Administration and Social Life under Vijayanagar c6.48

c6.48

A few records of the year Tāraṇa (A.D. 1524) mention Tirumalaidēva Mahārāya, son of Kṛṣṇa Rāya, as the ruling sovereign.²⁷ but we have no authority, epigraphical or literary, to show that the father abdicated in favour of his son. Most probably Nuniz misunderstood the true significance of Tirumala's coronation as Yuvarāja, and mistook it to be his coronation as king. The account of Nuniz is not always trustworthy; for in one place he says that Kṛṣṇadēva Rāya was over 20 in 1509 and in another place he says, "he was an old man" in 1524. A king who was a little over 20 in 1509 could not have become "old" in 1524. Further Kṛṣṇa Rāya's position as his son's minister could not have given him the rest in his old age desired by him according to Nuniz. The story of the abdication is thus untrustworthy. A large number of inscriptions of the period ranging between 1525 and 1530 coming from the various parts of the empire, show that Kṛṣṇadēva Rāya was the emperor till 1530. And inscriptions of Kṛṣṇa Rāya bearing also the dates between Ś. 1446 Tāraṇa Vai. and Ś. 1446 Tāraṇa Mārga are to be found in large numbers throughout the empire.²⁸ These indicate that Kṛṣṇa Rāya was ruling along with his son during this period, and thus he did not abdicate his throne.²⁹