Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c10.s1.1

v1.c10.s1.1

THE success which crowned the efforts of the Hindus in mediaeval times may be attributed, among other factors, partly to the unflinching support which the people gave them, and partly to the immense revenue which they could command. Behind the story of Vidyaranya and the shower of gold which he is said to have brought down for 3 1/2 ghalis (i.e. 1 1/2 hours), there lies the fact from the earliest stages of their political supremacy, the sons of Sangama had at their disposal resources as regards money which brought upon them the envy of the contemporaries. In this chapter we shall be concerned with the general mode of the fiscal administration of the Vijayanagara monarchs, which to a large extent enables us to appreciate their attempts to preserve what they thought to be the best in Hindu thought and culture. We shall, therefore, restrict ourselves to those facts that give us a comprehensive view of the method of their revenue administration, as recorded in inscriptions and in the writings of foreign travellers, leaving out of account the minuter details of land tenure and other allied subjects, which, because of a paucity of materials, may be treated in a later dissertation. And in this important matter of revenue, too, we may acquaint ourselves with the classical and mediaeval Hindu ideas which, while they governed the actions of the earlier monarchs of Vijayanagara in many matters, failed to leave a lasting impression, at least as regards one or two vital questions, on the minds of the later rulers whose influence showed signs of steady decline towards the first quarter of the seventeenth century. Since ancient constitutional usage played an important part in moulding the action and thought of the Vijayanagara kings and people, we shall not omit to mention, wherever possible, some facts connected with the revenue administration in the ages preceding the advent of the rulers of Vijayanagara.