a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第32章

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aves　no　room　for　doubt。　The　only　difference　is　that；　whereas　we　learn　from　the　other　authorities　that　the　fortress　of　Raichur　was　in　the　hands　of　the　Muhammadans；　Firishtah　states　that　the　war　arose　because　the　Adil　Shah　〃made　preparations　for　marching　to　recover　Mudkul　and　Roijore　from　the　Roy　of　Beejanuggur；〃　as　if　the　latter　were　then　in　possession　of　those　places。　As　to　Firishtah's　date；　I　believe　it　to　be　wrong　by　one　year；　for　the　reasons　given　above。　It　must　be　remembered　that　he　wrote　many　years　after　the　event。

Having　thus；　I　hope　satisfactorily；　established　the　fact　that　the　date　given　by　Nuniz　for　the　battle　of　Raichur　is　wrong　by　two　years；　and　should　be　1520；　I　turn　to　examine　the　day　and　month。　It　was　the　new　moon　day　of　May；　according　to　Nuniz；　and　a　Saturday。　Krishna　Deva　Raya　was　ready　for　battle　on　the　Friday；　but　postponed　his　attack　to　the　next　day　since　Friday　was　considered　an　unlucky　day。

The　moment　of　the　occurrence　of　new　moon　in　May　120　was　2。27　A。M。　on　the　morning　of　Thursday；　May　17。　We　do　not　know　whether　Nuniz　ascertained　his　facts　from　native　almanacks　or　the　calculations　of　the　astrologers；　or　whether　he　spoke　from　observations　made　by　himself　or　by　some　one　who　was　present；　but　Nuniz　was　an　ordinary　person；　not　a　skilled　astronomer；　so　far　as　we　can　tell；　and　he　may　well　have　called　the　day　on　which　the　crescent　of　the　new　moon　first　made　its　appearance　just　after　sunset　the　〃new　moon　day。〃　This　first　appearance　actually　took　place　on　the　Saturday　following。　The　first　day　of　the　Muhammadan　month　Jamada'　l　akhir；　corresponding　to　the　heliacal　rising　of　the　moon　on　that　occasion；　was　Saturday；　May　19。

I　therefore　believe　that　this　great　battle　took　place　on　Saturday；　May　19；　A。D。　1520；＇235＇　a　date　almost　synchronous　with　the　of　the　〃Field　of　the　Cloth　of　Gold。〃


The　Number　of　Troops　Engaged。

When　we　total　up　the　list　given　by　Nuniz　of　the　columns　that　marched　from　Vijayanagar　for　the　campaign；　the　amount　is　so　huge　that　we　pause　in　natural　doubt　as　to　whether　the　story　could　by　any　possibility　be　true：　703；000　foot；　32；600　horse；　and　551　elephants；　BESIDES　the　camp　followers；　merchants；　&c。；　and　〃an　infinitude　of　people〃　who　joined　him　at　a　place　close　to　Raichur！　It　certainly　demands　a　large　strain　on　our　credulity。

Let　every　one　form　his　own　opinion。　I　can　only　call　attention　to　the　fact　that　large　armies　seem　to　have　always　been　the　rule　in　India；　and　that　certainly　Krishna　Raya　had　the　power　to　raise　immense　numbers　of　troops；＇236＇　though　whether　so　many　as　is　stated　is　another　question。　His　power　to　do　so　lay　in　his　mode　of　government。　Allusion　has　already　been　made　to　this；　and　Nuniz　gives　us　interesting　details。　The　whole　empire　was　divided　into　provinces　and　estates；　held　by　chiefs　bound　to　keep　up　masses　of　troops　fit　for　immediate　service。　It　is；　of　course；　natural　to　suppose　that　in　this　great　war　the　king　would　have　put　forth　all　his　strength。

To　prove　that　immense　armies　were　often　employed　by　Indian　kings；　we　have　only　to　refer　to　a　succession　of　writers。　Barros　notes　the　great　power　of　the　sovereign　of　Vijayanagar　and　his　almost　incredible　richness；　and　is　at　pains　to　give　an　account　of　how　these　enormous　forces　were　raised；　〃lest　his　tale　should　not　be　believed。〃

In　the　second　volume　of　Scott's　〃History　of　the　Dekhan；〃　a　translation　is　given　of　a　journal　kept　by　a　Bondela　officer　in　the　reign　of　Aurangzib；　an　officer　who　served　under　〃Dulput　Roy〃　in　A。D。　1690。　Writing　about　Vijayanagar　in　former　days；　at　the　height　of　its　grandeur　and　importance；　he　says；　〃They　kept　an　army　of　30；000　horse；　a　million　of　infantry；　and　their　wealth　was　beyond　enumeration。〃

Conti；　who　was　in　India　about　a　century　earlier　than　the　war　in　question；　told　Bracciolini　that　the　Vijayanagar　army　consisted　of　〃a　million　of　men　and　upwards。〃

Abdur　Razzak　（1442　A。D。）　tells　the　same　story；　putting　the　number　at　1；100；000　with　1000　elephants。

Twenty　years　later　Nikitin　states　that　the　Kulbarga　forces　marching　to　attack　the　Hindus　amounted　to　900；000　foot；　190；000　horse；　and　575　elephants。

The　Sultan　himself；　independently　of　his　nobles；　took　the　field　with　300；000　men；　and　even　when　he　only　went　out　on　a　hunting　expedition　he　took　with　him　a　train　of　10；000　horse；　500；000　foot；　and　200　elephants。　He　states　that　the　Malik　ul　Tujar　alone　had　an　army　of　200；000　employed　in　the　siege　of　one　city。　The　Hindus　fought　almost　nude；　and　were　armed　with　shield　and　sword。

Even　so　far　back　as　the　time　of　Alexander　the　Great　（about　B。C。　320）　the　army　of　Magadha　was　computed　by　the　Greeks　as　consisting　of　600；000　foot。　30；000　cavalry；　and　9000　elephants；　though　Quintus　Curtius　makes　a　much　more　modest　estimate。

Lord　Egerton　of　Tatton　states＇237＇　that　an　army　of　Hindu　confederated　states；　mustered　for　the　defence　of　Northern　indict　against　the　Muhammadan　invasion　in　1192　A。D。；　amounted；　〃according　to　the　most　moderate　estimate；〃　to　300；000　horse；　3000　elephants；　and　a　great　number　of　infantry。

In　A。D。　1259　a　Mogul　embassy　was　received　at　Delhi　by　an　escort　of　50；000　horse；　and　was　led　past　lines　of　infantry　numbering　as　many　as　200；000　in　their　ranks。

It　will　be　remembered　how　Muhammad　Taghlaq　of　Delhi＇238＇　raised；　according　to　Firishtah；　an　army　of　370；000　men　for　the　conquest　of　Persia；　and　when　he　wanted　to　destroy　the　inhabitants　of　a　certain　tract　of　country；　he　〃ordered　out　his　army　as　if　he　were　going　hunting；〃　surrounded　the　tract；　and　then；　pressing　inwards　towards　the　centre；　slaughtered　all　the　inhabitants　therein。　This　implies　that　he　took；　when　merely　hunting；　immense　numbers　of　men　with　him。　Shahab…ud…Din；　indeed；　declared　that　Muhammad　Taghlaq　had　an　army　of　900；000　horse；＇239＇　and　Nuniz；　on　the　opening　page　of　his　chronicle；　says　that　this　Sultan　invaded　the　Balaghat　with　800；000　horse。＇240＇　This　estimate　was；　of　course；　only　according　to　the　tradition　extant　in　1535。

Faria　y　Souza；　writing　in　the　seventeenth　century；　estimated　the　forces　of　Bahadur；　king　of　Cambay；　in　1534；　as　100；000　horse；　415；000　foot；　and　600　elephants。

As　late　as　1762　the　Mahrattas　are　said　to　have　had　an　army　of　100；000　horse。

Nuniz＇241＇　gives　details　of　the　provincial　forces　of　Vijayanagar；　compulsorily　maintained　by　eleven　out　of　a　total　of　two　hundred　nobles　amongst　whom　the　empire　was　divided；　and　the　total　of　the　forces　of　these　eleven　amounts　to　19；000　horse；　171；700　foot；　and　633　elephants。

Castanheda　confirms　other　writers　in　this　matter；　stating　that　the　infantry　of　Vijayanagar　were　countless；　the　country　being　of　large　extent　and　thickly　populated；　so　that　the　king　could　call　upon　a　million；　or　even　two　millions；　of　men　at　will。＇242＇　This　writer　visited　India　just　at　the　close　of　the　reign　of　Krishna　Deva　Raya。　He　states　that　the　king　kept　up　at　his　own　cost　an　establishment　of　100；000　horses　and　4000　elephants。

As　to　all　this；　I　repeat　that　every　one　is　at　liberty　to　form　his　own　opinion；　but　at　least　it　seems　certain　that　all　the　chroniclers　believed　that　the　king　of　Vijayanagar　could；　if　he　so　desired；　put　into　the　field　immense　masses　of　armed　men。　They　were　probably　not　all　well　armed；　or　well　trained；　or　well　disciplined；　but　as　to　large　numbers　there　can　be　little　reasonable　doubt。　A　relic　of　this　may　be　seen　every　year　at　modern　Haidarabad；　the　capital　city　of　H。H。　the　Nizam；　where；　at　the　annual　festival　known　as　the　〃Langar；〃　armed　irregulars　in　very　large　numbers　file　through　the　principal　streets。　They　are　for　the　most　part　a　mere　mob　of　men　with　weapons；　and　are　not　maintained　as　State　troops；　but　they　are　brought　up　by　the　various　nobles　in　separate　bodies；　each　chief　mustering　for　the　occasion　all　his　hereditary　retainers　and　forming　them　into　rough　regiments　and　brigades。

As　to　the　description　given　by　Nuniz　of　the　offensive　armour　of　the　elephants；　which　are　stated　to　have　gone　into　battle　with　long　swords　like　scythes　attached　to　their　trunks；　the　story　is　confirmed　by　many　other　writers。


Firishtah's　Narrative。

Firishtah's　account　of　the　battle　of　Raichur　is　interesting；　as　it　gives　a　description　of　the　affair　from　the　enemy's　point　of　view。　Ismail　Adil　Shah　marched

〃to　recover　Mudkul　and　Roijore　from　the　roy　of　Beejanugger；　who；　gaining　earl