Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c11.s2.t3.74

v1.c11.s2.t3.74

According to the computations of the late Mr. H. Kṛṣṇa Sāstri, who has given us a most complete account of the Vijayanagara governors,³ there were six principal provinces in the Vijayanagara Empire. These were the following—the Udayagiri-rājya; the Penugoṇḍa-rājya which included within it the Gutti-rājya; the Āraga-rājya or Male-rājya, or Candra-guṭṭi-rājya; the Muḷuvāyi-rājya; the Bārākūru-rājya, or Tuḷuva-rājya; and, the Rājagambhīra-rājya.⁴ With the aid of this classification, on which we have based our remarks on the provincial organization of Vijayanagara, we may ascertain a few details about the viceroys, especially in connection with their tenure of office. The northern provinces, because of their proximity to the Muhammadan kingdoms, were naturally of greater importance, although in point of revenue it may be doubted whether they could vie with the more fertile regions of the southern or those of the western parts of the Empire. Udayagiri always claimed the greatest attention on the part of the rulers. When Tirumala in A.D. 1542 was given the charge of that province, it was called, according to Rev. Heras, the chief fortress under the royal throne of Vijayanagara.⁵ Paes has some interesting details as to how these frontier fortresses were guarded. "In these passes on the frontier the king of Narsymga has a captain with a quantity of troops, but on the side of (Portuguese) India he has none, except as I have said'.¹ The greater part of these northern provinces, as narrated above, was lost to the Hindus after the battle of Rākshasa-Taṅgaḍi. It was once assumed that the Vijayanagara Empire about that period was divided into six provinces, as a result of the fatal defeat. These were, according to Mr. Richards, Āndhra, Karṇāṭa, Madura, Chandragiri, Gingee, and Tanjore.² But Tirumalarāya in his Chkikadēvarāya Vamśāvali gives us the territorial divisions of the Empire after the death of Rāma Rāja. The author tells us that Yeṛa Timma Rāja, the younger brother of Rāma Rāja, made himself the ruler, setting aside the nominal sovereign Sadāśiva Rāya. After some time he changed his capital from Vidyānagara to Penu-goṇḍa. Of his three sons Srīraṅga Rāya was the viceroy of the whole Telugu country with his headquarters at Srīraṅgapaṭṭaṇa; and Veṅkaṭādri, the third son, over the Tuṇḍira, Chōḷa and Pāṇḍya countries, with Chandragiri as his centre.³