A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c18.6

c18.6

Then, as now, the service of the state in its civil departments, as well as the army and the navy (where one was maintained), furnished openings for all classes of the population; and many are the instances of Brahmin generals who distinguished themselves in war. Krishnadeva Rāya had a high opinion of their loyalty and considered that they should be put in charge of important forts in all strategic places. Forest and hill tribes furnished a favourite recruiting-ground for the army, especially in time of war. The roads were often infested by robbers, and any sharp local quarrel or the turbulence of a chieftain might lead to a village being attacked or its cattle being taken away; in such circumstances the people generally had to defend themselves, and numerous inscriptions attest the bravery of many village heroes, especially near forests and mountains.