208 Historical Sketch of the Kingdom of Pandya. [July 



cupying even the capital, Madura, it is said, for three years.* It was 

 probably to purchase their retreat that Chokanath ceded to Mysore 

 the districts of Errur and Darapur.t Having thus got rid of one of his 

 most powerful enemies, and being vigourously reinforced by Kilavan 

 Setupati, he next dispersed the troops of Chengamal Das, and re-occu- 

 pied Tanjore. He finally recovered Trichanapali from Rustam Khan, 

 who lost his life in the defence ; and the Chenji Raja retreating to his 

 own capital, Chokanath remained in the tranquil possession of his pa- 

 trimonial possessions. He soon, however, lost his acquisitions in Tan- 

 jore, the fugitive prince, Chengamal Das, having recourse to the Mah- 

 ratta chief, Ekaji, for assistance. That adventurer, who commanded 

 at Bangalore, under the nominal authority of the Mohammedan court 

 ofBijapur. readily undertook his protection. % The confederates march- 

 ed to Tanjore, and soon expelled the forces of Madura. The Mahratta, 

 presently usurping the sovereignty of Tanjore, was not at leisure to 

 prosecute his success against "Chokanath ; and these princes very short- 

 ly afterwards entered into a mutual confederacy to oppose the incursions 

 of Sevaji.§ These events, which are usually placed between 1675 and 

 1680, are in perfect conformity with the period of the reign of Choka 

 Nayak as stated in the authorities we have followed, and which date its 

 termination in 1685 or 1687. 



Chokanath Nayak was succeeded by his son, Ranga Krishna Muto 

 Virapa, who died young, after a reign of seven or eight years, leaving his 

 wife pregnant with a son, afterwards named Vijaya Ranga Chokanath 

 Nayak. During his minority the regency was exercised by Manga- 

 mal, the grandmother of the prince, a woman of great talents and manly 

 spirit. One account describes her as preserving her authority until 1712, 

 but anothei'H states, that when the prince was thirteen years of age, 

 the commander of the forces, Kasturi Ranjya, excited an opposition to 

 her which ended in his seizing the reins of government, and in her con- 

 finement until her death, which speedily followed. We know, however, 

 that in 1700, she was regarded as the ruler of Madura for her grandson, 



* Mutiah 's History. The fact is confirmed by the Leitres Edifiantcs. One, dated 1719, 

 observes of the Christian churches at Madura,— Ces Eglises furent tout a fait renverses 

 *orsque la ville fut £mse et ruinee en partie par le Eoi de Mayssur. Vol. xiii. p. 131. 



t Wilks, i. 58. 



X This is rather differently narrated in the Pratapa Vamsavali Bhosla. There it is said 

 the prince of Trichanapali applied to Shahoji for assistance against Vijaya Raghava, 

 prince of Tanjore. That Shahoji enabled the Raja of Trichanapali to repel his enemy and 

 capture Tanjore, but that he then appropriated the conquest to himself, expelling his ally 

 from the country, and leaving it under the administration of his son, Eekaji. 



\ Wilks, i. 78. 



|| Mutiah's History. 



