Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c9.s2.133

v1.c9.s2.133

Therefore, the city of Vijayanagara was founded in A.D. 1368 by Bukka I some time after July and before November, and was completed in about A.D. 1378. This explains the association of the name of the city only with that of Bukka in a stone inscription of A.D. 1397. "The kings Harihara and Bukka protected the earth as if Bala Rāma and Kṛiṣhṇa had again united for its preservation. Harihara, the elder brother of Bukka, having subdued by his might all the hostile kings, ruled over the earth. (His praise). Afterwards his younger brother Bukka Rāya (his praise) governed the city named Vijaya in the same manner as Kṛiṣhṇa ruled the beautiful city Dvārakā".³ This is only a confirmation of the evidence of an earlier inscription dated A.D. 1379 which after praising the Yadu-vaṁśa and Saṅgama, continues thus: "His two celebrated sons were Harihara and Bukka, like Rauhiṇeya and Kṛiṣhṇa were born again for the protection of the earth (Praise of Harihara). His younger brother Bukka Rāya dwelt at ease in the city named Vijaya, like Mukunda in Dvārāvatī, and protected the earth (*athānujas tasya jagatpratitaḥ Śri-Bukka-Rājō Vijayābhidhānam*). (His praise). His son was Harihara, who dwelt in the same city that his father had maintained. . . ."⁴