History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.9.3

c11.9.3

The Prince was astonished at this miracle, and while returning homewards, he met on the river bank a holy man to whom he related what had happened. The holy man saw the place and advised the king to build a city on the spot where the miracle had happened. This hermit was the celebrated Vidyāraṇya. The city was founded and named after the hermit Vidyānagar. In course of time it came to be called Bisnagā or Vijayanagara. Sewell in his valuable history of the Vijayanagara empire has enumerated seven traditionary accounts of the origin of the empire,⁸ but the most reliable seems to be that which says that it was founded by two brothers, Hari Hara and Bukkā who were employed in the service of Pratap Rudra Deva of Warangal, and who fled from the country when it was overrun by the Muhammadans. They accepted service under the Raja of Anāgondi who employed them in his service, but when that kingdom was overthrown, they were carried off to Dihli as prisoners after the rebellion of Bahā-al-Din.⁹ When the imperial deputy Malik Maqbūl failed to maintain order in the country, they were released and were appointed ruler and minister of Anāgondi and were compelled to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Dihli emperor. Apart from the evidence of Barani that the person whom the Sultan had sent to govern Kambālā and who had embraced Islam was related to Kanyā Nāyak, there is other evidence to show that the two brothers originally belonged to Telingana.