The Raja of Tulingana, enraged at the death of his son, sent a letter to the Emperor Feroze Tog-luk of Dehly, acknowledging himself his vassal. He promised, that if he would send a force to the south he would act in conjunction with it, for the recovery of the Dehly possessions in the Deccan, and also consented to pay a considerable tribute. In this offer he was joined by his ally, the Raja of Beejanuggur; but Feroze Toghluk was too much occupied with domestic commotions to assist them, and did not attend to their representations.

Mahomed Shah, hearing of the overtures made by the Rajas, and aware of the weakness of the court of Dehly, resolved on the entire conquest of Tulingana. Having again committed the charge of his internal government to Mullik Seif-ood-Deen Ghoory, he marched to Kowlas, from whence he detached Azim Hoomayoon, with the troops of Bidur, towards Golconda, and Sufdur Khan, with those of Berar, against Wurungole, towards which latter place he followed in person by regular marches. The Raja of Tulingana, disappointed of aid from Dehly, declined engaging the royal army; and retiring to the woods, sent some of his chiefs with valuable presents to Bahadur Khan, * entreat­ing his intercession for peace, which the King at first refused. The Raja then despatched one of his sons to the camp, with declarations of sub­mission; when Mahomed Shah, at the earnest persuasion of his nobility, agreed to such terms as Bahadur Khan should judge consistent with the King's dignity. It was required, accordingly, that the Raja should present three hundred ele­phants, two hundred valuable horses, and thirty-three lacks of rupees; and that he should cede in perpetuity the hill-fort of Golconda, with its dependencies. The Mahomedan army having been nearly two years subsisting on the country of Tulingana, the Raja was much distressed, and saw no relief but in fulfilling the conditions. It was agreed that Mahomed Shah should retreat, and that Bahadur Khan should remain at Kowlas, to see the conditions of the treaty fulfilled. Mahomed Shah, having committed the charge of Golconda to Azim Hoomayoon, returned towards his capital, and disbanding his army at Bidur, halted there three months.

When the agents of the Raja came to Kowlas Bahadur Khan conducted them to the King, to whom they presented the offerings agreeably to treaty; and in return received rich dresses, besides valuable jewels, and several fine horses for the Raja. Some days after this, the ambassadors represented to Ba­hadur Khan, that if his Majesty, after fixing the territorial limits of the state of Tulingana, would sign a treaty, binding his successors to protect the rajas from further encroachment, their master would pre­sent him with a curiosity worthy of a great king.

Bahadur Khan having communicated this offer, the King was impatient to know of what the gift consisted; and the ambassadors being introduced, repeated their promise. Mahomed Shah, finding them sincere, drew up a paper in his own hand, fixing Golconda as the boundary between his kingdom and the Raja's possessions; conjuring his successors, as long as the rajas of Tulin-gana refrained from breaking their faith, not to molest them. The treaty being signed with the King's seal, and witnessed by the judges and the principal nobility, the Hindoo ambassadors pre­sented to the King a throne, set with valuable jewels, originally prepared by the Raja of Tulin-gana as a present to Mahomed Toghluk, King of Dehly. Mahomed Shah, highly gratified, dismissed the ambassadors with marks of honour and dis­tinction. On his return to Koolburga he held a festival, and ascending the throne in great state, caused it to be called the Tukht-i-Feroza, or cerulean throne; after which he gave audience, and conferred costly presents and titles on those officers who had merited them by their conduct during the war. The silver throne of his father was ordered, however, to be placed in the treasury, and kept as a valuable relic.

I have heard old persons, who saw the Tukht-i-Feroza in the reign of Sooltan Mahmood Shah Bahmuny, describe it as being six cubits long, and two broad: the frame was of ebony covered with plates of pure gold, inlaid with precious stones of great value, in such a way as to be taken off and put on with ease. Every sovereign of the Bahmuny dynasty added some rich jewels, so that in the reign of Mahmood Shah, when it was taken to pieces, in order to remove part of the stones to be set in vases and goblets, the jewellers valued the whole at one crore * of hoons. I learned, also, that it was called Feroza from being enamelled of a sky-blue colour, which was in time totally con­cealed by the number of precious ornaments.

The festival above alluded to lasted forty days; during which little attention was paid to the law of abstinence enjoined by our religion. * The nobility and common people, following the example of the sovereign, abandoned themselves to festivity and pleasure. On this occasion a number of musi­cians, who had learned the compositions of Ameer Khoosrow, and Khwaja Hussun, of Dehly, and some who had even heard those great masters, came, attended by three hundred singers, from Dehly to Koolburga. Mahomed Shah, hailing their arrival at such a moment as auspicious, re­ceived them with much attention; and was in such good humour, that on one occasion he permitted Mullik Seif-ood-Deen Ghoory and the Suddur-ool-Shereef to sit at the foot of his throne in public, as also Bahadur Khan, on whom he con­ferred the title of Ameer-ool-Omra, and procured his daughter in marriage for his son, the Prince Mujahid Shah.

Moolla Dawood Bidury, the author of the Tohfut-oos-Sulateen, states, he was then twelve years of age, and held the office of page and seal-bearer to the King. He writes, that “one evening, when the “fragrance of the garden of pleasure had suffused “the cheek of Mahomed Shah with the rosy tinge “of delight, a band of musicians sang two verses “of Ameer Khoosrow, descriptive of royal fes-“tivity; when the King, delighted beyond mea-“sure, commanded Mullik Seif-ood-Deen Ghoory “to give the three hundred performers a draft “for a gratuity on the treasury of the Raja of “Beejanuggur.” The minister, though he con­sidered the order arose out of the effects of the wine the King had drank, yet, in compliance with his humour, he wrote, but did not despatch it. Mahomed Shah, suspecting the truth from the minister's manner, enquired, on the next day, if the demand had been sent to the Raja, and being answered in the negative, he exclaimed, “Think “you a word without meaning ever escapes my “lips? the order I gave you arose not from in-“toxication but from serious design.” Mullik Seif-ood-Deen, having accordingly affixed the royal seal to the document, despatched it by express messengers to the Raja of Beejanuggur. The Raja, naturally haughty, and proud of his inde­pendence, seated the person presenting the order for the money on an ass, and having exhibited him through all the quarters of Beejanuggur, sent him back, after he had been subjected to every mark of contempt and derision. He also gave immediate orders for assembling his army, and prepared to attack the dominions of the house of Bahmuny. With this intent, he marched with thirty thousand horse, three thousand elephants, and one hundred thousand foot, to the vicinity of the fortress of Adony, from whence he sent detachments to lay waste the territory of the Mahomedans.

The troops in Bidur and Berar not having yet rested from the fatigues of a two-years' campaign, the King contented himself with calling, for the present, on Khan Mahomed, with the division from Dowlutabad; at the same time he sent his son, the Prince Mujahid Shah, with a fifth part of the plunder of Vellumputtun, to Sheikh Ma-homed Siraj-ood-Deen, to be distributed among Syuds * and holy men, asking their prayers for his success against the unbelievers. He also collected all the religious men of Koolburga; and, accom­panied by them, he proceeded to the grand mosque on a Friday, where he pronounced, with much devoutness, a form of invocation for the success of the army of Islam; and having fixed on a lucky instant for his march, he ordered his camp to be formed without the city.

The Raja of Beejanuggur, meanwhile, in spite of the rainy season, and the inundation of the Krishna, arrived before the fortress of Mood-kul, to which he laid siege. The garrison, con­sisting of six hundred men of approved valour, left nothing undone for the defence of the place; but the governor, a relation of Mullik Seif-ood-Deen Ghoory, having formerly disgusted the troops by his severity, disaffection arose amongst them, and the officers became careless of their duty; the fort, in consequence, fell into the hands of the enemy; who, with a rancorous cruelty, put men, women, and children to the sword, with the exception of one man only, who escaping, brought intelligence of the event to the King.

Mahomed Shah, on hearing of this disaster, was seized with rage and indignation, and com­manded the unfortunate messenger to be instantly put to death, declaring he would never look on a wretch who could survive the sight of the slaughter of so many brave companions. On the same day, without waiting for the assemblage of his whole

Jumad-ool-
Awul,
A. H. 767.
January,
A. D. 1368.