Kampili, a Hindu kingdom of early 14th century in the Deccan region of India ended after a defeat by the armies of Delhi Sultanate. Two brothers, Harihara and Bukka, who were in service of the Hoysala dynasty of Kampili, were taken to Delhi after defeat. Both of them were believed to have been converted to Islam before they were sent back to Kampili as the Delhi Sultan’s vassals. They were re-converted and were brought back to the Hindu faith by Vidyaranya, who was to become the 12th Shankaracharya of Sringeri. He blessed the brothers to establish Vijayanagar Empire in 1334 AD. The historical authenticity of this narrative is doubtful, but the official website of Sringeri Sharada Peetham displays even today: “Sri Vidyaranya assumed charge of the Sringeri Mutt and reigned as Jagadguru for six years from 1380 to 1386. The Acharya initiated the emperor into the mysteries of Advaitic meditation, and in 1386 attained videha mukti. Shortly after this event, Harihara visited Sringeri and founded the agrahara of Vidyaranyapura in memory of the guru. Sri Vidyaranya was indeed a unique personality, scholar and sage, rightly regarded as a great thinker in the post-Shankara period. No wonder he was extolled and virtually raised to divinity by kings Bukka and Harihara when making royal grants.”
Originally the rulers established the Empire Vijayanagar (City of Victory) and ruled first from present-day Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh, later shifted the capital to the Karnataka at a place called, Hampi, now a UNESCO world heritage place. During the period of Sangama dynasty of Harihara and Bukka, Vijayanagar became the greatest empire of southern India. It fostered the reconstruction of Hindu life and administration after the disorders and disunities of the 12th and 13th centuries. Contact with the Muslims stimulated new thoughts and creative productivity. Sanskrit was encouraged as a unifying force, and regional literature in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu etc. thrived. Behind its frontiers the country flourished in unexpected peace and prosperity. The Sangama dynasty(1336-1486) was followed by Saluva dynasty(1486-1503), Tuluva dynasty(1503-1569) and Aravidu dynasty(1569-17th Century) respectively. The outstanding Tuluva king was Sri Krishnadeva Raya(1471-1529). It was considered a golden age in medieval south India when Sri Krishnadeva Raya was the ruler of the Vijayanagar empire. During his period, his State had a treaty of friendship with the Portuguese for trade and even to provide experts to build water resource scheme. The Hindu empire ended in 1565 following defeat of its army led by the ruler Rama Raya, the son-in-law of Sri Krishnadeva Raya, into battle at Rakshasi-Tangadi (Talikota) against an alliance of the Sultanates.
The Vijayanagar kings were tolerant to all religions and sects. The kings used titles such as Gobrahmana Pratipalanacharya(Protector of cows and Brahmins) and Hindurayasutrana(Upholder of Hindu faith). The palace wars were not uncommon and even though the kings like Sri Krishnadeva Raya were considered ideal in administration, they were equally cruel to the opponents and claimants to the throne, even if they were brothers or other close relatives. The farmers and common men rebelled against the taxation exploitation and even subjects of Vijayanagar opted for migration. The kings were living luxurious life, building temples and palaces on mega scale. They were busy in their sensual enjoyment.
In “The Discovery of India”, Jawaharlal Nehru, while writing about flourishing Vijayanagar in the south, quotes a Portuguese visitor, Domingo Paes, who came in 1522 : “Of the ruler, Krishna Deva Raya, Paes writes : ‘He is the most feared and perfect king that could possibly be, cheerful of disposition and very merry; he is one that seeks to honour foreigners, and receives them kindly, asking about all their affairs whatever their condition may be.” So many Muslim rulers in India had Hindu mothers or had married Hindu ladies. Nehru records: “Feroze Shah, one of the well-known Sultan of Delhi, had a Hindu mother; so had Ghyas-ud-Din Tughlak. Some marriages between the Afghans, Turkish, and the Hindu nobility were not frequent, but they did take place. In the south the Muslim ruler of Gulbarga married a Hindu princess of Vijayanagar with great pomp and ceremony.”
In a chronicle written between 1535 and 1537, the Portuguese horse trader Fernao Nuniz confirmed the potency of royal garments in a description of the Vijayanagar ruler Achyutadeva Raya (1530-1542): “The King never puts on any garment more than once, … and these garments are never given to anyone……and on the head they wear caps of brocade which they call culaes….When he lifts it from his head he never again puts it on.”
The National Book Trust(NBT) of the Government of India has published a book in Marathi in 1994 titled “Vijayanagarache Samrajya”(The Vijayanagar Empire) written by the Portuguese duo, Paes and Nuniz, who visited Vijayanagar empire. The writers give authoritative description of the Kings and their personal extravaganza life. Sri Krishnadeva Raya had officially married three wives and their children only could claim to be official descendents of the king. “One of them is the Princess of the Odisha- Kalinga king. The other two are the Princesses of the tributary chief and ruler of Srirangapattan. He has one more wife who was a prostitute. He kept her even before he became king during his younger days but had promised to marry her if he could become king. He not only kept his promise to marry her but also established a city in her honour. ….. Every queen has a separate palace…The king may go to any of the queens palace or may send a message through his favourite eunuch to any queen to join him in his separate palace…Every queen is flooded with gem and jewelry. Each queen has sixty female slaves or maid-servants. Even the body-guards of the queens are also trained women. There are three hundred to four hundred eunuchs and twelve thousand female slaves to attend the harem. The eunuch cannot enter the harem.”
When Sri Krishnadeva Raya was on his death bed, he got his will(“depois”) prepared. Since his son was just 18 months old, he nominated one of his three imprisoned brothers, Achyutraya, as his choice to be his successor. All the three brothers, who helped him becoming the king of Vijayanagar, along with one of his nephews, son of Bhujabalrao, were imprisoned by him at Chandragiri fort ! The custom of Sati did prevailed and the queens would perform Sati on the king’s death. But on the death of any of his Sardars, it was mandatory for all the wives , the figure may range from 200 to 400, to perform Sati. Sri Raya had his penal code and would not pardon any.
Next Column : Lohana Kings of Kashmir and Kabul
( The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail : [email protected] )
