Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/414

 360 THE KINGDOMS OF THE DECCAN checked the progress of the latter religion, and drove another nail into the coffin of Buddhism, the existence of which in the Deccan cannot be traced later than the first half of the twelfth century. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, chiefs belonging to a family or clan named Hoysala attained considerable power in the Mysore country. The first notable prince of this line was Vishnu, or Bittiga (1117 A. D.), who established his capital at Dorasa- mudra, the modern Halebid, famous for the fine temple which excited Mr. Fergusson's enthusiastic admiration. During Vishnu's reign the Jain religion enjoyed high favour under the protection of his minister Gangaraja, and the Jain temples, which had been destroyed by the orthodox Chola invaders, were restored. Vishnu boasts in his records of numerous conquests, and claims to have defeated the rajas of the Chola, Pandya, and Chera kingdoms in the south. About the year 1223 A. D., one of his successors, Narasimha U, who was then in alliance with the Cholas, actually occupied Trichin- opoli. The dynasty lasted until 1310 A. D., when the Mo- hammedan generals, Malik Kafur and Khwaja Haji, entered the Hoysala kingdom, laid it waste, captured the reigning raja, and despoiled his capital, which was finally destroyed by a Moslem force in 1327 A. D. The Yadava Kings of Devagiri who have been men- tioned were descendants of feudatory nobles of the Chalukya kingdom. The territory which they acquired, lying between Devagiri (Daulatabad) and Nasik, was