A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India c16.16

c16.16

Nuniz has it that Virûpâksha’s son “Padearao,” the last of the old line, fled from the capital when the usurper Narasimha seized the throne; that the latter reigned forty-four years, and died leaving two sons. These youths being too young to govern, the dying king intrusted the kingdom to his minister, Narasa Naik, and both the princes were murdered. Narasa seized the throne, and held it till his death. The length of his reign is not given. His son, “Busbalrao” (? Basava Râya), succeeded, and reigned six years, being succeeded by his brother, the great Krishna Deva Râya. Now we know that Krishna Deva Râya began to reign in A.D. 1509. This gives 1503 for the date of the accession of his predecessor, “Busbal.” If we allow five years for the reign of Narasa—a pure guess—we have his accession in 1498 A.D., and the forty-four years of Narasimha would begin in A.D. 1454; but this would apparently coincide with the reign of Mallikârjuna, son of Deva Râya II. It is perhaps possible that in after years the usurper Narasimha’s reign was measured by the Hindus from the time when he began to attain power as minister or as a great noble, and not from the date when he actually became king; but this is pure conjecture.