________________
THE HISTORY OF THE NAIK KINGDOM OF MADURA
123
the chobdars, the messengers, from the imperial camp, with presents; and calling his Dalavâi and other ministers, asked them to meet the Nawabs and tell them that he was too unwell to meet them at Samayâvaram. At the same time he revealed to them his desire to humble the Padshah's pride, and instruoted them to conduct the farmân and the Nawabs, by device and by pursuasion, to the capital. The mainist succeeded in carrying out the king's orders, but at the expense of truth and of the invaders' good-will. At every stage of their journey, the latter asked why the king had not yet come, and were told that he was too unwell. In this way the slipper and the sirdârs were enticed into Trichinopoly, to the very gates of the palace, the army of course being stationed outside the fort. When they reached the palace, the indignant Musalmans, who thought it a disgrace to wait there, took the slipper in a palanquin and proceeded to the audience-hall. Mean-while Ranga Krishna had prepared himself for this crisis. He invested himself with all paraphernalia and sat on the throne in the midst of an admiring and loyal audience. When the Nawabs came there, and saw the king's haughty attitude, they were seized with indignation. Pushing those who stood before them, they approached the throne and offered the slipper into the king's hands! The latter flew into bi indignant rage, and in words of thunder, ordered the imperial messengers to place it on the floor. They naturally hesitated, but soon came to think discretion to be the better part of valour, and the orders from the throne might be followed by whips in case of disobedience. Rauga Krishọa then thrust one of his feet into the slipper, and loudly asked how it was that their Padshah had not the common sense to send the other! The agents, as might be expected, answered with all the vivacity of anger, accusing Ranga Krishna of treason, and threatening chastisement in the near future. But loyal enthusiasm on their part was hardly serviceable in the Trichinopoly court. Beaten almost to death, they went outside the fort, and incited their army to attack the fortifications. But a large force of Trichinopoly infantry and 45,000 cavalry were more than a match for the invaders, who were cut up piece-meal. Never did the Padshah send again & similar message to his vassals!
Its meaning. A tale so singular and interesting has naturally given rise to a good deal of controversy. It will be evident, from what has been said, that, if the slipper was sent at all, it should have been sent by Aurangzeb. The Sultans of Bijapur and Golkonda could not have done it, for the simple reason that at this time they were themselves & prey to Mughal greed, and by 1687 had ceased to exist. If any sovereign had despatched the slipper, therefore, it must have been their conqueror, the Puritan son of Shah Jahan. Could that have been the case ? Was Aurangzeb, the embodiment of craft and cunning, the impersonation of statecraft, the author of such a tactless expedition? It taxes our credulity. The Musalman chronicles are completely silent about it. These, however, it may be argued, were partial, and carefully avoided a subject which was detrimental to their own reputation or interests. But what about Manucci, that great traveller, who was an eye-witness of these campaigns, and took a passionate delight in recording anecdotes like this? Why is he silent about an affair which, if it had happened, must have happened under his very nose? But a grasp of all the circum stances of the period does not make it improbable. Mr. Taylor believes it. He does not think the tale to be silly rodomontade. He sees in it a true expression and exemplification of Aurangzeb's egotism, of his desire to extend the boundaries of the
