History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.29

c11.29

nagar is incorrect both in date and details. He puts it after the rebellion of Kriṣṇa Nāyak and writes: " Belāl Deo founded a city in the mountainous region of his frontiers in a well-fortified place after the name of his son Sajan Raya, which came to be known as Bijannagar and by frequent use became Bijānagar. He sent numerous infantry and horse with Kriṣṇa Nāyak and succeeded in recovering Warangal. Malik 'Imad-al-Mulk the Wazir fled to Daulatabad. After this Belāl Deo sent fresh reinforcements to Kriṣṇa Nāyak, and the combined forces of both the Rais recovered from the Muhammadans the countries of Ma'bar and Dhorsamundar which had been for a long time tributaries of the ruler of Carnatic. On all sides the flames of war and rebellion were kindled and of the distant provinces nothing was left to the Sultan except Gujarat and Deogir."¹⁴ Firishta's Belāl Deo cannot be Vīr Ballāla III, for Kriṣṇa Nāyak's revolt occurred after his death in 1342 A.D. If it is Ballāla IV, then the foundation of the city must be dated later than 1342 A.D. But this is in conflict with the evidence of inscriptions which describe Vidyāraṇya as the founder of the city of Vijayanagar and which show that Hari Hara I had acquired considerable power before 1342 A.D.¹⁵ The city at first was called Vidyānagar, but afterwards, as the power and prosperity of the new principality increased, it came to be known as Vijayanagar or the city of Victory. Hari Hara I became the first ruler of the dynasty, and in a few years the boundaries of his kingdom widened, until in 1340 A.D. it included the valley of the Tungbhadra, portions of the Konkan, and the Malabar Coast. Several forts were built to strengthen the new kingdom; one was built by Hari Hara himself at Barukuru about the year 1337 A.D. and another was built at Bādāmi by one of his vassals.¹⁶ Ibn Batūṭah who visited Hanaur sometime towards the close of 743 A.H. (1343 A.D.) or in the beginning of 744 A.H. (July, 1344 A.D.) writes that the Sultan of Hanaur, Jalal-al-Din was at that time subject to a Hindu prince called Harib or Horāib by which is certainly meant Hari Hara whose authority was acknowledged along a portion of the Malabar coast.¹⁷ This shows that Hari Hara's power was fairly well established in the north, and the Hoysalas had retired towards the South leaving the kingdom of Vijayanagar to curb the aggressions of the Northern Muhammadans.