A History of Agriculture in India v2.c65.s5: Devaraya II (A.D. 1425-1446)

v2.c65.s5.1

Devaraya II conquered the Reddi lands of Kondavidu, and thus established River Krishna as his north-east boundary. Devaraya II was a great monarch, who was the master of an extensive empire which extended from River Krishna to Ceylon and from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. Besides the taxes collected from his dominions, he collected revenue from the numerous ports of his empire. His fleet scoured the seas, and levied tribute from Quilon, Ceylon and Pegu. It was during his reign in A.D. 1443 that Abdur-Razzak of Herat, who was sent by Sultan Shahrukh of Samarkand, son of Timur, as ambassador to the Zamorin of Calicut, came to Vijayanagar. Abdur-Razzak thus describes Devaraya II. ‘The king was dressed in a robe of green satin; around his neck he wore a collar, composed of pearls of beautiful water, and other splendid gems. He had an olive complexion, his frame was thin, and he was rather tall; on his cheeks might be seen a slight down, but there was no beard on his chin. The expression of his countenance was extremely pleasing.’