a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第2节

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Condbeer。〃

Thus　I　have　been　bold　enough　to　drop　the　final　and　essential　〃a〃　of　the　name　of　the　great　city；　and　spell　the　word　〃Vijayanagar；〃　as　it　is　usually　pronounced　by　the　English。　The　name　is　composed　of　two　words；　VIJAYA；　〃victory；〃　and　NAGARA；　〃city；〃　all　the　〃a's〃　to　be　pronounced　short；　like　the　〃u〃　in　〃sun；〃　or　the　〃a〃　in　〃organ。〃

〃Narasimha〃　ought；　no　doubt；　to　be　spelt　〃Nrisimha；〃　but　that　in　such　case　the　〃ri〃　ought　to　have　a　dot　under　the　〃r〃　as　the　syllable　is　really　a　vowel；　and　I　have　preferred　the　common　spelling　of　modern　days。　（Here　again　all　three　〃a's〃　are　short。）

As　with　the　final　〃a〃　in　〃Vijayanagara；〃　so　with　the　final　〃u〃　in　such　names　as　〃Kondavidu〃　　it　has　been　dropped　in　order　to　avoid　an　appearance　of　pedantry；　and　I　have　preferred　the　more　common　〃Rajahmundry〃　to　the　more　correct　〃Rajamahendri；〃　〃Trichinopoly〃　to　〃Tiruchhinapalle；〃　and　so　on。

This　system　may　not　be　very　scientific；　but　I　trust　it　will　prove　not　unacceptable。

*　*　*

The　name　of　the　capital　is　spelt　in　many　different　ways　by　the　chroniclers　and　travellers。　The　usual　Portuguese　spelling　was　〃Bisnaga；〃　but　we　have　also　the　forms　〃Bicheneger〃　（NIKITIN）；　〃Bidjanagar〃　（ABDUR　RAZZAK）；　〃Bizenegalia〃　（CONTI）；　〃Bisnagar；〃　〃Beejanuggur；〃　&c。












A　Forgotten　Empire：　Vijayanagar


CHAPTER　1

Introduction

Introductory　remarks　　Sources　of　information　　Sketch　of　history　of　Southern　India　down　to　A。D。　1336　　A　Hindu　bulwark　against　Muhammadan　conquest　　The　opening　date；　as　given　by　Nuniz；　wrong　　〃Togao　Mamede〃　or　Muhammad　Taghlaq　of　Delhi　　His　career　and　character。

In　the　year　1336　A。D。；　during　the　reign　of　Edward　III。　of　England；　there　occurred　in　India　an　event　which　almost　instantaneously　changed　the　political　condition　of　the　entire　south。　With　that　date　the　volume　of　ancient　history　in　that　tract　closes　and　the　modern　begins。　It　is　the　epoch　of　transition　from　the　Old　to　the　New。

This　event　was　the　foundation　of　the　city　and　kingdom　of　Vijayanagar。　Prior　to　A。D。　1336　all　Southern　India　had　lain　under　the　domination　of　the　ancient　Hindu　kingdoms；　　kingdoms　so　old　that　their　origin　has　never　been　traced；　but　which　are　mentioned　in　Buddhist　edicts　rock…cut　sixteen　centuries　earlier；　the　Pandiyans　at　Madura；　the　Cholas　at　Tanjore；　and　others。　When　Vijayanagar　sprang　into　existence　the　past　was　done　with　for　ever；　and　the　monarchs　of　the　new　state　became　lords　or　overlords　of　the　territories　lying　between　the　Dakhan　and　Ceylon。

There　was　no　miracle　in　this。　It　was　the　natural　result　of　the　persistent　efforts　made　by　the　Muhammadans　to　conquer　all　India。　When　these　dreaded　invaders　reached　the　Krishna　River　the　Hindus　to　their　south；　stricken　with　terror；　combined；　and　gathered　in　haste　to　the　new　standard　which　alone　seemed　to　offer　some　hope　of　protection。　The　decayed　old　states　crumbled　away　into　nothingness；　and　the　fighting　kings　of　Vijayanagar　became　the　saviours　of　the　south　for　two　and　a　half　centuries。

And　yet　in　the　present　day　the　very　existence　of　this　kingdom　is　hardly　remembered　in　India；　while　its　once　magnificent　capital；　planted　on　the　extreme　northern　border　of　its　dominions　and　bearing　the　proud　title　of　the　〃City　of　Victory；〃　has　entirely　disappeared　save　for　a　few　scattered　ruins　of　buildings　that　were　once　temples　or　palaces；　and　for　the　long　lines　of　massive　walls　that　constituted　its　defences。　Even　the　name　has　died　out　of　men's　minds　and　memories；　and　the　remains　that　mark　its　site　are　known　only　as　the　ruins　lying　near　the　little　village　of　Hampe。

Its　rulers；　however；　in　their　day　swayed　the　destinies　of　an　empire　far　larger　than　Austria；　and　the　city　is　declared　by　a　succession　of　European　visitors　in　the　fifteenth　and　sixteenth　centuries　to　have　been　marvellous　for　size　and　prosperity　　a　city　with　which　for　richness　and　magnificence　no　known　western　capital　could　compare。　Its　importance　is　shown　by　the　fact　that　almost　all　the　struggles　of　the　Portuguese　on　the　western　coast　were　carried　on　for　the　purpose　of　securing　its　maritime　trade；　and　that　when　the　empire　fell　in　1565；　the　prosperity　of　Portuguese　Goa　fell　with　it　never　to　rise　again。

Our　very　scanty　knowledge　of　the　events　that　succeeded　one　another　in　the　large　area　dominated　by　the　kings　of　Vijayanagar　has　been　hitherto　derived　partly　from　the　scattered　remarks　of　European　travellers　and　the　desultory　references　in　their　writings　to　the　politics　of　the　inhabitants　of　India；　partly　from　the　summaries　compiled　by　careful　mediaeval　historians　such　as　Barros；　Couto；　and　Correa；　who；　though　to　a　certain　degree　interested　in　the　general　condition　of　the　country；　yet　confined　themselves　mostly　to　recording　the　deeds　of　the　European　colonisers　for　the　enlightenment　of　their　European　readers；　partly　from　the　chronicles　of　a　few　Muhammadan　writers　of　the　period；　who　often　wrote　in　fear　of　the　displeasure　of　their　own　lords；　and　partly　from　Hindu　inscriptions　recording　grants　of　lands　to　temples　and　religious　institutions；　which　documents；　when　viewed　as　state　papers；　seldom　yield　us　more　than　a　few　names　and　dates。　The　two　chronicles；　however；　translated　and　printed　at　the　end　of　this　volume；　will　be　seen　to　throw　a　flood　of　light　upon　the　condition　of　the　city　of　Vijayanagar　early　in　the　sixteenth　century；　and　upon　the　history　of　its　successive　dynasties；　and　for　the　rest　I　have　attempted；　as　an　introduction　to　these　chronicles；　to　collect　all　available　materials　from　the　different　authorities　alluded　to　and　to　weld　them　into　a　consecutive　whole；　so　as　to　form　a　foundation　upon　which　may　hereafter　be　constructed　a　regular　history　of　the　Vijayanagar　empire。　The　result　will　perhaps　seem　disjointed；　crude；　and　uninteresting；　but　let　it　be　remembered　that　it　is　only　a　first　attempt。　I　have　little　doubt　that　before　very　long　the　whole　history　of　Southern　India　will　be　compiled　by　some　writer　gifted　with　the　power　of　〃making　the　dry　bones　live；〃　but　meanwhile　the　bones　themselves　must　be　collected　and　pieced　together；　and　my　duty　has　been　to　try　and　construct　at　least　the　main　portions　of　the　skeleton。

Before　proceeding　to　details　we　must　shortly　glance　at　the　political　condition　of　India　in　the　first　half　of　the　fourteenth　century；　remembering　that　up　to　that　time　the　Peninsula　had　been　held　by　a　number　of　distinct　Hindu　kingdoms；　those　of　the　Pandiyans　at　Madura　and　of　the　Cholas　at　Tanjore　being　the　most　important。

The　year　1001　A。D。　saw　the　first　inroad　into　India　of　the　Muhammadans　from　over　the　north…west　border；　under　their　great　leader　Mahmud　of　Ghazni。　He　invaded　first　the　plains　of　the　Panjab；　then　Multan；　and　afterwards　other　places。　Year　after　year　he　pressed　forward　and　again　retired。　In　1021　he　was　at　Kalinga；　in　1023　in　Kathiawar；　but　in　no　case　did　he　make　good　his　foothold　on　the　country。　His　expeditions　were　raids　and　nothing　more。　Other　invasions；　however；　followed　in　quick　succession；　and　after　the　lapse　of　two　centuries　the　Muhammadans　were　firmly　and　permanently　established　at　Delhi。　War　followed　war；　and　from　that　period　Northern　India　knew　no　rest。　At　the　end　of　the　thirteenth　century　the　Muhammadans　began　to　press　southwards　into　the　Dakhan。　In　1293　Ala…ud…din　Khilji；　nephew　of　the　king　of　Delhi；　captured　Devagiri。　Four　years　later　Gujarat　was　attacked。　In　1303　the　reduction　of　Warangal　was　attempted。　In　1306　there　was　a　fresh　expedition　to　Devagiri。　In　1309　Malik　Kafur；　the　celebrated　general；　with　an　immense　force　swept　into　the　Dakhan　and　captured　Warangal。　The　old　capital　of　the　Hoysala　Ballalas　at　Dvarasamudra　was　taken　in　1310；　and　Malik　Kafur　went　to　the　Malabar　coast　where　he　erected　a　mosque；　and　afterwards　returned　to　his　master　with　enormous　booty。＇6＇　Fresh　fighting　took　place　in　1312。　Six　years　later　Mubarak　of　Delhi　marched　to　Devagiri　and　inhumanly　flayed　alive　its　unfortunate　prince；　Haripala　Deva；　setting　up　his　head　at　the　gate　of　his　own　city。　In　1323　Warangal　fell。

Thus　the　period　at　which　our　history　opens；　about　the　year　1330；　found　the　whole　of　Northern　India　down　to　the　Vindhya　mountains　firmly　under　Moslem　rule；　while　the　followers　of　that　faith　had　overrun　the　Dakhan　and　were　threatening　the　south　with　the　same　fate。　South　of　the　Krishna　the　whole　country　was　still　under　Hindu　domination；　but　the　supremacy　of　the　old　dynasties　was　shaken　to　its　base　by　the　rapidly　advancing　terror　from　the　north。　With　the　accession　in　1325　of　Muhammad　Taghlaq　of　Delhi　things　became　worse　still。　Marvellous　stories　of　his　extraordinary　proceedings　circulated　amongst　the　inhabitants　of　the　Peninsula；　and　there　seemed　to　be　no　bound　to　his　intolerance；　ambition；　and　ferocity。

Everything；　therefore；　seemed　to　be　leading　up　to　but　one　inevitable　end　　the　ruin　and　devastation　of　the　Hindu　provinces；　the　annihilation　of　their　old　royal　houses；　the　destruction　of　their　religion；　their　temples；　their　cities。　All　that　the　dwellers　in　the　south　held　most　dear　seemed　tottering　to　its　fall。

Suddenly；　about　the　year　1344　A。D。；　there　was　a　check　to　this　wave　of　foreign　invasion　　a　stop　　a　halt　　then　a　solid　wall　of　opposition；　and　for　250　years　Southern　India　was　saved。

The　check　was　caused　by　a　combination　of　small　Hindu　states　　two　of　them　already　defeated；　Warangal　and　Dvarasamudra　　defea