a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第31节

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h　occurs　the　following　passage：　

〃The　mainland　which　Ruy　de　Mello；　who　was　captain　of　this　city；　conquered；　was　entered　by　the　Moors；　who　used　to　possess　it；　in　the　month　of　April　of　five　hundred　and　twenty…four；　and　they　hold　it　as　theirs；　and　the　first　Thanadar's　district　which　they　took　was　that　of　Perna；　which　is　by　the　seaside。　There　they　captured　two　Portuguese；　and　one　of　them　was　the　Thanadar；　these　are　prisoners　in　the　fortress　of　Bylgan　（Belgaum）；　of　which　the　Suffilarim　is　captain。〃＇254＇

It　is　evident；　therefore；　that　〃the　Moors〃　were　successful；　and　yet　it　is　curious　that　very　little　mention　is　made　of　this　circumstance　by　other　historians。　Firishtah　does　not　mention　it；　and　it　may　therefore　be　reasonably　inferred　that　the　〃Moors〃　in　question　were　not　the　royal　troops　acting　under　the　orders　of　the　Sultan；　but　belonged　to　the　local　levies　of　Asada　Khan；　then　chief　of　Belgaum。

According　to　Firishtah；　the　defeat　at　Raichur　was　followed　by　Ismail　Adil　Shah's　marrying　his　sister　to　Burhan　Nizam　Shah　of　Ahmadnagar；　quarrelling　and　fighting　with　him　（A。D。　1523）；　again　fighting　with　him　（1528）；　marrying　another　sister　to　Ala…ud…Din　Ummad　of　Birar；　and　fighting　with　and　entirely　defeating　Sultan　Amir　Barid　of　Bidar；　then　an　old　man；　whom　he　captured。　On　the　death　of　Krishna　Deva；　Ismail　took　advantage　of　the　confusion　of　the　Hindus　to　retake　possession　of　Mudkal　and　Raichur。

Firishtah　gives　no　dates　for　the　two　last　of　the　event　above　noted；　but　the　submission　of　Amir　Barid　to　the　Adil　Shah　apparently　did　not　take　place　till　1529；　for　Barros＇255＇　implies　that　it　occurred　after　an　event　which　cannot　have　happened　earlier　than　1529　　namely；　an　attack　on　Ponda　by　three　Hindu　chiefs；　which　led　to　the　inhabitants　appealing　for　help　to　the　then　governor　of　Goa；　Nuno　da　Cunha。　Da　Cunha　was　not　governor　till　1529。　〃AT　THIS　TIME；〃　writes　the　historian；　〃Melique　Verido＇256＇　submitted　to　the　Hidalchan；　by　advice　of　Madre　Maluco　and　Cota　Maluco；　and　came　to　his　camp　in　poor　clothes；　and　flung　himself　at　his　feet。〃　This　evidently　refers　to　what　occurred　after　the　Barid's　capture　by　the　Adil　Shah；　if　Firishtah's　story　is　true。＇257＇

Let　it　be　remembered；　though　the　fact　has　no　bearing　on　the　history　of　Vijayanagar　at　this　date；　that　in　1526　the　Emperor　Babar　captured　Delhi；　and　established　himself　as　the　first　monarch　of　the　great　Moghul　dynasty。　He　was　succeeded　in　1530　by　Humayun；　and　on　the　latter's　death　in　1556　the　great　Akbar　attained　the　throne。



CHAPTER　12

The　Buildings；　Works；　and　Inscriptions　of　Krishna　Deva

Temples　　Irrigation　works　　Statue　of　Narasimha　　Kamalapuram　　Inscriptions。

Were　it　not　that　the　description　given　us　by　Nuniz　and　Paes　of　the　condition　of　the　great　city　of　Vijayanagar　at　this　period　is　so　graphic；　so　picturesque；　and　so　detailed　as　positively　to　require　no　addition；　I　should　have　deemed　it　my　duty　to　attempt　to　supply　the　want；　but　with　their　narrative　before　us　in　all　its　original　freshness；　it　would　be　useless　to　attempt　anything　further。　Both　of　these　writers　were　on　the　spot　at　the　time　of　the　city's　greatest　grandeur　and　prosperity；　though　in　the　time　of　Nuniz　the　period　of　its　political　decay　had　set　in。　With　their　descriptions　I　shall　not　venture　to　interfere。

I　cannot；　however；　pass　on　to　the　reign　of　Achyuta　without　calling　attention　to　some　of　the　works　carried　out　at　the　capital　by　Krishna　Deva；　and　to　a　few　of　the　inscribed　records　of　his　reign。

At　the　beginning　of　his　reign　Krishna　built　a　GOPURA　or　tower；　and　repaired　another；　at　the　Hampe　temple；　which　had　been　built　by　the　first　kings　in　honour　of　Madhavacharya；　the　founder　of　the　fortunes　of　Vijayanagar。　The　great　KRISHNASVAMI　temple　was　built　by　him　in　1513；　after　his　return　from　the　successful　campaign　in　the　east。　In　the　same　year　he　commenced　the　temple　of　HAZARA　RAMASVAMI　at　the　palace；　the　architecture　of　which　leads　Mr。　Rea＇258＇　to　think　that　it　was　not　finished　till　a　later　period。

Later　in　his　reign　the　king　busied　himself　in　improving　the　irrigation　of　the　dry　lands　about　Vijayanagar。　He　constructed　in　1521　the　great　dam　and　channel　at　Korragal；　and　the　Basavanna　channel；　both　of　which　are　still　in　use　and　of　great　value　to　the　country。＇259＇

Another　great　work　of　his　was　the　construction　of　an　enormous　tank　or　dammed…up　lake　at　the　capital；　which　he　carried　out　with　the　aid　of　Joao　de　la　Ponte；　a　Portuguese　engineer；　whose　services　were　lent　to　him　by　the　governor…general　of　Goa。　Both　Paes　and　Nuniz　mention　this　lake；　and　as　the　former　actually　saw　it　under　construction　it　may　have　been　begun　in　A。D。　1520。　I　think　that　this　is　the　large　lake；　now　dry；　to　be　seen　at　the　north…western　mouth　of　the　valley　entering　into　the　Sandur　hills　south…west　of　Hospett；　the　huge　bank　of　which　has　been　utilised　for　the　conveyance　of　the　highroad　from　Hospett　to　the　southern　taluqs。　If　so；　the　fact　of　its　original　failure　is　interesting　to　us；　because　for　many　years　past　this　vast　work　has　been　entirely　useless。　The　description　given　by　Nuniz　accords　with　the　position　of　this　tank；　which　was　doubtless　intended　partly　for　irrigation　purposes；　and　partly　for　the　supply　of　water　to　the　〃new　city；〃　Nagalapura；　the　king's　favourite　residence；　now　known　as　Hospett。　The　chronicler　mentions　the　existence　of　lofty　ridges　on　each　side；　strong　gates　and　towers　guarding　the　entrance；　and　states　that　this　was　the　principal　approach　to　the　capital　from　the　south；　all　which　data　coincide　with　the　position　of　the　tank　and　road　in　question。　It　is　through　these　gates　that　the　Portuguese　travellers　entered　Vijayanagar。　This　view　is　supported　by　the　account　given　by　Paes。　Writing　of　the　approach　to　Vijayanagar　from　the　western　coast；　and　describing　the　〃first　range；〃　I。E。　the　first　that　is　seen　on　passing　upwards　from　the　plains；　he　states　that　in　these　hills　was　the　principal　entrance　from　that　side。　He　alludes　to　the　gates　and　wall；　and　the　city；　Nagalapur；　constructed　by　King　Krishna。　Then　he　writes；　〃the　king　made　a　tank　THERE；〃　I。E。　close　to　Hospett；　at　the　mouth　of　two　hills；　and　in　order　to　this　end　〃broke　down　a　hill。〃　He　saw　innumerable　people　at　work　on　the　tank。　He　confirms　the　story　of　Nuniz　as　to　the　sixty　human　beings　offered　in　sacrifice　to　ensure　the　security　of　the　dam。　Both　writers　are　therefore　describing　the　same　tank；　and；　taking　the　chronicles　together；　I　can　have　no　doubt　as　to　the　soundness　of　my　identification。

Prior　to　1520；　Krishna　Deva　built　the　outlying　town　of　Nagalapur；　to　which　allusion　has　just　been　made。　It　was　constructed　in　honour　of　his　favourite　wife；　the　quondam　courtesan；　Nagala　Devi；　and　the　king　made　it　his　favourite　residence。

He　also　appears　to　have　begun　the　construction　of　the　temple　of　Vitthalasvami　on　the　river…bank；　the　most　ornate　of　an　the　religious　edifices　of　the　kingdom。　〃It　shows；〃　writes　Mr。　Rea　in　the　article　already　referred　to；　〃the　extreme　limit　in　florid　magnificence　to　which　the　style　advanced。〃　The　work　was　continued　during　the　reign　of　Krishna　Deva's　successors；　Achyuta　and　Sadasiva；　and　was　probably　stopped　only　by　the　destruction　of　the　city　in　1565。　An　inscription　records　a　grant　to　the　temple　in　1561。

In　1528　was　constructed　one　of　the　most　curious　and　interesting　monuments　to　be　seen　in　the　city。　This　is　an　enormous　statue　of　the　god　Vishnu　in　his　AVATARA　as　Narasimha；　the　man…lion。　It　was　hewn　out　of　a　single　boulder　of　granite；　which　lay　near　the　south…western　angle　of　the　Krishnasvami　temple；　and　the　king　bestowed　a　grant　of　lands　for　its　maintenance。　Though　it　has　been　grievously　injured；　probably　by　the　iconoclastic　Muhammadans　in　or　after　the　year　1565；　it　is　still　a　most　striking　object。

I　have　already　alluded　to　the　grants　made　by　Krishna　Deva　to　the　great　Virupaksha　temple　at　Hampe；　on　the　occasion　of　the　festival　of　his　coronation。　There　is　an　inscription　of　his　reign　on　the　base　of　the　inner　side　of　the　front　tower　（GOPURA）　of　the　temple　at　Virinchipuram；　dated　in　the　year　A。D。　1513　　14；　and　one　dated　Tuesday；　September　20；　1513；　at　Sankalapura；　close　to　the　capital；　recording　a　grant　of　the　lands　of　that　village　to　the　temple　of　Ganapati　in　the　palace　enclosure。＇260＇　Mr。　Fleet＇261＇　mentions　others　of　his　reign　in　A。D。　1509　　10；　1512　　13；　1514　　15；　1522　　23；　and　1527　　28。

The　last　inscription　of　the　reign　at　present　known　is　one　which　bears　a　date　corresponding　to　Friday；　April　23；　A。D。　1529。＇262＇　It　stands　in　front　of　the　great　statue　of　Ugra　Narasimha；　described　above。



CHAPTER　13

The　Reign　of　Achyuta　Raya

Achyuta　Raya　　Fall　of　Raichur　and　Mudkal　　Asada　Khan　and　Goa　　Disturbances　at　Bijapur　　Ibrahim　Shah　at　the　Hindu　capital　　Firishtah　on　Vijayanagar　affairs　　Rise　of　Rama　Raya　and　his　brothers　　〃Hoje〃　　Tirumala　　Varying　legends　　Venkatadri　defeated　by　Asada　Khan　near　Adoni　　Asada　Khan's　career　　Belgaum　and　Goa　　Asada's　duplicity　　Portuguese　aggressions　　Religious　grants　by；　and　inscriptions　relating　to；　Achyuta。

Achyuta；　according　to　Nuniz　and　some　other　authorities；　was　a　brother　of　the　late　king；＇263＇　and；　in　company　with　two　other　brothers　and　a　nephew；　had　been　confined　by　Krishna　Deva　in　the　fortress　of　Chandragiri；　in　order　to　prevent　dissensions　in　the　kingdom。　The　new　monarch　is　said　by　Nuniz　to　have　been　specially　sel