In a period that witnessed Islamic invasion, a new empire rose into prominence as a defender of Sanatana dharma, or Hindu dharma, and its institutions.
The emergence of the Vijayanagara empire in the 14th century created a new chapter in the history of India, especially South India.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION-
Vijayanagara Empire was also known as Karnata Samrajya, meaning the kingdom of Karnataka.
This name has been used in many Vijayanagara inscriptions and literary works like the “Jambavati Kalyanam” of Krishna Deva Raya.
However, in some books, like Vasu Charitam, the name Vijayanagara is used. In fact, Vijayanagara is the capital’s name, and the empire is named after this city. Vijayanagara was only one of the empire’s capitals, and the rulers moved the central seat many times for convenience.
Karnataka is the generic term used for the geographic region in which Vijaynagara is situated. It is the Snakritised form of the words “Kar” and “Nad” or Kari Nadu, meaning “Black country” due to the presence of black soil.
The empire was strategically located between the river Krishna in the north, the Western Ghats in the west, and the river Vedavati in the east. The land is normally flat in the north and undulating towards the south.
Five major rivers—Bheema, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Vedavati, and Kaveri—helped to achieve agricultural prosperity. Flourished trade and forty hilltop strong forts or drugas made them strong, wealthy, and affluent.
ORIGIN —
The Harihara and Bukka, who belonged to a family of five brothers, founded the mighty Vijayanagara Empire.
The Begapalli Copper plate inscriptions give information regarding the Sangama family.
Samgama had five sons and a daughter. The sons’ names are Harihara or Hakka, Kampa, Bukka, Masappa, and Muddappa. The inscription also states that Harihara was from the lunar race, and on his grandfather Bukka’s side, he was a descendant of Yadu.
Harihara and Bukka were attached to the service of the Kakatiya kingdom and served Prataparudra. When Ulugh Khan captured the Kakatiya kingdom in 1323, they fled to Kampili.
When the Kampili was annexed in 1327, they surrendered. Later, they were imprisoned and taken to Delhi. When they expressed their willingness to embrace Islam, they were converted, and the Sultan sent them to Kampili to take over the administration of the unpopular Malik Muhammad.
From Kampili, they laid the foundation of a great empire.
An alternate version says that Harihara was serving the Hoysala king Ballala III of Dvarasamudra.
WHAT WAS THEIR MOTHER TOUNGE ?
The origin and other details of the empire are wrapped with a cover of mystery, so the question is still pertinent and controversial.
According to S.A.A Rizvi, the sangamas belonged to Karnataka province, and Harihara served Prataparudra Deva.
The description of Harihara’s coronation in 1346 conspicuously notes the name of the widow queen of Ballala III ( because she attended the ceremony ). Interestingly, her name appears ahead of Harihara, the king. This indicates Harihara’s connection to the Hoysala legacy.
All the known titles assumed and used by Harihara are almost in Kannada.
The earliest inscriptions also support the Kannada origin theory due to the clear Non-Telugu propensity.
Harihara and Bukka’s service with Kakatiya (believed to have been the treasury officials of Prataparudra) kingdom supports the narration of the Telugu origin theory.
THE RELATION WITH VIDYARANYA AND SRINGERI SHARADA PEETHAM —
Adi Sankaracharya founded four Advaita monasteries, and the Sringeri (Rishyasringagiri) Matha was the first of four.
The advice of sage Vidyaranya helped Harihara and Bukka to create an empire. Vidyaranya or Madhava Vidyaranya later went on to assume the position of the 12th Jagadguru. His original name was Mahadeva Bhatta. In return for the support, Harihara and Bukka, in 1346, gave Sarvamaya tax-exempt lands in and around Sringeri for its day-to-day expenses.
REASONS FOR VIDYARANYA’S SUPPORT —
The sage Vidyaranya realised the increasing threat to the Hindu religion from external invaders.
He noticed a change in certain sects to move away from Vedic customs.
Loss of patronage due to the change in administration (Hindu administration changed into Muslim administration).
HARIHARA or VIRA HARIHARA I —
It is assumed that Harihara succeeded to the crown of Ballala IV due to a particular situation. According to legends, Harihara’s sister was married to the Hoysala king.
Harihara started his endeavour by establishing his base at Anegundi. The invaders almost totally destroyed Anegundi, leaving only a basement of the old fort intact. At that time, the town’s population was sparse and extremely poor.
The remaining nobles and population shifted their loyalty to the new Hindu ruler, Harihara.
The capital of the new ruler gradually became a safe haven for the Hindu rebels fighting against the invaders. They became the backbone of the gradually developing Vijayanagara army.
Harihara was not ready to declare himself an independent king. So, he continued to wear the mask of a vassal state.
In the early inscription, the king Harihara is referred to as “Hariyappa Wodeya” and ‘Mahamandeleswara“. Wodeya is the rank conferred to a chieftain, and Mahamandeleswara means “great lord” and not king.
Harihara had the support of four loyal brothers to help him annex territories and ensure effective administration in the Vijayanagara empire.
The name of Harihara’s son is mentioned in a grant issued to Bharti Tirtha Sri Pada as Kumara Somanna. But this name is not mentioned in any subsequent inscriptions or official records. So it is assumed that Sommana died before his father at an early date.
After waiting for some years, the brothers marched across the region.
- Kampa marched on Cuddappa and Nellore.
- Mudappa marched on Bengaluru and Kolar.
- Masappa marched on Kanara and Shivamoga.
- Bukka and Harihara marched on to annex Kadur, Mysuru, and Hassan.
Once the powerful Hoysalas became extinct in 1348, Harihara declared himself king in Dwarasamudra. After this, the expansion of the empire happened in an unprecedented, strange way. He used both peace and force to expand.
In 1348, Harihara brought Mysore and Kongunadu under Vijayanagara rule. After this incident, he assumed the title Mahamadaleswara Harihara, also known as “sultan of the Hindus“, which leaves no doubt regarding his status as a supreme Hindu king.
When the Bhamini kingdom raised and established its power beyond the Vijayanagara border, inevitable clashes arose.
In the first encounter, Harihara was forced to cede his territory North of the Bhima River to Adoni Fort. He even lost the strategic Chaul port.
It is believed that Harihara passed away in 1350 due to illness. Other years from 1343 to 1348 were also reported due to conflicting sources, but 1350 is considered because of an inscription.
BUKKA RAYA I
Harihara nominated his able brother Bukka as his successor and became joint ruler in 1346, with Gutti as his capital.
After performing different roles as an administrator and general, Bukka became king in 1354.
POLITICAL SITUATION DURING BUKKA’S CORONATION TIME —
- Feroz Shah Tughlug became the new Sultan of Delhi.
- The strength of the Bhamani kingdom was increasing considerably under able rulers and administrators.
- The power of the Kakatiya empire had been reduced significantly due to invasion and weak rulers.
- Rise of internal conflicts among relatives.
In 1355, Kampana I, who was the governor of Udayagiri, died. His two sons, Savanna and SangamaII, decided to bifurcate the province into two between themselves. Bukka sensed the imminent danger and the consequence of Balkanisation.
Bukka appointed his sons as governors and administrators to solve this new issue.
After the death of Alla-ud-din, Bukka decided to take advantage of the ongoing Bhamini succession struggle. He, along with the Warangal king, sent a demand to Muhammad Shah ( to restore their old territories).
Muhamad Shah was an experienced statesman who tried negotiations and kept the ambassador of Vijayanagar in his court for eighteen months. But in reality, he was preparing his army for war.
First, Warangal was attacked by Muhammad Shah, and the king of Warangal, Vinayakadeva, was killed in a cruel way. They secured peace by Paying tribute and giving Golconda to Muhammad Shah. In this trouble, Bukka remained helpless and watched Warangal’s ill fate.
Between 1366 and 1368, war broke out between the Bhamani sultan and the Vijayanagara Empire. It ended without much fighting and hostilities.
BATTLE OF MUDGAL
Bukka captured the town of Mudgal and took the accumulated wealth. When the Bhamani forces retaliated, the Vijayanagara army and king withdrew to Adoni Fort. The remaining members of the Vijayanagara camp were killed, and Sultan Muhammed Shah plundered the area.
BATTLE OF SIRUGUPPA
Mallinatha, the general of Bukka, went with the army to stop the rampaging Bhamani army. Even though the Vijayanagara army was numerically superior, Mallinatha was killed in action, resulting in the army’s rapid disintegration. This incident resulted in the slaughter of Vijayanagara empire forces and civilians.
Following the victory, Muhammad Shah laid siege to the capital of Vijayanagara. But later, the sultan realised that his actions were moving towards a status quo, so he withdrew his forces.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF KUMARA KAMPANA
Another notable event was the overthrow of the Madurai sultanate. It was achieved by his son Kumara Kampana.
Madurai was the capital of the Pandiya kings. The invaders used the name Mabar. Arab traders first used the name Mabar. Sayyid Ahsan Shah, in 1333-1334, founded an independent sultanate; later, he was murdered by his nobles. All rulers who succeeded Sayyid Ahsan Shah suffered instability due to aristocracy. In 1377-1378, the Vijayanagara prince captured Madurai with the help of Goipana and Saluva.
The details of this Madurai campaign can be seen in the Sanskrit Kavya “Madhura Vijayam” by Kumara Kampana’s wife, Ganga Devi. The poem tells us, “Kampana dreamt Goddess Meenakshi while he was at Kanchipuram. Meenakshi gave him a sword dispatched by Agastya and asked him to liberate her place from the current pitiful state“.
Due to his action the image of Ranganatha, which was shifted from Srirangam due to Muslim invasion, was restored to its original place in 1371.
Kampana also annexed Tondamandala of Sambava Raya to the Vijayanagara Empire. He continued his mission until Rameshwaram restored many Hindu temples that the invaders had vandalised.
Kampana returned to his provisional capital, Mulbagal, in 1373 and died in 1374.
When the new sultan Mujahid Shah came to the throne in 1378, both sides renewed the hostilities in the name of Tungabhadra doab.
Bukka despatched an embassy in China in 1374, which was recorded in the annals of the Ming dynasty.
After Bukka, Harihara II, the son of Bukka and Queen Gaurambika, became the king.
VIRA HARIHAR RAYA II
During Harihara II’s rule, the Bhamani sultan was Muhammad Shah II. Muhammad Shah II’s pacific nature permitted Harihara II to effortlessly concentrate the kingdom’s expansion to the south.
Devaraya, the son of Harihara II, who was the governor of Udayagiri, gradually extended the Vijayanagara empire towards and beyond the Krishna River.
In 1380, the local chief of Konkan rebelled. Vijayanagara’s governor of Goa Madhavaraya, with the help of General Baichappa, brought the rebellion to an end.
In 1395, Kachanna, a son of Madhavaraya, once again invaded the Konkan region and recovered forts at Rangini, Pratapgiri, and Talagani(tal). After this achievement, Madhavaraya assumed the title” Sapta-Konkana-Dhuli-Patta”, which shows the autonomous nature of the province even if it accepted the overlordship of Harihara II.
Harihara II consolidated the supremacy of Vijayanagara empire over the entire southern area.
HOW SAGE VIDYARANYA HELPED TO STRUCTURE THE REVENUE SYSTEM DURING THE TENURE OF HARAIHAR II
The influential sage “Vidyaranya” wrote a treatise” Parasara Madhveya“.
It was a compilation of existing Hindu traditions. The revenue system and land revenue collection are also mentioned in this text.
According to Parasara Madhveya
- Half of the produce went to cultivators.
- One-fourth to the local chiefs.
- One-sixth to the central government.
- One-twelfth to the Brahmins and Temples.
Harihara II was the first king from the Sangama dynasty to openly use the title “MAHARAJADHIRAJA“.
There are claims that Harihara had expelled Muslims from Goa.
His inscriptions can be seen in Mysuru, Dharwar, Kanchipuram, Chingalpet and Trichy.
Harihara II passed away in 1404, which resulted in a violent power tussle between his sons. Later, Virupaksh Raya I became the king of the Vijayanagara Empire.
