The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c31.35

v1.c31.35

5. But the great patron of literature among the first monarchs of the Aravidu family was Venkata II. He himself was considered one of the wisest men of his kingdom. We read in the Dalavay Agraharam plates that ‘he was comparable to the ocean in the profundity of his learning’⁷; and in the Mangalampad grant he is said to be ‘a very moon to the lotuses, which are scholars’⁸. Accordingly Fr. Ricio tells us in one of his letters that “the King has disputations on God, Philosophy, and Mathemetics with the teachers or philosophers almost every day”. Sanskrit was the medium in these disputations. Hence Ricio says that though they were present several times they could not join in the debate, since they understood nothing ¹.