Chapter B

The Wealth of the Dakhan in the Fourteenth Century A.D.

When Malik Kafur, in the year 1310 A.D., during the reign of Ala-ud-Din Khilji of Delhi, carried out his successful raids into the Dakhan and to the Malabar coast, sacking all the Hindu temples, ravaging the territory of Maisur, and despoiling the country, he is said to have returned to Delhi with an amount of treasure that seems almost fabulous. Firishtah writes: "They found in the temples prodigious spoils, such as idols of gold adorned with precious stones, and other rich effects consecrated to Hindu worship;" and Malik presented his sovereign with "312 elephants, 20,000 horses, 96,000 MANS of gold, several boxes of jewels and pearls, and other precious effects."

When we come to estimate the amount of gold we are met with a difficulty, as there are many varieties of MANS in India, the variation being as much as from 19 lbs. in Travancore to 163 1/4 lbs. in Ahmadnagar. The Madras MAN weighs 25 lbs., the Bombay MAN 28 lbs. Hawkins, writing in 1610, gives 55 lbs. to the MAN, Middleton, in 1611, 33 lbs. Now Firishtah had more to do with Ahmadnagar than any other part of India, and if his estimate was based on the MAN of that tract. Malik Kafur's 96,000 MANS of gold would have amounted to the enormous sum of 15,672,000 lbs. weight. It is hardly likely that Firishtah would have had in his mind the Travancore MAN. Even if he was thinking of the Madras MAN, which is not likely, his estimate of the weight of the gold carried off amounted to 2,400,000 lbs.

Whether we accept these amounts or not, there can be no manner of doubt that the richness of the temples was very great, and the reason is easy to see. The country had always been subject to Hindu kings, and treasures had year by year accumulated. The Brahmans exacted gifts and payments from the people on all occasions. Kings and chiefs, merchants and landowners, vied with one another in presenting rich offerings to their favourite places of worship; and when it is remembered that this practice had been going on from time immemorial, it need be no matter for wonder that the man who first violently despoiled the sacred buildings departed from the country laden with an almost incredible amount of booty. Colonel Dow, in his translation of the works of Firishtah (i. 307), computes the value of the gold carried off by Malik Kafur at a hundred millions sterling of our money.

Chapter C

Portuguese Viceroys and Governors of Goa

(A.D. 1505 to 1568.)

A.D.
Dom Francisco de Almeida (VICEROY) 1505
— 1509
Afonso de Albuquerque (GOVERNOR) 1509
— 1515
Lopo Soares de Albergaria (GOVERNOR) 1515 — 1518
Diogo Lopes de Sequeira (GOVERNOR) 1518
— 1521
Dom Duarte de Menezes (GOVERNOR) 1521
— 1524
Dom Vasco da Gama, Conde de Vidigueria (VICEROY) 1524
Dom Henrique de Menezes (GOVERNOR) 1525
— 1526
Lopo Vaz de Sampaio (GOVERNOR) 1526
— 1529
Nuno da Cunha (GOVERNOR)
1529 — 1538
Dom Garcia de Noronha (VICEROY) 1538
— 1540
Dom Estevao da Gama (GOVERNOR) 1540
— 1542
Martim Affonso de Sousa (GOVERNOR) 1542
— 1545
Dom Joao de Castro (GOVERNOR AND CAPTAIN-IN-CHIEF) 1545 — 1547
,, ,, (VICEROY) 1547 — 1548
Garcia de Sa (GOVERNOR)
1548 — 1549
Jorge Cabral (GOVERNOR)
1549 — 1550
Dom Affonso de Noronha (VICEROY) 1550
— 1554
Dom Pedro Mascarenhas (VICEROY) 1554
— 1555
Francisco Barreto (GOVERNOR) 1555
— 1558
Dom Constantino de Braganza (VICEROY) 1558 — 1561
Dom Francisco Coutinho, Conde de Redondo (VICEROY) 1561 — 1564
Joao de Medonca (GOVERNOR)
1564
Dom Antonio de Noronha (VICEROY) 1564
— 1568

[The above List is extracted from Mr. Danvers's work, "The Portuguese in India" (vol. ii. p. 487). The author continues the List to the present day.]