Epigraphia Indica Vol 15

Author(s): Sten Konow, F W Thomas
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 21

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XV.
out the Andhras. He bore the birudas Hindūrāya-suratrāṇa' and 'lion to the elephants, the hostile kings.'
The king Virūpākeha granted the village of Sirumaņātukūru, situated in Kam nadu, & sub-division of the Pratápagiri rajya, under the name of Virapa kaba-pura to the god Mallikärjana, who is pleased to be seated with his consort Pārvnti on the hill Sriparvata, for his daily offerings, for the monthly and other periodic festivals and for feeding ascetics. The grant was made on the Panchami tithi of the bright fortnight of the month Kärttika, in the year Pärthiva, which corresponded to the Saka year 1388, which is expressed by bhū (1), guna (3), ashta (8) and vasus (8), in the presence of the god Virupaksha, on the bank of the river Tungabhadrå, on the occasion of his own coronation. Dewan Bahadur L. D. Swamikkannu Pillai, M.A., LL.B., is pleased to supply me with the following note regarding the date: "A.D. 1465-66 waa Pärthiva : and Kärttika Sukla Panchami in that year fell on Thursday, 24th October, A.D. 1465; the tithi ended at 42 ghaţikās after sunrise, Lankā time. But there is no internal check (such as vāra and nakshatra for verifying the date)."
Of the kings of the first dynasty of Vijayanagara every one knows that Harihara was the founder of the kingdom. There are no less than three hypotheses regarding the inauguration of the new kingdom. The first, or the current, hypothesis is propounded in two inscriptions; they state that Haribara I was a chieftain reigning over Navakhanda with Kunjarakoga (Anegundi) as his capital, and that he subsequently founded the city of Vidyanagara on the advice of Vidyaranya and was crowned in s. 1258 in the presence of the god Virüpüksha. The second hypothesis is that given by Ferishta ; according to him Ballāla Dēva, the rājā of the Carnatic, having heard from Krishna Naig (Krishna Nayaka], the son of the king of Warangal, that the Musalmans had formed a design to extirpate all the Hindus, determined to strengthen bis position and fortify his frontiers by entering into a combination with Krishna Naig and other princes. Accordingly he built the strong city of Beejanay. 80 named after his son Beeja. Thus, according to Ferishta, Beejanagar bad already existed; it did not come into being at the bidding of the sage Vidyāraṇya. The third hypothesis is found in a manuscript work named Rajakālanirnaya. Though this work is not of any historical value, it is nevertheless noteworthy, as it pats forth a new view concerning the formation of the kingdom of Vijayanagara. It states that, when the Suratrāņa' conquered the country of 1Vira-Rudra and killed him, Harihara and Bakka, two brothers who were the keepers of the
treasury of the vanquished Hindu king, fled away from the country and took service under another king, named Ramanatha. When Rāmanātha also was killed by the army of the
Suratrana,' these brothers were taken prisoners. But the .Suratrāņa,' finding them good and capable fellows, depnted them for the conquest of the king Ballkla. After one unsuccessful attempt they gained a complete victory over Ballāļa and took possession of the Karnata country. Then the incident of a hare chasing the dogs of Harihara and the fonnding of the city of Vidyanagara with the assistance of the sage Vidyāraṇya are mentioned. From this account it is quite patent that, when Ala-ud-din Khilji took the Kakatiya king of Warangal, Harihara and Bukka took service under the Dévagiri prince Rāmanātha (Ramachandra) and were eventually instrumental in Ala-ud-din Khilji's conquest of the Hoysala kingdom. What. ever may be the value of the narrative, we see from inscriptions that Harihara came into possession of the Hoysala country even during the lifetime of Ballała III. It might be argued that he ruled over it as a responsible officer of the Hoysala king, while Ballāla himself retreated to the mountain fastnesses of Tirnvaņņāmalai for safety. Sach & supposition looks raiher improbable; for, if from his position at Vijayanagara, the frontier of the kingdom, he
Nellore Inscriptions by Putterworth and Venugopal Chetti, pp. 109-124; and No. 70, Bg., Kolar, Ep.
Carn.