364
DIU
trade with Arabia and the Persian Gulf, the Portuguese were fired from
an early period with the desire of becoming masters of this island; but
it was not until the time of Nuno da Cunha that they succeeded in
obtaining a footing in it. When Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat, was
attacked by the Mughal emperor Humayun, he concluded a defensive
alliance with the Portuguese, allowing them to construct, in 1535, a
fortress on the island and garrison it with their own troops. This
alliance continued till 1536, when both parties began to suspect each
other of treachery. In a scuffle which took place on his return from a
Portuguese ship, whither he had proceeded on a visit to Nuno da Cunha,
the Gujarat monarch met his death in 1537. In the following year the
fortress was besieged by Mahmud III, nephew of Bahadur Shah ; but
the garrison, commanded by Antonio de Silveira, foiled the attempts
of the enemy, and compelled him to raise the siege. Subsequently, in
1545, Dit1 was again closely invested by the same ruler, but was ob-
stinately defended by the gallant band within, under the command
of Dom Joao Mascarenhas. While the Muhammadans were still
under the walls, Dom Joao de Castro landed in the island with large
reinforcements, and, immediately marching to the relief of the place,
totally routed the army of the Sultan of Gujarat in a pitched battle.
This heroic defence, and the signal victory gained by De Castro, which
form a brilliant page in the annals of the Portuguese empire in the
East, were followed by the acquisition of the entire island. In 167o a
small armed band of the Arabs of Maskat surprised and plundered the
fortress, retiring with the booty they had acquired. Since this event,
nothing worthy of note has occurred in connexion with the Portuguese
settlement.
Divi Point.-A low headland in the Bandar thluk of Kistna District,
Madras, situated in 15° 58′ N. and 81° 10′ E., at the mouth of one of
.the branches of the Kistna river, and surrounded by shoals for 6 miles
south and east. The lighthouse formerly situated on it has now been
removed to Point Havelock.
Diwangiri.-Outpost on the Bhutan frontier in Kamrup District,
Eastern Bengal and Assam. See DEw6NGIRL
Doab (` two rivers').-This name is commonly applied to the land
between the confluence of any two rivers, but especially to the tract
between the Ganges and Jumna in the United Provinces, extending
from the Siwaliks to the junction of the two rivers at Allahabad. The
central and lower portions from Etawah to Allahabad are often termed
Antarved, the meaning of which is said to be either `between the
waters' or `within the hearth.' Antarvedi is also applied to the dia-
lect of Western Hindi used in the central portion, a variety of Braj.
The Doab includes the Districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar,
Meerut, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, parts of Muttra and Agra, Etah, Main-
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