भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

their houses and property. The Muslim masjids were destroyed in the very same way as the Hindu temples had been demolished. On the battlefields, the Hindus simply routed the Muslim forces. 903. This fierce retaliation by the Hindus to the Muslim fanaticism and devilish treatment of the non-Muslims, which had gathered momentum during the last forty years or so, struck terror in the hearts of the Muslims, and they, in their turn, formed a new fear-complex about the Hindus. They began to complain most piteously that the Hindus perpetrated insults and atrocities on them and even exposed their religion to ridicule and shame. The Destruction of Vijaynagar 904. All the five Muslim States in the Deccan and the Muslim society in general took a great fright at the defeat of Nizamshahi at the hands of Ramrai, and especially, the fierce reprisals that the Hindus had newly begun, and were excited with extreme fear and anger. They came to realize that if they wanted their kingdoms to last and if at all they wished to live as Muslims, it was absolutely necessary for them to forget their mutual grievances, and launch a united and determined attack against the proud kings of Vijaynagar. For, they knew that none of them by itself was a match for the Vijaynagar Empire. So, Adilshah of Vijapur and his Vazir Kishwarkhan decided to take the lead in this daring project. Kishwarkhan personally went and interviewed the Nizamshah and Kut-b-Shah at their respective capitals, while all prominent Muslim Sardars and Manasabdars, and army chiefs and Mullah-maulvis preached jihad (crusade) everywhere. In order to cement their mutual trust and newly-formed friendship, these Muslim Sultans intermarried their daughters and formed family-ties, and, thus, after a thorough preparation the joint forces of all Muslim States marched on Vijaynagar. 905. Ramrai himself was not quite idle. Every now and then, he got details about this secret plot of the Muslim States. He was, in fact, an old man of seventy at that time, but his passion to fight with the Muslims had not grown a bit less in intensity than what it was in his youth. Undaunted, he, too, equipped his army in every respect and made ready to meet the Muslim attack. He posted two big divisions of his forces under the command of his two brothers—Tirumalrai and Vyankatadri—on two sides of the city, and he himself took the centre. 906. The Hindu-Muslim armies met for a savage struggle at Rakshasbhuvan (Rakkasgi-Tangadgi) near Talikot on Friday, the 2nd of