A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India c21.s3.t15: Chapter XX. How on the death of Crisnarao his brother Achetarao was raised to be king
A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India c21.s3.t15
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Chapter XX. How on the death of Crisnarao his brother Achetarao was raised to be king
c21.s3.t15.2
BEFORE⁴ the death of King Crisnarao from his disease as has been before recounted, being sick and already despairing of his life, he made a will, saying that of his three brothers whom, at the time when they raised him to be King, he had sent to be confined in the fortress of Chamdegary¹ with his nephew, son of the King Busbalrao,² they should make King his brother Achetarao³ who now reigns; for the latter seemed to him to be better fitted for that than any of the others, for the reason that he himself had no son of fit age for the throne, but only one of the age of eighteen months. After his death Salvanay became minister of the kingdom, and governed it till the coming of King Achitarao from the fortress of Chamdegary where he was detained. And he further left in his will that he should take Billgao,⁴ and should make war on the Ydallcão.
c21.s3.t15.3
⁴ I have given the meaning here, not a literal translation. The writer begins: "After the death of King Crisnarao from his disease, as has been already recounted." Then he inserts a long parenthesis which might be read: "While he was sick . . . he had made a will . . . &c. . . ." down to ". . . but only one of the age of eighteen months." Then he continues: "After his death (as I have said) Salvanay became minister," &c. . . .
c21.s3.t15.4
¹ Chandragiri.
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² See above, p. 315.
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³ Achyuta.
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⁴ Belgaum.
c21.s3.t15.8
Which King Chytarao, after he ascended the throne, gave himself over to vice and tyranny. He is a man of very little honesty, and on account of this the people and the captains are much discontented with his evil life and inclinations; for he has never done anything except those things that are desired by his two brothers-in-law,⁵ who are men very evilly disposed and great Jews. By reason of this the Ydalcão, learning of how little weight he was, determined to make war on him, believing that he would easily succeed since the King was not inclined to war; so he made his forces ready, and began to invade the King's territory, and arrived within a league of the city of Bisnaga. Chetarao was in the city with such great forces and power that he could easily have captured him if his heart had allowed him to take action, since the Ydallcão had with him only 12,000 foot and 30,000 horse; yet with this small force the Ydallcão entered Nagallapor a league from Bisnaga and razed it to the ground. The King never tried to go out against him, nor had he the stomach for a fight, and there were only small skirmishes by some captains, good horsemen. These spoke to the King, asking that His Highness would give them leave to attack, and saying that his own presence was unnecessary for so slight an affair; but the King was terrified, and by the advice of his brothers-in-law (of which they gave not a little) decided to send and make peace with the Ydallcão. The Ydallcão was very glad and made a peace with him which was to last for a hundred years, on condition that the King should give him ten *lakhs* of gold *pardaos*, each *lakh* being 100,000 *pardaos*, and further should yield up to him the city of Rachol which the King Crisnarao had taken from him, and which had a revenue with its lands of 150,000 *pardaos*, as well as jewels which could easily be valued at a *lakh*. The King accepted these terms, and the Ydallcão departed well pleased with this money; and after all was done the King sent to him a diamond stone weighing 130 *mangellinis*,¹ with fifteen other similar ones worth fully a *lakh*. This money he soon afterwards recovered and put in his treasury, exacting payments from his captains and people so ruthlessly that they say that in six months he had recovered and put the whole in his treasury.
c21.s3.t15.9
⁵ These two may perhaps be two of the three powerful brothers Râma, Tirumala, and Venkatâdri, of whom the two first married two daughters of Krishna Deva. In such case, however, they would not have been actually brothers-in-law of King Achyuta, but of his brother the late king.
c21.s3.t15.10
¹ A mangelin is roughly equivalent to a carat, but actually the difference is one-fifth; 4 mangelins = 5 carats. So that 130 mangelins = 162 carats. The Koh-i-nur, when brought to England, weighed 186 carats. (See Appendix A.)
c21.s3.t15.11
Wherefore the captains and troops, both because he made this peace and because he exacted this sum of money contrary to the wishes of them all, have lived greatly discontented, and have held that if this kingdom should ever be brought to destruction, it must take place in the lifetime of King Chitarao; for he had destroyed the principal people of his kingdom and killed their sons and taken their goods, all owing to the bad counsel of his brothers-in-law, by whom he was dominated.
c21.s3.t15.12
I will tell you of one who was called Crisnaranarque whom he seized one night, and who, before he surrendered himself, killed all his wives, in number two hundred, and then killed himself with poison in presence of the King. This was because the King wanted to kill his son in his presence. By sale of the captain’s arms, namely daggers, swords, spears, battle-axes and other things, which were all ornamented with gold and silver, the King realised more than 3000 *pardaos*. In this way the kingdom has been deprived of its principal men and of those who sustain it, wherefore the Ydalcão holds it in so little esteem that he puts upon it every day a thousand affronts and requisitions. Of this King there is nothing more so far to recount, save that he is a man that they hold to be of little force of character, and very negligent of the things which most concern the welfare of his kingdom and State.