Indian Antiquary Vol 51

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 237

DECEMBER, 1922) THE ORIGIN, ETC., OF THE VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE
229
THE ORIGIN, GROWTH AND DECLINE OF THE VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE.
BY C. R. KRISHNAMACHARLU. B.A. This empire, justly called 'A Forgotten Empire' by Mr. Sewell, on account of the neglect it has suffered in the historic literatuce of India till recently, and equally justly called 'A Never-to-be-forgotten Empire' by Mr. Suryanarayana Row, because of its political greatness and its vastness in extent and influence on the shaping of South India, in its later politics, economics, religion and society is one of the greatest Hindu empires that India has witnessed. Its origin was about the end of the first quarter of the fourteenth century, and its end came about the end of the seventeenth century A.D. Though the fatal battle of Talikota gave a blow to the carlior magnificence of this empire, its effects were damaging mainly to the glory and position of the capital town Vijayanagara. The dominion of the empire lasted in South India for nearly a century after this battle. For the first two-hundred-and-fifty years of its existence the history of the empire is one of steady growth and expansion. On the one hand it consolidated the whole of Southern India into one Hindu State and on the other it checked the influx of Muhammadan conquests and civilisation into the south.
The importance of the history of the Vijayanagara Empire for the student of history lies in the fact that it was tho first all-South-India Hindu dominion with a strong link of relationship established between the ruler and the ruled, and felt in the every-day life of the people. The names of no rulers of mediaval South India have become such house. hold words as those of the rulers of this line: e.g., that of Krishnaraya. His name has gathered no less an amount of heroic and romantic tradition in the south than the names of Vikramaditya and Bhoja have done in the north and south as well.
The old Aryan saying : Raja kalasya karanam i.e., 'the king is the cause, that is, the maker of time 'holds true with rulers and ruling dynasties of every grade and duration. And that ruler or dynasty that figures as the greatest past 'cause of the condition of the country commands the most earnest and regardful study and treatment in the hands of scholars. More than that, their lives live in that unwearying stream of folk-history viz., tradition. The domination of this house over the destinies of South India postponed its Islamization for three centuries. But for the opposition presented by this ruling family to the advance of Muhammadan invasion Dravidian India should have begun to yield to Islamic ways of life and institutions much earlier than it actually did, if at all it did so fully as the north. During the period of its rule the south retained all its ancient national lite, of which the north was then being robbed and deprived, through the advent and expansion of an alien rute and civilisation. The south was then not only enjoying its political and religious liberty but was also making adjustments and improvements in these respects.
The ancient dynasties of South India had gradually disappeared as the result of time At the dawn of the sixth century A.D. we find it parcelled out into a number of principalities gome dominating over others. The Western Chalukyas, whose capital was at Vatâpi (the modern Badami in the Bombay Presidency) came into prominence about this time and constantly measured swords with the rulers of the south, and mostly with the Pallavas of Klochi, who were no less war-like and no lesb successful. The sucoesses of each were sig. nalised by the capture, though temporary, of the capital of the other. The Pallavas were settled in the country between the Krishna and Kanchi, nay even the Kaveri. The latter town was their stronghold even from about A.D. 320 when Samudragupta extended his marches thereto from the north.
1 This paper was prepared in the year 1918 at the request of some students appearing for the B.A. Degree examination of the Madrus University and we subsequently sent to the press at their suggestion, Discussions, therefore, of all controversial points have been avoided in it.