Suffur,
A. H. 987.
April,
A. D. 1579.

ertions of the elephants, who forced open one side of the gate. The Mahomedans then rushing in took the place, in the month of Suffur, A. H. 987; and Ku-poory Timraj, son-in-law of the celebrated Ram-raj of Beejanuggur, fell into the hands of the victors. Thus the province of Condbeer was re­duced, as well as all the smaller forts, including two or three sea-ports; so that the whole country, from the sea-shore as far as the Beejanuggur frontier, was occupied by Ameer Shah Meer, who, taking with him his prisoner Kupoory Timraj, returned victorious to Golconda.

About this time, Moortuza Nizam Shah deter­mined to reduce the fort of Bidur, and to conquer the territory of Bereed Shah; but as he knew that the object could not be accomplished without the concurrence of Ibrahim Kootb Shah, he deputed Meer Abool Kasim as ambassador to the court of Golconda, who induced the King to send Ameer Shah Meer, with ten thousand horse, to assist the King of Ahmudnuggur. Ally Bereed Shah de­puted an ambassador to the court of Beejapoor, and solicited Ally Adil Shah to march to his aid. The latter consented; but required, as a preliminary, that Ally Bereed should give up a certain young eunuch, celebrated for his beauty throughout the Deccan, and to whom he was much attached. The reduction of the fort of Bidur appearing inevitable without assistance from Beejapoor, Ally Bereed reluctantly agreed to the demand of Ally Adil Shah. When the latter heard of the approach of this youth, he went out to meet him, and appointed an elegant palace for his reception. But on his first in­terview, the young man was so incensed at the be­haviour of Ally Adil Shah, that, drawing forth a

Suffur 23.
A. H. 987.
April 20.
A. D. 1579.

dagger, he stabbed the King to the heart. * This event happened on the night of Thursday, the 23d of Suffur, A. H. 987.

The eunuch, as might be expected, fell a victim to his conduct. Ally Adil Shah having left no children was succeeded by his nephew Ibrahim, the son of his brother Tahmasp; but as the death of his uncle was succeeded by internal commotions, and as Ibrahim was himself very young, Moortuza Nizam Shah took the opportunity of attacking his territories; for which purpose he appointed Behzad-ool-Moolk Toork, with an army, to invade Bee-japoor. Behzad-ool-Moolk was opposed by the Beejapoor troops at the village of Darasun, situ­ated between Nuldoorg and Sholapoor, where he sustained a defeat, and was pursued to the neigh­bourhood of Bidur. The Nizam Shahies, in their retreat, formed a junction with Syud Moor-tuza, a Nizam Shahy general who had marched from Berar to assist in the siege. Moortuza Nizam Shah now recalled Behzad-ool-Moolk from the field, giving the supreme command to Syud Moortuza, who, after having been joined by Ameer Shah Meer and the Kootb Shahy auxiliaries, marched to Nul-doorg, where the army of Ibrahim Adil Shah was still encamped. Another action ensued, after which the Beejapoor troops took refuge in the fort. A great part of the Beejapoor army being now closely besieged in Nuldoorg, it was thought advisable for the allies to proceed to Beejapoor itself. Ac­cordingly they marched at midnight; but the troops in Nuldoorg hearing of their intention quitted the fort soon after sunset, and proceeded with expedition to their capital, which they reached before the enemy. On the arrival of the allies they were opposed by Yekhlas Khan and Dilawur Khan with great bravery, who had nearly defeated the Nizam Shahy troops, when the Golconda cavalry charging, turned the fate of the day, and the Adil Shahies were compelled to seek shelter within the walls of the city, leaving two elephants, Atushpara and Koohpara * in the hands of the enemy. On the following day, a body of Abyssinians made a sally from the fort, but were re­pulsed. At this time news arrived, that Ameer Zein, who had been sent with a division of Kootb Shahy troops from Golconda to reduce the districts of Nakavy, Culloor, and Kakny, after having occu­pied those places, was on the march to join the allies at Beejapoor; but Ibrahim Adil Shah determining, if possible, to prevent this junction, directed Mirza Noor-ood-Deen Nyshapoory, with five thousand cavalry, to march at night and intercept the de­tachment under Ameer Zein.

The districts of Kakny, Culloor, and Nakavy, were originally taken by Sooltan Koolly Kootb Shah from the Hindoos; but in the short reign of Soobhan Koolly, Ally Adil Shah had wrested them from the Golconda officers; and although Ibrahim Kootb Shah was at all times ready to assert his just claims, yet from the constant warfare in which he had been engaged it was not thought politic to demand them from Ally Adil Shah while he was in alliance, or desirable to engage in war merely for their sake. The demand was, therefore, never made; but now an opportunity presented itself of recovering them that could not be resisted; for which purpose, Ameer Zein with a considerable force had been appointed. This general was at first opposed by Dowlut Khan and Meean Boodoo, who were defeated, and compelled to fly. The towns of Kakny, Nakavy, and Kurnul, fell into Ameer Zein's hands; and having left gar­risons in each, he proceeded to the fort of Culloor, which was also taken without opposition. At this time, Ameer Zein received information that one hundred and fifty elephants belonging to Ibrahim Adil Shah, which were at Sagur, were proceed­ing to Beejapoor; he accordingly marched to intercept them; but the elephants had returned to Sagur, and he was disappointed of his prey. The commandant of Sagur, Syud Ashruf, with a party of three thousand Marratta cavalry, attacked the Kootb Shahies, but was defeated with great loss, and himself taken prisoner. Ameer Zein now set fire to the town of Sagur, and proceeded to reduce the fort of Madurgy, which soon fell, thence he marched to Etgeer, where he defeated another detachment of Adil Shahy troops. Having reco­vered all the estates formerly belonging to the Golconda government, Ameer Zein was directed to levy a lack of hoons (40,000l.), and to collect ten thousand candies of grain from the inhabitants, and march to Beejapoor. The enemy made great ex­ertions to intercept this convoy; and fifty thousand infantry, from the forts of Nulgonda, * Koolburga, and Sagur, attacked Ameer Zein at the village of Ulmulla; but they were defeated with the loss of two thousand men, after which the convoy continued its march. It was again intercepted by thirty thousand infantry, and measures adopted to prevent his cavalry from obtaining forage: in­deed every effort was made on the part of Beeja-poor to cut off Ameer Zein's detachment before its junction with the allied army; for which purpose Mirza Noor-ood-Deen Nyshapoory, with five thou­sand cavalry, had been detached from the fort. The besiegers, having intimation of his march, sent an equal force to pursue him; which overtaking the Beejapoor troops on the second day routed them, and enabled Ameer Zein, with his valuable supply of money and provisions, to join the allies in spite of all the exertions of the enemy. At this time a civil war raged within the town; and Kishwur Khan and Ein-ool-Moolk, two of the principal officers of the Beejapoor court, were compelled to fly from the fury of the Abyssinians, and to seek protection in the allied camp.

On the following day, the Abyssinians sent one of their party privately to Syud Moortuza, commander-in-chief of the Nizam Shahy troops, proposing to replace Shah Abool Hussun, the son of Shah Tahir (who was a great friend of Syud Moortuza), in the situation of minister at Beejapoor, on condition that the Nizam Shahy troops should attack Ameer Shah Meer, the commander-in-chief of the Kootb Shahy troops. So little care was taken by the par­ties to conceal this proposal, that it accidentally came to the ears of Ameer Shah Meer himself. Syud Moortuza, finding the secret had been dis­covered, instantly went to Ameer Shah Meer and communicated to him, with apparent frankness, the overtures which the Abyssinians of Beejapoor had made, and they agreed to take the most solemn oaths to support each other. The Abyssinians, defeated in this plot, devised another method of raising the siege. They employed ten thousand Marratta cavalry to harass the foragers, and so cut off supplies. In this system of warfare they were so successful that the allies found it impossible to continue the blockade, and therefore determined to ravage the country. They accordingly raised the siege, and laid waste and plundered the dis­tricts of Mirch, Raybagh, Punala, Satara, and Hookery. Thence they proceeded towards Kool-burga, and determined to besiege the fort of Nul-doorg. At this time news arrived of the death of Ibrahim Kootb Shah of Golconda, and of the accession of his son, Mahomed Koolly Kootb Shah, to the throne.

When the late king, Ibrahim Kootb Shah, had settled the countries of the Hindoos on his southern frontier, and despatched his commander. Ameer Shah Meer, to oppose the armies of his Maho-medan neighbours, he vested the management of the affairs of his government in the hands of one Moorhary Row, a Marratta bramin, to whom was attached a body of ten thousand infantry, under the command of Mahomedan officers of rank, with permission to beat the nobut. Moorhary Row was in every respect the second person in the state, not even excepting the princes of the blood-royal. In the latter end of the late king's reign, this un­principled infidel proceeded with a force towards a famous temple near Adony, where he attacked the inhabitants, laid waste the country, and sacked it of its idols, made of gold and silver, and studded with rubies. He levied also four lacks of hoons (160,000l.) from the inhabitants. At sight of the idols the King * was taken seriously ill, and

Rubbee-oos-
Sany 21.
A. H. 988.
June 2.
A. D. 1580.