An account of the re-establishment of order in the City of Seringaputtun, the regulation of the whole of the Sultán’s ter­ritories and the dismission from office of Mír Sadik, Dewán, or Minister of state, also, the completion of the Alí Musjid,— the return of the Embassadors from the presence of the Sultán of Room, or Constantinople, sent thither in the year 1198 Hijri:— and the despatch of an Embassador to Hydurabád with other events of the year 1202, Hijri,— A. D. 1787.

WHEN the capital of the kingdom was enlightened by the resplendent countenance of the Sultán, the dispenser of justice, his world conquering mind occupied itself in the regulation of his kingdom and army. At this time also the exactions and tyranny of the Dewán, or minister of state (Mír Sadik) who according to his caprice and will oppressed the people of the Souba of Adhooni and Sanoor, having been represented to the Sultán his services were dispensed with, that is he was dis­missed; the property in his house being seized according to orders, two lakhs of rupees the cur­rency of Adhooni, which is called Chulaoni, and one lakh of hoons or pagodas, Muhammad Sháhi, were found, and he was put in irons and imprisoned, and Mehdi Khán, Nayut, the Jageerdár of Awul­goonda, was appointed to the Dewáni (in his place). At this time the Sultán determined to recommence the building of the Musjidi Ala, the erection of which had been suspended since the year 1198 Hijri, and the Daroghu of public buildings, according to the plan, which will be mentioned hereafter, completed it in two years, at the expense of three lakhs of rupees, and the prayers of the Eedi Fitr, in the year 1204, Hijri, were the first said in that mosque, and it was named by the Sultán Musjidi Ala.

A concise account of the cause of the building this Mosque is as follows:— it is, known, that when the vile and rejected Brahman Khunda Rao, with the intention of uprooting the fortunes of his Master, began to excite disturbances, and the late Nawáb fled alone to Bangalore, and that vil­lain imprisoned the Nawáb’s Zunana and the Sultán (who was then a boy of six or seven years of age,) in a house in the fort, near the gate of the Deorai Peenth, which at present is called the Gunjam gate:— at that period, before this house, there stood a Hindu temple, the area or space round which was large. The Sultán, therefore, in his infancy being like all children, fond of play, and as in that space boys of the Kinhiri and Brahman castes assembled to amuse themselves, was accus­tomed to quit the house to see them play, or play with them. It happened one day during this period, that a Fakír (a religious mendicant) a man of saint-like mind passed that way, and seeing the Sultán gave him a life bestowing benediction, say­ing to him, “Fortunate child, at a future time thou wilt be the king of this country, and when that time comes, remember my words;— take this temple and destroy it, and build a Musjid in its place, and for ages it will remain a memorial of thee.” The Sultán smiled, and in reply told him, “that whenever, by his blessing, he should become a Padisháh, or king, he would do as he (the Fakír) directed.” When, therefore, after a short time his father became a prince, the possessor of wealth and territory, he remembered his promise, and after his return from Nuggur and Gorial Bundur, he purchased the temple from the adorers of the image in it (which after all was nothing but the figure of a bull, made of brick and mortar) with their goodwill, and the Brahmans, therefore, taking away their image, placed it in the Deorai Peenth, and the temple was pulled down, and the foundations of a new Musjid raised on the site, agreeably to a plan of the Mosque, built by Alí Adil Sháh, at Bejapoor, and brought from thence.

As, however, the regulation of the kingdom, the chastisement of the rebellious, such as the people of Koorg, the Mahrattas and the Poligars were the first objects in the mind of the late Nawáb,— the work fell into delay for a time, but now, when from the blessing of God all these difficulties had been removed, the work was resumed.

The Sultán now divided the whole of the terri­tory under his authority into three parts, each of which he distinguished by a different name; as for instance, the country on the coast was called the Souba Yum, (the sea); the cities and towns of the hilly and woody country, the Souba Turun;— and the open and level or champaign country, the Souba Ghubra (the earth). The chief officers of Purgunas also received the title of Asof. About this time also, round every city, town and fort, at the distance of one fursung, he erected a strong stockade with four gates, and to these he appointed vigilant guards, that no one without his authority and permission, and the signature or mark of the military governor should be permitted to pass in or out. By this restric­tion, therefore, the intercourse of foreign mer­chants and the commercial men of the country was entirely cut off; the reason of this was that the deceased Nawáb had collected Muhammadans from all countries, and had filled his kingdom with them contrary to its former state (when it was full of Hindoos). When these people, there­fore, by the gifts, presents and liberality of the Nawáb and of the kind hearted Sultán became rich in gold and other valuables, they without leave or licence departed and returned to their own coun­tries. These restrictions were intended, therefore, to prevent their doing so in future. In addition to this, the Sultán stockaded the frontier between the limit of his dominions and the districts of the Karnatic Payanghaut, from the boundaries of Din­digul and Kuroor, to the Ghaut or Mountains of Budweil, and the limits of Khumum, and twelve thousand foot soldiers were stationed along this stockade, as a cordon, in order to prevent any one from entering his dominions from the Payanghaut, or any one from quitting the Balu Ghaut for that quarter.

The silver coins and rupees called Imámi, having on one side the misra or line, “The religion of Ahmud enlightened the world from the victories of Hydur;”* and on the reverse the sentence, “He is the sole or only just King,”* were coined by his orders.