~ History of India ~

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Vijayanagar Empire

Vijayanagar Empire was an empire established in the southern state of Karnataka in India. It covered the entire Deccan region of Peninsular India. The Vijayanagar Empire was founded by a ruler named Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I around 1336. The Vijayanagar dynasty receives its name from the capital city of Vijayanagar. The ruins of this city surround the modern city of Hampi and are declared a World Heritage Site. Read further about the Vijayanagar Empire.

The Vijayanagar Empire was famous for its rich heritage and beautifully constructed monuments that were spread over Southern India. The rich cultural heritage of South India was the main inspiration for temple architectural styles. The construction style of Hindu temples was inspired from the blending of different faiths and languages. Local granite was used in building temples first in the Deccan region and then in the Dravidian regions. The rulers of the Vijayanagar Empire were admirers of fine arts and encouraged people to indulge themselves in music, dance and handicrafts.

Trade and commerce was carried on vigorously and this brought about new ideas and a multitude of changes in the kingdom. Irrigation and water management systems were enhanced and developed during the Vijayanagar dynasty. Languages like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Sanskrit developed and literature reached new heights. South Indian classical music known as Carnatic music developed tremendously and achieved its current form. Vijayanagar kingdom created an era where Hinduism was a unifying factor and went beyond all boundaries of language and beliefs.

The Vijayanagar Empire emerged as one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Peninsular India and ruled there for 200 years. The empire was so strong that four Muslim kingdoms had to come together to destroy this strong kingdom. The ruins of this great kingdom can be seen even today at Hampi which has been declared a protected site by the UNESCO.

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Alauddin Khilji

The second ruler of the Khilji dynasty in India was Alauddin Khilji. He was the nephew as well as the son-in-law of Jalal-ud-Din Khilji. During the reign of Jalal-ud-Din Khilji, Alauddin Khilji was appointed the Governor of Awadh and Kara. However, he wanted to consolidate his position by becoming the ruler of the Khilji dynasty. Due to his ambitious nature, he killed Jalal-ud-Din Khilji, marched to Delhi and proclaimed himself as the king. His life history is presented in the form of this biography of Alauddin Khalji.

Alauddin Khilji is known for his war tactics when the Mongols attacked Delhi. The constant attack by the Mongols in India caused much panic and anxiety to the government under Alauddin Khilji. The Mongols attacked almost a dozen times during the reign of Alauddin Khilji. Every time, some division of Alauddin's army defeated them. However, in 1299, the Mongols came to Delhi not rob, but to establish themselves. This time, Alauddin went with a huge army and defeated the Mongols badly. When they attacked again in 1307, Alauddin taught them a tough lesson. The Mongols were so terrified after this experience that they never dared to step in India.

Alauddin then led an expedition towards the south of India. He was said to be the first Muslim king who went to the south to expand his territory. He made a slave named Malik Kafur the army chief. Kafur proved to be a brave army chief and plundered many kingdoms in the south of India. He brought back many riches like gold, silver, gems, etc. and impressed Alauddin. The constant successes in the battles made Malik Kafur very powerful. At one point of time, Alauddin was reduced to a puppet dancing to his tunes. Finally, Malik Kafur is said to have poisoned Alauddin Khilji and murdered him.

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Bhakti Movement

The Bhakti movement in India took place as an effort to inculcate loving devotion and belief in God. The Bhakti movement in India aimed at the principle of monotheism, i.e. existence of one God. It started in the South of India and slowly spread to the north of India. This happened during the later half of the medieval period in the history of India (800-1700 A.D). The real essence of Bhakti is found in the great epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. The Vedic scriptures also talk about the concept of pure devotion of God.

Many saints and devotional preachers led the Bhakti movement in different parts of the country. In south, around 63 Nayanars or Shaivite devotees organized and led the movement. They believed in the fact that true knowledge can be achieved only through selfless devotion and worship of the Supreme Power. The Bhakti movement of the Vaishnavaites and that of the Shaiva were simultaneous and started almost together. The Bhakti movements started then, have left an indelible mark in human beliefs and faiths.

The Bhakti movement started the trend of elaborate rituals in worship places. Devotional hymns in Temples, Qawalli in Mosques, Gurbani in Gurudwaras, etc. all came from the Bhakti movement. Chanting or taking the name of God was considered essential by many saints including the great Adi Shankaracharya. The significance of Bhakti movement was that it could be accessed by anyone, since all it needed was to remember God with full devotion and love.

The esteemed philosophical schools only changed the thoughts, but the Bhakti movement changed the entire perspective of a human. It went beyond artificial beliefs and rituals and encouraged people to have just complete faith in Almighty. The Bhakti movement in India gave a rich collection of literature based on devotion, spirituality, faith and numerous devotional hymns and chants.

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Mohammad Bin Tughlaq

Mohammad Bin Tughlaq was the second Tughlaq ruler of Delhi. He was born in 1325 and ruled Delhi from 1325 to 1351. Mohammad Bin Tughlaq was the eldest son of the founder of Tughlaq dynasty in India, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. Mohammad Bin Tughlaq is supposed to have killed his father to gain authority to the throne. Throughout his life history, Muhammed Bin Tughluq was known to be a maniac who was a crazy and cold hearted ruler. His biography states that he had a penchant for coins and is said to have introduced a huge number of gold coins with fine calligraphy work.

The greatest mistake committed by Mohammad Bin Tughlaq was to shift his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, located in the Deccan region of India. He did this in order to administer the provinces located in the south. Not only did he move his entire government, he forcibly moved the entire population of Delhi to Daulatabad. However, things did not work out as he had planned them and due to adequate amenities, the capital was shifted back to Delhi after two years. The population was greatly affected by this step and many of the people died on the way due to pathetic travel arrangements.

Mohammed Bin Tughlaq introduced token currency in India after being inspired by the Chinese. Most of the coins were made of brass and copper, while gold and silver coins were kept for the royal treasury. However, the copper coins were easy to forge and this led to massive losses in the royal office. His unsuccessful experiments made him quite unpopular with the people and his contemporaries. Poor administration in his empire led to internal aggression and revolts. This weakened his empire and led to irreversible damages. He finally died while on a campaign at Sindh.