a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第22部分

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snaga　was　called　the　kingdom　of　Narsymga。〃

The　problem　of　Narasimha's　relationship　to　the　old　royal　line　has　never　yet　been　satisfactorily　solved。　He　belonged　to　a　family　called　SALUVA；　and　we　constantly　hear；　in　the　inscriptions　and　literary　works　of　the　time；　of　powerful　lords　who　were　relations　or　descendants　of　his。　Thus　our　chronicle　has　much　to　say　about　the　Saluva　Timma；　whom　Nuniz　calls　〃Salvatinea；〃　who　was　minister　to　King　Krishna　Deva　Raya。　An　inscription　of　the　Saka　year　1395；　which　corresponds　to　A。D。　1472　　73；　speaks　of　Narasimha　as　a　great　lord；　but　a　great　lord　ONLY；＇168＇　and　so　does　another　of　A。D。　1482　　83。＇169＇　In　one　of　A。D。　1495　　96；　however；＇170＇　he　is　called　〃MAHA…RAYA；〃　or　the　〃king。〃　But　although　the　exact　date　of　the　usurpation　and　the　exact　relationship　of　the　usurper　to　the　deposed　king　may　be　difficult　to　ascertain；　the　fact　remains　that　Narasimha　actually　became　sovereign　about　this　time；　that　Muhammadan　aggression　was　stayed　by　his　power　and　the　force　of　his　arms；　and　that　the　empire　of　Vijayanagar　was　under　him　once　more　consolidated。

The　account　of　this　period　as　given　by　Firishtah　differs　altogether　from　that　of　Nuniz；　and　gives　rise　to　much　confusion　and　difficulty。　And　as　to　the　relationship　of　the　succeeding　sovereigns；　Narasa；　Vira　Narasimha；　Krishna　Deva　Raya；　Achyuta；　and　Sadasiva；　the　native　inscriptions　themselves　are　totally　at　variance　with　one　another。　Some　few　points；　however；　in　the　general　scheme　of　history　of　the　second　dynasty　are　quite　certain；　and　these　may　be　shortly　summarised。　The　last　kings　of　the　first　dynasty　were　recognised　down　to　ABOUT　the　year　1490　A。D。　Narasimha　and　Vira　Narasimha　ruled　till　the　accession　of　Krishna　Deva　Raya　in　1509；　Achyuta　succeeded　Krishna　in　1530；　and　Sadasiva　succeeded　Achyuta　in　1542。　The　latter　was　virtually　a　prisoner　in　the　hands　of　Rama　Raya；　the　eldest　of　three　brothers；　at　first　nominally　his　minister；　but　afterwards　independent。　The　names　of　the　other　brothers　were　Tirumala　and　Venkatadri。　These　three　men　held　the　government　of　the　kingdom　till　1565；　when　the　empire　was　utterly　overthrown　by　a　confederation　of　the　five　Muhammadan　kings　of　the　Dakhan；　already　mentioned；　at　the　battle　of　Talikota　　so…called　　and　the　magnificent　capital　was　almost　wiped　out　of　existence。

With　these　few　facts　to　guide　us；　we　turn　to　the　chronicles　of　Nuniz　and　Firishtah；　trying　in　vain　to　obtain　some　points　of　contact　between　them　as　to　the　origin　of　the　second　dynasty　　some　clue　which　will　enable　us　to　reconcile　differences　and　arrive　at　the　real　truth。　If　we　are　to　be　guided　purely　by　probabilities；　it　would　seem　that　the　history　given　by　Nuniz　is　likely　to　be　the　more　accurate　of　the　two。　His　chronicle　was　written　about　the　year　1535；　during　the　reign　of　Achyuta；　he　lived　at　the　Hindu　capital　itself；　and　he　gained　his　information　from　Hindu　sources　not　long　subsequent　to　the　events　related。　Firishtah　did　not　write　till　about　A。D。　1607；　was　not　in　any　sense　a　contemporary　recorder；　and　did　not　live　amongst　the　Hindus；　but　at　the　court　of　Nizam　Shah　at　Ahmadnagar。　The　lengths　of　reigns；　however；　as　given　by　Nuniz　do　not　tally　with　the　dates　which　we　obtain　from　sources　undoubtedly　reliable。

Nuniz　has　it　that　Virupaksha's　son　〃Padearao；〃　the　last　of　the　old　line；　fled　from　the　capital　when　the　usurper　Narasimha　seized　the　throne；　that　the　latter　reigned　forty…four　years；　and　died　leaving　two　sons。　These　youths　being　too　young　to　govern；　the　dying　king　intrusted　the　kingdom　to　his　minister；　Narasa　Naik；　and　both　the　princes　were　murdered。　Narasa　seized　the　throne；　and　held　it　till　his　death。　The　length　of　his　reign　is　not　given。　His　son；　〃Busbalrao〃　（？　Basava　Raya）；　succeeded；　and　reigned　six　years；　being　succeeded　by　his　brother；　the　great　Krishna　Deva　Raya。　Now　we　know　that　Krishna　Deva　Raya　began　to　reign　in　A。D。　1509。　This　gives　1503　for　the　date　of　the　accession　of　his　predecessor；　〃Busbal。〃　If　we　allow　five　years　for　the　reign　of　Narasa　　a　pure　guess　　we　have　his　accession　in　1498　A。D。；　and　the　forty…four　years　of　Narasimha　would　begin　in　A。D。　1454；　but　this　would　apparently　coincide　with　the　reign　of　Mallikarjuna；　son　of　Deva　Raya　II。　It　is　perhaps　possible　that　in　after　years　the　usurper　Narasimha's　reign　was　measured　by　the　Hindus　from　the　time　when　he　began　to　attain　power　as　minister　or　as　a　great　noble；　and　not　from　the　date　when　he　actually　became　king；　but　this　is　pure　conjecture。

Firishtah　mentions　a　certain　〃Sewaroy〃　as　being　raya　of　Vijayanagar　in　1482；　shortly　before　the　death　of　Muhammad　Shah　Bahmani。　Speaking　of　the　new　sovereign　of　Bijapur；　the　first　of　the　Adil　Shahs；　in　1489；　the　historian　tells　us　that　the　Adil's　rival；　Kasim　Barid；　asked　the　then　minister　of　Vijayanagar　for　aid　against　the　rising　power　of　his　enemy；＇171＇　and　that　〃the　Roy　being　a　child；　his　minister；　Heemraaje；＇172＇　sent　an　army〃　and　seized　the　country　as　far　as　Mudkal　and　Raichur。　This　occurred　in　A。H。　895；　which　embraces　the　period　from　November　1489　to　November　1490。　〃HEEMraaje；〃　therefore；　is　probably　for　SIMHA　or　Narasimha　Raja；　or　perhaps　for　Narasa；　otherwise　called　Vira　Narasimha。

Firishtah　also　gives　another　account　of　the　same　event。　According　to　this；　the　Adil　Shah；　hearing　of　dissensions　in　the　Hindu　capital；　marched；　apparently　in　1493；　against　Raichur；　when　Heemraaje；　having　settled　these　dissensions；　advanced　〃with　the　young　Raya〃　to　that　city。　A　battle　ensued；　in　which　Heemraaje　was　defeated；　and　the　young　king　being　mortally　wounded；　and　dying　before　he　reached　home；　Heemraaje　seized　the　government　and　the　country。

There　are；　furthermore；　two　other　passages　in　Firishtah　dealing　with　the　overthrow　of　the　old　dynasty　and　the　accession　of　〃Heemraaje。〃　One＇173＇　runs　as　follows：　

〃Heemraaje　was　the　first　usurper。　He　had　poisoned　the　young　Raja　of　Beejanuggur；　son　of　Sheoroy；　and　made　his　infant　brother　a　tool　to　his　designs；　by　degrees　overthrowing　the　ancient　nobility；　and　at　length　establishing　his　own　absolute　authority　over　the　kingdom。〃

The　other＇174＇　states：　

〃The　government　of　Beejanuggur　had　remained　in　one　family；　in　uninterrupted　succession；　for　seven　hundred　years；　when　Seoroy　dying；　was　succeeded　by　his　son；　a　minor；　who　did　not　live　long　after　him；　and　left　the　throne　to　a　younger　brother。　He　also　had　not　long　gathered　the　flowers　of　enjoyment　from　the　garden　of　royalty　before　the　cruel　skies；　proving　their　inconstancy；　burned…up　the　earth　of　his　existence　with　the　blasting　wind　of　annihilation。＇175＇　Being　succeeded　by　an　infant　only　three　months　old；　Heemraaje；　one　of　the　principal　ministers　of　the　family；　celebrated　for　great　wisdom　and　experience；　became　sole　regent；　and　was　cheerfully　obeyed　by　all　the　nobility　and　vassals　of　the　kingdom　for　forty　years；　though；　on　the　arrival　of　the　young　king　at　manhood；　he　had　poisoned　him；　and　put　an　infant　of　the　family　on　the　throne；　in　order　to　have　a　pretence　for　keeping　the　regency　in　his　own　hands。＇176＇　Heemraaje　at　his　death　was　succeeded　in　office　by　his　son；　Ramraaje；　who　having　married　a　daughter　of　the　son　of　Seoroy；　by　that　alliance　greatly　added　to　his　influence　and　power。〃

He　then　proceeds　to　describe　an　event　that　took　place　in　1535　or　thereabouts；　which　will　be　considered　in　its　place。

Writing　of　the　events　of　the　year　1530；＇177＇　we　find　Firishtah　stating　that　the　affairs　of　Vijayanagar　were　then　in　confusion　owing　to　the　death　of　Heemraaje；　who　was　newly　succeeded　by　his　son　Ramraaje。　And　this　passage　helps　us　definitely　to　the　conclusion　that　his　Heemraaje；　or　Timma　Raja；　was　the　Muhammadan　name　for　the　ruler　of　the　state　during　the　reigns　of　Narasimha；　Narasa　or　Vira　Narasimha；　and　Krishna　Deva　Raya；　the　latter　of　whom　died　in　1530。　Firishtah　seems　to　have　confused　Narasa's　and　Krishna　Deva　Raya's　powerful　minister；　Saluva　Timma；　with　Narasimha　and　Narasa；　and　made　all　three　one　person。　〃Ramraaje〃　is　mentioned　as　king　by　Firishtah　from　the　accession　of　Achyuta　in　1530　down　to　the　year　1565。

Though　names　and　details　differ；　it　will　be　observed　that　there　is　evidently　a　common　basis　of　truth　in　the　accounts　given　by　Firishtah　and　Nuniz。　Both　relate　the　deaths　of　two　young　princes；　brothers；　the　subsequent　murder　of　two　other　heirs　to　the　kingdom；　and　the　usurpation　of　the　throne　by　a　minister。

With　these　remarks　we　turn　to　the　more　reliable　portion　of　Firishtah's　narrative。

Yusuf　Adil　Khan　proclaimed　himself　independent　king　of　Bijapur　in　A。D。　1489。　Shortly　afterwards　his　rival；　Kasim　Barid；　who　ultimately　became　sovereign　of　the　territories　of　Ahmadabad；　in　a　fit　of　jealousy　called　in　the　aid　of　Vijayanagar　against　Bijapur；　promising　for　reward　the　cession　of　Mudkal　and　Raichur；　or　the　country　between　the　two　rivers。　Narasimha　collected　the　forces　of　the　Hindus；　crossed　the　Tungabhadra　with　a　large　army；　and　after　laying　waste　the　country　seized　the　two　cities　Mudkal　and　Raichur；　which　thus　once　more　passed　into　the　possession　of　Vijayanagar。

Shortly　after　this；　probably　about　the　year　1493　A。D。；　Sultan　Yusuf　Adil　again　marched　to　recover　the　lost　territory　and　advanced　to　the　Krishna；　but　falling　ill　he　halted　for　two　months；　and　Firishtah　gives　us　the　following　account　of　what　occurred。　This　has　been　already　alluded　to；　but　is　now　given　in　full