A Forgotten Empire, Vijayanagar - A Contribution to the History of India (Robert Sewell, 1900)

(291 pages)

Gift from Chris and Dharma.

Author was a British civil servant with interest in Indian history; his book pulls together information about a powerful empire in southern India named Vijayanagar which rose and fell from 1316 - 1614 (dates approximate); author also includes information from two Portuguese contemporaries who visited.

I learn that the main ruins are in a town (UNESCO site) named "Hampi" - it looks quite amazing on Google Earth.

Interesting on many levels.  For example - so much of the action is happening right around 1500 - close in time to Columbus, Martin Luther, Charles V - so much dramatic stuff happening simultaneously.

Much conflict between Islamic forces and Hindu forces - Islamic groups pushing down from the north; author speculates that Vijayanagar came together as southern India groups recognized the need to combine forces to fend off the threat from the north.

Also interesting - the Portuguese making their presence felt - while quite significant, I didn't get the impression that they were balance-tippers the way whites tended to operate in say Mexico and Peru.  Probably because the indigenous armies were so huge, or at least reported as such.

As with so many successful empires (or family businesses, for that matter) - dynamic, charismatic, successful leaders in the early going; then things start to slip.

The chroniclers (Islamic and Western both) report huge armies (complete with cavalry and elephants), temples, city walls, festivals - and admit a reader might be skeptical of the reported numbers - I wonder exactly how large these were.  Really large, I'd guess.  Certainly would require incredible organization, tax-collecting capability, wealth - even if numbers are somewhat exaggerated - to muster anywhere near the kind of forces described.  Whatever the facts, it must have been pretty impressive.

So much driven by religious differences - or perhaps just land/power grab by persons of a different religion?  Hard to tell where that line falls.

The quoted Muslim sources, and the English author - both tend to discuss Hindu practice in terms of heathens, idols, etc.  While describing religious practices (temples, fasting, dietary principles, feast-day celebrations, etc.) that in many cases would seem right at home in a Christian setting.

Very focused on kings and battles, also life at court.  A little more daily-life stuff would have been good.  But:  I liked it.