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44
MADHURAVIJAYAM
eyes away. When he composed himself he found their
heads lying on the ground.
On another occasion he was with Sultan Ghiyasud-
d-din when a Hindu was brought to him. He spoke
words that his guest (the traveller) could not under-
stand and at once many of his followers drew their
swords. Ibn Batuta got up hurriedly and the Sultan
asked, "Where do you go?" The guest replied: "I go
to my afternoon prayers". He understood the guest's
motive, laughed and ordered the hands and feet of the
idolator to be cut off. On his return Ibn Batuta found
that unhappy man swimming in his blood.
The temples suffered no better fate than men. Amir
Khusrau gives a painful account of what Malik Kafur
did in one place in the Tamil country.¹5 "In Brahmatspuri
there was a golden idol round which many elephants
were stabled. The Malik started on a night expedition
against this place and in the morning seized no less
than two hundred and fifty elephants. He then de-
termined on razing the beautiful temple to the ground.
You might say that it was the Paradise of Shahdad
which after being lost, these hellites had found and
that it was the golden Lanka of Ram. The roof was
covered with rubies and emeralds. The malik dug this
up from its foundations with the greatest care.
heads of the Brahmins and the idolators danced from
their necks and fell to the ground at their feet. The
stone image called Ling Mahadeo which had been a
The
15. The Tarikh-i- Alai of Amir Khusru (Elliot and Dowson, Vol.
III) p. 91. Brahmatspuri has been identified with Chidambaram by Dr.
S. K. Iyengar. This can be accepted only as a possible identification. Cf.
South India and Her Muhammadan invaders. Also Historical Inscrip-
tions of South India by Sewell, p. 177.
MADHURAVIJAYAM
eyes away. When he composed himself he found their
heads lying on the ground.
On another occasion he was with Sultan Ghiyasud-
d-din when a Hindu was brought to him. He spoke
words that his guest (the traveller) could not under-
stand and at once many of his followers drew their
swords. Ibn Batuta got up hurriedly and the Sultan
asked, "Where do you go?" The guest replied: "I go
to my afternoon prayers". He understood the guest's
motive, laughed and ordered the hands and feet of the
idolator to be cut off. On his return Ibn Batuta found
that unhappy man swimming in his blood.
The temples suffered no better fate than men. Amir
Khusrau gives a painful account of what Malik Kafur
did in one place in the Tamil country.¹5 "In Brahmatspuri
there was a golden idol round which many elephants
were stabled. The Malik started on a night expedition
against this place and in the morning seized no less
than two hundred and fifty elephants. He then de-
termined on razing the beautiful temple to the ground.
You might say that it was the Paradise of Shahdad
which after being lost, these hellites had found and
that it was the golden Lanka of Ram. The roof was
covered with rubies and emeralds. The malik dug this
up from its foundations with the greatest care.
heads of the Brahmins and the idolators danced from
their necks and fell to the ground at their feet. The
stone image called Ling Mahadeo which had been a
The
15. The Tarikh-i- Alai of Amir Khusru (Elliot and Dowson, Vol.
III) p. 91. Brahmatspuri has been identified with Chidambaram by Dr.
S. K. Iyengar. This can be accepted only as a possible identification. Cf.
South India and Her Muhammadan invaders. Also Historical Inscrip-
tions of South India by Sewell, p. 177.