The Aftermath of Talikota: Vijayanagar in Ruins
During the reign of emperor Sadashiva Raya, Vijayanagar empire faced a decisive moment at the Battle of Talikota in January 1565. This battle took place between Aliya Rama Raya, the regent and defacto ruler of Vijayanagar, and the four Deccan Sultans - Ali Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur, Ibrahim Qutub Shah, the Sultan of Golconda, Hussein Nizam Shah, the Sultan of Ahmednagar, and Ali Barid Shah, the Sultan of Bidar.
As the dust settled on the blood-soaked plains of Talikota, the unthinkable had occurred. The Sultans' ability to unite despite their past rivalries was a big reason for their win over the Vijayanagar army. Rama Raya suffered defeat and was beheaded by Hussein Nizam Shah. Rama's brother Tirumala managed to escape from the battlefield.
Seeing their chief dead, the Vijayanagar troops fled in disorder towards the capital. They were pursued for a few leagues, many were killed, and the rest fled.
The allied armies of the Sultans remained on the battlefield for more than ten days, collecting valuable spoils. "The plunder was so great that every private man in the allied army became rich in gold, jewels, tents, arms, horses and slaves, the kings permitting every person to retain what he acquired, reserving the elephants only for their own use," states Ferishta.
As mentioned in the Burhan-i-Maasir, "The victors captured jewels, ornaments, furniture, camels, tents, camp equipage, drums, standards, maidservants, menservants, and arms and armour of all sorts in such quantities that the whole army was enriched."
Caesar Frederick, who visited Vijayanagar in 1567, documented: "When the news came to the city of the overthrow in the battle, the wives and children of these three tyrants (Rama Raya, Tirumala and Venkadadri), with their lawful king (Sadashiva Raya, who was kept prisoner) fled away."
The victorious Sultans then marched towards the defenseless capital (Hampi). The populace had hidden their wealth in homes, temples, mountains and caves. The allied armies of the three Sultans (It seems that Ali Barid Shah did not come to the capital) dug up the land and found plenty of riches in houses and temples.
Vijayanagar has many mountains with crevices and streams. Just a few leagues below the caves, there are pathways of varying widths, some wide and some narrow. In certain areas, it is so dark that a torch is needed for safe passage, while in others, the sky provides light. Many residents sought refuge in these caves after the battle. The Sultans' army found several hiding spots and captured women, children, and their possessions.
Some who stayed in the caves come out at night and returned back with buried wealth. However, the Sultans' army caught wind of their activities and set up camp along the paths leading to the caves. When the people emerged at midnight, they were captured and their wealth was seized.
The pursuit for wealth became so intense that even slaves and servants disobeyed their masters and busied themselves on searching for wealth.
One day, while strolling through the city streets, Nizam Shah came across a group of street dwellers and Bijapur soldiers distributing a jar of wine adorned with diamonds, cash, and pearls among themselves. When soldiers from the Nizam Shahi army arrived and tried to claim their share, a violent quarrel erupted where many were killed and wounded on both sides. Worried that the quarrel and greed for riches would spread to higher classes and even the Sultans themselves, Nizam Shah took drastic action. He ordered grass, shrubs, firewood, and other fuel to be gathered and stored in various locations throughout the city, including houses, markets, and temples, and then set them on fire. This led to the destruction of several large buildings and an area of about 60 miles was burnt. This effectively ended the search for wealth.
According to Burhan-i-Maasir, the Sultans spent four months in Vijayanagar, destroying temples, dwellings and completely ravaging all the buildings in the area.
Portuguese historian Faria e Sousa observed that the Deccan kings spent five months in plundering the capital, although the natives had managed to transport 1550 elephants loaded with money and jewels worth over one hundred millions of gold, besides the priceless royal throne, in three days. Nevertheless, Ali Adil Shah got a diamond as large as a regular egg, on which the feather of the late king's horse used to be fixed, as well as another of extraordinary size though smaller, and other incredibly valuable jewels.
Caesar Frederick noted, "The four kings of the Moors entered the city with great triumph, and there they remained six months, searching under houses and in all places for money and other things that were hidden." Shirazi also states that the allied armies stayed on the bank of Tungabhadra for six months.
Shirazi recounts that Nizam Shah and Qutub Shah harbored malicious intentions and reluctantly consented to further conquests in Vijayanagar, because they had promised the gains to Ali Adil Shah before the battle. Moreover, they were jealous of Ali's growing power, especially if he took control of Raichur and Mudgal. They were also worried that if Ali turned against them, it would jeopardize their safe departure from the region.
Nizam Shah devised a plan and sent a letter to Ali falsely claiming that Imad Shah of Berar (Tufal Khan) had invaded Ahmednagar, and convinced Ali to allow them to march against the invader. Sensing that Nizam and Qutb were obstacles to his success, Ali permitted them to depart. Subsequently, the Adil Shahi troops captured the forts of Raichur and Mudgal. After organizing the administration of these territories, Ali Adil Shah returned to his capital.
A Golconda chronicle mentions that the commanders of the three armies, Mustafa Khan of Golconda, Kishwar Khan of Bijapur, and Maulana Inayatulla of Ahmednagar were sent together to conquer the forts of Raichur and Mudgal. After the conquest, Mustafa Khan handed over the keys of the forts to Kishwar Khan, the commander of Bijapur.
History of Vijayanagara in Tazkiratul Muluk of Rafiuddin Shirazi By Dr. Abdul Gani Imaratwale
A Chapter on the Reign of Ali Adil Shah of Bijapur By K.K. Basu
A General History of Voyages and Travels to the End of the 18th Century By Robert Kerr
As the dust settled on the blood-soaked plains of Talikota, the unthinkable had occurred. The Sultans' ability to unite despite their past rivalries was a big reason for their win over the Vijayanagar army. Rama Raya suffered defeat and was beheaded by Hussein Nizam Shah. Rama's brother Tirumala managed to escape from the battlefield.
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| AI representation of the ancient city |
Seeing their chief dead, the Vijayanagar troops fled in disorder towards the capital. They were pursued for a few leagues, many were killed, and the rest fled.
The allied armies of the Sultans remained on the battlefield for more than ten days, collecting valuable spoils. "The plunder was so great that every private man in the allied army became rich in gold, jewels, tents, arms, horses and slaves, the kings permitting every person to retain what he acquired, reserving the elephants only for their own use," states Ferishta.
As mentioned in the Burhan-i-Maasir, "The victors captured jewels, ornaments, furniture, camels, tents, camp equipage, drums, standards, maidservants, menservants, and arms and armour of all sorts in such quantities that the whole army was enriched."
Tirumala Leaves Vijayanagar
Upon hearing of Rama Raya's defeat and execution, Tirumala hurried back to the capital. The royal city was in chaos as the inhabitants rushed to seek safety. Tirumala, along with his family, relatives, his brothers' families, courtiers, government officials, treasury and other valuables, as well as the puppet sovereign Sadashiva, left Vijayanagar, seeking refuge at Penukonda.Caesar Frederick, who visited Vijayanagar in 1567, documented: "When the news came to the city of the overthrow in the battle, the wives and children of these three tyrants (Rama Raya, Tirumala and Venkadadri), with their lawful king (Sadashiva Raya, who was kept prisoner) fled away."
Sultans in Vijayanagar
Rafiuddin Shirazi, a Persian noble in the service of Ali Adil Shah, accompanied him in the battle of Talikota. He provides an eyewitness account of the events that followed the battle.The victorious Sultans then marched towards the defenseless capital (Hampi). The populace had hidden their wealth in homes, temples, mountains and caves. The allied armies of the three Sultans (It seems that Ali Barid Shah did not come to the capital) dug up the land and found plenty of riches in houses and temples.
Vijayanagar has many mountains with crevices and streams. Just a few leagues below the caves, there are pathways of varying widths, some wide and some narrow. In certain areas, it is so dark that a torch is needed for safe passage, while in others, the sky provides light. Many residents sought refuge in these caves after the battle. The Sultans' army found several hiding spots and captured women, children, and their possessions.
Some who stayed in the caves come out at night and returned back with buried wealth. However, the Sultans' army caught wind of their activities and set up camp along the paths leading to the caves. When the people emerged at midnight, they were captured and their wealth was seized.
The pursuit for wealth became so intense that even slaves and servants disobeyed their masters and busied themselves on searching for wealth.
One day, while strolling through the city streets, Nizam Shah came across a group of street dwellers and Bijapur soldiers distributing a jar of wine adorned with diamonds, cash, and pearls among themselves. When soldiers from the Nizam Shahi army arrived and tried to claim their share, a violent quarrel erupted where many were killed and wounded on both sides. Worried that the quarrel and greed for riches would spread to higher classes and even the Sultans themselves, Nizam Shah took drastic action. He ordered grass, shrubs, firewood, and other fuel to be gathered and stored in various locations throughout the city, including houses, markets, and temples, and then set them on fire. This led to the destruction of several large buildings and an area of about 60 miles was burnt. This effectively ended the search for wealth.
 |
| AI representation of burning city |
According to Burhan-i-Maasir, the Sultans spent four months in Vijayanagar, destroying temples, dwellings and completely ravaging all the buildings in the area.
Portuguese historian Faria e Sousa observed that the Deccan kings spent five months in plundering the capital, although the natives had managed to transport 1550 elephants loaded with money and jewels worth over one hundred millions of gold, besides the priceless royal throne, in three days. Nevertheless, Ali Adil Shah got a diamond as large as a regular egg, on which the feather of the late king's horse used to be fixed, as well as another of extraordinary size though smaller, and other incredibly valuable jewels.
Caesar Frederick noted, "The four kings of the Moors entered the city with great triumph, and there they remained six months, searching under houses and in all places for money and other things that were hidden." Shirazi also states that the allied armies stayed on the bank of Tungabhadra for six months.
Post-Talikota Conquests in Vijayanagar
Caesar Frederick suggests that the Sultans left for their own kingdoms because they were unable to maintain control of such a vast territory so far from their own country. However, Frederick's explanation for the evacuation of Vijayanagar is unconvincing. It is more probable that they could not agree on the partition, with each being afraid of the others gaining dominance.Shirazi recounts that Nizam Shah and Qutub Shah harbored malicious intentions and reluctantly consented to further conquests in Vijayanagar, because they had promised the gains to Ali Adil Shah before the battle. Moreover, they were jealous of Ali's growing power, especially if he took control of Raichur and Mudgal. They were also worried that if Ali turned against them, it would jeopardize their safe departure from the region.
Nizam Shah devised a plan and sent a letter to Ali falsely claiming that Imad Shah of Berar (Tufal Khan) had invaded Ahmednagar, and convinced Ali to allow them to march against the invader. Sensing that Nizam and Qutb were obstacles to his success, Ali permitted them to depart. Subsequently, the Adil Shahi troops captured the forts of Raichur and Mudgal. After organizing the administration of these territories, Ali Adil Shah returned to his capital.
A Golconda chronicle mentions that the commanders of the three armies, Mustafa Khan of Golconda, Kishwar Khan of Bijapur, and Maulana Inayatulla of Ahmednagar were sent together to conquer the forts of Raichur and Mudgal. After the conquest, Mustafa Khan handed over the keys of the forts to Kishwar Khan, the commander of Bijapur.
Note
Tufal Khan, the regent of Berar, 5th of the Deccan Sultanates, did not participate in the battle of Talikota.Reference
The Voyages and Travels of M. Caesar Frederick, Merchant of Venice, into the East Indies, and beyond the Indies. Translated from the Italian by M. Thomas HickockeHistory of Vijayanagara in Tazkiratul Muluk of Rafiuddin Shirazi By Dr. Abdul Gani Imaratwale
A Chapter on the Reign of Ali Adil Shah of Bijapur By K.K. Basu
A General History of Voyages and Travels to the End of the 18th Century By Robert Kerr
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