Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c14.s1.2

v1.c14.s1.2

The Hindu rulers gave concrete expression to their desire to promote good feelings with their avowed enemies in their mode of receiving foreign ambassadors, in the aid which they gave the Muhammadans against their own enemies, in their willingness to enlist foreigners, and, finally, in promoting the cause of Islām in their Empire. The most trustworthy account of the treatment which the kings of Vijayanagara gave to foreign ambassadors is from the pen of 'Abdur Razzāq. The Persian ambassador gives us the details of the manner in which the emissaries were summoned and received, the rations that were allotted to them, and how they were dismissed from the royal presence. "They then brought a tray, and gave me two packets of betel, a purse containing 500 fanams, and about 20 miskāls of camphor, and, obtaining leave to depart, I returned to my lodging. The daily provision forwarded to me comprised two sheep, four couple of fowls, five mans of price, one man of butter, one man of sugar, and two varāhas in gold. This occurred every day. Twice a week I was summoned to the presence towards the evening, when the king asked me several questions respecting the Khākān-i-Sa'id, and each time I received a packet of betel, a purse of fanams, and some miskāls of camphor".¹ The Emperor assigned a lofty mansion to the Persian ambassador. "The author of this history who arrived at Bijānagar at the close of Zi-hijja, took up his abode in a lofty mansion which had been assigned to him, resembling that which one sees in Hirāt on the high ground at the King's gate".²