INSCRIPTIONS. 



243 



The Narapativijayam or Raniarajlyam was towards the 

 end of the sixteenth century compiled by Yenkaya, son of 

 Suraya, at the special command of (Kodanda) Ramaraja, 

 the son-in-law of the famous Krsna Raja, the king of 

 Yijayanagaram. Ramaraja himself became renowned as 

 ruler of Yijayanagaram by his valiant exploits and success- 

 ful administration. The work was written previously to the 

 fatal battle of Talikota, where Ramaraja lost his life- 

 Yenkaya based, no doubt, his earlier accounts of the family- 

 history of his patron on the historical records of contemporary 

 writers, such as are compiled and preserved in the different 

 reigning families. Most of the Indian princely families keep 

 even now such records. This remark is only made to secure 

 to the passages extracted from the Narapativijayam that 

 consideration which they deserve. 



The statements of the Narapativijayam with respect to 

 Ramaraja are in most cases also supported by the Pratapa 

 Rudra Caritram and the account of the kings of Orangallu, 

 both which manuscripts are in the Madras Grovernment Orien- 

 tal MSS. Library. From these works we clearly perceive the 

 dissension which reigned among the Hindu princes ; for while 

 Pratapa Rudra supported by the Narapati princes, especially 

 by Ramaraja, was fighting against the Muhammadan invader, 

 the Raja of Katak was the firm ally of the latter. Again 

 and again Ramaraja who filled the post of Commander-in- 

 Chief of Pratapa Rudra's army, fought successfully against 

 Vali Khan and the Raja of Katak, but he could not prevent 

 the final defeat of Pratapa Rudra and his being made 

 the prisoner of Yali Khan. He tried though unsuccessfully 

 to intercept the victorious Yali Khan and to liberate Pratapa 

 Rudra, but though surrounded, Yali Khan escaped. Yet the 

 Raja of Katak had to suffer from the hands of Ramaraja, for 

 he was killed by him and even the Raja's son and successor 

 Mukunda Sundara, found a fierce foe in Ramaraja. During 

 the captivity of Pratapa Rudra in Delhi, his younger brother 



