A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c17.8

c17.8

Harihara I who founded the empire also did much to shape its administrative system. Following the Kākatīya model, he organized the country into *sthalas* and *nāḍus*, and began to employ numbers of Brahmins as *karṇams* (in preference to goldsmiths and *velamas* who had held the positions before). He also reclaimed the plough large areas of land in the Ceded Districts. His reign must have come to an end shortly after 1357 as that is the last date occurring in the known inscriptions of his reign. Before he died he had already nominated Bukka, the ablest of his brothers, to succeed him; indeed this ‘prop of the throne’ became joint ruler as early as 1346, with Gutti as his capital.