew them up as if to give battle; but seeing Asad Khan prepared to maintain his advantage, and growing apprehensive of the consequences to his wife and children, he declined battle, and retiring some miles away, pitched his camp there. From thence he wrote to Rama Raya, told him of his disaster and requested reinforcements. The Regent at once sent supplies of men and money, and gave out his intention of carrying on the war. He privately informed his brother, at the same time, that he had reason to think Ibrahin Adil Shah had not been induced to besiege Adoni of his own accord; but that he suspected the zemindars of that quarter had urged him to make war, and that many of Venkadri's officers were likewise secretly in the enemy's interest; therefore, he finally advised him to exercise prudence, by making peace with the Mussulmans for the moment and obtaining the release of his wife and family from Asad Khan.
v1.c11.12
In consequence of this advice, and having procured the mediation and influence of Asad Khan himself by means of a heavy bribe received for this purpose from his brother Rama Raya, Venkatadri made overtures to Ibrahim Adil Shah for peace. This was at once granted. The terms of peace were settled to the satisfaction of both states. Ferishta does not specify these terms. After this, Asad Khan joined his master, the Sultan, and proceeded to Bijapur whilst Venkatadri retired to Vijayanagra after the rescue of his family¹.
v1.c11.13
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 85-7.
v1.c11.14
3. But not long after he had reached the capital, Ibrahim Adil Shah, invited by Burhan Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar, entered whole-heartedly into a confederacy with him against Bidar and Vijayanagara. It was then agreed that the Ahmadnagar Sultan should invade the country of Amir Barid Shah, and leave the Sultan of Bijapur unmolested in any attack he might choose to make on the territory of Vijayanagara. This scheme was soon carried out. Burhan Nizam Shah attacked and carried by storm the fort of Kandahar, whilst the Bidar Sultan, unaware of the secret treaty formed between Ahmadnagar and Bijapur, left a strong garrison to defend Bidar and fled to his old ally Ibrahim Adil Shah, by whom he was seized and kept prisoner. The Sultan of Bijapur then marched to the south to accomplish the second part of the treaty. Ferishta says that he succeeded in adding greatly to his territories by conquests from the Hindu state of Vijayanagara¹; but we are sure there is great exaggeration in this statement, because, for one thing, we are not aware of any territorial loss to Vijayanagara about this time and, secondly, because we find Rama Raya engaged in a war with Ahmadnagar, subsequent to these events.
v1.c11.15
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 387.
v1.c11.16
4. Rama Raya perhaps suspected that the real promoter of the war waged by Adil Shah was the Sultan of Ahmadnagar. Hence he left Bijapur alone and, being resolved to establish division between these two allies, marched against Burhan Nizam Shah. To reach his dominions, however, he had to cross the states of Golkonda and Bidar; so, to be prepared for any emergency, the Regent divided his army into three sections. Rama Raya took command of the section sent to attack the Sultan of Golkonda; his brother Tirumala was at the head of the troops despatched against the Sultan of Bidar; and Hande Hanumappa Nayudu of Sonnalapuram was sent with the rest of the army against Ahmadnagar². The actions in this war are recorded in the Hindu poems: the capture of the city of Kaliyani, a pitched battle between the Muhammadans and the Hindus, and the sack and destruction of the city of Ahmadnagar. The *Vasucharitramu* does not give any information about the capture of Kaliyani, which belonged to the Sultan of Ahmadnagar³; but the *Annals of Hande Anantapuram* give a short but precise account of the battle. It seems that the three sections of the army were again united that day, while the three Sultans had likewise joined their forces. The battle resulted in a tremendous defeat for the allies; the three Sultans fled from the battle-field after seeing the rout of their troops, while the Hindu army followed in pursuit in the course of which Hande Hanumappa Nayudu took Burhan Nizam Shah prisoner ¹. After such a disaster the city of Ahmadnagar could not resist the might of the victorious army. It was probably then that Rama Raya captured the capital of the Nizam Sultans, razed it to the ground and sowed castor seeds there, a fact recorded in the *Ramarajiyamu* ². On account of this victory, Rama Raya is given in the same poem the title of ‘Destroyer of the fortifications of Ahmadnagar’ ³.
v1.c11.17
² It is evident from the sources that we shall refer to that the object of the campaign was the defeat of the Sultan of Ahmadnagar, the war against the other two Sultans being a necessary means to reach Ahmadnagar state.
v1.c11.18
³ S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, *Sources*, p. 216.
v1.c11.19
¹ *Annals of Hande Anantapuram*, l. c.
v1.c11.20
² S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, *Sources*, p. 182.
v1.c11.21
³ Ibid., p. 183.
v1.c11.22
After this Burhan Nizam Shah, now in the hands of Rama Raya, was forced to repudiate his alliance with Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur ⁴. This was the main object of the Regent of Vijayanagara for the time being. As a result of this, Burhan Nizam Shah was promptly set at liberty.
v1.c11.23
⁴ *Vasucharitramu*, S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, p. 216. I differ from the opinion of Dr. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, who thinks that the Ibharam mentioned in the poem is Ibrahim Qutb Shah of Golkonda.
v1.c11.24
5. And he kept his promise to Rama Raya very faithfully; because Ferishta informs us that at the end of 1543 or in the beginning of 1544, that is shortly after these events, Burhan Nizam Shah appointed Shah Tahir ambassador to the court of Jamshid Qutb Shah of Golkonda, in order to make private overtures to induce him to form a league with Rama Raya of Vijayanagara against the state of Bijapur ⁵. The pretext given by Nizam Shah was his desire to recover from Bijapur the five districts he had been compelled to relinquish to Adil Shah, probably in his previous alliance. The three princes agreed to wage war against Bijapur: Rama Raya was to attack the Bijapur territories on the South, the Sultan of Golkonda on the East, while Nizam Shah, with his own army and with troops of Ali Barid and Kwaja Jahan, was to invade them on the North-East. Shortly after he entered the Bijapur territory, laid waste many districts, and on more than one occasion defeated the troops of Adil Shah. In the meanwhile the Golkonda Sultan entered Bijapur on the East, seized the whole district of Kakni, in which he built a strong fort, occupied the whole country up to the walls of Gulburga, and laid siege to the fortress of Etgir, near the city of Sagar. Finally Rama Raya deputed his brother Venkatadri to reduce the fort of Raichur; and he defeated the Sultan near the river Bhima, and drove him from the field. This action is recorded in the Narasabupaliyamu ¹.
v1.c11.25
⁵ Ferishta, III, p. 230.
v1.c11.26
¹ S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, *Sources*, p. 224.
v1.c11.27
The kingdom of Bijapur, thus attacked simultaneously by three powerful armies, was really at stake. Ibrahim Adil Shah at once sent for his best counsellor, Asad Khan, who was in Belgaum, and asked his advice. This experienced general suspected that the Sultan of Golkonda was the real enemy who had instigated the others to hostility; and that if he could be removed, the rest would be easy. He therefore advised that peace should be concluded with him, by resigning the five districts dependent on Sholapur—which had furnished the pretext for the war. At the same time he recommended that separate overtures should be made to Rama Raya, offering him presents to propitiate his friendship. He stated finally that when free from the attacks of these two enemies, Asad Khan would himself undertake the chastisement of Qutb Shah, and promised that in a short time he would recover all the places the Sultan of Golconda had taken from Bijapur.
v1.c11.28
Ibrahim Adil Shah acted upon this advice, and peace was concluded separately with Burhan Nizam Shah and Rama Raya. Asad Khan then marched against Jamshid Qutb Shah, who was finally defeated in a severe action under the walls of Golkonda. Such was the end of the first campaign of the allies against Bijapur ².
v1.c11.29
² Ferishta, III, p. 92-4.
v1.c11.30
But this peace did not last long. "Some time after this campaign", says Ferishta without recording the exact date, "Burhan Nizam Shah was instigated by the same Rama Raya to march for the purpose of reducing Gulbarga, and naturally Ibrahim Adil Shah moved from Bijapur to oppose him. After a campaign of several months, in which both armies lay inactive for a long period in sight of each other, with the river Bhima between them, the Nizam's army was totally routed with heavy loss" 1. Thus the purpose of the Machiavellian policy of Rama Raya was obtained: it was to weaken the Muhammadan power by fostering wars among the Mussulman Sovereigns.
v1.c11.31
6. During the following years Vijayanagara was not engaged in war with the Muslim powers of the Deccan. But about the end of 1548 or the beginning of 1549, Burhan Nizam Shah, as soon as he was made aware of the death of Asad Khan, the great general and counsellor of the Sultan of Bijapur, despatched ambassadors to Rama Raya, inviting him to a confederacy with the purpose of making another attack on the Bijapur dominions. Rama Raya was much pleased with the proposal, so dear to his heart, and accordingly presents and professions of good will were interchanged between him and the Ahmadnagar ambassadors. News of this alliance came to the ears of Ibrahim Adil Shah, who on that account treated the ambassadors of Vijayanagara resident at his court with marked disrespect; hence they quitted his capital with great indignation, without even taking any leave 2. On arriving at Vijayanagara, they told Rama Raya about the behaviour of Ibrahim Adil Shah after the league between Vijayanagara and Ahmadnagar; and concluded by saying that had they not made their escape, they would probably have been put to death. Rama Raya, enraged at this affront, at once wrote to the Sultan of Ahmadnagar that as Ali Barid Shah of Bidar had preferred the alliance of Ibrahim Adil Shah to his, it would be desirable to take from him the fort of Kaliyani which had been recovered by him after the campaign narrated above.
v1.c11.32
We have two different versions of the siege of this fortress: the narrative of Ferishta and the minute account of the Hindu poem *Sivatattvaratnakara*. But neither does Ferishta say a word concerning the deeds of Rama Raya and the Hindus during this action, nor does the Hindu writer even mention the part taken in the capture of the fort by the Sultan of Ahmadnagar¹. From both accounts we shall presently draw conclusions.
v1.c11.33
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 94-5.
v1.c11.34
² This conduct of the Bijapur Sultan was a tacit reply to the treatment given by Rama Raya to his own ambassador who went to Vijayanagara for the tribute requested by Adil Shah, Correa IV, p. 601, relates that the Muslim ambassador was stoned to death by order of Rama Raya.
v1.c11.35
¹ It is very strange of Ferishta to say that Rama Raya was invited to this war by Burhan Shah, and to record their mutual agreement, and yet not speak at all of the Hindu chief while relating the happenings of the campaign; this shows Ferishta's hatred towards the Hindus. After a careful examination of both sources, it is evident that these two different accounts need reconciling.
v1.c11.36
Both allies moved without delay towards Kaliyani. Burhan Nizam Shah was at the head of his troops; while Rama Raya, being unable for the present to command his own army, placed it under Sadasiva Nayaka, the Ikeri ruler. The Sultan of Bijapur sent his army against the Hindus to oppose their entry into his territory; but Ibrahim Adil Shah's forces were defeated and driven from the field by the valour of Sadasiva Nayaka, who captured the valuable spoils of the enemy's army. It seems that after this battle Rama Raya met his troops, and under the two chiefs, the Vijayanagara army proceeded towards Kaliyani.
v1.c11.37
The allies met under the walls of this fortress and, having surrounded it, effectually cut off all comunications from without. Ibrahim Adil Shah himself then marched to relieve it and, advancing within sight of the allies, pitched his camp and entrenched himself. The allies, unwilling to raise the siege, also fortified their lines. The Bijapur Maratha horse were employed to block the roads leading to the allies' camp and to cut off their supplies; and they were so successful that they caused the greatest distress, through want of provisions to the Vijayanagara and Ahmadnagar troops. A council of the nobles of the allied armies was held at this stage. Some of them proposed to raise the siege, and that they should retreat and make peace; while others recommended a sudden and vigorous attack on the enemy. Ferishta mentions two Muhammadans who supported this opinion, Shah Jafar and Qasim Beg; and we are sure that Sadasiva Nayaka was one of the Hindus who sided with them—encouraged as he was by the victory he had obtained a few days earlier over the Bijapur army. The latter opinion prevailed. The allies surprised at dawn the army of Ibrahim Adil Shah. The Sultan himself, who was then in a warm bath, had scarcely time to make his escape, and to fly towards Bir and Parenda; while his troops were so completely surprised that they deserted their tents, baggage and artillery, all of which fell into the hands of the victors.
v1.c11.38
At the same time an attack was made on the fortress, which surrendered without much opposition. There is no doubt that Sadasiva Nayaka greatly distinguished himself in this final attack; but the achievements narrated by the author of the Hindu poem evidently bear all the signs of a poetic episode introduced to extol the figure of the old ancestor of the poet's chief.¹ The capture of the city of Kaliyani by Rama Raya is recorded, without of course mentioning the Sultan of Ahmadnagar, in the Padmaneri grant of Venkata II²; and in the Ramarajiyumu, the glorious Regent of the Vijayanagara Empire is given the titles of ‘capturer of the fort of Kaliyani’³ and ‘ruler of the city of Kaliyani’⁴; from which we may conclude that Rama Raya remained in possession of the captured fortress.
v1.c11.39
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 233-5 and 102-3. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Sources, p. 195.
v1.c11.40
² Ep. Ind., XVI, p. 293.
v1.c11.41
³ S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, o. c., p. 183.
v1.c11.42
⁴ Ibid., p. 182.
v1.c11.43
7. In the following year, 1550, a sudden event took place that influenced for several years the relations between Rama Raya and the Deccani kingdoms. Jamshid Qutb Shah, the Sultan of Golkonda, had been for two years in a failing state of health. On this account his temper grew worse, his disposition become morose, and he put many persons to death on the most trivial charges. His cruelty excited the terror of his subjects; his two brothers, Haidar Khan and Ibrahim, fled to Bidar, where Haidar Khan, the eldest, died shortly after.
v1.c11.44
It happened that not long after the demise of Haidar Khan, somewhat before 1550, the Sultan of Bidar, Qasim Barid Shah, was engaged in a war with the Sultans of Ahmadnagar and Golkonda; and while in retreat before the advance of his enemies, he took advantage of the situation of Prince Ibrahim, but so far forgot the rights of hospitality as to attempt to seize the elephants and private property belonging to that Prince. The latter, discovering his intention, immediately left him, retreated to Vijayanagara and claimed the friendship of Rama Raya.
v1.c11.45
When Ibrahim reached Vijayanagara he was accompanied by Syud Hye, by an Abyssinian called Raihan, who bore the title of Hamid Khan, by a Brahmin named Kanaji, and by a few personal attendants. The Prince was received in Vijayanagara according to his rank, and treated with the utmost respect and attention. Rama Raya, whose power had at this time considerably increased by reason of the imprisonment of Sadasiva, realized at once that his friendship with the brother of the Sultan of Golkonda could be employed as a valuable means for attaining his political aims. Hence he assigned for the support of the Prince an estate, which was at that time possessed by Ambar Khan the Abyssinian, an officer in Rama Raya’s pay. And this was precisely the cause of a singular duel, in which Ibrahim showed what a skilful swordsman he was.
v1.c11.46
It would appear that Ambar Khan, much enraged at the alienation of his estate, once met Prince Ibrahim in the streets of Vijayanagara and charged him with depriving him of it. Ibrahim replied that monarchs were at liberty to dispose of their own property, and that Rama Raya had chosen to give him the estate. The Prince proceeded on his way, whereupon the Abyssinian called him a coward for refusing to dispute his title with the sword. Ibrahim Qutb Shah warned him of his imprudence; but the Prince’s coolness only added fury to the anger of Ambar Khan, who proceeded to abuse him all the more. At this the Prince dismounted and drew; the Abyssinian rushed upon him; but Ibrahim killed his antagonist. The latter’s brother, standing by, insisted on taking up the cause, and he also fell a victim to his temerity.¹
v1.c11.47
¹ The anonymous chronicler of Golkonda instances another duel of Ibrahim Qutb Shah in the streets of Vijayanagara. Cf. Ferishta, III, p. 382. Perhaps both facts are the same, although some of the circumstances vary.
v1.c11.48
In the year 1550 Jamshid Qutb Shah died; and the nobles of the court elevated his son Subhan Kuli, a tender child 1, to the throne, under the regency of Saif Khan Ain-ul-Mulk, at the request of his mother the Dowager-queen. The nobles however were not pleased with the appointment of the Protector, a man who had been exiled to Ahmadnagar by the late Sultan. They finally became so obstreperous that Mustafa Khan, the Prime Minister, immediately wrote to Ibrahim Qutb Shah at Vijayanagara, inviting him to court. On receipt of this letter his two friends in adversity, Syud Hye and Hamid Khan, advised him to proceed instantly to the capital and proclaim himself king. He also consulted his friend Rama Raya, who not only acceded to Ibrahim’s wishes, but even offered to send his brother Venkatadri with ten thousand cavalry and twenty thousand infantry to support him 2. Ferishta says that Syud Hye and Hamid Khan advised the Prince to decline this large force, which might in his name effect anything to favour the views of Rama Raya, even the usurpation of Government, if it chose. But the *Narasabupali-yanu* states openly that Rama Raya ‘helped him (Qutb Mulk, viz., Ibrahim Qutb Shah) to get back his lost kingdom’ 3. Knowing the tendency of Ferishta, we are inclined to believe that the Qutb Prince left Vijayanagara accompanied by Venkatadri’s forces 4; during the journey he was advised by his friends to dismiss the Hindu troops and he actually did so; perhaps on reaching the town of Pangul, where he was met by Mustafa Khan on whom he bestowed the office of Mir Jumla and a dress of honour. Here he was shortly after joined by Salabat Khan, with three thousand foreign cavalry and many other officers who now deserted the infant King. On his arrival at Golkonda, Ibrahim Qutb Shah was enthroned without opposition; in consequence—says Ferishta—of the extreme popularity of his minister Mustafa Khan ¹.
v1.c11.49
¹ Ferishta says he was ten years old, but according to the anonymous chronicler he was seven.
v1.c11.50
² We cannot admit the story of Ferishta who says that in the beginning Rama Raya “would by no means consent to his quitting his service to set up vague pretensions (as he termed them) to the throne of Golkonda.” Such a statement disagrees with the character and policy of Rama Raya and with the subsequent events.
v1.c11.51
³ S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, *Sources*, p. 224.
v1.c11.52
⁴ The emphasis of Ferishta on this point is striking: “The Prince Ibrahim, therefore, having left Vijayanagara *without any Hindu auxiliaries* proceeded” etc. This emphasis strengthens my doubt as to his veracity in the matter.
v1.c11.53
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 327-9; Anonymous chronicler, Ferishta l. c., p. 380-3 and 392; Burhan-i-Ma'asir, Ind. Ant., L, p. 4-5.
v1.c11.54
8. After the last campaign of Vijayanagara and Ahmadnagar against Bijapur, apparently no peace was established; for as a matter of fact, by the end of the same year 1551 the Sultan of Bijapur began to make preparations for retaking the fort of Kaliyani. Burhan Nizam Shah, on receiving intimation of this design, sent ambassadors to Rama Raya, who agreed to meet him in the vicinity of Raichur in order to concert a plan of operations for the ensuing year. Rama Raya accordingly moved with a considerable force to that place, where it was resolved that the forts of Raichur and Mudgal should be conquered for Rama Raya, and that he should aid in reducing the city and dependencies of Sholapur and the town of Gulbarga. The allies took Raichur; and on its falling into their hands, the garrison of Mudgal also surrendered without opposition. Then Rama Raya left his younger brother Venkatadri with an army to assist Burhan Nizam Shah, and returned to Vijayanagara. The Sultan of Ahmadnagar, with Venkatadri's aid, captured Sholapur in a short time, and having strengthened it returned to his capital. Ferishta, in the history of the Sultans of Bijapur, makes no mention of the purpose of the allies in conquering Gulbarga; but in the history of the Sultans of Ahmadnagar he states that Nizam Shah could not conquer the city, because he was abandoned by his Hindu ally. Possibly some misunderstanding arose between the Sultan and Venkatadri. The latter having left for Vijayanagara, Nizam Shah could not accomplish his desires, and as he died shortly after, his successor, Husain Nizam Shah, concluded peace with Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur ².
v1.c11.55
² Ferishta, III, p. 104-5 and 235; Burhan-i-Ma'asir, Ind. Ant., L, p. 78.
v1.c11.56
In one of these campaigns with Ahmadnagar, Rama Raya captured the fortress of Turkal ¹. This was the last expedition in which Rama Raya joined the Sultan of Ahmadnagar against the Sultan of Bijapur. On account of all these campaigns he is said, in the *Narasabupaliyamu*, to have helped the Sultan of Ahmadnagar ²; and in the *Ramarajiyamu*, he is called ‘the terror of the city of Bijapur’ ³. But we shall presently see the Regent of Vijayanagara in close alliance with the Sultan of Bijapur against the Sultan of Golkonda.
v1.c11.57
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 135.
v1.c11.58
² S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, *Sources*, p. 224.
v1.c11.59
³ Ibid., p. 182.
v1.c11.60
9. This happened in the year 1555, when the Sultan of Ahmadnagar, Husain Nizam Shah, and the Sultan of Golkonda, Ibrahim Qutb Shah, met in the vicinity of Gulbarga, and Kutb Shah promised to aid the army of Ahmadnagar in capturing that fort. “The fort of Gulbarga”, says Ali ibn Aziz, “although built on the plain, is yet very strong, and is surrounded by a deep and broad ditch full of water. It is so constructed that the walls cannot be damaged by artillery, for the ground at the top of the counterscarp of the ditch rises so high that all shot fly above the walls; while the depth of the ditch and the fact that is always full of water prevent running.” The old Bahmani capital was accordingly besieged after a while, but it resisted every effort of the allies for a whole month. Then at last, after two breaches had been effected, an assault was made in which, after the loss of many of the best officers of the Ahmadnagar army, the allies were repulsed. “The fighting before the fortress and in the breaches continued not only throughout the day, but for a whole month more. At length the garrison were reduced to great straits; and having no more strength to fight, sent a messenger to Adil Shah setting forth their desperate circumstances.” The Sultan of Bijapur, to whom Gulbarga belonged, unable any longer to cope single-handed with the united forces of the allies, sent an ambassador with magnificent presents to Vijayanagara, to beg the aid of Rama Raya, who immediately marched in person at the head of his army to the assistance of Ibrahim Adil Shah. On the way he addressed the following letter to Ibrahim Qutb Shah, preserved for us by the anonymous chronicler of Golkonda, who perhaps saw the original in the archives of the court:—
v1.c11.61
"Be it known to Your Majesty, that it is now many years since the two courts of Bijapur and Ahmadnagar have been in constant state of warfare; and that the balance of power between them was so equal, that although every year each of these Sovereigns had been in the habit making a campaign on the other's frontiers, yet no advantage accrued to either. It now appears that Your Majesty (whose ancestors never interfered in these disputes) has marched an army to turn the scale in favour of Husein Nizam Shah without having any cause of enmity against Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur, who has accordingly sought our alliance. As a friendship has long subsisted between our court and Your Majesty, we have thought fit to lay these arguments before you, to induce you to relinquish the offensive alliance which Your Majesty has formed; and by returning peaceably to your capital, show a friendly disposition towards both parties, who will afterwards conclude a peace, and put an end to this long protracted war."
v1.c11.62
Such was the letter of Rama Raya to his old friend and protégé, Ibrahim Qutb Shah, who also received letters from Ibrahim Adil Shah himself at the same time. "The letter and the news of Sadasiva Raya's (Rama Raya's) approach," says the *Burhan-i-Ma'asir*, "reached Ibrahim Qutb Shah at the same time." Then he heard also that Tirumala, the brother of Rama Raya, with a body of cavalry accompanied by some of the Bijapur officers, was laying waste the Pangal district. Accordingly the above mentioned work states that Ibrahim Qutb Shah at once violated the solemn treaty with Husain Nizam Shah and left Gulbarga for Telingana in the middle of the night. The news of his flight was brought to Husain Nizam Shah in the morning...[who] perceived that it would be unwise to tarry any longer and so marched to Ahmadnagar" ¹.
v1.c11.63
¹ Anonymous chronicler of Golkonda, Ferishta, III, p. 396-7; *Burhan-i-Ma'asir*, *Ind. Ant.*, L, p. 101-2. The account of the flight of Ibrahim Qutb given in the work seems more reliable than the
v1.c11.64
After this, Rama Raya again helped the Sultan of Bijapur by sending him his brother Venkatadri with a considerable force to expel from the Bijapur territory Ain-ul-Mulk, who had rebelled against the Sultan. This chief was thoroughly defeated and, having fled to Ahmadnagar, was put to death by Husain Nizam Shah¹.
v1.c11.65
¹ Ferishta, l. c., p. 110-1.
v1.c11.66
10. Shortly after this meeting, in the year 1557, Ibrahim Adil Shah died and was succeeded by his son Ali Adil Shah, then a youth. The new monarch, intent on adding to his dominions and repairing the losses sustained by his father, entered into close alliance with Rama Raya. But it happened that Husain Nizam Shah, suddenly taking advantage of the youthfulness of the Bijapur Sultan, invaded his dominions with a great force. Ali Adil Shah, unable to defend himself, evacuated his capital and, attended only by a small body-guard of one hundred horse, proceeded in person to the court of Vijayanagara.
v1.c11.67
It is mentioned by Ferishta that about this time Rama Raya had lost one of his sons; and that the young Sultan of Bijapur took the opportunity of offering him his condolence in person, thus hoping to get immediate reinforcements to oppose the victorious army of Ahmadnagar. Rama Raya received him with the greatest respect. The Sultan "with the kindest persuasion," says Ferishta, "prevailed upon him to lay aside his mourning." The wife of Rama Raya, on this occasion, adopted the Sultan as her son; and at the end of three days spent in an interchange of friendly professions and presents, Rama Raya was induced to march with his whole army, accompanied by Ali Adil Shah, towards Ahmadnagar². They at once invaded the territory of Nizam Shah, "with an army more numerous than the raindrops," says the Burhan-narrative of the Golkonda chronicler evidently concocted to please the Sultan.
v1.c11.68
² Ferishta relates that Ali Adil Shah left Vijayanagara alone and that Rama Raya did not attend him out of the city, for which the Sultan of Bijapur was offended and treasured up the affront in his mind. This is evidently a slandering statement of the Muhammadan writer against the Hindu chief, whose subsequent conduct cannot satisfactorily be explained if we grant the truth of
v1.c11.69
i-Ma'asir. They laid waste the invaded kingdom so thoroughly that for miles not a vestige of population was left. Husain Nizam Shah, declining any opposition in the field, retired to Paithan; and after some time, purchased peace by giving the fort of Kaliyani to Ali Adil Shah. Nevertheless Sadasiva Nayaka, one of the chief officers of the army of Vijayanagara, seems to have once been severely defeated by the Ahmadnagar army.
v1.c11.70
Now the allies had no sooner retired from Ahmadnagar than Husain Nizam Shah entered into an alliance with Ibrahim Qutb Shah, and marched to retake the fort he had just surrendered. Ali Adil Shah, on receiving intelligence of this league, again despatched Kishwur Khan and Abu Turab to Vijayanagara to solicit aid from Rama Raya, who marched at once ‘with a mighty army’ to join the Bijapur Sultan. Then the two Sovereigns sent a letter to Ibrahim Qutb Shah, calling upon him in pursuance of the late treaty to join them. Ibrahim Qutb Shah, however unwilling to act against Husain Nizam Shah, considered it politic not to incur the imputation of a breach of treaty, and thus perhaps draw on himself the vengeance of the allies. He accordingly joined them at the city of Gulbarga; when the whole army including Ali Barid Shah, the Bidar Sultan, who had also joined the allies, marched to Ahmadnagar. The Vijayanagara troops laid waste all the towns and villages on their route. Husain Nizam Shah, unable to resist their united forces left a strong garrison and plenty of provisions in his capital and retired to Junar¹. In the meantime, Ibrahim Qutb Shah wrote to him privately, informing him of the political necessity which had induced him to join the allies; but at the same time he assured him that he would endeavour to assist him, and would do all in his power to induce his enemies to this statement. The *Narasabupaliyamu* states that Rama Raya left his kingdom to Adil Shah on his agreeing to pay him tribute. This information probably refers to this occasion. Cf. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, *Sources*, p. 224.
v1.c11.71
¹ The anonymous chronicler of Golkonda says that Husain retreated to Daulatabad. I prefer the authority of both Ferishta and Ali ibn Aziz, who wrote their works in Ahmadnagar itself.
v1.c11.72
retreat and abandon the war. He also made the same communications to the officer commanding the fort of Ahmadnagar, advising him to make every possible resistance, and to hold out till the last. The allies besieged the place with vigour for two months. The garrison were beginning to lose their spirits, when Ibrahim Qutb Shah with seasonable donations bought over some of the principal nobles of Vijayanagara and induced them to propose the return of the troops to their respective capitals; specially now that the rainy season was approaching and they were very far from Vijayanagara. Rama Raya, convinced of the truth of their remonstrances, consented to retreat; but Ali Adil Shah, who knew that the besieged were suffering from lack of provisions, had a conference with Rama Raya, and begged him not to think of withdrawing till the place fell. He promised to cede to him the district of Indgy if he would only continue the siege for a month longer. Ferishta states that the Sultan of Bijapur suspected the causes of the obstinacy of the besieged. Rama Raya consented. The siege was prosecuted with redoubled vigour. Meanwhile Ibrahim Qutb Shah permitted supplies for the garrison and a number of artillery-men from Ahmadnagar to pass through his camp into the fort. But the approaches of the allies were brought closer to the walls, and the speedy reduction of the fort appeared so certain that Ibrahim Qutb Shah was induced to try, if possible, to avert that extreme evil. He accordingly deputed his minister and commander-in-chief, Mustafa Khan, to wait on Rama Raya, and to endeavour to persuade him to raise the siege; if he did not succed in this, he was to inform him that the Golkonda troops had to return immediately to their capital. Mustafa Khan in his conference with Rama Raya made use of every argument he could devise in order to gain his end. He also engaged secretly, on behalf of the king his master, to cede the fort and district of Condapilli to Rama Raya, if the latter would return to his capital. This last motive was perhaps the most weighty. For Rama Raya immediately consented to retreat, and sent a message to Ali Adil Shah to that effect. The three Kings then retired to their respective capitals ¹.
v1.c11.73
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 117-22; Anonymous chronicler of Golkonda, Ferishta, l. c., p. 402-5; *Burhan-i-Ma'asir*, *Ind. Ant.*, L., p. 104-6, 141-2.
v1.c11.74
But, in the following year 1558, the Sultan of Ahmadnagar deputed Maulana Inayatullah to Golkonda to effect a marriage-alliance with the family of Qutb Shah. It was agreed that the two Kings should meet the following year for that purpose in the neighbourhood of Kaliyani; and that after celebrating the proposed marriage, their armies should proceed to recover that fortress from the hands of Ali Adil Shah. Accordingly, at the stated period Husain Nizam Shah and Ibrahim Qutb Shah collected their respective forces, and met at Kaliyani, where the former gave his eldest daughter Bibi Jamalli in marriage to Ibrahim Qutb Shah; and after one month employed in celebrating the nuptials, the Kings laid siege to Kaliyani. Ali Adil Shah upon hearing this proceeded to Vijayanagara, and again solicited the aid of Rama Raya, who marched with his army to his support. On the road he was joined by Ali Barid Shah of Bidar and Burhan Imad Shah of Berar, who had been invited by him to enter the confederacy. In the meanwhile the Sultans of Ahmadnagar and Golkonda had marched, with seven hundred pieces of ordinance of different calibres and five hundred elephants, to within twelve miles of Kaliyani. It happened that they had scarcely encamped, when a violent storm came on which blew down all the tents, the rain pouring down in torrents; cattle and heavy guns, in particular, were rendered almost useless, for the latter were immoveable in the heavy black clay on which the camp stood. At the same time, on the approach of the allies, Ibrahim Qutb Shah received intimation that Rama Raya, taking advantage of his absence, had sent his brother Venkatadri, accompanied by Jagdeo Rao and Ain-ul-Mulk, at the head of fifteen thousand cavalry and thirty thousand infantry, to invade his southern districts. On receipt of this news Ibrahim Qutb Shah consulted Husain Nizam Shah. It was resolved that they should raise the siege of Kaliyani and return to their respective capitals¹. Husain Nizam Shah however deputed Qasim Beg and Maulana Inayatullah to Rama Raya to sue for peace. This was granted on the following conditions :—
v1.c11.75
¹ Ferishta here relates another siege of Ahmadnagar, but as the anonymous chronicler does not say a word about such a siege
v1.c11.77
The king of Bijanagar putting him to death had brought much money.
v1.c11.78
III. Rama Raya of Vijayanagara. (By kind permission of the Curator, Art Section, Prince of Wales' Museum, Bombay.)
v1.c11.79
First, that he should cede the fortress of Kaliyani to Ali Adil Shah.
v1.c11.80
Secondly, that he should put to death Jahangir Khan, the commander of the auxiliary troops of Duria Imadul-Mulk, who had been extremely active against the enemy.
v1.c11.81
Thirdly, that Husain Nizam Shah should submit to pay Rama Raya a visit and to receive a pan or aromatic leaf from his hands in token of the superiority of the donor.
v1.c11.82
The Sultan of Ahmadnagar, to save his kingdom, accepted the terms, and fulfilled the second article by employing a band of assassins to put to death Jahangir Khan in his tent. "Thus," Ferishta says, " at the instigation of an infidel he murdered one of the faithful, and verified the proverb, that 'there is no faith in princes." Then he proceeded to the camp of Rama Raya, who rose on his entering his tent and took him by the hand. Husain Nizam Shah, who was very haughty, called for a basin and ewer and washed his hands as if they had been polluted by the touch of the Hindu Sovereign; who, according to Ferishta, on seeing that said in his own language: "If he were not my guest, I would cut off his hands and hang them round his neck"; and calling for water he also washed his hands; and such was the bad feeling which prevailed that a tumult nearly occurred on the spot. The treaty of peace was concluded by Qasim Beg and Maulana Inayatullah on the part of Ahmadnagar and by Tirumala and Venkatadri on the part of Vijayanagara.
v1.c11.83
Ferishta relates that during these two expeditions of the Vijayanagara army through the territories of Ahmadnagar, the religious feelings of the Muhammadans were much excited on account of the damage done by the Hindu soldiers to their mosques and sacred objects. "The infidels of Vijayanagara,"
v1.c11.84
during this second campaign, it may be a chronological mistake on the part of that author. The treaty of peace, the terms of which, as given by Ferishta, may be read somewhat lower down, must be placed after the second campaign; because neither Ferishta nor the chronicler of Golkonda speaks of any treaty at the end of the first. Moreover, such humiliating terms cannot be conceived at a time when the allies' armies were retiring from Ahmadnagar, not having captured this city.
v1.c11.85
says he, "who for many years had been wishing for such an opportunity, left no cruelty unpractised. They insulted the honour of the Mussulman women, destroyed the mosques, and did not respect even the sacred Kuran. They committed the most outrageous devastations: burning and razing the buildings, putting up their horses in the mosques, and performing their abominable idolatrous worship in the holy places" 1.
v1.c11.86
II. At about the same time, the intervention of Vijayanagara put an end to a long family dispute that had annoyed the Sultan of Bijapur. During the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah the Prince Abdullah 2, having effected his escape to Goa from the harsh treatment of his brother, was induced, by the advice of some of the nobility who attended him, to proclaim himself Sultan of Bijapur. One of those nobles was Asad Khan, the lord of the fortress of Belgaum, the most powerful subject of Adil Shah 3. This chief entered into correspondence with the Captain of Goa, Dom Garcia, who was governing in the absence of Dom Martim Affonso de Souza, then in the South. Asad Khan offered to give to the Portuguese the whole of the Konkan that belonged to him if Garcia would dare to fetch Prince Abdullah who had retired to the kingdom of Gujarat, and set him up against the power of Ibrahim Adil Shah as the real Sultan of Bijapur. Dom Garcia was much pleased with this proposal and at once sent a lateen to Cambay, in which Abdullah with the whole of his family reached Goa some time after. He was received as a king, and entertained by the Captain in a magnificent house near the Jesuit College of St. Paul. Dom Martim Affonso de Souza reached Goa shortly after. Ibrahim Adil Shah at once despatched ambassadors to him to renew the old friendship, and to ask for the expulsion of his brother from Goa. But, at the same time Asad Khan, too, sent his messengers to the Governor and renewed his old offer. There was hot discussion on this question in the Council of State. At last it was decided not to join the cause of Abdullah, on account of the old friendship with the reigning Sultan. But Ibrahim was not fully pleased. The presence of his brother at Goa was a continuous menace to him: so he wished Abdullah to be handed over to him; but as this prince was a guest of the Portuguese State the Governor promptly refused to do so. Again the Sultan insisted, and asked that at least his brother should be sent to some distant country where he could not endanger the peace of his kingdom. The Governor then agreed and Abdullah was sent to the fort of Cananor. It was then that the Sultan of Bijapur, on August 22, 1546, declared that the territories of Salsette and Bardez should be the property of the King of Portugal for ever¹. But Abdullah re-appeared in Goa after a while; and although the Governor promised the Sultan to send him in exile to Malaca, this was never intended.
v1.c11.87
¹ Ferishta, III, p. 120-1, 239-43 and 331; Anonymous chronicler, Ferishta, l. c., p. 406-7. The *Burhan-i-Ma'asir* does not say a word on this treaty so humiliating to the Sultan of Ahmadnagar.
v1.c11.88
² This Prince is always called by the Portuguese Meale or Meale Khan, and they call him nephew of the Sultan. I prefer Ferishta's authority in this case.
v1.c11.89
³ Ferishta states that the Sultans of Ahmadnagar and Golkonda fostered the ambition of Prince Abdulla and invited Asad Khan to join him.
v1.c11.90
¹ Cf. Ch. IV, No. 6.
v1.c11.91
Some years after, while Dom Pedro Mascarenhas was the Viceroy, Burhan Nizam Shah, the Sultan of Ahmadnagar, proposed to him to proclaim the unfortunate Prince at Goa Sultan of Bijapur, and to win for him the fortress of Penda. Nizam Shah was already meditating the ruin of his neighbour of Bijapur. This idea appealed to the Viceroy; and he at once ordered a majestic stage adorned with cloth of silk and gold, to be put up in the square in front of his palace. There in the presence of a great multitude of Portuguese and Goans and of many nobles of Bijapur, his partizans, he crowned with his own hands Prince Abdullah Adil Shah Sultan of Bijapur. The new King, as a mark of his thankfulness, resigned at once all his rights over the territories of Salsette and Bardez. After this ceremony, the Viceroy despatched an army of three thousand foot and two hundred horse to conquer the fort of Penda, which was then in possession of the real Sultan. The cavalry was sent first under the command of Gaspar de Mello, Captain of Goa; the rest of the army followed, led by the five captains: Fernando Martins Freire, Martim Affonso de Miranda, Dom Fernando de Monroy, Dom Antonio de Noronha and Sebastiao de Sa. The garrison of that fortress was unable to resist for long. Its surrender was communicated to the Viceroy after some days. He went there accompanying Abdullah Adil Shah with great ceremony. The new Sultan took possession of the fort, and set out at once to conquer the whole kingdom; leaving in the fort a detachment of six hundred men under the command of Dom Antao de Noronha, while Mascarenhas returned to Goa where he died shortly after. Dom Francisco Barreto succeeded him as Governor in 1555, and continued the policy of his predecessor towards Abdullah. The King of Portugal was much pleased on hearing this news, as he wrote to that effect to the City of Goa in a letter dated Lisbon, March 20th, 1557¹.
v1.c11.92
¹ Archivo Portuguez-Oriental, Fasc. I, p. 42.
v1.c11.93
In the meanwhile Abdullah, aided by the Portuguese, was advancing triumphantly towards Bijapur; so that even in this city many of the nobles openly declared themselves partizans of the new Sultan. Ibrahim Adil Shah had already died by this time, and his son Ali Adil Shah again sent ambassadors to Rama Raya begging his protection.
v1.c11.94
The Hindu chief sent him a body of fifteen thousand soldiers, with whom Ali Adil Shah so completely defeated his rival uncle that the latter had to flee and take refuge in the kingdom of Ahmadnagar. But this Sultan of Ahmadnagar, who had concluded a treaty of peace with Rama Raya and Ali Adil Shah a little before, caused Abdullah to be imprisoned in the hills of Brula. After the demise of Burhan Nizam Shah, Abdullah was given his freedom at the request of the Sultan of Golkonda, and went back to Goa where he died. In 1611 a grandson of his, who had become a Christian, was still living in the same city².
v1.c11.95
² Ferishta, III, p. 98-100; Couto, V, 11, 8; Faria y Sousa, II, p 251-2, 298 and 300; Sousa, Oriente Conquistado, I, p.72-7; Maffei, Historiarum Indicarum, p.550-3. Some years before Rama Raya had requested
v1.c11.96
12. The second campaign of Vijayanagara and Bijapur against Ahmadnagar, which we have related just above, marks also the end of the friendship between Rama Raya and Ibrahim Qutb Shah of Golkonda. "Although at times they had to espouse the cause of hostile powers", says Mr. G. Yazdani, "yet, owing to their friendship and mutual regard, they refrained from fighting against each other and effected a reconciliation between the powers whom they joined" 1. But when Rama Raya despatched his brother Venkatadri along with Jagdeo Rao and Ain-ul-Mulk to invade the southern districts of Golkonda, the old friendship was considered broken for ever. Ibrahim Qutb Shah after retiring from Kaliyani deputed Mujahid Khan with a force to oppose them. An action took place in the neighbourhood of Torkal which lasted for several days; but it was not decisive. Rama Raya at the same time sent Sida Raya Timapa, chief of Kandbir, with fifty thousand horse, against Condapilly and Masulipatam; and his son-in-law, Jotumraj, with twenty thousand horse against Dewurconda and Indraconda; while his own forces were employed in plundering the neighbourhood of Golkonda. Several skirmishes took place near the gardens of the Sultan and the village of Bijwara. Four months were occupied in these operations, till Jagdeo Rao induced the Naigwaries of Pangal, Rovilconda and Ganpura to deliver up those forts to Rama Raya. At the same time Kasi Rao made over the keys of Indraconda.
v1.c11.97
The southern territories of Golkonda were then all attacked by the allies of Rama Raya. The Raja of Kandbir attacked Kondapalli; the Setupati and Vidiadri from Raja-
v1.c11.98
the aid of the Portuguese Viceroy for defending the rights of Prince Abdullah against the Sultan of Bijapur. Cf. Ch. IV, No. 5, note. Lafitau, *Histoire des Decouvertes*, II, p. 532-3, says that the Emperor of Vijayanagara requested by the Sultan of Bijapur offered a shelter to Prince Abdullah and his nobles. Some of these were killed and the Prince was retained as prisoner, though "traite avec la dignite qui convenoit son rang."
First 97 of 108 passages. Read on
Linked texts (6)
- Tārīkh-i Firishta — Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Firishta 1606, Persian
- Narasabhūpālīyamu — Bhaṭṭumūrti, Telugu
- Svaramelakalānidhi — Rāmāmātya 1550, Sanskrit
- Indian Antiquary
- Śivatattvaratnākara — Basappa Nāyaka 1684, Sanskrit
- Kyāsanūr inscription of the reign of Nityavarsha Amōghavarsha (D) — Kannada