Introduction

Raichur is a small town in the south Indian state of Karnataka. The city had a hoary past and was a witness to many a battle between the kings of Vijayanagar empire and the muslim kings ruling from Bijapur and Gulbarga. The city is located in a doab flanked by the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra, which makes it fertile and well supplied with water. The battle of Raichur fought by Sri Krishnadevaraya, King of Vijayanagar empire and Ahmed Shah, King of Bijapur was a turning point in the history of south India. Karnātakā   (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... The Vijayanagara empire was based in the Deccan, in peninsular and southern India, from 1336 onwards. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Bijapur (Kannada: ವಿಜಾಪುರ) is a district headquarters of the Bijapur district in the state of Karnataka. ... Gulbarga is a town in the Indian state of Karnataka. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ), according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... The Tungabhadra is a river of southern India. ... Sri Krishnadevaraya (శ్రీ క్రిశ్ణదేవరాయ, also transliterated as Srikrishnarayalu and other ways) was a Vijaynagar emperor who presided over the empire at its zenith and ruled from 1509 until his death in 1529, and is today a hero of people of Telugu descent in South India. ... The Vijayanagara empire was based in the Deccan, in peninsular and southern India, from 1336 onwards. ... Ahmed Shah was the Muzaffarid Sultan of Gujarat from 1411 until his death in 1442. ... Bijapur (Kannada: ವಿಜಾಪುರ) is a district headquarters of the Bijapur district in the state of Karnataka. ...

The background

The fort of Raichur was built by Kakatiya king Rudra in 1284 CE which passed on to the Vijayanagar kingdom after the decline of Kakatiyas. Ever since, the fort has been under dispute for nearly two centuries. The fort was captured by Bahmanis in 1323 CE. Saluva Narasimha Raya expressed a wish in his testament that the city of Raichur be recaptured. This has been in the mind of Krishnadeva Raya since his coronation in 1509. In the year 1520 Krishnadeva Raya sent Cide Merkar, a Muslim in his service to Goa with a large sum of money to buy horses. Merkar instead went to Adil Khan with the money and offered his services. Krishnadeva Raya made a demand that Merkar be returned along with the money which was duly refused. During the period of peace Krishnadeva Raya made extensive preparations for a grand attack on Raichur doab. After the court decided that Raichur should be attacked the king invited all commanders (Nayakas) in his service to take part in the battle. Rudra (Sanskrit: रुद्रः) (Howler) is a Rigvedic God of the storm, the hunt, death, Nature and the Wind. ...

Description of the army

The King performed elaborate prayers in the temples and left the city of Vijayanagar with his troops. Fifty thousand scouts went three leagues (5.556 km is one league) in front of the army. Their job was to spy out the country in front and always maintain that distance. On the flanks of the scouts two thousand horsemen armed with bows advanced. A great number of merchants with necessary supplies for the army also accompanied. The army consisted of about a million of men, if the camp-followers be included. The fighting men numbered about 736,000 with 32,600 horses and 550 elephants. Vijayanagara (often written Vijayanagar), in northern Karnataka, is the name of the now ruined capital city of the historic Vijayanagar empire in the Southern part of India. ... Look up Scout in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Scout can refer to: International Harvester Scout, an SUV Reconnaissance Scouting, the world-wide youth organization Scout rank (Boy Scouts of America) Scout (comic), a comic book from Eclipse Comics. ...

The chief of the guard Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayaka (also known as Cama Nayak) led the advance with thirty thousand infantry (archers, men with shields, musqueteers and spearmen) and a thousand horse and his elephants. After him went the contingents of Timmappa Nayaka, Adapa Nayaka, Kumara Virayya, and Ganda Raya, the governor of the city of Vijayanagar. The other well-known nayakas were Rana Jagadeva, Rayachuri Rami Nayudu, Hande Mallaraya, Boya Ramappa, Saluva Nayudu, Tipparasu Ayyappa Nayudu, Kotikam Viswanatha Nayudu, Chevvappa Nayudu, Akkappa Nayudu, Krishnappa Nayudu, Veligoti Yachama Nayudu, Kannada Basavappa Nayudu, Saluva Mekaraja, Matla Ananta Raja, Bommireddy Nagareddy, Basava Reddy, Vithalappa Nayudu and Veerama Raja. All their soldiers were well armed, the archers and musqueteers with their quilted tunics and the shieldmen with their swords and poignards in their girdles. The shields were so large that there was no need for armour to protect the body. The horses were in full clothing and elephants had large howdahs from which four men fight on each side of them. The elephants were completely clothed. Sharp knives were fastened to their tusks. Several cannon were also taken. About twenty thousand washermen and courtesans accompanied the army. In the rear with the king, but always on the road in front of him, twelve thousand men with leather water bags placed themselves along the road to give water to those in need. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ...

The King proceeded till he arrived at the town of Mallayyabanda (Maliyabad), which is a league from the city of Raichur. A royal tent was pitched behind a makeshift hedge of brush-wood and thorns. The army was given rest to overcome the fatigue of the march.

The army upon nearing the fort of Raichur pitched the camp on the eastern side of that citadel and began the siege. After an interval Raya received intelligence of the arrival of Adil Shah on the north side of the Krishna, with an army of 140,000 horse and foot. The sultan rested his troops for a few days, crossed the river, advanced to within nine miles of Raichur and entrenched himself there leaving the river about five miles behind him.

Nuniz described the atmosphere in the camp of Raya:

“--where the supplies were so great that you could find everything that you wanted, where you saw the goldsmiths and artisans at work as if in a city, where you will find all kinds of precious stones offered for sale, and where no one who did not understand the meaning of what he saw would ever dream that a war was going on, but would think that he was in a prosperous city”.

The engagement

On Saturday morning, May 19, in the year 1520 CE the forces became engaged. Raya’s army made a tremendous noise heralding the engagement. The extraordinary noise made by the drums, trumpets and shouts of the men was so great so that even the birds fell down into the soldiers' hands stricken with terror and “it seemed as if the sky would fall to the earth” and "if you asked anything, you could not hear yourself speak, and you had to ask by signs”.

Krishna Deva Raya ordered an advance to his immediate front of the two forward divisions. Their attack was successful and the Muslims were driven back to their trenches. The Sultan opened fire from the guns that he had previously held in reserve and caused great loss in the close ranks of the Hindus. The Raya's troops fell back in face of formidable bombardment and at once the Muslims charged them. The retreat was changed to a rout, and for a mile and a half to their direct front the Sultan’s cavalry chased the Raya’s forces belonging to the first line. Krishna Deva Raya, who commanded the second line, rallied the troops, collected about him a number of the nayaks, and determined to face death with the bravery that had always characterized him, plunged into the battle. Mounting his horse, he ordered a forward movement of the whole of his remaining divisions, and charged the now disordered ranks of the Muslims. This resulted in complete success and the Sultan’s army got scattered and fled before the Hindu onslaught way back to, and into the river, where a great slaughter took place.

Krishna Deva Raya then crossed the river and seized the Shah's camp, while the Shah himself with the help of Asad Khan escaped and fled from the field on an elephant.

While being driven back towards the river, Salabat Khan, the Shah's general, made a valiant attempt to retrieve the fortunes of the day. Salabat Khan lost his horse, but at once mounted another and pressed on. The little force was, however, surrounded and annihilated. The general was made prisoner. Krishna Deva Raya, flushed with victory, returned at once to the attack of Raichur and the fortress was captured. The assistance rendered by some Portuguese, headed by Christovao de Figueiredo was noteworthy. The Portuguese with their arquebusses picked off the defenders from the walls, and thus enabled the besiegers to approach close to the lines of fortification and pull down the stones. Driven to desperation, and their governor being slain, the garrison surrendered. This article needs cleanup. ... Raichur, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, is the capital of the Raichur district, an administrative district in the state of Karnataka (formerly Mysore) in India. ... For people named Garrison, see Garrison (disambiguation) Garrison House, built by William Damm in 1675 at Dover, New Hampshire Garrison (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, to equip) is the collective term for the body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but...

The aftermath

Political fallout

References

• Robert Sewell - A Forgotten Empire Vijayanagar: A Contribution to the History of India, 1901.
• Rayavachakam - Viswanatharaya Sthanapati (in Telugu).
• Krishnaraja Vijayam - Kumara Dhurjati (in Telugu).
• Sougandhika Prasavapaharanamu by Ratnakaram Gopala Kavi (in Telugu).
• K. Iswara Dutt, Journal of Andhra Historical Research Society. Vol. 10, pp. 222-224.

(http://historion.net/r.sewell-vijayanagar-history-india/)

Categories: History of Andhra Pradesh

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