The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c16.66

v1.c16.66

Yet six months after their triumphal arrival, that is, at the end of July or at the beginning of August of the same year 1565, they, with their respective armies, left Vijayanagara. "They departed to their own kingdom," Frederick relates, "because they were not able to maintaine such a kingdom as that was, so farre distant from their owne Countrie"³. But before leaving, they received an embassy which ought to have been for them the cause of immense joy: "Venkatadri," says Ferishta, "who escaped from the battle to a distant fortress, sent humble entreaties to the kings, to whom he agreed to restore all the places which his brother had wrested from them"⁴. By whose authority did Venkatadri make such an overture? No doubt by Tirumala's. If the distant fortress to which Venkatadri escaped was Chandragiri, as we have supposed; and if the palace of Tremil, where Tirumala and Sadasiva took refuge after the battle, is in upper Tirupati, as we have pointed out as probable in the beginning of this chapter, both brothers could have communicated with each other on important state matters; and Venkatadri could have opened these pourparlers with the Muhammadan sovereigns, as generalissimo of the Vijayanagara army on behalf of his brother, the new Regent of the Empire.