A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar) Part 30

[274] -- Scott, i. pp. 262 ff.; Briggs, iii. p. 80.

[275] -- Briggs has it "a daughter of Shew Ray." Rama married a daughter of Krishna Deva, who was son of the first Narasimha.

[276] -- Inscriptions do not give us the name of any prince of the female line at this period. Briggs calls the uncle "Bhoj"

Tirumala. Couto (Dec. VI. l. v. cap. 5) renders the name as "Uche Timma," and states that UCHE means "mad."

[277] -- Here we probably find an allusion to the reign of Achyuta. Rama was the elder of three brothers afterwards to become very famous. He and his brother Tirumala both married daughters of Krishna Deva Raya. Achyuta being, in Nuniz's belief, brother of the latter monarch, that chronicler calls these two brothers "brothers-in-law" of King Achyuta. (Below, p. 367.) Nuniz says that King Achyuta "destroyed the princ.i.p.al people in the kingdom and killed their sons" (p. 369).

[278] -- Achyuta had then been for about six years on the throne.

[279] -- If the Sultan's march towards Vijayanagar began in 1535 -- 36, we shall perhaps not be far wrong in a.s.signing Nuniz's chronicle to the year 1536 -- 37, seeing that the author alludes to the dissatisfaction and disgust felt by the n.o.bles and others for their rulers, which presupposes a certain interval to have pa.s.sed since the departure of the Mussalman army.

[280] -- Scott's edit., i. 265.

[281] -- Scott spells the name "Negtaderee," but I have subst.i.tuted the rendering given by Briggs, "Venkatadry," as less confusing.

[282] -- Firishtah writes glowingly (Scott, i. 277) of the grandeur of Asada Khan. He "was famed for his judgment and wisdom.... For nearly forty years he was the patron and protector of the n.o.bles and distinguished of the Dekhan. He lived in the highest respect and esteem, with a magnificence and grandeur surpa.s.sing all his contemporary n.o.bility. The sovereigns of Beejanuggur and every country observing a respect to his great abilities, frequently honoured him with letters and valuable presents. His household servants ... amounted to 250. He had sixty of the largest elephants and 150 of a smaller size. In his stables he had 400 horses of Arabia and Persia, exclusive of those-of mixed breed foaled in India. His treasures and riches were beyond amount," &c.

[283] -- Firishtah's story of Asada Khan's life is contained in Scott's edition. i. pp. 236 -- 278; Briggs, iii. pp. 45 -- 102.

[284] -- Dec. III. l. iv. cap. 5.

[285] -- Dec. IV. l. vii. cap. 6.

[286] -- Turugel is probably Tirakhol, north of Goa.

[287] -- Couto tells us (Dec. VII. l. vii. c. 1) that Rama Raya in 1555 made an expedition against the Christian inhabitants of San Thome, near Madras, but retired without doing great harm; and it is quite possible that the king acknowledged no connection between San Thome and Goa.

[288] -- EPIGRAPHIA INDICA, iii 147.

[289] -- EPIGRAPHIA CARNATICA (Rice), Part i. p. 176, No. 120.

[290] -- I have published a rough list of eighty-eight of these, eighty-four of which are dated, in my "Lists of Antiquities, Madras"

(vol. ii. p. 134 ff.).

[291] -- South Indian Inscriptions," vol. i. p. 70.

[292] -- Dec. VI. l. v. cap. 5.

[293] -- "Tetarao," "Ramygupa," and "Ouamysyuaya" (text, below, p. 314).

[294] -- Page 108.

[295] -- Dec. VI. l. v. cap. 5.

[296] -- EPIG. IND., iii. 236.

[297] -- Firishtah (Scott, i. 252) states that Rama Raya "married a daughter of the son of Seoroy, by that alliance greatly adding to his influence and power." If so, "Seoroy" must be the first Narasa The historian says that "Seoroy dying was succeeded by his son, a minor, who did not live long after him, and left the throne to a younger brother." These brothers, then, were the second Narasa, called also Vira Narasimha, and Krishna Deva. The rest of Firishtah's account does not tally with our other sources of information. As being son-in-law of Krishna Deva, Rama was called "Aliya," which means "son-in-law,"

and by this name he is constantly known.

[298] -- IND. ANT., xiii. 154.

[299] -- Vol. iv. pp. 247 -- 249, 276 -- 282.

[300] -- See the pedigree above. The young son would be Venkata, and the uncle, Ranga.