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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1859:
When the cursed Narsinha obtained information of the approach of the royal army, he became uneasy and took to flight without giving battle; and used to pass cach day in a house and each night in some jungle or other.
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One day the Sultan ordered a letter to be written to the impare Narsighs founded upon threats and intimidation, and reminding him of his hostility both former and recent. When this angry and terror-inspiring letter reached that undiscerning infidel, trembling for fear of being attacked by the Sultan's army, and having no other resource, he sent a quantity of valuable presents of jewellery and other valuables, elephants and horses to the Sultan's court, and confessing his weakness, promised obedience and submission.
In the midst of these affairs the Sultan was informed that at a distance of fifty farsakhs37 from his camp was a city called Ganj (Kanchipura or Kanchi), situated in the centre of the dominions of that malignant one, containing temples which were the wonder of the age, filled with countless concealed treasures and jewels and valuable pearls, besides innumerable beautiful slave girls. From the rise of Islam up to this time no Muhammadan monarch had set foot in it no stranger had laid hand on the cheek of the bride of that idol-temple; and it was suggested that if the Sultan were to send an expedition against it, immense booty and treasures would doubtless be obtained.
On hearing this news the Sultan left the prince and the pure-minded minister, Khwajah Jahan and some of the nobles and great men in charge of the camp, whilst he himself with nearly 10,000 horse made forced marches from that place; and after they had for one day and two nights, travelled a long distance through an uneven country, on the morning of the second day, which happened to be the 11th of Muharram in the year 886 (12th March, A. D. 1481) the Sultan with Nizam-ul-Mulk Bahri, Khân-i 'Azam 'Adil Khan and 150 special slaves of the Sultan, outstripped the whole army, and having surrounded the city of Kanchi, entrapped the people of that city of sinners. Out of a number who had been appointed for the protection of the city and temples, some were put to the sword, whilst others by a thousand stratagems escaped with their lives, and took to flight. The royal troops moment by moment and hour by hour following one another were assembling till a large army was collected under the Sultan's standard. After that, at a sign from the Sultan, the troops took to plundering and devastating.. They levelled the city and its temples with the ground, and overthrew all the symbols of infidelity; and such a quantity of jewels, valuable pearls, slaves and lovely maidens and all kinds of rarities fell into their hands, that they were beyond computation.
After the successful accomplishment of his desires, the Sultan returned from that place to his camp. On arriving there he ordered an elegant poetical account of this celebrated victory to be written, and copies distributed throughout his dominions.
In the midst of these affairs a clique of jealous and malevolent persons who play with the understanding of everyone, and by deceit and knavery under the semblance of friendship, create ill-feeling between father and son, having conceived pare lies and vile inventions which had the appearance of truth, reported them to the servants of the Sultan.
The details of this summary and the abridgment of this digression is this that a number of spiteful persons, "disease in their hearts," who were continually making malignant imputations against the Khwajah, with a large sum of money, bribed one of his confidential slaves who always kept his seal about him, to affix bis seal to a paper, and return it to them; so that by this cunning device they might accomplish their designs. The misguided slave, according to the wishes of those evil persons, readily consented to do that shameful deed.
The conspirators wrote a letter purporting to be from Khwajah Jahân to Narsinha Raya, full of treachery and ingratitude towards his benefactor; and at the time of leisure they pre
About 170 miles. The actual distance in a straight line from Malûr to Kanchipura is about 120 miles.
