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Fiftypence

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Aug 19, 2004
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Part 1 - The Fall of the City of Victory

vij5shiva.jpg

Lord Shiva the destroyer.

Outside Kalikota
26th January 1565


Oh Lord Vishnu, preserve me.

That was the first thought that entered Devesh Chandra's mind as he set eyes for the first time on the combined armies of the northern Sultanates, who stood in unison against Vijayanagar, poor, solitary, lonesome and hated. He could not tell how many there were, but the columns seemed to stretch out into infinity, and in the plumes of dust left in their wake he imagined he could see the grinning, cruel faces of the asuras, mocking and taunting the army of the City of Victory, at the head of which was Rama Raja, the ruler of the empire.

For a few seconds everything went still, and Devesh heard the delightful, peaceful sound of the gently lapping waters of the River Krishna before being almost defeaned by the sound of artillery fire, from the other side of the river. He watched in horror as the cannons smashed into the front line of the infantry, killing at least a third there and then, and as the terrified war elephants trampled, smashed and blundered around, crushing many of the Vijayanagarans underfoot. It was a truly awful sight.

The army of Vijayanagar had little reply, and the Sultans continued their pummeling for a further ten minutes, softening up the enemy to attempt a charge across the river. All around Devesh men fell as the screaming Mohemmadans came smashing into the weakened Hindu infantry from all sides, and Devesh was able to duck just in time as a Mohammedan charged at him with bloodshot eyes. Devesh wildly stabbed his sword, cutting the man down with a slash across his side.

More and more enemy troops came at him, and it was all he could do to stay alive. He fought bravely, standing his ground and resisting the urge to run for his life, but that changed when, chancing a glance across the battlefield, he saw that Vijayanagar was all but defeated, that the Muslim and those treacherous Hindus who had allied with them had triumphed, so quickly and so easily. The Raja Rama had been slain, and in the corner of his eye Devesh saw that he had been beheaded, held aloft in triumph by one of the commanders of the Sultanates.

Uttering a prayer to Shiva Devesh ran from the battlefield, at every moment expecting a sword or an arrow in his side, but it never came. He fled into the shaded forest, thinking the he was the only survivor of the battle, that he must get back to Vijayanagar to warn the people of the armies of the Sultans that would undoubtedly be coming to sack the City of Victory and destroy her empire. He hoped with desperation that he could see his family again, just once, before they were raped and murdered by the brutes of the north.

His hopes were in vain. The forest was a vast maze, and in the tangle of the undergrowth he could not help but get lost. The air was thick and humid, and the sun blazed with unfettered ferocity in the clear blue sky. Even in the shade the heat was overwhelming, and Devesh began to feel more dizzy and sick as he walked. Soon he could take no more, and he crumpled to the ground, overcome with fatigue and the heat.



...his eyes flicked open, and although he was surprised by what he saw he could do nothing but smile dreamily. He sat up, gazing upon the figure that was looking at him with benevolent interest. His skin was dark, so dark that it could have been mistaken for black, and in his hand was a flute. Beside him was a cow, docile and calm, garbed like a king in lavish jewelry and cloths. The air was much cooler than before, and the sky was darkening, and looking around he was in a place he did not recognise, but which somehow seemed familiar. He rubbed his eyes, and spoke to the figure.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"You should know that, you should recognise me," was the response, in a laughing, chiding voice. Devesh stood up unsteadily, and bowed his head in shame.

"Forgive me, stranger, but I do not. My mind is in pieces, for the armies of my country have just been destroyed, and I am tired and scared."

"I know, I watched with half an eye as I was fighting a battle of my own alongside my brethren, who also were humiliated in defeat."

"What battle was this?"

"You ask, but I can tell you know the answer to your question, even though you may not know you do, for you caught a glimpse of the fight in your mind. But to answer your question, I have many names, among them Govinda and Gopala."

Devesh widened his eyes in amazement. "Lord Krishna!"

vij3krishna.jpg
 
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Duke of Wellington: It is a great country to play, thanks.

EvilSanta: I think people are scared of playing Hindu countries. :D

Kelvin: Coming up. :)
 
Part 2 - Talking With the Gods

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The ruined temple of Virupaksha, Vijayanagar

The Empire of Vijayanagara was founded by the brothers Hakka and Bukka in the early 14th century with the intention of driving back the Muslims and preserving Hinduism in the subcontinent. With the approval of the brahmin (the highest caste) Vidyaranya, Bukka Raya founded Vijayanagar, the City of Victory, and over the next two hundred years grew and prospered and became a prominent power in the Indian south. Her armies were victorious, and in the capital, poetry and art thrived, and was the envy of all of India.

It reached its height under Emperor Krishna Deva Raya (ruled 1509-1529), who conquered lands in the north and built many of Vijayanagar's most splendid monuments and works of architecture. He was also the author of Amuktamalyada in the Telugu language, which is a narrative poem telling the story of Godadevi's seperation from her husband Lord Vishnu. When Krishna Deva Raya died in 1529, this flourishing of art and culture declined, and along with it the empire.

The next emperor was Achyuta Raya, who was succeeded by Sada Siva Raya. However, he was a weak man, and was manipulated by the pretender Rama Raya into provoking unnecessary confrontation with the northern Sultanates, which was to lead ultimately to the disaster at Talikota and the sack of Vijayanagar. The Devas watched on, filled with pity and despair at the selfish desire and greed for power that had broken the last Hindu power of India.



The night air was cool, and the incessant chatterings of the birds in the trees had almost disappeared completely as darkness ensconsed the world.

"Lord Krishna," said Devesh Chandra, "tell me of this battle that you were fighting."

"It was against the asura, those vile demons who wish to gain power over the Devas for their own selfish ends. You know of the asuras, of course, I can see from your expression. It is a constant war, a feud between brothers, for we and them are both the children of the great ancient sage Kashyapa, the grandson of Lord Brahma the creator." Krishna looked thoughtful. "But I do not wish to talk with you about that."

"I don't understand."

Krishna smiled, his dark eyes shining. "It is no coincidence that of the hundreds of thousands of warriors that fought outside Kalikota that you were the only survivor among the faithful. Surely you realise that the enemy had sufficient opportunity to kill you as you fled across the battlefield, but something stayed their hand. That something was the Devas."

Krishna sat down and Devesh did the same, cross-legged and cowering in submission before the Lord Krishna.

"There are some things you should know, young Devesh. The universe is infinite, and time is infinite. Time is also cyclical; that means that all that has occured today I have seen an infinity of times. Although it might not seem like it, the defeat today has condemned India and the world to a black future where the worship of Brahman and the elimination of desire are forgotten, and instead people worship greed and death. I know this because I have seen it countless times."

Devesh nodded, uncertainly. "So you have spoken to me here an infinite amount of times?"

Krishna frowned. "No, this is the very first time. I hope that with your help, the Gods can bring about a change to the darkness and descent into madness that the future will bring. We are in agreement. This cycle of time is once again condemned, but I hope that in the future, when all that is now is again, things will be different. I wish for you to come with me into the ether, so that you may see what becomes of this world. Then, when the Empire of Vijayanagar rises once again, I wish for you to guide it's rulers towards victory and enlightenment."

Devesh's face was one of complete puzzled bewilderment. "I'm not sure I understand, but I will put my trust in you anyway, oh Lord Krishna."

Krishna nodded. "You are but young, and will need to grow strong and wise, but you have plenty of time for that yet. Come, follow me into the Garden of the Gods, and from there I shall show you what the future holds."

Krishna, with cow in tow, walked away down the path without looking back. Devesh shrugged, and followed.
 
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Duke of Wellington: I'm very interested in Hinduism anyway, so I thought I might as well make some use of my knowledge of it. :D

Kelvin: Thanks. I tried to install MyMAP a while ago, but it didn't work properly for some reason.

Any other comments? :)
 
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Great work. This is a really good read.
 
Ah, very good, Fiftypence! A narrative style from a Hindu viewpoint? I don't think I've ever seen that combination before! It's usually 'Allah willing' or 'Deus Vult!'!
 
anonymous4401 said:
Ah, very good, Fiftypence! A narrative style from a Hindu viewpoint? I don't think I've ever seen that combination before! It's usually 'Allah willing' or 'Deus Vult!'!

Yep. It is good too see a change. Oh in AGC-EEP beware of Rajputs.
 
this is very interesting! especially as i know nothing about eu2 :p i wonder if Devesh will like what the future will hold..
 
Good read so far fiftypence
 
Lord Durham, J. Passepartout, stnylan: Thanks. :)

Mettermrck: Yes, Vijayanagar is a very interesting nation to play.

anonymous4401: You don't see many Hindu AARs full stop, so I thought it would make a nice change :D .

billy bob: I'll be using plain old vanilla for this.

lifeless: I doubt he will...
 
Part 3 - No Future...

vij3.jpg

Devesh found himself in a garden. There was a cool, languid breeze and the sky was a soft blue. There were apple trees all around, home to various singing birds, and there was the gentle trickling of water from a stream, with water as clear as glass.

"Look into the water," said Krishna, talking about the stream, "and I will show you the future."

Devesh looked, and frowned. "But I-"

A picture appeared in the water, what appeared to be a Turkish or Afghan king, dressed in the finest silks.

"That is Babur," said Krishna, "founder of the Mughal Empire." Before Devesh could reply the image had changed, and he knew that the Mughals spread all throughout India, their conquest made easiler by the fall of Vijayanagar. But the Mughal rule was respectful and tolerant of Hinduism, and despite only glancing at brief images Devesh's mind was filled with a grudging respect for the Emperor Akbar the Great. How he knew of his name and his deeds from the merest flicker of images Devesh did not know, but it was an amazing feeling, of power and knowledge.

Not long after he saw the Mughal Empire fall, brought down by foreigners from far away across the globe. India passed from Muslim to Christian hands, and Devesh wept as he saw two world wars played out before his eyes, feeling a small pride in the bravery of the Indian soldiers who fought against distant Japan, but also saw great hope for the future as under the encouragement of Mohandas Gandhi and others India was granted full independence.

"A united, Hindu India!" said Devesh, amazed. Krishna nodded.

"But look, such a rich nation filled with such poverty and despair, such cramped, crowded, filthy cities. But the darkness is yet to come, believe me."

Devesh watched as hostility between Pakistan and India grew, with both nations acquiring nuclear weaponry (a concept Devesh found he understood, though not understanding how this could be). The threat seemed to recede as the Cold War between Russia and some strange power in a continent that no one knew existed called the United States, but this was not the case at all, for a new power was rising.

In the year 2027 (according to the Christian calendar, as Krishna explained), the newly formed nationalist government in China invaded Taiwan, and the United States vowed to protect the small island nation. India declared solidarity with the United States, and Devesh could only gasp as a torrent of Chinese nuclear bombs were unleashed on the Indian cities of Calcutta, Bombay and New Delhi, as well as some smaller cities. The war became truly global when Russia joined the Chinese and declared war on the American alliance, leading to the swift fall of an unprepared Eastern Europe, eventually reaching deadlock in a frontline stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic.

Devesh saw that the war just went on and on, with no side able to gain overall superiority, and the nation that suffered most throughout was India, who was getting beaten from all sides by the Chinese and the Pakistanis, who had taken the opportunity to kick India while she was down by attacking and invading her western border.

Devesh saw that by 2050, after twenty three years of uninterrupted warfare, the United States had failed to make any significant progress in China despite early successes; China had proved surprisingly resilient. Up until this point the stubbornness of both sides had made any settlement impossible, but finally there was peace, and China begrudgingly recognised Taiwan as a sovereign independent nation. India and the alliance was victorious, but Devesh could see that she was a destroyed nation. Over 600 million souls had perished, and more were dying all the time from illnesses resulting from radiation poisoning, a decline that there was no way of hoping to stop. India had become a land of death.

Devesh looked up from the pool, his face pale. "Well, I must go and stop this!"

Krishna shook his head. "It is too late, for all you have seen has happened already. Here, in this garden, only a few minutes have occured, but out there hundreds of years have passed. You shall return to earth when Vijayanagar rises again, three trillion years from now. I hope that with your wise guidance you can break this cycle of destruction and decay by gently steering the Empire of Vijayanagar to prosperity and victory. This future you have witnessed is the work of the asura, whose malevolent hand filled people's minds with a desire for power, disregarding the Eternal Dharma, who were allowed this freedom by defeating us poor devas in battle."

"Three trillion years?" asked Devesh weakly. Krishna smiled darkly.

"Yes, you have plenty of time to become wise."
 
Yes, I think that does qualify as plenty of time! ;)