A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c17.79

c17.79

With the Portuguese, Rāma Rāya's relations were by no means always friendly, and the advent of Martin Affonso de Sousa as governor of Goa in 1542 brought about a change for the worse. He attacked and plundered the port of Bhatkal soon after he came to Goa, and his activities on the Coromandel Coast have been noticed above. With his successor, Joao de Castro, Rāma Rāya concluded a treaty in 1547 by which he secured the monopoly of the horse trade. There followed some years of friendship and peace until, in 1558, Rāma Rāya made a sudden attack on San Thomé. He had received complaints of the destruction of temples by Roman Catholic monks and, being persuaded that the inhabitants were possessed of vast riches, he thought he could both defend his religion and refill his treasury at one stroke. He demanded a tribute of 1,00,000 pagodas, half to be paid immediately and the rest a year later, for which five hostages were taken from among the chief citizens. At about the same time, to prevent help reaching San Thomé, Goa also was attacked by Vitthalarāya, Rāma Rāya's cousin, aided by the Ikkeri chieftain Saṅkanna Nāyaka. In spite of these setbacks, the Portuguese continued their depredations along the Malabar coast in the succeeding years.