The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c8.5

v1.c8.5

The unfortunate Prince, who was about to be fetched by Rama Raya to be anointed as Emperor of Vijayanagara, was supposed to be the son of Krishna Deva Raya, according to Couto ²; or the son of Achyuta Raya as given in an inscription of Hassan ³. But we now know of several inscriptions of the time of Sadasiva that call him son of Ranga Raya or Ranga kshitindra and of Timmamba ¹. According to some Bhatkal inscriptions ², Ranga-kshitindra was a son of Isvara-Narasimha and brother of Krishna Deva Raya but by a different mother. The founder of the third dynasty married three wives: Tippajidevi, who was his Queen; Nagala, the mother of Krishna Deva Raya; and Obambika, the mother of Achyuta Raya ³ and Ranga-kshitindra ⁴, and hence grand-mother of Sadasiva. His father Ranga had probably been one of the victims of the tyranny of Salakam Timma, as we have pointed out in the preceding chapter. By the author of the *Svaramelakalanidhi* Sadasiva is given at this time the appellation of ‘helpless’ ⁵. That seems to connote a tender age. Indeed a contemporary anonymous chronicler of Golconda says that ‘the heir to the throne was a child in arms’ ⁶. Caesar Frederick only says that he was ‘very young’ ⁷. The same is implied by the probable fact that he was not yet married at the time of his coronation; for there was no queen at his side, as we know from a grant we shall quote a little further on. Hence what seems to us quite reasonable, and not inconsistent with the truth, is the statement of Couto who says that Sadasiva at the time of his installation was a little more than thirteen years of age ⁸. Correa affirms that he was about sixteen ⁹. According to this author, Sadasiva and his eldest brother were living hidden ‘towards the kingdom of Orissa’, probably in the Telugu country. When they were found by Rama Raya’s diligence, the eldest brother was crowned as king of Vijayanagara. This happened at the time of Salakam’s usurpation. But the new sovereign often was out of his mind on account of an unknown disease. So, by the nobles’ accord, and with his consent, his youngest brother was raised up to the masnad. This was Sadasiva, who, it seems, was crowned at Tirupati, where he received a great deal of money, both from the nobility and from the treasury of the temple for the war intended against the usurper. The present given him by the Brahmins of Tirupati was ‘a hundred bulls loaded with gold pieces.’ From thence they advanced against Vijayanagara. It was then that Sadasiva stopped at Gutti while Rama Raya and his army advanced against Salakam.