Indian Antiquary Vol 51

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 76

68
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1922
his soul at that moment left his body and flew on the wings of martyrdom to heaven. A lamp-tender who was on duty heard the king's cry and went to see what had happened, and the base slave slew him with the same dagger. The guard now became aware of what had happened and carried off the slave and put him to a shameful death.
This event happened on the night of Thursday, Safar 23, A.H. 988 (April 9, A.D. 1580), the words giving the date. 239
On the death of 'Ali 'Adil Shâh the affairs of the kingdom of Bîjâpûr fell into great confusion; the army plundered the country and its inhabitants, and violence and injustice succeeded the reign of justice which 'Ali Adil Shâh had established.
'Ali 'Adil Shah was in truth a just, generous and beneficent king, a darvish of pure faith, good-natured and of angelic qualities. He was a lover who knew love's joys and ever consorted with the beautiful and had intercourse with them. During his reign the doors of his treasures were open to afflicted darvishes, and he was a miracle of high spirit and generosity. His humility and hatred of pomp were such that he usually slept on the ground without a bed or covering, and he would often in his meekness, say, If God in His mercy had not made me a king what should I have done in my fecklessness and how should I, in my unworthiness, have gained a living?' Although most of his time was spent in sensuality and pleasure, his dominions were much extended during his reign, and he surpassed in power and majesty both his father and grandfather. His court was the resort of the learned and accomplished men of the age, and he was so instant in encouraging wise and learned men that when he heard, the fame of Shâh Fathullâh Shîrâzî he was at once anxious to meet him, sent a large sum as a present to that sage, and thereby induced him to leave his native land and come to his court, and, as long as 'Ali 'Adil Shah was on the throne, Fathullâh held the place of honour among the learned men at his court.
After the death of 'Ali 'Adil Shah, the amirs and the chief officers of his army put the wretched slave to death as a punishment for the murder which he had committed, and as 'Ali 'Adil Shah had left no son, they unanimously raised Ibrâhîm 'Adil Shah II, the son of his brother, to the throne, he being then a youth, made their offerings to him, and tendered their congratulations.
LXXXVIII. AN ACCOUNT OF THE QUARREL WHICH TOOK PLACE BETWEEN MURTAZA NIZAM SHAH, AND IBRAHIM 'ADIL SHAH, AND OF ITS CONSEQUENCES.
A. D. 1580. It has already been mentioned that Malik Barid had applied to 'Ali 'Adil Shâh for assistance against the army of Murtaza Nizâm Shâh, and that 'Ali Adil Shâh had sent some of his amirs and officers with nearly 10,000 horse to his assistance. This act of hostility greatly annoyed Murtaza Nizâm Shâh and he began to revolve schemes of revenge. Immediately afterwards news of the death of 'Ali Adil Shâh and of the great confusion among the amirs of the kingdom of Bijapur reached the king.
The circumstances of this affair were as follows:-When 'Ali 'Adil Shâh died, Kâmil Khân, one of the chief amirs of Bîjâpûr, raised to the throne, owing to his extreme youth, Ibrâhîm 'Adil Shâh, one of the sons of Tahmâsb Shah, the brother of 'Ali 'Adil Shâh, and blinded Ismail Shah, Ibrâhîm's elder brother who had come to years of discretion, and then seized all power in the state, allowing nobody to share it with him.233
333 This date agrees with that given by Firishta (ii, 88).
233 According to Firishta all the amirs of Bijapur concurred in placing the young Ibrahim 'Adil Shah II on the throne. He does not mention that Ibrahim had an elder brother, Ismail, who was blinded, and his silence is probably due to the fact that Ibrahim was his patron. Ibrahim was only nine years of age at the time of his accession-F. ii, 90.