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DECEMBER, 1899.]
HISTORY OF THE BAHMANI DYNASTY.
305
HISTORY OF THE BAHMANI DYNASTY.
(Founded on the Burhán-i Ma,ásir.)
BY J. S. KING, M.R.A.S. (Continued from p. 292.)
CHAPTER XIV. Reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah,
son of Sultan Muhammad Shah II. AFTER the death of the late Sultan, the amirs and ministers and leaders of the army A unanimously agreed to the succession of Mahmad Shah, and accordingly seated bim on the throne, and tendered their congratulations.
When Sultan Mahmûd succeeded to the throne, he liberally bestowed presents and conferred favours on all, and spread the wings of mercy and justice over his subjects, and in the early part of his reign all his subjects passed their days in safety and ease.
From the time of the late Soltan up to the present the Turki slaves, who were brave and warlike, had obtained great power, and had brought into their own grasp most of the important affairs of the sovereignty; and in the time of the present Sultân also, in the same manner as fomerly, most of the State affairs were in their hands, and they had assumed supreme power.
The amírs and maliks of the Dakhan now made overtures of friendship with the Turks; but among the great men of the age or even among the human race in general, as long as it exists friendship has no possibility of permanency or durability. The Dakhanis entered into an alliance and made a firm compact with Kawam-ul-Mulk Turk, who was the minister of the principality. The Tarki amire, relying upon the compact of the Dakbanis, were careless of [the consequences of] its binding terms. . Some of the Dakhant amirs told Kawâm-ul-Mulk that Abd-Ullah 'Adil Khan, Fath-Ullíh 'Imâd-ul-Mulk and all the Dakhant amirs and maliks intended, after doing homage to the Sultin, to take their leave and set out for their own country; but as they were in dread of the Turks, it was necessary that on the following day none of the Turkt attendants should show themselves in the city until these bad taken their departure. The simple-minded Kawâm-ulMalk, deceived by his enemies, complied with the request; and on the appointed day, in the minner promised, the Tarki anirs, enjoying themselves in their own habitations and assemblies were heedless of the happening of the accidents of fate. But the Dakbant amirs with their, troops fally armed entered the fort, and while every one of the Tarkt amirs, according to instructions, were off their guard in their own houses, the Dakhanis fell upon them and slaughtered them. A few only, with great difficulty, managed to escape, and hid themselves in out-ofthe-way places.
After the massaore of the Turks, Malik asan Nisam-ul-Mulk Bahrt was distinguished by royal favours and was exalted to the title of Malik NA,1b, and all the affairs of government were placed in his hands. But as for the Dakbanîs who had massacred the clique of Turks after having made a compact with them: in a short time the consequences of that action recoiled on them, and caused them endless unisfortunes. Some of that clique hoisted the standard of revolt, and having collected a large army, had the boldness to march against the Sultân.
Sultan Ahmad Nisam-ul-Mulk, who had been carefully reared under the special saperintendence of his father, the Malik Naib, and who, notwithstanding bis tender age, was adorned with abundance of bravery and generosity, learning, justice and all human qualities; in soeordance with the Sultan's orders had had the districts of Junir and Chakan and that part of the country conferred on him as a foudal tenure and jágir - as will hereafter be related in detail in the history of that king. When the bows of the revolt of the army of the Dakhan against the king
