6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

360 SIX GLORIOUS EPOCHS OF INDIAN HISTORY
fiAMRAI, THE VALIANT DEFENDER OF RELIGION !
900. All the five Muslim States in Maharashtra tried
to obtain help from the powerful army of Eamrai to fight
their fratricidal wars. Although these five Muslim rulers
knew well enough that Shree Ramrai was a strict adherent
of Hinduism and hated all Muslims alike as equally
treacherous enemies of the Hindus and looked down upon
them with scorn, still they had fully realized that without
the powerful support of this valiant Hindu hero they could
hold no ground before their adversaries.
901. In A.D. 1543, the Nizamshah of Ahmednagar and
Kut-b-Shah of Gowalkonda jointly thought of teaching a
lesson to Adilshah, the Sultan ofVijapur. They implored
Ramraja himself to take the lead^*. Accordingly the three
together marched on Vijapur and went on slaughtering the
Vijapur forces. The most noteworthy was the fact that even
the Muslims came to know that the Hindus had been cured
of the one hateful vice of the 'perverted virtues' which we
have, so far condemned in this volume. (Paragraphs 401 to
473). For, on the religious front, too, the Hindus overcame
the Muslims and in order to avenge the demolition and
molestation of the Hindu temples they rased numerous
masjids at various places to the ground^'. The houses of
Muslims, the localities and townships where the Hindus were
persecuted and Hindu women were treated most insultingly
as slaves, were burnt and destroyed completely. This religious
retaliation by the Hindus struck new terror in the hearts of
the Muslims, and quite contrary to their age-old practice the
Muslim community no more dared to tread upon the Hindu
populations, as they would have upon the ants. It dreaded
the resurgent Hindu society as it would have dreaded a
poisonous snake. Naturally the Adilshah of Vijapur had to
sue for peace and to please every one of the three^'.
902. This temporary compromise did not end the Muslim
feuds for ever. The Adilshah of Vijapur felt sore about
the two forts of Kalyani and Solapur appropriated by the
Nizamshah of Ahmadnagar. As such he decided to invade the