第24章

Deva Raya II.(A.D.1419to 1444or (?)1449)A fresh war,1419--Success of Vijayanagar --Death of Firuz --Sultan Ahmad attacks Deva Raya --The latter's adventure and narrow escape --Ahmad at the gates of the city --He nearly loses his life --Submission of Deva Raya --Fall of Warangal --Sultan Ala-ud-din --Deva Raya's precautions --His attempted assassination,1433--The story as told by Abdur Razzak --Expedition against Kulbarga --Improvements at the capital --Probable date of the kings death --Was there a King Deva Raya III.?

There was war then with Kulbarga in 1419,Deva Raya II.being king of Vijayanagar.The Sultan had been unsuccessful in his attack on the Warangal fortress,Pangul,and the troops of Vijayanagar marched against him with horse,foot,and elephants.Firuz Shah gave battle forthwith,though he judged his forces to be inferior.Firishtah does not mention where the fight took place.

"Meer Fuzzul Oollah,who commanded the troops of Islaam,charged the infidels with heroic vigour,and,routing their center,proceeded to attack their right wing.He was on the point of gathering the flowers of victory,when one of his own attendants,bribed for the purpose by Dewul Roy,gave him a mortal wound on the head,and he instantly quaffed the sherbet of martyrdom.This fatal event changed the fortune of the day;the sultan was defeated,and with the utmost difficulty,by the most surprising and gallant efforts,made his escape from the field.The Hindoos made a general massacre of the mussulmauns,and erected a platform with their heads on the field of battle.They followed the sultan into his own country,which they wasted with fire and sword,took many places,broke down many mosques and holy places,slaughtered the people without mercy;by their actions seeming to discharge the treasured malice and resentment of ages.Sultan Firoze Shaw,in the exigence of distress,requested aid of the sultan of Guzarat,who,having but just acceded to the throne,could afford none.At last fortune took a turn favourable to his affairs,and the enemy,after repeated battles,were expelled from his dominions by the Sultan's brother,Khankhanan;but these misfortunes dwelt on the mind of Firoze Shaw,now old,and he fell into a lingering disorder and lowness of spirits."The Sultan desired the throne for his son Hasan,husband of the beautiful Pertal,but on Ahmad Khankhanan taking up arms to support his intended usurpation and advancing,supported by most of the nobles,to the capital,Firuz gave way and nominated him Sultan in his stead.

Firuz died on September 24,A.D.1422,[103]and Khankhanan became Sultan of Kulbarga under the title of Ahmad Shah I.

The first act of the new monarch,after "impressing the minds of his people with affection to his government"--probably,that is,after an interval of a few months --was to strengthen his army in order to take revenge for the invasions of the Raya;and having made all preparations he advanced to the attack.Deva Raya's generals collected their troops,sent for aid to Warangal,and marched to the Tungabhadra where they encamped.From this it appears that they had retired from the Doab after their successful raid.The Sultan arrived on the north bank of the river opposite the Hindu camp,and LAAGERED,if we may use the term now in fashion.Firishtah says that he "surrounded his camp with carriages (carts and waggons),after the usage of Room (Turkey in Europe),to prevent the enemy's foot from making night-attacks.Here he halted for forty days."We are now,therefore,probably in the dry season at the beginning of the year A.D.1423,for if the river had been in flood there would have been no fear of the enemy's crossing it.In the early months of the Christian year that river is usually shallow in the open country east of the Hindu capital and away from the hills that surround it,having only thin streams running in its rocky bed.Indeed,Firishtah himself tells us that the river was at that time fordable.

Then ensued a dramatic episode.The Muhammadan cavalry had crossed the river and devastated the country of the Raya,who remained inactive,and the Sultan determined on a direct frontal attack.The troops of Warangal deserted the Raya and withdrew.

"Early in the morning Lodi Khan,Aulum Khan,and Dillawer Khan,who had marched during the night and forded the river at distance,reached the environs of the enemy's camp.It happened that the roy was sleeping,attended by only a few persons,in a garden,close to which was a thick plantation of sugar-cane.[104]A body of the mussulmauns entered the garden for plunder,and Dewul Roy,being alarmed,fled almost naked into the sugar-cane plantation.Here he was found by the soldiers,who thought him only a common person,and --having loaded him with a bundle of canes,obliged him to run with it before them.Dewul Roy,rejoiced at his being undiscovered,held his peace,and took up the burden readily,hoping that he should be discharged as a poor person or be able to make his escape.

"They had not gone far when the alarm of Sultan Ahmed Shaw's having crossed the river,and the loss of the roy,filled the camp,and the Hindoos began to disperse.The sultan entered the camp,and Dewul Roy's masters,hoping now for more valuable plunder than sugar-cane,hastened to join their own fronds,leaving him to shift for himself.Dewul Roy ran with his own troops,and about noon came up with some of his nobles,by whom he was recognised and received with great joy.His safety being made known,his army rallied into some order;but as he regarded the late accident as an ill omen,he laid aside all thoughts of engaging in the field,and fled to Beejanuggur.[105]