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27S ON ORISSA PROPER 



TJria, which Ferishteh uses sometimes as the name of a person, and some- 

 times as that of a district, but from the whole context there seems reason 

 to think that the author intends to designate by the term, the country be- 

 tween Rajamandry and Condapilly, &c. held probably at that time as a 

 fief or dependency of the Orissan monarchy. 



The Bahmini king, who had always wished to obtain a footing on the 

 Godaveri, agreed to Himber's proposal, marched an army into Uria, defeat- 

 ed the usurper JYlangal Rai, and restored the principality to his ally, taking 

 for his own share the forts of Rajamandry and Condapilly. 



After sometime Rai Uria seems to have repented of his connection 

 with the Mohammedans, and to have become desirous of returning to his 

 old allegiance. One of those destructive famines noticed in my accounts 

 of Raja Kapil Indra Deo's reign, having spread general ruin and consterna- 

 tion throughout the Deccan, the conjuncture appeared to him favorable for 

 making an effort to throw off the Musselman yoke, and he accordingly 

 dispatched a message to the Rai of Orissa (which is fully detailed by Ferish- 

 teh) saying that " if he wished to recover his hereditary dominions in Telin- 

 gana, now was the time." The Raja, on receiving this invitation, collected 

 together an army of 10,000 foot and 8,000 horse, and summoning all his tri- 

 butary chiefs to attend him, proceeded into Telingana without delay. Mo- 

 hammed Shah hastened to oppose the combined forces of Orissa and Uria, and 

 soon compelled the Rais to retreat across the lake of Rajamandry. He then, 

 says Ferishteh, resolved to punish the idolater for his insolence and aggres- 

 sion, and taking with him a chosen body of 20,000 men, made a dash into 

 Orissa, and penetrated as far as the capital, plundering and laying waste the 

 country on all sides. The Raja unable to withstand the fury of the storm 

 which he had so rashly raised, fled before the invaders, and was soon oblig- 

 ed to sue humbly for peace, which was granted only on condition of his pay- 

 ing down a large sum of gold and silver, and surrendering twenty-five cele- 

 brated elephants which he valued next his life. The Musselman prince 



