Character.

Ismael Adil Shah was prudent, patient, and generous. He was more inclined to forgive than to punish, and his clemency was sometimes taken advantage of. He had artistic tastes, and was skilled in poetry and music. He was also very fond of painting and of making arrows and saddle cloths. He was quick at repartee, and had a large stock of quotations, which he made in an apt and appropriate manner. In manners, he was more polished than the Decannees, and had been early trained in the Turkish and Persian habits and customs. Although he did not make much head against the Hindoos, he was acknowledged as the principal of the Mahomedan kings of the Deccan, and though jealous of his power and often combining to oppose him, they seem to have admitted his superiority. His reign lasted for twenty-five years.

(NOTE. KASIM BEREED was originally a Georgian Slave but rose to be minister of MAHMUD BAHMANI, during whose reign the other Deccan Kingdoms revolted. KASIM kept the king MAHMUD II a prisoner and virtually ruled till his death in 1504. His son AMIR continued to reign under three other puppet kings until 1527 when the last king KATAM ULLAH fled to Ahmednagar when AMIR assumed royalty. ISMAIL ADIL SHAH conquered BIEDER and restored it to AMIR BEREED as his vassal. AMIR died in 1549 having lost almost all his territory and his son assumed the title of Shah).

I

OF BIJAPUR.

It is necessary now to glance backwards in order to trace the foundations of the two kingdoms of Berar and Golconda which have already been frequently mentioned in the previous chapter.

Berar was the smallest and least important of the Mahomedan kingdoms of the Deccan, and its independence was the most short-lived. Like his rival king in Ahmednagar, the

founder of the Imad Shahi dynasty of Berar was a Hindoo by descent. He is said te have been a Canaresc Brahmin taken in war by the Bahmanee Governor of Berar. He adopted Islam, and rapidly rose to high office, receiving the title of Imád-ul-Mulk. He asserted his independence about the same time as Yusuf Adil Shah (1484), and in the partition of 1498 he was recognised by the other kings, and received as his share Mahar and Ramgarh, or the territory between the Godavery and the Pain Gunga rivers. The first Imad Shah died early in the 16th century, and was succeeded by his son, Alla-ud-din, who was on the throne throughout the whole of the reign of Ismael Adil Shah, as related in the last chapter. This prince was constantly at war with Ahmednagar, and generally got the worst of it. He lost his outlying districts of Mahar and Pathri, and had to call in the Sultan of Guzerat, whom he afterwards found it very difficult to get rid of. His dominions comprised the province of Berar as nearly as possible as it exists at the present day, lying between the Rivers Taptee on the north and Godavery on the south. The present southern boundary of the province is the river Pain Gunga. The capital was at Ellichpore, and with the exception of this city there were few other towns of importance. The people were quiet and devoted to agriculture, and as the province lies out of the line of march of the great kingdoms, it had enjoyed a long period of peace. It formed a sort of irregular square comprising an area of about 20,000 square miles. Sultan Alla-ud-din was succeeded by his son, Daria Imad Shah (1550), and he in turn was succeeded (1568) by his infant son, Burhan Imad Shah. The infant king was confined by his Minister, Tufal Khan, who usurped the Government. He was, however, attacked by the Kings of Bijapur and Ahmednagar, defeated, and after some time spent in flight, was put to death together with the young prince whom he had dethroned (1572). From this time Berar was

annexed to Ahmednagar, to which kingdom it belonged, until it in turn was conquered by an army from Delhi in 1607. This brief summary of the history of Berar must suffice for the present, and further notice of any events of importance will be made as they have reference to the general thread of the story.

Golconda.

A kingdom that was destined to play a much more important and lasting part in Indian history was that of Golconda, which, under a different dynasty and another name exists unto the present day. During the time of the Bahmanee Sultans, Golconda was the capital of the Governor of the Telingana provinces, and his rule extended to the eastern coast with ports at Musalipatam and Coconada. The Hindoo Kings of Warangal had disappeared, but a number of petty chiefs survived. These Chiefs were continually breaking out into rebellion, and gave the Mahomedan Governor a good deal of trouble. The Telingana province was therefore one of considerable importance, and the Governor was an officer of high dignity.

The founder of this new kingdom was Barra Malick Kull Kutb-ul-Mulk, a Persian by descent, who entered the service of Sultan Mahmoud Bahmanee towards the close of the 15th century. When in 1490 an attempt was made to assassinate Sultan Mahmoud, Barra, Malick was one of those who saved the King, and eventually quelled the rebellion. For this he was created Ghazi Malick Kutb-ul-Mulk, and sent as Governor to Telingana. When in 1489 the other Deccan Sultan threw off all semblance of submission to the Bahmanee house, Kuli Kutb-ul-Mulk still remained loyal, and it was not until 1510 that he finally declared his independence.

His first thought was to strengthen the fortifications of his capital Golconda, and to improve its buildings. The fort as it now exists shows signs of great strength, and 170 years later it baffled the whole of Aurungzebe's army, and was