The Maharaja of Vijayanagar

thanks for the support. here is the second installment.

In the center of our Kingdom, coiled like a serpent in our very bosom, was the land of the perfidious Raj of Mysore. Although he claimed to be a Hindu believer, the evil Raj's wickedness was plain for all to see. On my first birthday (Feb. 17, 1420) our glorious Maharaja declared war on the evil Raj and sent his mighty armies into the mountainous province.
The cruel Raj was ready for our troops. The battle was long and hard. The over-reaching Raj even sent troops into our beautiful province of Mangalore and laid siege to the city there for several weeks, before our mighty army drove him away. The siege of Mysore lasted for more than a year, with several bloody battles, before the Raj finally collapsed in exhaustion and surrendered to our irresistible Maharaja. Before he fell the evil Raj brought plague down on poor Kerala, killing 5000. Our merciful sovereign executed the traitor and annexed his lands (May 1, 1421).
Our enlightened Maharaja sent a detachment to investigate the distant province of Pondicherry in February 1421. Our soldiers were met there by a savage race that cruelly used them and forced our men to find shelter. All through the spring and summer our soldiers and colonists went to Pondicherry and were beaten and killed. Finally a colony was founded there in March 1422.
Although the last years of our great Maharaja's reign were filled with blood and war, he had peaceful pursuits as well. From his peaceful meditation garden our enlightened leader sent merchants to Delhi, significantly expanding our trade in the infidel's marketplace. He signed a military alliance with the Raja of Orissa (Sept. 19, 1420) and sent one of his less-favored daughters in marriage to the infidel Emir of Bengal (Dec. 8, 1421).
The events of June 26, 1422 brought a sudden end to the reign of our glorious leader, when news reached his palace. In far Pondicherry the savage natives had fallen on our tiny settlement and killed every man, woman and child and burned their homes to the ground. It took several days for the news to reach Vijayanagar, but when it did (July 3, 1422) the Maharaja had time to bark out only one word, "Revenge," before collapsing into paralysis of which he died the following day.

Part II: The Short Reigns 1422 - 1423

Deva Raya I was not an old man when he died and the only heir he left was an infant boy named Ramachandra. The new tiny Maharaja was beautiful, but sickly. His uncle, Vijaya, Deva Raya I's older brother, ruled as regent during the short reign of Ramachandra. During Ramachandra's reign the great Army of Bangalore was sent to punish the savages of Pondicherry and fulfill the dying Maharaja's last word.

The infant Maharaja died before the first month of his reign was over and his uncle and regent, Vijaya, ascended the throne as Vijaya Raya I on July 30, 1422. Vijaya Raya was an old man when he became Maharaja. His reign was troubled and problems took a toll on the health of our ruler.

In August the Army of Bangalore arrived in Pondicherry, taking a terrible toll on the savages there. General Sharanpur exacted severe, but just revenge on the natives of Pondicherry. There was a great massacre of the natives and Pondicherry was opened to the expansion of the Hindu Dharma.

In October a great scandal rocked the nation when the Prince of Mangalore was discovered in a traitorous plot with the Emir of Malwa. The plot was a challenge to the feeble Maharaja and an attempt to put the wicked Prince of Mangalore on the golden throne of Vijayanagar. The failing leader sent troops to capture the traitor in Mangalore, but he slipped across the border into Hyderabad and went into exile in the far province of Gujarat.

The army prepared for war against the wicked Emir of Malwa, but the order never came. Before the end of October the Maharaja was laid low with pneumonia. He slipped in and out of consciousness for the next two months and passed away quietly on the night of December 28, 1422.

Part III: The Young Tiger Deva Raya II 1423 - 1424

The kingdom was in confusion and fear for several days and the stability of the government was in doubt. Factions vied for power and finally a compromise was settled on. The old Maharaja's youngest son, only 19 years old, was chosen. The young man was considered to be stupid and sickly and his reign was expected to be another short one. On January 2, 1423 the new Maharaja ascended the throne as Deva Raya II.

thanks judge, i understand why you hate to see mysore go. nice job on your aar.

Lord British - i must say your fascist france HoI aar is excellent. i will have to read more of your work.

stroph - all i can say is "nice work". you have several good aars.


Deva Raya II 1423 - 1424

The next day the young Maharaja's beautiful sister, Lakshmi was married in a grand ceremony to the Raj of Orissa, strengthening the bonds with our Hindu brothers and cementing the alliance with the small kingdom on the northeast coast. Little did the new monarch know that this alliance would be fateful and nearly bring an early end to his reign, if not his life.

The young king exceeded expectations in the first year of his reign, concentrating on trade, increasing our market presence in Delhi and founding a new colony at Pondicherry (April 5, 1423). Stability was slowly increasing and soon the young Maharaja was showing signs of new vigor. In February 1424, a land reclamation project in Cochin expanded the land area and population in that lovely province. Early in March Deva Raya II sent a temple bell, cast in pure gold, as a present to the Emir of Hyderabad. This was done in an attempt to improve relations with our northern neighbor and try to split the alliance of the Sultan of Delhi. The Maharaja ordered the exploration and settlement of Palakimedi and Goa, extending our northeastern and northwestern frontiers. To this end Col. Mulat set out from Bangalore with a small force bound for Palakimedi. A group of colonists were dispatched to Goa, where they founded a colony on May 2, 1424.

Before the glad tidings from the northwest could reach Vijayanagar, the news of Colonel Mulat's fate reached the palace. The savages of Palakimedi massacred the colonel's troops and, it was rumored, roasted and ate the colonel himself. The Maharaja was furious. He flew into a horrible rage and ordered General Sharanpur to march the Army of Bangalore to Palakimedi and punish the natives there.

The army arrived in the far province only two weeks after the savage chief's horrible barbecue. The fighting was furious and when the dust settled there was not a living native to be found anywhere in the province. Once again, justice was done and the way was paved for the expansion of the Hindu Dharma.

The Maharaja had also dispatched a force to Bombay, to further expand our frontier in the northwest. They arrived on May 17, 1424 and encountering resistance indulged in a native massacre of their own (June 3, 1423). When news of the massacre reached the ears of our noble leader his anger subsided and he was consumed with regret. He retired to meditation on the seacoast of Trivandrum, where he remained for the rest of the summer and most of the fall.

Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone. so far i have played up to 1473 and have made two serious pushes toward Sri Lanka - the natives there are very tough.

here is a new update:

The young ruler returned to Vijayanagar late in the fall with plans for a royal wedding and a navy. On November 2, 1424 the Maharaja's youngest and ugliest sister was wed to the infidel Emir of Hyderabad. The monarch intended to strengthen our defenses by marrying his sister to the evil Emir in hopes that our border with Hyderabad would be peaceful. His eye was turned in another direction, to the Emirate of Gujarat.

Gujarat is an ancient and beautiful Hindu city on the far northwest coast of India. For centuries this jewel in the crown of India had been under the thumb of the petty despot, the Emir of Gujarat. Deva Raya II burned with desire to free the glorious city. To this end the keel was laid for the first warship of the Maharaja's Fleet.

Deva Raya II wanted war with Gujarat, but first he needed to prepare for victory and contrive a justification to wrest the beautiful city from its foreign conqueror.

To prepare the economy for the stress of war, Deva Raya II instituted a new system of tax collection in Bangalore and Madras. Through the years of his reign the Maharaja increased the reach of his tax collectors until they were active in every city in the kingdom.

To secure the northeast frontier he dispatched colonists to Palakimedi, but the harsh climate of that inhospitable land defeated their efforts (April 7, 1425). That spring the Maharaja toured the northern border, speaking of the need for defense and expansion of the Hindu Dharma. The young ruler displayed a previously unknown charisma during this tour and the young nobles of the land responded with enthusiasm for the army (June 16, 1425) resulting in a large recruitment of 5000 infantry in Maharashta.

Once again the Maharaja retired to the seacoast of Trivandrum for a summer of meditation and rest. He returned to Vijayanagar in September 1425 with new energy and spirit. Using the excuse of the poor treatment of his sister by her husband, the Emir of Hyderabad, Deva Raya II issued an anti-Moslem proclamation on September 5, 1425.

The Maharaja's proclamation severely curtailed the rights of the followers of Islam within the borders of his kingdom. It was calculated to put pressure on the Emir of Gujarat and to force him to war. The insensitive infidel ignored the Maharaja's provocation and the frustrated young monarch had to devise another plan.

The issue that finally led to war was the colonization of Bombay. In July 1426 an attempt to found a colony in the far northwestern province was defeated. The Maharaja blamed the wicked Emir of Gujarat, which bordered Bombay, for the failure. A new warship was ordered built, doubling the Maharaja's Fleet and a massive recruitment of forces and their concentration in Bombay was carried out through the fall and winter.

On April 24, 1427 a skirmish between forces of Vijayanagar and Gujarat on the northern border of Bombay soon blew up into a major dispute. The Maharaja pressed the issue and after two days of bellicose exchanges a colony was founded in Bombay and war was declared on Gujarat. Our noble allies in Orissa joined us in our just war.

COMING SOON ! -- TRUE TALES OF THE POPES : AN AAR

Part V: War with the Emir of Gujarat 1427- 1431

The siege of the ancient city of Gujarat was the main pivot point of my young life. I received word from my father on my 11th birthday (Feb. 17, 1430). He had survived a great battle outside the walls of the fabled city and had killed many of the Emir's soldiers. The siege of the city had taken two years, during which time I had no word from my father. The ancient city had fallen to our forces in late November 1429. It was the last I would ever hear from my heroic father, for he fell in the fighting at Gujarat on March 10, 1432, but that was another war.

I followed the news of the war with the Emir of Gujarat in the way only a young boy with a missing father can. News was hard to come by, but I was all ears. No one suspected that the ten-year-old quietly playing nearby was listening and remembering every word.

I heard tales of fighting in the far-off desert outpost of Indus and in the exotic Emirate of Kutch, where the "Shaking Emir" lay under siege in his palace. I heard tales of the hardship in Bombay and the harsh far-off land of Palakimedi, which still defied colonization. I heard tales of the merchant caravans to Isfahan in the distant empire of Timur the Lame. I heard of our naval exploits in blockading Gujarat and the great naval victory we had there.

I thrilled with victory when at last the Emir's palace in Kutch was taken, Dec. 18, 1429, but the Emir was nowhere to be found. Less "shaky" than quick, the Emir had escaped into the desert province of Indus and rallied his troops.

The Emir's absence only increased the wave of religious pessimism known as the Jain Conspiracy, begun on Dec. 12 when travelling Jain clerics urged workers to withhold their labor in protest of war. (Wave of Obscurantism +3 revolt risk).

I joined other children in jeering the "Dirty" Raja, when the Raj of Orissa signed a separate peace with Gujarat, Jan. 4, 1429. We celebrated with fireworks, traded with the newly discovered land of China (Not quite sure how we discovered them, but there they are.) when a colony was finally established in Palakimedi, July 28, 1429.

On November 23, 1429 Gujarat surrendered. I believed my father was there, but I would have no confirmation until the end of the season. After the fall of Gujarat there were rumors of peace moves, but nothing came of it. Instead our troops defeated the Emir in the desert and laid siege to his last stronghold in Indus Jan. 14, 1430. Our fleet patrolled offshore, blockading the Emir's port and starving the city into submission.

The city fell on November 5, 1430, but the Emir remained under siege in his palace, refusing to surrender, except to the Maharaja himself. At last on March 22, 1431, the Young Tiger, as Deva Raya II was starting to be known, received the Emir of Gujarat in the Emir's palace in Gujarat. The Emir bowed down before our sovereign and swore fealty to the Maharaja and his descendants. He also ceded Gujarat to the Maharaja and vowed never to subjugate Hindus again.

The Maharaja was only 27 years old and he truly felt worthy of the honorific Maha (meaning great) in his title. He gave orders to expand the navy (new warship in Trivandrum), sent a letter of conciliation to the Raja of Orissa healing the slight wounds to our alliance, dispatched merchants to Delhi trying to repair the damage the war did to our trade and took the first daughter of the Raja of Jodphur as his wife. The woman who would become our beloved Maharini Indira, was a shy child of 15 when she retired to the seashore of Trivandrum with her husband Aug. 1, 1431. Admittedly it was a long honeymoon, but before it was over a crisis would test the loyalty of the new queen and the ability of the young king.

well now, i wouldn't say that.

another update soon.

ladyfabia - well, that was the original plan, but i could never manage to get change religions as a usable option for peace negotiations. i had the same problem later with the Sultan of Delhi. maybe there is a trick i don't know?

Part VI: Year of Survival 1432

It was our shortest war, but it was the most traumatic for the inhabitants of Vijayanagar. An old quarrel between the Raja of Orissa and the Emir of Bengal erupted in early January 1432. The Young Tiger lazed by the seashore and had just received the happy news that his wife was with child.

Events degenerated quickly and before anyone knew it the Maharaja was presented with the need to defend our ally against the Sultan of Delhi, the Emirs of Bengal and Hyderabad and his own father-in-law, the Raja of Jodphur.

With tears in his eyes, the Young Tiger confronted his pregnant child-bride, the apple of his eye and demanded that she choose her husband or her father. Without hesitation the child swore loyalty to her husband and her land Vijayanagar. In that instant the young girl became the woman who inspired her nation.

The angry Raja of Jodphur was the first to attack putting my father under siege in Gujarat in February 1432. It was in the battle to lift this siege that my father died on March 10, 1432. The Emir of Bengal, was not far behind, attacking our colony at Palakimedi on February 10. Our forces marched into Hyderabad on March 3, 1432, intending to capture the Emir. The harsh terrain and constant harassment from the Emir's forces left our troops too weak to fight. When they reached the plains of Pune, they were wiped-out to a man.

All through March the nation worried as our forces were routed in Palakimedi, in Gujarat and in Hyderabad. Things looked dark for the Hindu Dharma. At last on April 2, 1432 the Sultan of Delhi agreed to a White Peace and the threat of his huge force was taken off. Our forces moved north through Rajputanah and approached the Maharaja's father-in-law.

In the northeast we had lost Palakimedi and Hyderabad was attacking Yanam. On April 23. 1432 the Raj of Jodphur surrendered his forces at Rajputana. The Young Tiger was on the battle-field that day and he and his father-in-law spoke in private for several minutes after the surrender. No one knows what was said. The Raja would be dead by his own hand before the end of the year and Indira's brother would take the throne in Jodphur. No more would Jodphur ally with the hated Sultan of Delhi. From now on her future would be tied to that of the Maharaja of Vijayanagar.

The Sultan and the Raj brought pressure to bear on the two Emirs and soon a White Peace was concluded. The Maharaja returned to Vijayanagar in May and remained diligently at his post, increasing our trade in Delhi and promoting stability within his government (+3 stability in November 1432).

On September 27, 1432 an heir was born to our young queen and her mighty husband. Vijaya was born to be Maharaja, but his time was still a way off.

thank you all for reading and commenting. your encouragement is much appreciated. i will have a new update soon.

meanwhile i hope you will also enjoy my True Tales of the Pope ( there is a link in my signature.)