The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c27.88

v1.c27.88

II. At the end of the year 1608 the Dutch obtained from Krishnappa Nayaka of Jinji permission to build a fort in Devanapatnam, as we have stated in one of the preceding chapters ². It seems that in the place selected by them there was formerly an old fort ³. They soon started to construct their own. But according to a letter of Venkata to Philip III of Spain, which we shall quote later on, no sooner did the Emperor hear of the construction of this fort, than he sent an envoy to the Nayak of Jinji, ordering the expulsion of the Dutch from his territory. It seems that Krishnappa Nayaka did not obey his sovereign's order; for in the following year 1609, Fr. Nicolas Levanto was deputed by the Bishop and the Municipality of St. Thome to obtain from Venkata the expulsion of the Dutch from Devanapatnam. Levanto went to Venkata's court and easily obtained from him a new order for the Nayak of Jinji, to whom he personally presented it. He was also well received by Krishnappa. Matters however were seriously discussed; "the nut was a hard one to crack", says the Jesuit letter we are transcribing here, "because of the large profit he was hoping to get from the new guests; hence he (Krishnappa) told the Father to hope for the best, but at the same time delayed giving him a definite reply". Venkata in the meantime suspected the cause of this delay, and accordingly issued a third letter of his own accord, in which he scolded the Nayak for his disobedience, and ordered him again “to do according to the demand of the Father, and expel from his territory the foes of the Portuguese, who are better friends than the Dutch”.