J3G 



Description of the Valley of Sondur. 



[July 



in this stronghold between 1776 and 1779 hy Hyder. The fortress was 

 taken by treachery after a long and gallant resistance— A/orari was 

 made prisoner— thrown into the dungeons of Copaldrug, and never 

 more heard of. In this campaign, Hyder made himself master of 

 Chittledrug, Raidrug, HarponhuUy^ and also of Sondur, which fell 

 after an ineffectual resistance : what became of its chief G opal Row 

 elder brother of the gallant Morari, I cannot trace. Hyder determined 

 to secure his possession by building a fort in the valley near the 

 entrance of the principal pass, which is said to have been completed 

 by his son Tippoo, who left a strong garrison there under a killidar. 



Siva Row, the son of Gopal Row, was slain in battle about 1785, in a- 

 vain attempt to recover his patrimony, leaving a son named Sidhoji 

 under the guardianship of his uncle Vencat Row. Vencat Row succeed* 

 ed in expelling Tippoo's troops about 17^)0, but, dreading the tiger 

 monarch's resentment, did not reside in Sondur xxwiW after the fall of 

 Seringapatam in 1799. In 1801 we find Vencat Row* alluded toby 

 Sir Thomas Munrof as harbouring at Sondur most of the adherents of 

 the noted Dhondia Waug, the King of the world," who had escaped 

 the rapid waters of the Malpurba into which about 5,000 of them had 

 been driven by Colonel Wellesley in September 1800. 



When Ve7icaf Row went to take possession of Sondur in 1799, the 

 Peshwa, Baji Row, as Sir T. Munro states, issued a sunnud granting 

 the jaghire to Jeswunt Row Ghorpara, a distinguished officer in 

 Scindia's army, and subsequently ambassador from that chief to Colonel 

 Wellesley : he sent a copy of the sujinud to Sondur to Vencat Row, 

 stating his wish that means might be taken to prevent discussions in 

 their families. Vencat Row , dreading the power of the Peshwa, took 

 the hint, and sending for Narsing Row, Feswunt's second son, in 1804, 

 presented him with a salary of 100 pagodas a month, which on the 

 pretext of his caballing, was discontinued in 1808. Jeswunt Row, 

 Hware that the Peshwa had nominally given away what he had not 

 legal power to do, gave up the jaghire of which he had never taken 

 possession to Baji Roto in exchange for some other grants. 



* Sidhoji his ward died in 179C, without issue, on which Fencat Roto proposed that one 

 of the sons of Doulet Row, half brother of Morari Row, should be adopted by the widow : 

 this was refused, as also a similar application to Yesiount. Roto, a distinguished member of 

 the Gliorpara family about to be alluded to. The latter however permitted his younger 

 brother Kundi Row's son, the present chief, to be adopted ; which was accordingly done. 

 + See his life by GUug, letter to Colonel Wellesley, vol. 1. p. 351. 



