a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第3章

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uhammadans　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　　defeated；　and　therefore　in　all　probability　not　over…confident；　the　third；　the　tiny　principality　of　Anegundi。　The　solid　wall　consisted　of　Anegundi　grown　into　the　great　empire　of　the　Vijayanagar。　To　the　kings　of　this　house　all　the　nations　of　the　south　submitted。

If　a　straight　line　be　drawn　on　the　map　of　India　from　Bombay　to　Madras；　about　half…way　across　will　be　found　the　River　Tungabhadra；　which；　itself　a　combination　of　two　streams　running　northwards　from　Maisur；　flows　in　a　wide　circuit　north　and　east　to　join　the　Krishna　not　far　from　Kurnool。　In　the　middle　of　its　course　the　Tungabhadra　cuts　through　a　wild　rocky　country　lying　about　forty　miles　north…west　of　Bellary；　and　north　of　the　railway　line　which　runs　from　that　place　to　Dharwar。　At　this　point；　on　the　north　bank　of　the　river；　there　existed　about　the　year　1330　a　fortified　town　called　Anegundi；　the　〃Nagundym〃　of　our　chronicles；　which　was　the　residence　of　a　family　of　chiefs　owning　a　small　state　in　the　neighbourhood。　They　had；　in　former　years；　taken　advantage　of　the　lofty　hills　of　granite　which　cover　that　tract　to　construct　a　strong　citadel　having　its　base　on　the　stream。　Fordable　at　no　point　within　many　miles　the　river　was　full　of　running　water　at　all　seasons　of　the　year；　and　in　flood　times　formed　in　its　confined　bed　a　turbulent　rushing　torrent　with　dangerous　falls　in　several　places。　Of　the　Anegundi　chiefs　we　know　little；　but　they　were　probably　feudatories　of　the　Hoysala　Ballalas。　Firishtah　declares　that　they　had　existed　as　a　ruling　family　for　seven　hundred　years　prior　to　the　year　1350　A。D。＇7＇

The　chronicle　of　Nuniz　gives　a　definite　account　of　how　the　sovereigns　of　Vijayanagar　first　began　to　acquire　the　power　which　afterwards　became　so　extensive。　This　account　may　or　may　not　be　accurate　in　all　details；　but　it　at　least　tallies　fairly　with　the　epigraphical　and　other　records　of　the　time。　According　to　him；　Muhammad　Taghlaq　of　Delhi；　having　reduced　Gujarat；　marched　southwards　through　the　Dakhan　Balaghat；　or　high　lands　above　the　western　ghats；　and　a　little　previous　to　the　year　1336＇8＇　seized　the　town　and　fortress　of　Anegundi。　Its　chief　was　slain；　with　all　the　members　of　his　family。　After　a　futile　attempt　to　govern　this　territory　by　means　of　a　deputy；　Muhammad　raised　to　the　dignity　of　chief　of　the　state　its　late　minister；　a　man　whom　Nuniz　calls　〃Deorao；〃　for　〃Deva　Raya。〃　or　Harihara　Deva　I。　The　new　chief　founded　the　city　of　Vijayanagar　on　the　south　bank　of　the　river　opposite　Anegundi　and　made　his　residence　there；　with　the　aid　of　the　great　religious　teacher　Madhava；　wisely　holding　that　to　place　the　river　between　him　and　the　ever…marauding　Moslems　was　to　establish　himself　and　his　people　in　a　condition　of　greater　security　than　before。　He　was　succeeded　by　〃one　called　Bucarao〃　（Bukka）；　who　reigned　thirty…seven　years；　and　the　next　king　was　the　latter's　son；　〃Pureoyre　Deo〃　（Harihara　Deva　II。）。

We　know　from　other　sources　that　part　at　least　of　this　story　is　correct。　Harihara　I。　and　Bukka　were　the　first　two　kings　and　were　brothers；　while　the　third　king；　Harihara　II。；　was　certainly　the　son　of　Bukka。

The　success　of　the　early　kings　was　phenomenal。　Ibn　Batuta；　who　was　in　India　from　1333　to　1342；　states　that　even　in　his　day　a　Muhammadan　chief　on　the　western　coast　was　subject　to　Harihara　I。；　whom　he　calls　〃Haraib〃　or　〃Harib；〃　from　〃Hariyappa〃　another　form　of　the　king's　name；　while　a　hundred　years　later　Abdur　Razzak；　envoy　from　Persia；　tells　us　that　the　king　of　Vijayanagar　was　then　lord　of　all　Southern　India；　from　sea　to　sea　and　from　the　Dakhan　to　Cape　Comorin　　〃from　the　frontier　of　Serendib　（Ceylon）　to　the　extremities　of　the　country　of　Kalbergah　。。。　His　troops　amount　in　number　to　eleven　lak；〃　I。E。　1；100；000。　Even　so　early　as　1378　A。D。；　according　to　Firishtah；＇9＇　the　Raya　of　Vijayanagar　was　〃in　power；　wealth；　and　extent　of　country〃　greatly　the　superior　of　the　Bahmani　king　of　the　Dakhan。

The　old　southern　states　appear　（we　have　little　history　to　guide　us）　to　have　in　general　submitted　peaceably　to　the　rule　of　the　new　monarchy。　They　were　perhaps　glad　to　submit　if　only　the　dreaded　foreigners　could　be　kept　out　of　the　country。　And　thus　by　leaps　and　bounds　the　petty　state　grew　to　be　a　kingdom；　and　the　kingdom　expanded　till　it　became　an　empire。　Civil　war　and　rebellion　amongst　the　Muhammadans　helped　Harihara　and　Bukka　in　their　enterprise。　Sick　of　the　tyranny　and　excesses　of　Muhammad　Taghlaq；　the　Dakhan　revolted　in　1347；　and　the　independent　kingdom　of　the　Bahmanis　was　for　a　time　firmly　established。

The　chronicle　of　Nuniz　opens　with　the　following　sentence：　

〃In　the　year　twelve　hundred　and　thirty　these　parts　of　India　were　ruled　by　a　greater　monarch　than　had　ever　reigned。　This　was　the　king　of　Dili；＇10＇　who　by　force　of　arms　and　soldiers　made　war　on　Cambaya　for　many　years；　taking　and　destroying　in　that　period　the　land　of　Guzarate　which　belongs　to　Cambaya；＇11＇　and　in　the　end　he　became　its　lord。〃

After　this　the　king　of　Delhi　advanced　against　Vijayanagar　by　way　of　the　Balaghat。

This　date　is　a　century　too　early；　as　already　pointed　out。　The　sovereign　referred　to　is　stated　in　the　following　note　（entered　by　Nuniz　at　the　end　of　Chapter　xx。；　which　closes　the　historical　portion　of　his　narrative）　to　have　been　called　〃Togao　Mamede。〃

〃This　king　of　Delhi　they　say　was　a　Moor；　who　was　called　Togao　Mamede。　He　is　held　among　the　Hindus　as　a　saint。　They　relate　that　once　while　he　was　offering　prayer　to　God；　there　came　to　him　four　arms　with　four　hands；　and　that　every　time　he　prayed　roses　fell　to　him　from　out　of　heaven。　He　was　a　great　conqueror；　he　held　a　large　part　of　this　earth　under　his　dominion；　he　subdued　。。。　（blank　in　original）　kings；　and　slew　them；　and　flayed　them；　and　brought　their　skins　with　him；　so　that　besides　his　own　name；　he　received　the　nickname　。。。　which　means　'lord　of　。。。　skins　of　kings；'　he　was　chief　of　many　people。

〃There　is　a　story　telling　how　he　fell　into　a　passion　on　account　of　（BEING　GIVEN？）　eighteen　letters　（OF　THE　ALPHABET　TO　HIS　NAME？）；　when　according　to　his　own　reckoning　he　was　entitled　to　twenty…four。＇12＇　There　are　tales　of　him　which　do　indeed　seem　most　marvellous　of　the　things　that　he　did；