Shivaji and His Times c13.s12.1

c13.s12.1

His victory over Sher Khan being now complete, Shivaji at the end of the first week of July left the vicinity of Cuddalore, marched south across the Vellar river, and cantoned his army for the rainy season at Tirumala-vadi, on the north bank of the Kolerun river, 10 miles due north of Tanjore, (arriving there about 12th July.) Here an envoy from Chokka-nath ('Socca Linga' in Jesuit letter), the ruler of Madura, waited upon Shivaji, who demanded from him one krore of Rupees "for the present, for his expenses," arguing that the Nayak bore the sign of being worth nine krores. The envoy "answered that part of his master's country the Nayak of Mysore had taken and part Vyankoji, and that if he (Shiva) would restore him the said country, the Nayak of Madura would give him seven lakhs. The Nayak sent all his family away from Chartanapalli (Trichinopoly), where they were before, to Madura [for safety]; and while the river Kolerun remained full he feared nothing [from the Marathas.]" But shortly afterwards Raghunath Pant came from Maharashtra and was cordially welcomed by Shivaji, who then sent him to Madura with the Nayak's envoy to settle the amount of the blackmail by negotiation. The Nayak agreed to pay six lakhs of hun, out of which 1½ lakhs were delivered immediately, and Shivaji promised to retire with his army. (Nellor Ramana's letter to Governor of Madras, 16 July, 1677.)