The splendour of the court described — The King coins money of a square form. — The Hindoos refuse to circulate it, and they melt it down. — Several Hindoos suffer death. — The Rajas of Beejanuggur and Wurungole provoke a war with Mahomed Shah. — The Hindoos are defeated. — The King proceeds to Velumputtun — his cruel treatment of the Raja. — The King's army nearly cut off in his retreat, and he is himself wounded. — The Raja of Wurungole cedes Golconda, and peace is concluded; on which occasion the Raja presents the King with the cele­brated Tukht Feroza, or azure throne. — The King, in a fit of debauchery, gives to a band of musicians an order for a large sum of money on the treasury of the Raja of Beejanuggur. — War ensues. — Moodkul taken by the Raja, and the whole of the garrison is put to the sword. — Mahomed makes a vow to slay one hundred thousand Hindoos. — The Hindoos defeated, and seventy thousand slain in the first action. — The Raja is besieged in his capital. — The musicians are paid by the Raja. — Peace concluded. — Revolt by Beiram Khan at Dowlutabad. — Is defeated at Peitun, and eventually retreats to Guzerat. — Description of the civil government of Mahomed Shah I. — His death.

WHEN Mahomed ascended the throne he added considerably to the splendour of the court. On the canopy over his seat he caused a golden ball, inlaid with jewels, to be placed, on which was a bird of pa­radise composed of precious stones, on whose head was a ruby of inestimable price, presented to the late king by the Raja of Beejanuggur. He in­creased the train of his attendants, and divided the nobility and officers into four orders, appointing to each specific duties and times for attendance at court. He formed a corps which he styled bardars, whose duties consisted in mustering the troops, and in conducting persons to the audience. He had, also, a band of silehdars, * composed of two hun­dred youths, selected from among the sons of the nobility, to carry the royal armour and weapons; and he formed a body-guard of four thousand men, under the command of a nobleman of high rank, styled Meer Nobut. Fifty silehdars, and a thousand of the body-guard, attended at the palace daily. Every day, excepting on Fridays, he gave public audience early in the morning, and continued to transact business till the crier proclaimed noontide prayer, when the court broke up. Previously to ascending the throne, he used to prostrate himself before it out of respect, as he said, to the memory of his father. The throne was of silver, placed under a magnificent canopy, on a rich carpet, and the court before the hall of audience was shaded either by an awning of velvet brocade, or some other costly manufacture. To each of the governors of provinces he gave the name of Turrufdar. In the beginning of his reign, Mullik Seif-ood-Deen Ghoory enjoyed the distinction of sitting in the presence, but re­questing to resign this privilege, he afterwards stood like the other nobles. The nobut†, * or band of music, played five times daily, at stated hours; and all persons, when introduced to the King, knelt and touched the ground with their fore­heads. * After the dissolution of the Bahmuny dynasty, the several kings of the Deccan assumed the chutr, or canopy, and the Khootba; but none struck coins of gold in their own name, or sounded the nobut five times daily, excepting the King of Golconda, styled Kootb Shah.

The coins of the Bahmuny dynasty were of a square form, and of different value; having on one side the creed of the faithful, and the names of the as'hab (the first four caliphs), while on the other side was the King's title, and the year of his reign in which the coin was struck. The Hindoo bankers, at the instigation of the Rajas of Beeja-nuggur and Tulingana, melted all the coins which fell into their hands, in order that those of the infidels might alone be current in the Dec-can. Mahomed Shah, incensed against them on their persisting in the offence, put to death many persons guilty of such conduct, and limited the business of the mint and of the bank to a few Kuh-tries, the descendants of inhabitants of Dehly who had formerly emigrated into the Deccan. After which, the Bahmuny coins alone were used in the Mahomedan dominions. Since the subversion of that dynasty, however, the coins of the Hindoo princes have been permitted to pass current.

Early in the reign of Mahomed Shah, the Rajas of Beejanuggur and Tulingana demanded restitu­tion of the territories wrested from them by his father; threatening, in case of refusal, not only to invade his country themselves, but to draw upon him the army of the King of Dehly. Insecure of the attachment of some of his officers, and his treasury being low, owing to the large sums required by his mother, Mullika Jehan, to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, Medina, and Kurbulla, the King, during eighteen months, kept the am­bassadors of the Rajas at his court, and sent his own to Beejanuggur, in order to gain time. During this period he displaced such officers as he suspected; and his mother having returned, he resolved on war, and demanded from the Rajas some of their best elephants, laden with jewels, gold, and the most precious manufactures of the Deccan. The Raja of Tulingana upon this deputed his son, Vinaik Dew, with an army, to recover Kowlas, while the Raja of Beejanuggur sent a considerable force to co-operate. The Hindoos were defeated by the Mahomedan troops, under Bahadar Khan; and that general, having plundered the country to the vicinity of Wurungole, obliged the Raja to pay him a large sum of money; to give twenty-five elephants, and many valuable jewels, which were presented to the King at Koolburga.

A. H. 773.
A. D. 1371. In the end of the year 773, some merchants arriving from distants parts, brought horses for sale, but the King not ap­proving of them, observed they were unfit for his use; on which the merchants stated they had lately possessed much finer horses, but which had been forcibly taken from them, at reduced prices, by Vinaik Dew at Velumputtun, * though they told him that they were designed for the King of Koolburga. Mahomed Shah, already offended with Vinaik Dew, resolved to take revenge for this fresh instance of disrespect; and committing the charge of his government to Mullik Seif-ood-Deen Ghoory, as­sembled an army at Sooltanpoor, where he conti­nued ten days, organising his troops. He there received during that time the prayers of the vener­able Mahomed Siraj-ood-Deen Jooneidy for his success; and on the eleventh day began his cam­paign by slow marches towards Tulingana. On his arrival at Kullian, asking an attendant, to whom he allowed great freedom of speech, in what time he might reach Velumputtun, the wit replied, that if he continued his present speed, he might perhaps see it in twelve months. The King, nettled at this observation, immediately formed a light detach­ment of four thousand cavalry, and proceeded with such rapidity, that in the space of a week he arrived near Velumputtun. He then ordered a band of veteran soldiers to disguise themselves in tattered habits, and repair to the town as horse-dealers, who had been plundered by robbers, in order to amuse the attention of the guards at the gates. The sol­diers, on being questioned, replied, that they were merchants who had been plundered by a numerous banditti not far from the place, and were come to implore protection and justice from the governor. During this time Mahomed Shah advanced with a thousand horse, and the guards in attempting to shut the gates were prevented by the King's troops. The King now entering the town, commenced to slay the inhabitants without mercy, while Vinaik Dew, who little expected such an enemy, was engaged at an entertainment. On receiving the alarm, he fled with precipitation to the citadel, which the King assaulted without delay; when, after a faint opposition, Vinaik Dew tried to make his escape by a postern, but was taken prisoner in the city. In the morning he was questioned by the King, why he had dared to seize horses from merchants on their way to Koolburga? and making an insolent reply, Mahomed Shah, who had before this resolved to spare his life, com­manded a pile of wood, which happened to be close to the citadel, to be lighted. He then ordered the tongue of Vinaik Dew to be cut out, and having placed him on a munjneek (catapulta), caused him to be cast from the walls into the flames, in which he was consumed. The King remained fifteen days in the town; and as his army came up, it encamped without the gates, while he reposed from his fatigues, and gave himself up to pleasure. Having secured the treasures of Vinaik Dew, and levied a heavy contribution from the inhabitants, Mahomed Shah left Velumputtun, and returned towards his capital; but the Tulingies, who had now collected in great force, surrounding him from all quarters, so harassed his march, that he com­manded his tents and baggage to be burnt, to­gether with all his plunder, except jewels and gold. Being relieved from these encumbrances, he moved in close order from dawn till nightfall every day, relying for provisions on the villages on the route, and passing the night in strict vigilance, for fear of surprise. With all these precautions, the enemy destroyed such numbers of his soldiers, that of four thousand men only fifteen hundred returned. The King himself received a wound in his arm, and at Kowlas was obliged to halt from indisposition. Here he was fortunately joined by Mullik Seif-ood-Deen Ghoory with the main body of his army, when the Tulingies were driven back to their own country with great slaughter, and several places taken from them before the King returned to Koolburga.