GK SERIES FOR SSC,IAS,PCS,HAS,HCS
AND OTHER COMPETITIVE EXAMS
(HISTORY-17)
VIJAYNAGAR
EMPIRE
(1336 - 1565
A.D.)
The
empire was founded by Harihara-I and Bukka-I, two of the five sons of Sangama. Harihara
and Bukka were in the service of the Raya of Kampili. When Bahauddin Gurshap, a
cousin of Mohd. bin Tughlaq, revolted and took refuge with the Raya of Kampili,
the Sultan attacked Kampili and annexed it to the Delhi Sultanate. During the
course of this war, Harihara and Bukka were both made prisoners of war and taken
to Delhi. In 1335, when Tughlaq possessions in the south were in a stage of
general turmoil, the Sultan released them and sent as commanders of the Tughlaq
troops to restore order in the south, where they came under the influence of a
sage and declared their independence.
·
Harihara and Bukka, who
founded the empire in 1336, were the sons of Sangama and named the first
dynasty of Vijaynagar after their father as Sangama Dynasty (1336-1485).
·
The second dynasty, founded
by Saluva Narasimha, known as Saluva dynasty, ruled from 1485 to 1505.
·
The third dynasty, known as
Tuluva ruled from 1503 to 1570.
·
The fourth or the Aravidu
dynasty ruled till about the middle of the seventeenth century.
The
Sangamas (1336-1485)
Harihara-I (1336-56),
aided by his brother Bukka-I, started an era of conquest and expansion. The Hoyasala
kingdom was conquered by 1346, and the Kadamba territories were annexed in
1347. Harihara also sent two armies in 1352-53, one under prince Savanna and
the other under Kumara Kampana annexed the Sultanate of Madurai to the Vijaynagar.
Harihara
I was succeeded by his his brother Bukka
I (1356-77). Bukka I sent an expedition against Rajanarayana Sambuvaraya,
who earlier had been restored to his throne by Harihara I and had probable
asserted his independence soon after. He also found with the Bahmani sultan
Muhammad Shah I and signed a treaty with him. His son Kumara Kampana, who
governed the Tamil districts, proceeded south, and defeated the sultan of Madura
and annexed his dominions to the Vijaynagar.
Bukka’s
son and successor, Harihara II
(1377-1404), consolidated the new kingdom. An invasion by the Bahmani
sultan Mujahid Shah was repulsed. Harihara II invaded the Konkan and northern
Karnataka, attacked the Reddi rulers, and occupied the Addanki and Srisailam
areas. In 1398, he defeated the Velamas and the Bahamanis. His death in 1404
was followed by a dispute about his succession and consequent political
instablitliy. His two sons Virupaksa I and Bukka II appear to have ruled one
after the other for two years, and in 1406
Devaraya I ascended the throne.
Devaraya I (1406-26)
had to face an invasion by Firoz Shah Bahmani, and was forced to surrender the
fort of Bankapur to the Bahmanis. Devaraya formed an alliance with Katayavema,
his relative and chief of the Reddi kingdom, to counter the activities of Anadeva
Choda, an ally of Firuz shah Bahmani. Devaraya I in 1410, had a barrage across
the Tungabhadra constructed. Towards the close of Devaraya’s rule the Italian Nicolo Conti visited the imperial city.
He describes it as having a circumference of 96 kms and containing 90,000
potential soldiers. Besides describing the city and its king, Nicolo Conti also
mentions festivals like Dipavali, Navaratri. Devaraya I was great patron of
scholars. It was to Devaraya’s court that the gifted telugu poet Srinatha, the
author of Haravilasam and many other works, journeyed from the Reddy courts of
Rajamundry and Kondavidu seeking recognition for his talents. The ‘Pearl hall’ of the palace where he
honoured men of eminence is immortalized in literature. Devarya I died in 1442
and was succeeded by his son Ramachandra.
Ramachandra
who had been associated with his father in the govt of Udayagiri since 1390-91,
ruled as emperor of Vijaynagar for six months only. Ramachandra was succeeded
by his brother Vijaya I. He was also known as Vijayabhupati, Vijaya Bukka or
Vira Bukka III. Vijaya, who was a weak ruler, took no interest in the affairs
of the govt and left it to the care of his son and coregent Devaraya II.
Devaraya II (1426-46)
was the greatest sovereign of the Sangama dynasty. He was called ‘Immadi Devaraya’ and also ‘Proudha Devaraya’ or the great
Devaraya by his subjects. The inscription speak of his title Gajabetekara i.e., the elephant hunter.
Devaraya II had to face an invasion led by the Bahmani sultan Ahmad I in the Raichur
doab. The Bahmani sultan shifted his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar. Devaraya
II annexed Kondavidu (AP) to his kingdom, attacked the Gajapati kingdom of Orissa
and subjugated a few chiefs in Kerela. Except the Zomorin of Calicut, all other
kings and chieftains in Kerela accepted his suzerainty. Devaraya II was a great
patron of literature and himself an accomplished scholar in Sanskrit. He is
credit with the authorship of two Sanskrit works, Mahanataka Sudhanidhi and a commentary on the Brahma Sutras of Badarayana. The Persian ambassador Abdur Razzaq who visited his court
gives a vivid account of the empire of Vijaynagar.
The
reign of Devaraya II was followed by the short reign of Vijayaraya II (1446-47).
The
next ruler Mallikarjuna was young at
the time of his accession and taking advantage of it, the Bahmani sultan
Alauddin II and Kapileshvara Gajapati of Orissa invaded Vijaynagar.
Saluva Narasimha (1485-90),
ruler of the Chandragiri region and
a powerful feudatory, usurped the throne and saved the kingdom from an
impending disruptions.
The
Saluvas (1485-1505):
Saluva Narasimha
faught against the Sambetas of Peranipadu and the Palaigars of Ummattur, and
quelled fissiparous tendencies within the empire. But he was defeated and
imprisoned by Purushottama Gajapati and his release was secured to the surrender
of Udayagiri in Nellore dist. Before Saluva Narasimha died in 1490, he placed
his two young sons under the care of his minister Narasa Nayaka and made him the regent of the kingdom. The elder of
the two, Timma, was crowned king but
was murdered by a rival and so the younger, Immadi Narasimha was appointed. The regent Narasa Nayaka, however,
removed him to Penugonda and kept
him under control, himself donating the scene for over a decade. Narasa Nayaka
come into conflict with Yusuf Adil Khan of Bijapur and Prataparudra Gajapati,
and asserted his authority over several small chiefs in the south. After his
death in 1503, his son Vira Narasimha
became the regent and continued to keep Immadi Narasimha under tutelage. When Immadi
Narasimha was assassinated in 1505, Vira Narasimha became the actual ruler and
started what is known as the Tuluva dynasty.
The
Tuluvas (1503-70):
Vira
narasimha, son of Narasa Nayaka, founded the Tuluva dynasty. After his brief
reign, he was succeded by his younger brother Krishan Deva Raya (1509-29) who was the greatest ruler of Vijaynagar.
The Portuguese traveler Domingo Paes
stayed at Vijaynagar during his reign. He defeated the rebellious chief of
Ummattur, the Gajapati king Prataparudra of Orissa, the Adil Shahi sultan Yusuf
Adil and his son Ismail Adil. The whole of the Raichur doab passed into the hands
of Vijaynagar. He successfully invaded Gulbarga and Bidar and restored the
puppet Bahmani sultan to the throne. To commemorate this act of restoration of
the Bahmani monarcy, he assumed the title of Yavanarajya Sthopanacharya or
restorer of the Yavana kingdom. He also concluded a series of treaties with the
Portuguese who were trying to capture the territories of Adil Shahi kingdom,
their common enemy. His political ideas are contained in his telugu work Amuktamalyada. He was himself a scholar
of Sanskrit as well as Telugu. As a great patron of literature, he was known as
Abhinava Bhoja. Asta Diggajas adorned
the court of Krishan Deva Raya. Among these poets, Peddana was personally honoured
by the emperor for his proficiency in Sanskrit and telugu. He founded a town
Nagalapur (near Vijaynagar) and built tanks, gopurams and temples in various
parts of empire. After his death, his half-brother Achyuta Raya (1529-42) succeeded him.
Achyuta
raya had to repulse the invasion of Ismail Adil khan for the seizure of the Raichur
doab. He also defeated the Gajapati ruler and the sultan of Golkonda. Ismail Adil
khan died in 1534 and taking advantage of this Achyuta Raya invaded Bijapur and
forced his son Mulla Adil Khan to sue for peace. Achyuta was succeeded by his
son Venkata I with his maternal
uncle Salakaraju Tirumala as regent. Tirumala’s intention were suspected by
Varadadevi, the queen mother, who sought the help of Ibrahim Adil Shah I; but
the clever Tirumala won him over. Ibrahim Adil Shah invaded Vijaynagar in spite
of Tirumala’s understanding with him. Tirumala, however, inflicted defeat. Panicstricken
people proclaimed Tirumala as the ruler. But, soon Rama Raya defeated Tirumala
in a few battles and seized the kingdom. in the name of Sadashiva who was ultimately
crowned in 1543, but Rama Raya remained the de facto ruler.
Sadashiva raya (1543-69)
was only a titular soverign; the actual govt was controlled by Rama Raya. The
Deccani states of a confederacy of alliance which defeated the Vijaynagar
forces in the battle of Rakshasa Tangadi (Talikota) in January 1565. Rama Raya
was captured and executed. After this disaster the Vijaynagar govt. was shifted
first to Penukonda and then to Chandragiri where the fourth or the Aravidu
dynasty founded.
The
Aravidus (1570-1649)
Founded
by the Rama Raya’s brother Tirumala. Taking advantage of the weakness of the
central govt, the nayakas of Vijaynagar, such as the nayakas of Tanjavur, Madurai,
Gingee etc. declared their independence.
Administration
under Vijayanagar Empire
They
gave centralized administration in which king was supreme and generally a
Brahmin Kings were assisted by Mantri Parishad, whose members were also mainly
Brahmins. Sachivalaya was the department in which officials worked. Empire was
divided into various segments:
·
Rajya or Manadlam was
biggest administrative division where princes were appointed as Governors.
·
Rajyas were further divided
into: 1) Valanadu, 2) Nadu or District,3) Melagram, 4) Gram
Governor working in those Rajyas had powers to levy taxes
and issue coins but were under total control of central authority.
Feudal
system developed which was known as Nayankar System. The military
officers called as Amar Nayaks who got land in lieu of their salary and
that land was called as Amaram. Amaram did not fall under Rajya directly. Amar
Nayaks couldn’t introduce coins and taxes though they could maintain army and
collect revenue themselves. Over the period Amar Nayaks became hereditary.
Revenue
system
·
Vijayanagar rulers also
collected taxes from various sources and land revenue was the greatest sources.
It was 1/6th of the produce
·
Trades, crafts and
industries were taxed.
·
A unique tax on marriage was
also imposed which had to be paid by both bride and groom.
·
In case of widow remarriage
tax was not imposed implying that widow remarriage was encouraged by state
·
Even prostitutes and
gamblers were taxed thereby legitimizing these professions.
Society
and Culture
·
There was evidence of
influence of Aryan culture.
·
Priest class and temples got
certain land which were taxed but at very low rates; 1/40th in case of temples
and 1/30th in case of priests
·
Brahmins had monopoly over
education, it was reserved for upper castes only and women were generally
ignored.
·
Temples had great role in
developing various cultures, like drama, music, paintings and this in turn
encouraged various craftsmen and artisans.
·
Temples in south India thus
played an important role, both for developing economy as well as culture.
·
‘Kalyanmandap’
was unique feature of south Indian temples. In this mandap marriage of Devis
and Devtas were celebrated with great pomp and show.
·
Some of
famous temples constructed in Vijayanagar empire are Virupaksha Temple (built
by Krishna Deva Raya) and Temple of Thousand Pillars. They are very important
for their architectural excellence.
Condition
of Women:
·
Condition
of women was generally poor. Though there was no purdah system, polygamy was
prevalent.
·
Widows were
discouraged by society to re-marry (but State encouraged it by not taxing widow
remarriage).
·
Sati was
prevalent, though a unique system was also prevalent wherein male guards of
king jumped in pyre of king.
·
Child
marriage was not very common but there were some instances of this practice.
