A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India c12.4

c12.4

The first rulers of Vijayanagar, however, did not dare to call themselves kings, nor did even the Brahmans do so who composed the text of their early inscriptions. It is for this reason that I have spoken of Harihara I. and Bukka I. as "Chiefs." The inscription referred to of Harihara in 1340 calls him "Hariyappa Vodeya," the former name being less honourable than "Harihara," and the latter definitely entitling him to rank only as a chieftain. Moreover, the Sanskrit title given him is *Mahâmandalesvara*, which may be translated "great lord"—not king. And the same is the case with his successor, Bukka, in two inscriptions,¹ one of which is dated in 1353. Already in 1340 Harihara is said to have been possessed of very large territories, and he was the acknowledged overlord of villages as far north as the Kalâdgi district, north of the Mâlprabha, a country that had been overrun by Muhammad Taghlaq. That this was not a mere empty boast is shown by the fact that a fort was built in that year at Bâdâmi by permission of Harihara.