第71章

The Third Dynasty Genealogy --The Muhammadan States --Fall of Bankapur,Kondavid,Bellamkonda and Vinukonda --Haidarabad founded --Adoni under the Muhammadans --Subsequent history in brief.

The following is the genealogy of this third family.[345]They came apparently of the old royal stock,but their exact relationship to it has never been conclusively settled.The dates appended are the dates of inions,not necessarily the dates of reigns.

The present Rajah of Anegundi,whose family name is Pampapati,and who resides on the old family estate as a zamindar under H.H.the Nizam of Haidarabad,has favoured me with a continuation of the family tree to the present day.

Ranga VI.,or,as he is generally styled,Sri Ranga,is said to have been the youngest of three brothers,sons of Chinna Venkata III.,Vira Venkatapati Raya being the eldest.Gopala,a junior member of the family,succeeded to the throne and adopted Ranga VI.,who was thus a junior member of the eldest branch.The eldest brother of Ranga VI.was ousted.

I have no means of knowing whether this information is correct,but the succession of the eldest is given on the following page.

Pampapati Rajah is recognised by his Government as head of the family for two reasons:first and foremost,because the elder line is extinct and he was adopted by his sister Kuppamma,wife of Krishna Deva of the elder line;secondly,because his two elder brothers are said to have resigned their claims in his favour.The title of the present chief is "Sri Ranga Deva Raya."Whether or no he has better title than his nephew,Kumara Raghava,need not here be discussed.The interest to the readers of this history lies in the fact that these two are the only surviving male descendants of the ancient royal house.

To revert to the history,which need only be shortly summarised since we have seen Vijayanagar destroyed and its territories in a state of political confusion and disturbance.

I omit altogether the alternate political combinations and dissolutions,the treacheries,quarrels,and fights of the various Muhammadan states after 1565,as unnecessary for our purpose and in order to avoid prolixity,summarising only a few matters which more particularly concern the territories formerly under the great Hindu Empire.

According to Golkonda accounts,a year after the great battle which resulted in the destruction of Vijayanagar,a general of the Qutb Shah,Raffat Khan Lari,ALIAS Malik Naib,marched against Rajahmundry,which was finally captured from the Hindus in A.D.1571--72(A.H.979).

Shortly after his return to Bijapur (so says Firishtah),Ali Adil Shah moved again with an army towards Vijayanagar,but retired on the Ahmadnagar Sultan advancing to oppose him;and not long afterwards he made an ineffectual attempt to reduce Goa.Retiring from the coast,he marched to attack Adoni,then under one of the vassal chiefs of Vijayanagar,who had made himself independent in that tract.The place was taken,and the Nizam Shah agreed with the king of Bijapur that he would not interfere with the latter's attempts to annex the territories south of the Krishna,if he on his part were left free to conquer Berar.

In 1573,therefore,Ali Adil moved against Dharwar and Bankapur.The siege of the latter place under its chief,Velappa Naik,now independent,lasted for a year and six months,when the garrison,reduced to great straits,surrendered.Firishtah[346]states that the Adil Shah destroyed a "superb temple"there,and himself laid the first stone of a mosque which was built on its foundation.More successes followed in the Konkan.Three years later Bellamkonda was similarly attacked,and the Raya in terror retired from Penukonda to Chandragiri.This campaign,however,resulted in failure,apparently owing to the Shah of Golkonda assisting the Hindus.In 1579the king of Golkonda,in breach of his contract,attacked and reduced the fortresses of Vinukonda and Kondavid as well as Kacharlakota and Kammam,[347]thus occupying large tracts south of the Krishna.