His early life — his former attempts on the throne recapitulated. — The Mehdvies are expelled the kingdom. — The Sheea per­suasion is re-established. — Dilawur Khan, the late regent of Beejapoor, arrives at Ahmudnuggur, and is courteously re­ceived. — His delivery into the hands of Ibrahim Adil Shah is required. — The demand is rejected. — War ensues. — Boor-han Nizam Shah attempts to recover Reevadunda from the Por­tuguese. — Constructs the fort of Korla. — Siege of Reevadunda continued. — The Portuguese attack the besieging army, which retreats into Korla. — The fugitives are followed by the Por­tuguese, and twelve thousand Deccanies are killed. — The King elevates foreigners to high offices in the state — he affords his aid to the brother of the King of Beejapoor, in order to depose Ibrahim Adil Shah, but the intended revolution is crushed, and the pretender suffers death. — Boorhan Nizam Shah forms a league with Venkatadry, the brother of Ramraj, against the King of Beejapoor, and himself attacks Sholapoor — his troops defeated, and his general slain. — The King falls sick — proclaims his son Ibrahim his heir. — A faction, headed by Yekhlas Khan, is raised in favour of the Prince Ismael Nizam Shah, who had been dethroned. — Ismael takes the field, but is defeated, and flies to Purenda. — Death of Boorhan Nizam Shah.

BOORHAN NIZAM SHAH II., during the reign of his brother, Moortuza Nizam Shah, was confined in the fort of Lohgur, but had a large estate al­lowed him for his support, so that he passed his days not without many comforts. At the time when Sahib Khan, disgusted with Moortuza Nizam Shah, left the capital, and the King followed him to Bidur to induce him to return, a party at the court besought Boorhan Nizam Shah to put forth his claim to the throne, on the plea that his brother was mad, and unfit to reign. Allured by promises of support, Boorhan Nizam Shah gained over the governor of Lohgur, and ap­peared in arms at the head of six thousand horse, with which force he moved towards Ahmudnuggur. Moortuza Nizam Shah, upon intelligence of this insurrection, hastened back from Bidur to Ahmud-nuggur. On passing through the streets to the palace, he stopped his elephant at the shop of a druggist, and asked him if he had any medicine that would cure madness, saying, that he did not know who required it most, himself, who wished to live the life of a recluse, and yet to rule a king­dom, or his brother, who, with the enjoyment of ease, was plunging himself into the cares of public life. The man replied, that his brother was the mad­man, who could ungratefully rebel against so kind a protector, and would not prosper in his treason. The next day, Boorhan Nizam Shah was defeated, and fled to Beejapoor. Two years afterwards, he made another attempt, but with no better success, and sought protection with the Emperor Akbur, with whom he continued till the accession of his son to the throne, of which he dispossessed him as above related.

Boorhan Nizam Shah was advanced in years when he ascended the throne, notwithstanding which, he gave himself up to pleasures unbecoming both his age and his dignity. The first act of his reign was to annul the orders respecting the Mehdvy doctrines, which Jumal Khan had so strenuously enforced, and he even gave orders to put to death all who persisted in them, which had the effect of expelling the sect out of his domi­nions. The Sheea religion was again restored to its pristine glory. On which many of the foreigners, who had been expelled in consequence of the re­bellion of Mirza Khan, returned. At the same period, also, Dilawur Khan the Abyssinian, the late regent of Beejapoor, but who had been com­pelled to fly from Ibrahim Adil Shah, and take protection at Bidur, came to the Nizam Shahy court, where he was honourably received. Ibrahim Adil Shah immediately wrote letters to Boorhan Nizam Shah, remonstrating against the protection afforded to Dilawur Khan; to which Boorhan Nizam Shah sent an insulting answer, which brought on the war that has been detailed in the history of Ibrahim Adil Shah II.

A. H. 1001.
A. D. 1592. In the year 1001, Boorhan Nizam Shah marched his army against the Portu­guese of Reevadunda; and despatching a large force to the sea-port of Choul, ordered that a fort should be built to prevent the entrance of the Portuguese into the harbour of Reevadunda, and this fort he called Korla. The Portuguese sailing during the night effected their escape, but they returned with reinforcements * from many other ports which had also fallen into their hands; after which, they made two night-attacks on the Mahomedans, and on each occasion killed between three and four thousand Deccanies. Boorhan Nizam Shah now sent a body of about four thousand men, under Furhad Khan, to rein­force Korla; and as other troops were expected from Duman and Bassein, he appointed one Ba­hadur Khan Geelany, at the head of all the foreign troops, governor of the fortress of Korla, to blockade Reevadunda. The Mahomedans were now so watchful, that they could not again be sur­prised; and in an attack which the Portuguese made on Reevadunda they lost one hundred Euro­peans and two hundred native Portuguese. After this, Reevadunda was so closely besieged, and the harbour so commanded by the fort of Korla, that no assistance could reach it by sea; and the enemy was on the point of capitulating, when the tyranny of the King at Ahmudnuggur induced many of the officers to quit the camp and proceed to court. At this time, a fleet of sixty vessels belonging to the Portuguese, full of men and military stores, passing close to Korla, under cover of the night, anchored safely in the harbour of Reevadunda, where they landed four thousand men, and on the following morning, at daylight, proceeded to attack Korla. Many of the Mahomedans, on the ap­proach of the Europeans, fled in confusion to the fort, whither they were so closely followed by the Portuguese that they rushed in at the gates with them, and commenced an indiscriminate slaughter of the King's troops, who, though two to one, made little resistance, and upwards of twelve thou­sand Mahomedans were put to the sword. The Portuguese subsequently reduced the fort to ashes. This destruction of the Deccanies was considered by Boorhan Nizam Shah as a fortunate event. He elevated foreigners to the principal stations in the empire, and ordered them to proceed to Choul; but his intentions were for the present deferred, while he assisted Ismael, the brother of Ibrahim Adil Shah, in deposing that monarch. Accord-

A. H. 1003.
A. D. 1594.

ingly, in the year 1003, Boorhan Nizam Shah marched from Ahmudnuggur to­wards Belgam; but having heard, on his arrival at Purenda, that the Prince Ismael had been taken and put to death, he returned, covered with mortification, to his capital, where he was shortly afterwards taken dangerously ill. Ibrahim Adil Shah, in his turn, resolved to punish him for supportiug his brother, and ordered his army to lay waste the Ahmudnuggur frontier. Boorhan Nizam Shah now sent ambassadors to court the alliance of Venkatadry of Penkonda, when it was agreed he should invade Beejapoor on the south, and take the fortress of Bunkapoor, while on the north, Boorhan Nizam Shah should reduce Sholapoor. These operations consequently commenced on both sides, and Oozbuk Bahadur, the Ahmudnuggur general, was killed, and his force defeated under the walls of Sholapoor. This news increasing the irritation of Boorhan Nizam Shah's disorder, he became confined to his bed, when he sent for his son Ibrahim, whom he nominated his successor, passing over Ismael, who was known to be an enemy to the Sheeas, and a strict Mehdvy. Before the King's death, a report prevailed that Ismael was to succeed, and all the foreigners, de­serting their posts, fled to Beejapoor. Yekhlas Khan Movullid, * who wished for the succession of Ismael, went to such lengths as to raise a force in his favour, and to march to Ahmudnuggur. Upon which, Boorhan Nizam Shah, notwithstanding his disease, got into a palankeen, and at the head of the royal forces marched to Hoomayoonpoor, where the Prince was defeated, and fled to Purenda; but the King being much weakened by the march, died on the following day, on his return to his ca-

Shaban 18.
A. H. 1003.
May 15.
A. D. 1594.

pital, on the 18th of Shaban, 1003, after a reign of four months and sixteen days. Mowlana Zuhoory dedicated his Saky Nama to that prince, containing nearly four thousand verses.