A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of IndiaSewell, Robert
History
A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India
Sewell, Robert
Vijayanagar (Empire) -- History
Firishtah also gives another account of the same event. According to
this, the Adil Shah, hearing of dissensions in the Hindu capital,
marched, apparently in 1493, against Raichur, when Heemraaje,
having settled these dissensions, advanced "with the young Raya" to
that city. A battle ensued, in which Heemraaje was defeated; and the
young king being mortally wounded, and dying before he reached home,
Heemraaje seized the government and the country.
There are, furthermore, two other passages in Firishtah dealing
with the overthrow of the old dynasty and the accession of
"Heemraaje." One[173] runs as follows: --
"Heemraaje was the first usurper. He had poisoned the young Raja of
Beejanuggur, son of Sheoroy, and made his infant brother a tool to
his designs, by degrees overthrowing the ancient nobility, and at
length establishing his own absolute authority over the kingdom."
The other[174] states: --
"The government of Beejanuggur had remained in one family, in
uninterrupted succession, for seven hundred years, when Seoroy dying,
was succeeded by his son, a minor, who did not live long after him, and
left the throne to a younger brother. He also had not long gathered the
flowers of enjoyment from the garden of royalty before the cruel skies,
proving their inconstancy, burned-up the earth of his existence with
the blasting wind of annihilation.[175] Being succeeded by an infant
only three months old, Heemraaje, one of the principal ministers of
the family, celebrated for great wisdom and experience, became sole
regent, and was cheerfully obeyed by all the nobility and vassals of
the kingdom for forty years; though, on the arrival of the young king
at manhood, he had poisoned him, and put an infant of the family on
the throne, in order to have a pretence for keeping the regency in
his own hands.[176] Heemraaje at his death was succeeded in office by
his son, Ramraaje, who having married a daughter of the son of Seoroy,
by that alliance greatly added to his influence and power."
He then proceeds to describe an event that took place in 1535 or
thereabouts, which will be considered in its place.
Writing of the events of the year 1530,[177] we find Firishtah
stating that the affairs of Vijayanagar were then in confusion
owing to the death of Heemraaje, who was newly succeeded by his son
Ramraaje. And this passage helps us definitely to the conclusion that
his Heemraaje, or Timma Raja, was the Muhammadan name for the ruler of
the state during the reigns of Narasimha, Narasa or Vira Narasimha,
and Krishna Deva Raya, the latter of whom died in 1530. Firishtah
seems to have confused Narasa's and Krishna Deva Raya's powerful
minister, Saluva Timma, with Narasimha and Narasa, and made all three
one person. "Ramraaje" is mentioned as king by Firishtah from the
accession of Achyuta in 1530 down to the year 1565.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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