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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
According to the Varâhapurâṇam Nṛisiṁharâya’s first general Îśvara of the Tuḷu family
conquered the forts of (1) Udayâdri, (2) Huttari, (3) Gaṇḍikôṭa, (4) Penugoṇḍa, (5) Beggulûru,
(6) Kôvela-Nellûru, (7) Kundâni, (8) Goḍuguchinta, (9) Bâgûru, (10) Naragoṇḍa, (11)
Âmûru and (12) Śrîraṅgapaṭṭaṇam, and “destroyed the cavalry of the Yavanas of
Beḍaudakôṭa at Gaṇḍikôṭa.”[1] The Yavanas referred to have are the Bahmanî kings, who
transferred their capital from Kulbarga to Bidar in June 1423 A.D., during the reign of Aḥmad
Shâḥ.[2] Referring to the same event, the author of the Telugu poem Pârijâtôpaharaṇam says
that Îśvara “gave rise to thousands of rivers of blood by killing the horses of the Yavanas of
Beḍandakôṭa”[3] but the transfers the scene to Kandukûru.[4] The Muḥammadan historical do not,
of course, refer to this event.
Nṛisiṁharâya’s dominions were extensive, and they probably comprised the whole of the
modern districts of North Arcot, Chingleput and Nellore, and portions at least of South Arcot,
Cuddapah, Kistna and Mysore. The Varâhapurâṇam calls Nṛisiṁharâya “the possessor of
arms which are capable of protecting the kingdom of Karṇâṭa,”[5] which shows his connection
with that kingdom. According to the same work he was one of the Sâmantas or tributary
princes of the Karṇâṭa empire, and both Îśvara and his son Narasiṁha were his generals one
after the other. It would appear also that Nṛisiṁharâya was probably related to the kings of
the first dynasty of the Karṇâṭa empire, since both claimed to belong to the Yâdava line of the
lunar race of Kshatriyas. This description closely tallies with that given by the Portuguese
chronicler Fernão Nauiz of “Narsymgua” who overthrew the first dynasty of the empire. In
fact according to Nuniz there was a double usurpation of the Vijayanagara throne about this
time, the first usurpation being by “Narsymgua,” whom I identify with Sâḷuva Nṛisiṁharâya, father of Immaḍi-Nṛisiṁha, the donor of the present grant, and the second by Nṛisiṁharâya’s
general “Narsenaque” or Narasiṁha, the founder of the Tuḷuva dynasty.
According to Nuniz, the following are briefly the circumstances that led to the downfall
of the first and the accession of the second dynasty. The last great king of the first dynasty
was Dêvarâya II., who ruled till about the year A.D. 1449. The next forty or fifty years saw
no less than five sovereigns, all of them weak and imbecile. The last of them, whom Nuniz
calls “Padea Rao,” seems to have been the worst of the lot, and in his time the empire declined
even more than in the time of his four immediate predecessors. It occurred to Nṛisiṁharâya, who was the principle minister and general of the state, that a change of sovereign was
necessary to prevent the kingdom from falling an easy prey to its hereditary enemy, the
Bahmanî king, and, with the consent and support of the other generals and ministers, he seized
the throne and kingdom, allowing the king to make his escape. Nṛisiṁharâya died, leaving
two infant sons son and a general named “Narsenaque” or Narasa-Nâyaka, in whom he had much
confidence and whom he therefore appointed regent during the minority of his sons. In a short
time Nṛisiṁharâya’s eldest son was murdered by one of Narasa-Nâyaka’s enemies, who wanted
it to be believed that Narasa¬-Nâyaka murdered the boy for the sake of his crown. Subsequently
the second prince was murdered at the instance of Narasa-Nâyaka himself, who thereupon
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[1] Verses 42 and 43 of the first âśvâsa. I am not able to identify Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9. Huttari (2) is probably
Puttûr in the Kârvêṭinagar Estate, and Beggulûru (5) is perhaps Bangalore. No. 10 may be Naragallu (kallu means ‘a rock’ and koṇḍa a ‘hill’) in the Chittûr tâluka, where there is an old fort (see the North Arcot District
Manual, new edition, Vol. II. p. 349), and Âmûru (11) is evidently Gid-Âmûru or Ambûrudurga in the Guḍiyâtam
tâluka. The other places are well-known.
[2] Ind. Ant. Vol. XXVIII. p. 210. Beḍandakôṭa or Beḍadakôṭa is ‘the fort of Beḍada,’ which is a corruption
of Bidar.
[3] Vaijayanti Press edition of 1895, p. 10.
[4] The words Kandukûru and Gaṇḍikôṭa suit the metre equally well, and one of the reading is necessarily
incorrect.
[5] Verse 30 of the first âśvâsa.
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