Vijayanagara And Bahamani Kingdoms

1336 C.E.

Explanation: This empire was established by hakka and bukka on the banks of Tungabhadra river.

Gangadevi

Explanation: Madura Vijayam means “The conquest of Madurai”. It is a sanskrit poem which marks the victory of Bukka’s son Kampana against the Sultan of Madurai.

Dindima and Lakkana Dandesha.

Explanation: Dindima was a Sanskrit scholar and Lakkana Dandesha was a Kannada scholar.

Krishnadevaraya.

Explanation: It reveals the administration abilities of the king Krishnadevaraya which he used in all the matters of state.

Mohammad Gawan.

Explanation: It is an old Islamic school which was built to encourage study of the Islamic region and law.

Ibrahim Adil Shah II.

Explanation: It is a book which contains prayers of God’s Ganesha, Saraswati, Narasimha and Mohammad Paigambar. It also acknowleadges the religious tolerance and magnanimity of the Ibrahim Shah II.

The four dynasties who ruled Vijayanagar empire are:

• Sangama (1336 – 1486 C.E.) The known kings were Harihara I, Bukkaraya, Harihara II and Praudhadevaraya.

• Saluva (1485 – 1505 C.E.) Three kings which ruled were Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya, Thimma Bhupala, Narashima Raya II.

• Tuluva (1491 – 1570 C.E.) Krishnadevaraya was the most famous king of this dynasty.

• Araveedu (1542- 1646 C.E.) Ramadevaraya is the most known king of dynasty.

He is the most famous king of Sangama dynasty ruled between1424-1446 CE. Devaraya conquered Kondaveedu from the king Gajapati Kapilendra of Orissa. He expanded his kingdom to the Krishna river in the north east and defeated the king of kerala which led him earning the title of “Dakshinapathada Chakravarthi” (the Emperor of the South). Many kings were paying royalties to him. He was also known as “Elephant Hunter”. He was also tolerant toward other religions.

There were many problems like The Moghuls of the north were trying to conquer the empire to expand their kingdom in the north, The Europeans were making colonies by coming new sea-routes, the five kingdoms of Bahamani dynasty became powerful Sultanates and declared wars against him. There was also a threat from the kings of Ummatthur and Orissa.

Vijayanagar was a flourishing empire economically. Many taxes were collected as a source of income of kingdom, land tax being the major contributor. Farmers used to give 1/4 of their income as a tax. Vijayanagar kings constructed many canals and wells to enhance the facility of irrigation and to decrease the dependence on monsoon. It encouraged many people towards agriculture as it was the backbone of the economy. People started growing many crops like maize, jowar, ragi etc. It also emerged as a major exporter of spices like cardamom, pepper, cloves etc. It achieved great progress in textile industries and increased the use of coins of different denominations.

Many temples, forts, palaces, huge halls, temples, tanks, canals and dams were constructed by Vijayanagar kings of 14^th century. Some of the memorable architecture is known as monuments of Hampi. It includes vitthala temple, virupaksha temple, lotus mahal etc. They continued the style of leaf shaped arches and platform in their architecture. The construction of large marriage halls and auditorium marked special feature of that era. They gave importance to their grandeur and elegance more than ornamentation.

Mohammad Gawan held the sole responsibility of the overall development of the kingdom. He served as Prime Minister during the rule of Bahamani kings of humayun, Nizam shah and mohammad sham III. He showed his efficiency in administration and conquered many kingdoms with his abilities. He defeated the kings of konkan, goa, belagavi and kondaveedu and proved his glory in battles. He invaded kanchi and conquered huge wealth. His victories marked him as the best Prime Minister.

Central, provincial and village were three levels of the administration. Sultan was chief of the central administration. The major posts were usually held by relatives and friends of sultan. There were eight provinces which were divided to fifteen sarakars headed by subedar. These sarakars were futher divided into paraganas.

The head of revenue system was Amir-E-Jumlas. Land tax was 1/3 to 1/2 of the agriculture production and was the major source of income. There were other 50 taxes like house, mines and employment. These taxes were used in maintenance and development of the kingdom.

Adil shahis of Bahamani dynasty wanted to follow Islamic culture in their education system. Schools were known as Maktabs and taught religion, law, poetry and rhetoric. They were controlled by mosques. Mohammad Gawan established a Madrasa at Bidar which had magnificent infrastructure and encouraged to study islamic religion and law.

Sultans of this dynasty followed Indo-Sarcenic style of architecture. This period acknowledged many memorable monuments. The Jamia mosque built by Adil Shah I has still its significance. Gol Gumbaz at Vijayapura is a prominent and biggest dome in India. Ibrahim Roza, Asar Mahals, Gagan Mahal are other monuments which are known for their great architecture.

• Virupaksha Temple

• Badavi Linga

• Vittala temple complex

• Ganigatti Jain temple

• Krishna Temple

• Lotus Mahal

• Hampi Bazzar

Mahanavami Dibba is a beautiful stone platform located in Hampi. It was built by King Krishnadevaraya. The kings of vijayanagar used to celebrate Dusshera or vijaylakshmi at his place. The temples were decorated in grandeur style. The celebration was also followed by many competitions and games.

Tenali Rama was a Telugu poet and was among the eight poets of the Court of King Krishandevaraya of Vijayanagar empire. He was also known as a Special Advisor in the Court. There are many stories written on him like Tenali Rama and the weightlifter, Tenali Tales: Rewards and Punishement, Tenali Rama: A thief catcher etc.

Hampi is a town of temple situated on the bank of Tughbhandra river. The vijayanagr dynasty which ruled on this region in 14^th century built the beautiful monuments of Hampi. It is also recognized as UNESCO World Heritage site. The monuments include Virupaksha temple, Kadlekalu Ganesha, Ugra Narasimha, Badavalinga Temple, Underground Shiva Temple, Hazararama Temple, Lotus Mahal, Stepped Tank, Vitthala Temple, Pampa Sarovar.

The street market or bazaars of Hampi were held at various streets but mainly near to temples every week. The goods were both imported and localy produce. Some of the goods like textiles, species, grains, precious stones were available in the bazaar. Many precious metals and pearls were there and were sold according to their weight. There were entertainment facilities and music and art also attracted the people in huge amount in the bazaar.