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50
 
MADHURAVIJAYAM
 
die by the sword". Then the Muslims soldiers engaged
to expose themselves to death and set out the very
next day removing their turbans from their heads and
placing them round the necks of their horses to indicate
that each of them sought death.26
 
In the battle that followed again, between the forces
of Ballala and those of the Sultan, luck was on the side
of the Muslims; Ballāla was captured and later put to
death in a very cruel manner. "His skin was stuffed
with straw and hung up on the wall of Madhurai where
I saw it in the same position".2
 
27
 
Thus Ballaia III the most persistent and dangerous
enemy of the Sultanate was destroyed.
 
For a period of thirty years after the Hoysala defeat
no organised attempt was made by any Hindu ruler to
strike again. But the ground was kept ready for Kam-
pana by Sāvanṇa Udaiyār who began his work of clear-
ing even as early as 1352. The presence of his inscrip-
tion dated 1352-53 at Sendalai shows that he had clear-
ed the path for his cousin as far as the Tanjore District.28
It is very likely he had been helped by the Mulbagal
army, for Kampaṇa was then camping at Tiruvaṇṇā-
malai and it is not unlikely that Sāvaṇṇa had been fully
instructed by him in regard to the work to be done by
him.2
 
29
 
After his occupation of Kancipuram in 1359,
Kampaņa took time to stabilise his position in Tondai-
mandalam. It may be assumed on the strength of the
 
26. Ibn Batuta. Cf. Foreign Notices.
 
27. Ibid.
 
28. Refer to section on Vijayanagar invasions of Tondaimandalam.
29. This has been already discussed.