Administration and Social Life under Vijayanagar c6.67

c6.67

Confining our attention to the Vijayanagar State, we note that the first and primary duty of the king was to afford protection to all his subjects and redress their grievances. In fact these are the most elementary functions of any State. Only in a land where peace reigns can there be any progress. This primary duty of rakṣaṇam entailed a double responsibility on the king. One was to protect the country from the foreigner. The Vijayanagar empire itself was founded to stem the tide of Muhammadan aggression. The other was to maintain an efficient police organization in the State and to ensure the preservation of order and peace in the country. Connected with these was the duty of redressing the grievances of the people by the king. Kṛṣṇadēva Rāya desires that the kings should always be anxious to protect their subjects and redress their grievances.³⁹