Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c11.s2.t3.71

v1.c11.s2.t3.71

Since the narrative of Nuniz does not enlighten us on the question of the exact provinces into which the Vijayanagara Empire was divided, and on the topic of the tenure of office of the various provincial governors, we shall have recourse to the inscriptions which contain some useful details about the viceroys of Vijayanagara. But before we note them we may observe the remarks of two other travellers, which are also meagre, on the provincial divisions of Vijayanagara. Barbosa writes thus: "Beyond this river (called 'Aliga') commences the kingdom of Narsinga, which contains five very large provinces, with a language of their own. One province is along the coast, and is called Tulinat (Tuḷu-nāu); another has the name of Legni (Teliṅga ?) which confines with the kingdom of Tissa (Orissa?); another is Canari (Karṇāṭaka?), in which is the great city of Visenagar (Vijayanagara), and the other is Cholmendel (Cōḷamaṇḍalam), a kingdom which they call Tamul".¹ In A.D. 1639 Mandelslo observed that the kingdom was divided into three provinces. "This Country was heretofore divided into three Kingdoms, that is, Coromandel, Narsinga, and Bisnagar; but at present 'tis all subject to one Prince, who resides sometimes at Bisnagar, sometimes at Narsinga".²