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246 EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXII victories over Muslim armies of Delhi. The Pratápacharitra, a late quasi-historical prose work, states, like the present record under consideration, that there were no less than eight Muslim invasions against Warangal, and that though Pratäparudra vanquished and put them to fight on the first seven occasions, he suffered defeat during the last expedition. Warangal fell into the hands of the Turakas, and he himself was carried away as a prisoner to Delhi.
Though the Muslim and the Hindu sources are in perfect agreement regarding the final conquest of the Kakatiya kingdom and the captivity of Prataparudra, they are at variance about the number of Muslim expeditions and the events that happened in them. Whereas contemporary epigraphic evidence fixes their number at eight, Muslim historians mention only five. The difference is perhaps due to the omission, by the latter, of abortive attempts of conquest, which they considered unworthy of notice. While the Hindu sources claim victory uniformly over the Mussalmans in all expeditions excepting the last, the Muslim historians admit defeat only twice which they attribute to uaforeseen circumstances. There is reason to believe that the Kakatiyas were not so uniformly successful against the Mussalmans as the Hindu records would have us believe. Chāļu vurges addressed tu Pötuganti Maili, one of the Nāyakas in the service of Kākatiya Pratāparudra, describe an event which happened in the court of Ala-ud-din Khalji at Delhi. For some reason unknown at present Maili is said to have vanquished the TeluguChoda chief Bijjana at Dakho! in Delhi in the presence of Sultan Alā-ud-din, Malik Nēmār (Malik Na'ib Küfür ?), the unrivalled hero, and the seventy-seven Nāyakas (of Prataparudra's court). The presence of so many Kakatiya nobles at Delhi, and the duel between Maili and Bijjana at Dikhol before 'Ala-ud-din and Malik Nēmīr seem to indicate the existence of intimate political relations between Delhi and Warangal. The Muslim historians refer, as a matter of fact, to the arrival of Käkatiya officials to the court of the Sultan to pay the annual tribute into the imperial treasury. Maili and Bijjana probably escorted the tribute to Delhi on one of the occasions, when during their stay in the capital, the duel described in the Chātu verses was fought.
1 The chiefs of the Gosagi family, for instance, claim to have wrested from Ulugh Khan, the seven constitutente of his royalty : Ulughu-Khina-sa planga-harana (Mack. M88., 15-5-32).
J.Tel.Ac., Vol. VII, pp. 304-5. "See Chatupadyamanimanjari, ii, p. 63 :
Dhillilo Surathanud Allavadin-dhar-Adhyakshundu pratyaksha-sakshi-gaga, mahaniya-jayadali Maliki Nēmarundu jagad-ka-fürundu sakshi-giga jagntipai debbad=ēduguru nāyankulun-akshina-bala-yutul säkshi-gaga Rahaja-sähasa-yuddha-sannaddha-vara-bhat-asrayam=aina Dakõlu säkshi-gäga
Sürya-vamsõdaya-khyātud=arya Telugu Bijjala-nripālu gelcho dad-bhima-baludu vairi-gaja-bhimuď=smita-satya-priyumda
ghana-bhujāšaliy=agu Potuganti Maili. • Elliot, History of India, Vol. III, p. 201 : At the end of the same year (H. 711) twenty elephants arrived in Delhi from Laddar Deo, Rai of Tilang, with a letter stating that he was ready to pay at Dēvgir, to any one whom the Sultān would commission to receive it, the treasure which had been engaged to pay, thus fulfilling the terms of the treaty with Malik Kafür.' On another occasion, some of the Kakatiya officials who were on their way to Delhi are said to have paid tribute to the Malik Nā'ib Kafür whom they met in his camp on the banks of the Narmada. See Khuerú, Khazain Khaz-ul-Futah, p. 83:
After the rivers, mountains and valleys had been crossed, a present of twenty-three elephants, huge as Elburz, arrived from the Rai of Tiling.'
Tgimy also alludes to Prataperudra's practice of payment of tribute to Delhi.
"I am a slave of the king", said Rudradex, and "I shall go to the Khan, the commander of his forces. It was in my mind to send the tribute to the king in the capital; but as the roads aro Infested with malefactors 1 hesitated to send it to the court." See Fulah-18-Salatin (Madras edn.), p. 262.
