________________
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
VOL. XXVI.
of bis dominion, and free himself from the ever-present threat of attack. The conquest of the district of Attili (Tanuku division, W. Godavari District) and the capture of that town and the fort by the southern kings referred to in the present inscription, point out clearly that Vēma lavnched an attack upon his enemy's territory. The number and identity of the southern kings are not known, though it may be confidently asserted that the tributary princes and the nobles of Vijayanagara were certainly among them. Annadēva was not disposed to allow this affront to his authority to pass unavenged. Having quickly gathered together his friends and followers, he marched at their head to chastise the invaders. He came upon the army of Kātaya-Vēma's southern allies in the vicinity of Attili, and inflicted on thein a crusbing defeat. A large body of the enemy's forces numbering 10.000 men who were stationed in the fort of Attili were compelled as a consequence of defeat to surrender to him.
While Annadēva was engaged in taking possession of the fort of Attili, one of his friends wbo is unfortunately not mentioned by name in the inscription, came into conflict with a contingent of the Vijayanagara (Kannada) army at Kankaraparti on the Gautami (ie. the Gödāvarī). Confronted with a superior force, he was unable to cope with the situation, and stood in grave peril of destruction. Intelligence of the sad plight of his friend having reached Annadēva, he hastened with his troops to rescue his frier d. As soon as he arrived at Kankaraparti, he lost no time in engaging himself in action. Led by his brother-in-law, Pina-Undirāja, his army fell upon the Karnatakas and hacked them to pieces. It was an overwhelming disaster to KātayaVēma's side, his allies were nearly annihilated and his family had to surrender to his enemy, abjectly begging him to spare their lives.
Two points demand explanation here. (a) It is said that Annadēva rescued some friend who was assailed by the Karnatakas at Kankaraparti. The inscription gives no help to establish his identity. A passage from Burhān-i-Ma'āsir, however, seems to throw some light on the problem. Describing the events during the last years of Firuz Shāh Bahmani, Sayyid Ali states that the Sultan led an army into Telingana and subjugated the country as far as Rajahmundry.
The Sultan ", says he," being determined to conquer Telingāņa proceeded in that direction till having got near Rajahmundry he conquered meny forts and districts of that country, and having taken the whole of that territory he consigned it to the agents of government, and then set out for his capital"? Sayyid Ali does not give the date of this expedition : but he mentions a number of events which had taken place before and after the dispatch of the expedition. However, a comparison with Ferishta's account of these events. may enable is to determine
1 Though the identity of the southern kings is not disclosed in the inscription, it is not difficult to conjec. ture who they were. In the south, more strictly south-west, of Annadeva's dominions were the kingdoms of Kondavidhu and Vijayanagara. It is not likely that they should have joined together to attack Annadēva : for. in the first place, the relations between Kondavidu and Vijayanagara were anything but friendly at this time : and secondly Pedakömati. Vema, the king of Kondavidlu, who was hostile to Kataya Vema would not have helped him or his family by making an attack upon Amadēva. The king of Vijayanagara was related to KātayaVema, au pointed out already, by marriage alliance. At Sagar the former encountered at first Annadeva as an ally of the Bahmani Sultan; and then according to the present record he was fighting with the latter at Kamkareparti on the Godavari as an opponent. Moreover, according to Srinatha's Bhimēérara-puranam. 1 : 62 (above Vol. XIII, p. 241), the king of Karnāta was an ally of Allāda who restored Kataya Vema's children to their kingdom. Taking into consideration all these facts, it is not unreasonable to suppose that one of the souther kings referred to in the present record was the king of Karnataka and that he came there with his forces to help Kätaya. Voma ard his family.
? Ind. Ant., Vol. XXVIII, p. 187.
