r　to　prevent　dissensions　in　the　kingdom。　The　new　monarch　is　said　by　Nuniz　to　have　been　specially　selected　by　Krishna　Deva。　If　so；　the　choice　was　singularly　unfortunate；　for　Achyuta　was　a　craven　and　under　him　the　Hindu　empire　began　to　fall　to　pieces。
  His　minister　was　one　of　the　powerful　Saluva　family；　to　which　also　had　belonged　Timma；　the　minister　of　King　Krishna。　Nuniz　calls　him　〃Salvanay。〃　The　earliest　known　date　of　Achyuta's　reign　is　gathered　from　an　inscription　bearing　a　date　corresponding　to　Monday；　August　15；　A。D。　1530。＇264＇
  The　beginning　of　his　reign　was　ominously　signalised　by　the　loss　of　the　frontier　fortresses　Mudkal　and　Raichur。　Firishtah＇265＇　states　that　the　Adil　Shah　had；　some　time　before　the　death　of　Krishna　Deva；　made　preparations　to　recover　possession　of　these　cities；　and　proceeds：
  〃The　Sultan　。。。　put　his　army　in　motion；　attended　by　Ummad　Shaw　and　Ameer　Bereed　with　their　forces；　and　the　affairs　of　Beejanuggur　being　in　confusion　owing　to　the　death　of　Heemraaje；　who　was　newly　succeeded　by　his　son　Ramraaje；＇266＇　against　whom　rebellions　had　arisen　by　several　roles；　met　with　no　interruptions　to　his　arms。　Roijore　and　Mudkul　were　taken；　after　a　siege　of　three　months；　by　capitulation；　after　they　had　been　in　possession　of　the　infidels　for　seventeen　years。〃＇267＇
  The　relief　and　delight　of　the　Adil　Shah　at　these　successes；　and　at　the　death　of　his　mortal　enemy　Krishna；　must　have　been　great；　and　Firishtah　relates　that　the　Sultan；　〃who　had　vowed　to　refrain　from　wine　till　the　reduction　of　these　fortresses；　at　the　request　of　his　nobility　now　made　a　splendid　festival；　at　which　he　drank　wine　and　gave　a　full　loose　to　mirth　and　pleasure。〃　Raichur　and　Mudkal　were　never　again　subject　to　Hindu　princes。
  Those　who　desire　to　obtain　an　insight　into　the　character　of　the　new　king　of　Vijayanagar　should　turn　to　the　chronicle　of　Nuniz。　It　will　suffice　here　to　say　that　he　alienated　his　best　friends　by　his　violent　despotism；　and　at　the　same　time　proved　to　the　whole　empire　that　he　was　a　coward。　His　conduct　and　mode　of　government　ruined　the　Hindu　cause　in　Southern　India　and　opened　the　whole　country　to　the　invader；　though　he　himself　did　not　live　to　see　the　end。
  After　the　fall　of　Raichur　and　the　Doab；　Ismail　Adil　had　another　fight　（1531）　with　his　rival　at　Ahmadnagar　and　defeated　him；　after　which　the　two　brothers…in…law　consolidated　a　strong　alliance。　Three　years　later　Ismail　died；　having　contracted　a　fever　while　besieging　a　fortress　belonging　to　the　Qutb　Shah　of　Golkonda。　His　death　occurred　on　Thursday；　August　13；　1534；＇268＇　and　he　was　succeeded　by　his　son　Malu。　Asada　Khan　was　appointed　regent　of　Bijapur；　but　immediately　on　his　accession　the　new　sovereign　so　offended　his　powerful　subject　that　he　retired　to　Belgaum；　and　Sultan　Malu；　giving　himself　up　to　all　kinds　of　excesses；　was　deposed　after　a　reign　of　only　six　months。　Malu　was　blinded　by　the　orders　of　his　own　grandmother；　and　Ibrahim　Adil；　his　younger　brother；　was　raised　to　the　throne。　It　was　now　1535。
  Da　Cunha；　the　Portuguese　governor　of　Goa；　took　advantage　of　these　events　to　erect　a　fortress　at　Diu；　and　early　in　1536　to　seize　again　the　mainlands　of　Goa；　which　had　been　for　ten　years　in　the　possession　of　Asada　Khan。　The　Khan　sent　a　force　to　recapture　these　lands；　and　in　February　an　engagement　took　place　in　which　the　Portuguese　were　victorious。　A　second　attack　by　the　Moslems　was　similarly　repulsed。　A　third　fight　took　place　in　July；　and　again　the　Muhammadans　were　beaten；　but　Asada　Khan　then　assembled　a　larger　army；　and　the　foreigners　were　compelled　to　retire　after　blowing　up　their　fortress。
  About　this　time＇269＇　Quli　Qutb　Shah　is　said　to　have　attacked　Kondavid　on　account　of　its　withholding　payment　of　tribute；　to　have　taken　it；　and　built　a　tower　in　the　middle　of　the　fort　in　commemoration　of　its　reduction。
  Two　inscriptions　at　Conjeeveram；　dated　respectively　in　1532　and　1533；＇270＇　imply　that　at　that　period　King　Achyuta　reduced　the　country　about　Tinnevelly；　but　apparently　he　was　not　present　in　person；　and　nothing　further　is　known　regarding　this　expedition。
  We　now　enter　upon　a　period　very　difficult　to　deal　with　satisfactorily；　owing　to　the　conflict　of　evidence　in　the　works　of　the　various　writers。
  〃A　year　after　his　accession；〃　writes　Firishtah；＇271＇　〃Ibrahim；　Adil　led　his　army　to　Beejanuggur　on　the　requisition　of　the　roy。〃　This　would　be　the　year　1536　A。D。　But　what　led　to　such　an　extraordinary　complication　of　affairs？　Can　it　be　true　that　King　Achyuta　was　so　humiliated　and　hard　pressed　as　to　be　compelled　to　summon　to　his　aid　the　hereditary　enemies　of　his　country？
  Nuniz　is　silent　as　to　the　cause；　though　he　admits　the　fact。　It　is　quite　possible　that　Firishtah　is　correct；　that　the　public　were　not　taken　into　confidence　by　their　despotic　rulers；　and　that　the　troops　of　Bijapur　marched　to　the　Hindu　capital　at　the　request　of　King　Achyuta。　That　they　actually　came　there　seems　quite　certain；　and　it　is　probable　that　Nuniz　was　in　Vijayanagar　at　the　time；　but　there　is　a　LACUNA　in　his　story　which　can　only　be　filled　up　by　reference　to　Firishtah。　Accepting　Firishtah；　we　can　readily　understand　why　King　Achyuta　received　the　Sultan　and　his　army　without　open　opposition；　as　Nuniz　declares　that　he　did；　and　why　the　Muhammadan　king　received　splendid　presents　before　he　retired。　To　Nuniz；　however；　this　conduct　was　inexplicable　except　on　the　basis　of　Achyuta's　craven　spirit　and　utter　unworthiness。＇272＇　As　to　the　assertion　of　Nuniz　that　the　Sultan　entered　Nagalapur　or　Hospett　and　〃razed　it　to　the　ground；〃　we　may　remember　the　treatment　of　the　city　of　Bijapur　by　Krishna　Deva　Raya；＇273＇　and　surmise　that　the　houses　of　the　Vijayanagar　suburbs　may　have　been　pulled　to　pieces　by　the　Mussalman　soldiery　in　search　for　firewood。　However　all　this　may　be；　my　readers　have　before　them　the　story　as　given　by　Nuniz　in　Chapter　XX。　of　his　chronicle；　and　the　following　is　Firishtah's　account　of　the　event。＇274＇
  〃Heem〃　Rajah；　or；　as　Briggs　renders　the　name；　〃Tim〃　Rajah　　representing　〃Timma；〃　and　referring　doubtless　to　Saluva　Timma；　the　great　minister　of　Krishna　Deva　　had；　forty　years　earlier；　become　DE　FACTO　ruler　of　Vijayanagar　on　the　death　of　the　two　sons　of　a　former　king；　〃Seo〃　Raya。　He　had　poisoned　the　infant　son　of　the　younger　of　these　sons；　and　had　thus　succeeded　in　becoming　head　of　the　state。　During　these　forty　years　he　had　been　obeyed　by　all。　On　his　death　his　son　Rama　Rajah　became　ruler。　Rama's　marriage　to　〃a　daughter　of　the　son　of　Seo〃　Raya＇275＇　had　greatly　added　to　his　dignity　and　power；　and　he　now　tried　to　secure　the　throne　for　himself　and　his　family。　He　was；　however；　compelled　by　the　nobles　to　recognise　as　king　an　〃infant　of　the　female　line；〃　whose　person　he　committed　to　the　care　of　the　child's　uncle；　〃Hoje〃　Tirumala　Raya；＇276＇　a　man　of　weak　intellect　if　not　absolutely　insane。　In　five　or　six　years　Rama　cut　off　by　treachery　most　of　the　chiefs　who　opposed　him。＇277＇　He　then　marched　on　an　expedition　into　Malabar；　and　afterwards　moved　against　a　powerful　zamindar　to　the　south　of　Vijayanagar；　who　held　out　for　six　months　and　in　the　end　beat　off　the　troops　of　Rama　Raya。　Vijayanagar　was　at　that　time　governed　by　a　slave　whom　Rama　had　raised　to　high　rank；　and　this　man；　on　being　applied　to　by　the　minister　to　send　supplies　from　the　capital；　was　so　amazed　at　the　wealth　which　he　saw　in　the　royal　treasury　that　he　resolved　to　attempt　to　gain　possession　of　it。　He　therefore　released　the　child…king；　obtained　the　co…operation　of　Hoje　Tirumala；　assumed　the　office　of　minister；　and　began　to　raise　troops。　〃Several　tributary　roies；　who　were　disgusted　with　Ramraaje；　flew　with　speed　to　Beejanuggur　to　obey　their　lawful　king；　and　in　a　short　time　thirty　thousand　horse　and　vast　hosts　of　foot　were　assembled　under　his　standard　at　the　city。〃　Tirumala　then　had　the　slave…governor　assassinated。　Rama　Rajah　at　once　returned　to　the　capital；　but　was　unable　at　that　juncture　to　assert　his　authority。　Finding　himself　deserted　by　many　of　the　nobles　he　concluded　a　treaty　with　his　lawful　sovereign；　and　retired　to　his　own　province；　which　by　agreement　he　was　allowed　to　retain　as　his　own　independent　state。　Tirumala　shortly　afterwards　strangled　the　king　and　seized　the　throne。　The　nobles　submitted；　since　he　was　of　royal　blood；　and　better；　in　their　opinion；　than　Rama　Rajah；　but　when　afterwards　they　found　themselves　unable　to　endure　his　tyranny　and　oppression；　they　rebelled　and　invited　Rama　Rajah　to　return。
  Tirumala　then　found　himself　in　great　straits；　and　sent　ambassadors　with　large　presents　to　Ibrahim　Adil　Shah；　begging　him　to　march　to　his　assistance　and　promising　that　the　Vijayanagar　kingdom　should　be　declared　tributary　to　Bijapur。　Ibrahim；　delighted　beyond　measure；　after　consulting　Asada　Khan　accepted　the　terms；　moved　from　his　capital；　and　arrived　before　Vijayanagar　〃in　the　year　942；〃　which　corresponds　to　the　period　from　July　2；　A。D。　1535；　to　June　20；　1536。＇278＇　He　was　conducted　into　the　city　by　Hoje　Termul　Roy；　who　seated　him　on　the　musnud　of　the　raaje　and　made　rejoicings　for　seven　days。〃　This　conduct　led　to　a　change　of　front　on　the　part　of　Rama　Rajah　and　his　supporters。　They　entreated　Tirumala　for　the　sake　of　the　country　to　procure　the　retreat　of　the　Sultan　to　his　own　dominions；　promising　submission　and　obedience　if　this　should　be　done；　and　Tirumala；　thinking　that　now　h