Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c23.s1.16

v2.c23.s1.16

As regards the houses of the nobles there are but meagre notices in the foreign accounts. In the course of his description of the manner in which the king of Vijayanagara started on his compaigns, Barbosa makes, as we saw in an earlier connection "a ridiculous statement" to the following effect: "When the time is fulfilled he issues a proclamation (ordering that the whole city shall be at once set on fire, saving the palaces, fortresses and temples, and those of certain lords which are not thatched...)"² But we may reject this last assertion on the strength of his own evidence and that of Paes. Barbosa in another passage says: "In the city as well there are palaces after the same fashion (i.e., "with many enclosed courts and great houses very well built", and with "wide open spaces, with water tanks in great numbers, in which there is reared abundance of fish"), wherein dwell the great Lords and Governoursthereof."¹ Paes writes about the "houses of captains and other rich and honourable men," with many "figures and decorations pleasing to look at."²