Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c15.s10.1

v1.c15.s10.1

The conduct of the Hindu rulers and soldiers at the end of a campaign deserves to be noted. While describing the war of A.D. 1366, Firishtah says that the forces of Vijayanagara after capturing Mudkul, "with a rancorous cruelty put men, women, and children to the sword, with the exception of one man only, who escaping, brought intelligence of the event to the King".⁵ Then again in A.D. 1417, according to the same historian, the Hindus after defeating Mir Fuzl-ulla, the general of Firūz Shāh, "made a general massacre of the Mussulmen, erected a platform with their heads on the field of battle, and pursuing the King into his own country, laid it waste with fire and sword. They subsequently took many towns, broke down the mosques and other holy places; slaughtered the people without mercy; and by their savage conduct seemed desirous to discharge the vengeance and resentment of many ages".¹