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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
Têkal was given under the orders of Dêvarâya-mahârâya of Vijayanagara. Gôparâja is called
a Mahâmaṇḍalêśvara and the “ setter-up of Ganga Hale Sambâ Râya.”[1] The copy of the inscription from which the translation was made appears to have been so imperfect that no safe
conclusions can be drawn from it. But a thorough examination of this inscription seems likely
to throw some light on the history of the Sâḷuva chiefs. Tippa’s eldest brother Guṇḍa had,
by his wife Mallâmbâ, two sons : Timma[2] and Nṛisiṁharâya,[3] and Nṛisiṁharâya had, by his
wife Śrîraṅgamâmbâ,[4] a son named Immaḍi-Nṛisiṁha or Nṛisiṁha II.
From all accounts Nṛisiṁharâya appears to have been a very powerful prince. Both
according to Ferishta and the author of the Burhân-i Ma’âsir he was the most powerful prince in
all Karṇâṭa and Teliṅgâna and owned extensive territories on the east coast right up to Masulipatam. According to the latter authority Nṛisiṁharâya was constantly at war with the Bahmanî-king Muḥammad II. They met first at Râjamahêndri, “on the further side of which
the infidel Narasiṁharâya with 700,000 cursed infantry and 500 elephants like mountains of iron
had taken his stand.”[5] No battle took place, however, as Nṛisiṁharâya is said to have taken to
flight on the arrival of the Sultân’s army. This was probably in the year 1479 A.D. Next year
they seem to have met again at Koṇḍavîḍu, the people of which, “throwing themselves on the
protection of Narasiṁharâya, had altogether withdrawn from their allegiance to the rule of
Islâm.” After quelling this rebellion, the Sultân marched against the kingdom of Nṛisiṁharâya,
because “the destruction of the infidels was an object much to be desired : and as the infidel
Narasiṁha who, owing to his numerous army and the extent of his dominions, was the greatest
and most powerful of all the rulers of Teliṅgâna and Vijayanagar, had latterly shown delay and
remissness in proving his sincerity towards the royal court by sending presents and nal-bahâ (money given to foreign troops to abstain from plunder and devastation).”[6] The Sultân laid
siege to the fort of Mâlûr (in the Mysore territory), “the greatest of the forts of that country,”
and was ultimately bought off with valuable presents of jewellery and other valuables, elephants
and horses, and with a confession by Nṛisiṁharâya of his weakness and a promise of obedience
Kâñchî, “situated in the centre of the dominions of that malignant one” (Nṛisiṁharâya), and
sacking the town and temples “which were the wonder of the age.â
We shall now turn to the Hindû accounts of the same period. The Jaimini-Bhâratam gives Nṛisiṁharâya credit for having vanquished the kings of the Tigula[7] (or Tamil) and
Oḍḍi (or Orissa) countries and for having conquered the forts of Kapâladurga, Pennugoṇḍa,8
Bonagiri, Cheñji and Kommadhârâpura.[9] In another part of the Jaimini-Bhâratam we are told
that Nṛisiṁharâya “decorated the golden places (temples ?) of Kâñchî, Veṅkaṭa (Tirupati) and
Kâlahasti with the precious stones annually given as tribute by the kings of Pâñchâla, Draviḍa,
Aṅga, Mâlava, Śaka and Prâgjyôtisha.”[10] This is, of course, hyperbolical, but shows that the
three important places of pilgrimage referred to were in the dominions of Nṛisiṁharâya.
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[1] Mr. Rice’s Mysore Inscriptions, p. 208.
[2] [The Raṅganâtha temple at Śrîraṅgam contains a Sanskṛit and Tamil inscription (No. 59 of 1892), dated in
Śaka-Saṁvat 1385, Subhâna, of Sâḷuva-Gôpa-Timma-nṛipati, who is also called the Mahâmaṇḍalêśvara Mâdinimîsaragaṇḍa Kaṭṭâri Sâḷuva Dharaṇivarâha . . . . . Sâḷuvasâḷuva Tirumalaidêva-mahârâja. Another
inscription of the same king at Tanjore, dated in Śaka-Saṁvat 1377, Yuvan, has been published in South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. II. No. 23 ; and a third one at Tirukkâṭṭupaḷḷi (No. 55 of 1897) is dated in the Vikrama year (i.e. Śaka-Saṁvat 1382).─ E. H.]
[3 ] See v. 12 of the Dêvulapalli plates.
[4] See v. 21 of the same plates.
[5] Ind. Ant. Vol. XXVIII. p. 288.
[6] Loc. cit. p. 289.
[7] Tiguḷa is a Kanarese name for Tamil ; see Dr. Kittel’s Kannaḍa-English Dictionary, s.r.
[8] Jaimini-Bhâratam, p. 5.
[9] Jaimini-Bhâratam, p. 95. Bonagiri is apparently the well-known town of that name in the Hyderabad
territory. Cheñji is Gingee in the South Arcot district. I am unable to identify Kommadhârâpura. Jaimini-Bhâratam, p. 115.
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