History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v1.c19.s16.2

v1.c19.s16.2

When in the beginning of the 14th century the Muhammadans from Delhi first made their power seriously felt in the south, they struck down the kingdom of the Hoysala Ballâlas in 1310, and destroyed their capital of Halebîd; and in 1322 Orangal or Worangal, which had been previously attacked, was finally destroyed, and it is said they then carried their victorious arms as far as Râmnâd. The Muhammadans did not, however, at that time make any permanent settlement in the south, and the consequence was, that as soon as the Hindûs were able to recover from the panic, Bukka and Harihara princes it is said of the deposed house of Orangal, gathered around them the remnants of the destroyed states, and founded a new state in the town of Vijayanagar on the Tungabhadrâ. An earlier city it is said had been founded there about the beginning of the 12th century, but only as a dependency of the Mysore Râj, and there is consequently no reason for supposing that any of the buildings in the city (unless it be some of the small Jaina temples), belong to that period, nor indeed till the new dynasty founded by Bukka had consolidated its power, which was certainly not before the middle of the 14th century.