Page:Historic Landmarks of the Deccan.djvu/18

 slain. The Deccani officers had held back, and thus escaped and fled to Chakan, near Junnar, which Khalaf Hasan had made his base. The few foreigners who escaped also returned to Chakan, and attempted to send thence a message to court, to inform Ala-ud-din Ahmad Shah that the disaster had been due to the pusillanimity of the Deccanis; but the Deccanis intercepted this message and sent another to the effect that the foreigners, having suffered defeat owing to their own rashness, had now retired in dudgeon to Chakan, where they had rebelled, and were prepared to hold the fort against any force that might be sent against them. Unfortunately the Deccanis were at this time all powerful at the capital, and persuaded the king to send an army against Chakan. The Deccanis and Africans besieged the place for some time with little prospect of success, and, fearing lest delay might bring the truth to light, changed their tactics, and informed the foreigners that they had interceded for them at court and that the king had been graciously pleased to pardon them. The unsuspecting foreigners came forth, and at a banquet to which they were invited by their enemies 1,200 Sayyids and 1,000 other foreigners were slain.

A few foreigners who, with great difficulty, effected their escape, succeeded in conveying to the king a true account of what had taken place, and inquiries were set on foot, with the result that the whole truth became known and the Deccanis and Africans were severely punished and the foreigners regained their ascendency.

These quarrels constantly broke out afresh, and the bitterness between the parties had lost none of its strength in the reign of Muhammad III, the thirteenth king of the Bahmani dynasty. His chief nobles were Khaja Mahmud Gawan Malik-ut-Tujjar, the prime minister, Yusuf Adil Khan, and Fakhr-ul-Mulk, all foreigners ; Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk, Malik Hasan Nizam-ul-Mulk, and his son Malik Ahmad, Deccanis ; and Khudawand Khan and Dastur Dinar, Africans. Muhammad III, who was then encamped in Telingana, on the advice of Mahmud Gawan sub-divided into eight the four provinces into which the kingdom had originally been divided by his ancestor, Bahman Shah. Berar was divided into the two provinces of Gawil and Mahur ; Daulatabad into Daulatabad and Junnar ; Gulbarga into Gulbarga and Bijapur ; and Telingana into Warangal and Rajamahendri ; while the country around