to　the　Shah　of　Golkonda　assisting　the　Hindus。　In　1579　the　king　of　Golkonda；　in　breach　of　his　contract；　attacked　and　reduced　the　fortresses　of　Vinukonda　and　Kondavid　as　well　as　Kacharlakota　and　Kammam；＇347＇　thus　occupying　large　tracts　south　of　the　Krishna。
  In　1580　Ali　Adil　was　murdered。　Firishtah　in　his　history　of　the　Qutb　Shahs　gives　the　date　as　Thursday；　23rd　Safar；　A。H。　987；　but　the　true　day　appears　to　have　been　Monday；　24th　Safar；　A。H。　988；　corresponding　to　Monday；　April　11；　A。D。　1580。　This　at　least　is　the　date　given　by　an　eye…witness；　one　Rafi…ud…Din　Shirazi；　who　held　an　important　position　at　the　court　at　the　time。　（The　question　is　discussed　by　Major　King　in　the　INDIAN　ANTIQUARY；　vol。　xvii。　p。　221。）　Ibrahim　Qutb　Shah　of　Golkonda　also　died　in　1580　and　was　succeeded　by　Muhammad　Quli；　his　third　son；　who　in　1589　founded　the　city　of　Haidarabad；　originally　carted　Bhagnagar。　He　carried　on　successful　wars　in　the　present　Kurnool　and　Cuddapah　districts；　capturing　Kurnool；　Nandial；　Dole；　and　Gandikota；　following　up　these　successes　by　inroads　into　the　eastern　districts　of　Nellore。
  King　Tirumala　of　Vijayanagar　was　in　1575　followed　apparently　by　his　second　son；　Ranga　II。；　whose　successor　was　his　brother　Venkata　I。＇348＇　（1586）。　The　latter　reigned　for　at　least　twenty…eight　years；　and　died　an　old　man　in　1614。　At　his　death　there　were　widespread　revolts；　disturbances；　and　civil　warfare；　as　we　shall　presently　see　from　the　account　of　Barradas　given　in　the　next　chapter。　An　important　inscription　of　his　reign；　dated　in　A。D。　1601　　2；　and　recorded　on　copper…plates；　has　been　published　by　Dr。　Hultzsch。＇349＇
  In　1593　the　Bijapur　Sultan；　Ibrahim　Adil；　invaded　Mysore；　which　then　belonged　to　the　Raya；　and　reduced　the　place　after　a　three　months'　siege。　In　the　same　year　this　Sultan's　brother；　Ismail；　who　had　been　kept　prisoner　at　Belgaum；　rose　against　his　sovereign　and　declared　himself　independent　king　of　the　place。　He　was　besieged　there　by　the　royal　troops'　but　owing　to　treachery　in　the　camp　they　failed　to　take　the　place；　and　the　territories　in　the　neighbourhood　were　for　some　time　a　prey　to　insurrections　and　disturbances。　Eventually　they　were　reduced　to　submission　and　the　rebel　was　killed。　Contemporaneously　with　these　events；　the　Hindus　again　tried　to　obtain　possession　of　Adoni；　but　without　success；＇350＇　and　a　war　broke　out　between　the　rival　kingdoms　of　Bijapur　and　Ahmadnagar。
  With　this　period　ends　abruptly　the　narrative　of　Firishtah　relating　to　the　Sultans　of　Bijapur。　The　Golkonda　history＇351＇　appears　to　differ　widely　from　it；　but　I　have　not　thought　it　necessary　here　to　compare　the　two　stories。
  The　history　of　the　seventeenth　century　in　Southern　India　is　one　of　confusion　and　disturbance。　The　different　governors　became　independent。　The　kings　of　the　decadent　empire　wasted　their　wealth　and　lost　their　territories；　so　that　at　length　they　held　a　mere　nominal　sovereignty；　and　nothing　remained　but　the　shadow　of　the　once　great　name　　the　prestige　of　family。　And　yet；　even　so　late　as　the　years　1792　and　1793；　I　find　a　loyal　Reddi　in　the　south；　in　recording　on　copper…plates　some　grants　of　land　to　temples；　declaring　that　he　did　so　by　permission　of　〃Venkatapati　Maharaya　of　Vijayanagar；〃＇352＇　while　I　know　of　eight　other　grants　similarly　recognising　the　old　Hindu　royal　family；　which　were　engraved　in　the　eighteenth　century。＇353＇
  The　Ikkeri　or　Bednur　chiefs　styled　themselves　under…lords　of　Vijayanagar　till　1650。＇354＇　A　Vijayanagar　viceroy　ruled　over　Mysore　till　1610；　after　which　the　descendants　of　the　former　viceroys　became　Rajahs　in　their　own　right。　In　Madura　and　Tanjore　the　Nayakkas　became　independent　in　1602。
  All　the　Muhammadan　dynasties　in　the　Dakhan　fell　under　the　power　of　the　Mogul　emperors　of　Delhi　towards　the　close　of　the　seventeenth　century；　and　the　whole　of　the　south　of　India　soon　became　practically　theirs。　But　meanwhile　another　great　power　had　arisen；　and　at　one　time　threatened　to　conquer　all　India。　This　was　the　sovereignty　of　the　Mahrattas。　Sivaji　conquered　all　the　Konkan　country　by　1673；　and　four　years　later　he　had　overthrown　the　last　shreds　of　Vijayanagar　authority　in　Kurnool；　Gingi；　and　Vellore；　while　his　brother　Ekoji　had　already；　in　1674；　captured　Tanjore；　and　established　a　dynasty　there　which　lasted　for　a　century。　But　with　this　exception　the　Mahrattas　established　no　real　domination　in　the　extreme　south。
  Mysore　remained　independent　under　its　line　of　Hindu　kings　till　the　throne　was　usurped　by　Haidar　Ali　and　his　son　and　successor；　〃Tippoo；〃　who　together　ruled　for　about　forty　years。　After　the　latter's　defeat　and　death　at　Seringapatam　in　1799；　the　country　was　restored　by　the　English　to　the　Hindu　line。
  The　site　on　which　stands　Fort　St。　George　at　Madras　was　granted　to　Mr。　Francis　Day；　chief　factor　of　the　English　there；　by　Sri　Ranga　Raya　VI。　in　March　1639；　the　king　being　then　resident　in　Chandragiri。
  The　first　English　factory　at　Madras　had　been　established　in　1620。
  CHAPTER　17
  The　Story　of　Barradas　（1614）
  Chandragiri　in　1614　　Death　of　King　Venkata　　Rebellion　of　Jaga　Raya　and　murder　of　the　royal　family　　Loyalty　of　Echama　Naik　　The　Portuguese　independent　at　San　Thome　　Actors　in　the　drama　　The　affair　at　〃Paleacate。〃　　List　of　successors　　Conclusion。
  The　following　note　of　occurrences　which　took　place　at　Chandragiri　in　1614　on　the　death　of　King　Venkata　I。　will　be　found　of　singular　interest；　as　it　relates　to　events　of　which　we　in　England　have　hitherto；　I　think；　been　in　complete　ignorance。　In　consists　of　an　extract　from　a　letter　written　at　Cochin　on　December　12；　A。D。　1616；　by　Manuel　Barradas；　and　recently　found　by　Senhor　Lopes　amongst　a　quantity　of　letters　preserved　in　the　National　Archives　at　Lisbon。＇355＇　He　copied　it　from　the　original；　and　kindly　sent　it　to　me。　The　translation　is　my　own。
  〃I　will　now　tell　you　。。。　about　the　death　of　the　old　King　of　Bisnaga；　called　Vencattapatti　Rayalu；＇356＇　and　of　his　selection　as　his　successor　of　a　nephew　by　name　Chica　Rayalu；　setting　aside　another　who　was　commonly　held　to　be　his　son；　but　who　in　reality　was　not　so。　The　true　fact　was　this。　The　King　was　married　to　a　daughter　of　Jaga　Raya　by　name　Bayama；　and　though　she　eagerly　longed　for　a　son　she　had　none　in　spite　of　the　means；　legitimate　or　illegitimate；　that　she　employed　for　that　purpose。　A　Brahman　woman　of　the　household　of　the　Queen's　father；　knowing　how　strong　was　the　Queen's　desire　to　have　a　son；　and　seeing　that　God　had　not　granted　her　one；　told　her　that　she　herself　was　pregnant　for　a　month；　and　she　advised　her　to　tell　the　King；　and　to　publish　it　abroad；　that　she　（the　Queen）　had　been　pregnant　for　a　month；　and　to　feign　to　be　in　that　state；　and　said　that　after　she　（the　Brahman　woman）　had　been　delivered　she　would　secretly　send　the　child　to　the　palace　by　some　confidant；　upon　which　the　Queen　could　announce　that　this　boy　was　her　own　son。　The　advice　seemed　good　to　the　Queen；　and　she　pretended　that　she　was　pregnant；　and　no　sooner　was　the　Brahman　woman　delivered　of　a　son　than　she　sent　it　to　the　palace；　and　the　news　was　spread　abroad　that　Queen　Bayama　had　brought　forth　a　son。　The　King；　knowing　all　this；　yet　for　the　love　he　bore　the　Queen；　and　so　that　the　matter　should　not　come　to　light；　dissembled　and　made　feasts；　giving　the　name　'Chica　Raya'　to　the　boy；　which　is　the　name　always　given　to　the　heir　to　the　throne。＇357＇　Yet　he　never　treated　him　as　a　son；　but　on　the　contrary　kept　him　always　shut　up　in　the　palace　of　Chandigri；＇358＇　nor　ever　allowed　him　to　go　out　of　it　without　his　especial　permission；　which　indeed　he　never　granted　except　when　in　company　of　the　Queen。　Withal；　the　boy　arriving　at　the　age　of　fourteen　years；　he　married　him　to　a　niece　of　his；　doing　him　much　honour　so　as　to　satisfy　Obo　Raya；　his　brother…in…law。＇359＇
  〃Three　days　before　his　death；　the　King；　leaving　aside；　as　I　say；　this　putative　son；　called　for　his　nephew　Chica　Raya；　in　presence　of　several　of　the　nobles　of　the　kingdom；　and　extended　towards　him　his　right　hand　on　which　was　the　ring　of　state；　and　put　it　close　to　him；　so　that　he　should　take　it　and　should　become　his　successor　in　the　kingdom。　With　this　the　nephew；　bursting　into　tears；　begged　the　King　to　give　it　to　whom　he　would；　and　that　for　himself　he　did　not　desire　to　be　king；　and　he　bent　low；　weeping　at　the　feet　of　the　old　man。　The　King　made　a　sign　to　those　around　him　that　they　should　raise　the　prince　up；　and　they　did　so；　and　they　then　placed　him　on　the　King's　right　hand；　and　the　King　extended　his　own　hand　so　that　he　might　take　the　ring。　But　the　prince　lifted　his　hands　above　his　head；　as　if　he　already　had　divined　how　much　ill　fortune　the　ring　would　bring　him；　and　begged　the　King　to　pardon　him　if　he　wished　not　to　take　it。　The　old　man　then　took　the　ring　and　held　it　on　the　point　of　his　finger　offering　it　the　second　time　to　Chica　Raya；　who　by　the　advice　of　the　captains　present　took　it；　and　placed　it　on　his　head　and　then　on　his　finger；　shedding　many　tears。　Then　the　King　sent　for　his　robe；　valued　at　200；000　cruzados；　the　great　diamond　which　was　in　his　ear；　which　was　worth　more　than　500；000　cruzados；　his　earrings；　valued　at　more　than　200；000；　and　his　great　pearls；　which　are　of　the　highest　price。　All　these　royal　insignia　he　gave　to　his　nephew　Chica　Raya　as　being　his　successor；　and　as　such　he　was　at　once　proclaimed。　While　some　rejoiced；　others　were　d