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Administration Of Vijayanagar Empire: Central, Provincial, Local, And Judicial Administration!
IMPORTANT LINKS
Medieval History UPSC Notes
The Vijayanagar state was established in 1336 by two brothers, Harihara and Bukka. They broke away from the Delhi Sultanate in 1336 and established an independent state in Karnataka, with the Tungabhadra River's banks serving as the capital city of Vijayanagar. Sangama was the name of their dynasty. The administration of the Vijayanagar Empire was extensive and complex. Yet, it played a significant role in the success of the Empire. The King held the primary position of authority in the state and had the last say on overall issues. A Council of Ministers was another entity that offered the King administrative support.
In this article, we will explore the features of the Administration Of the Vijayanagar Empire. This forms a significant part of the UPSC IAS exam, and questions related to this topic are seen in Prelims, UPSC Mains Paper I, and UPSC History Optional. This topic is equally essential for the UGC NET History exam, as 5-6 questions are asked every year about the political history of India.
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Nature of Administration System of the Vijayanagara Empire
Let us now discuss the nature of the administrative structure of the Vijayanagar kingdom.
Theory of the Kingship
The concept of absolute beneficent monarchy served as the foundation for kingship. The King was tasked with ensuring the welfare of the populace, hearing their pleas, and resolving all of their problems. In legislative, executive, and judicial matters, he had complete authority. He served as both the top lawmaker and the highest court of appeal.
Succession Law
Generally speaking, it was founded on the hereditary premise. Nonetheless, there have been cases where the current rulers have proposed successors to guarantee a peaceful power transfer. Usurpation also occurred a few times. When Saluva Narasimha took the throne, the Sangama dynasty came to an end. When a minor succeeded to the throne, choosing a regent to oversee the government was expected.
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Central Administration Of Vijayanagar Empire
To aid and advise the monarch in administrative matters, there was a council of ministers led by a prime minister. Yet, it was up to the King to decide whether or not to follow them. In extremely crucial matters, the King sometimes sought the advice of his favourites and ministers. A royal officer oversaw the various departments that made up the central government.
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Provincial and Local Administration Of Vijayanagar Empire
The Empire was split into gramas (the final administrative level), manadalams (provinces), nadus (districts), and sthalas (sub-districts). The mandalams' number and size changed periodically. The ruler of each region was referred to as a mandalesvara or nayaka. The Vijayanagar kings did not meddle in local governance. Therefore local bodies had total autonomy. The village's administration, which was its primary administrative entity, was overseen by Gauda, the local headman.
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Revenue Administration Of Vijayanagar Empire
The primary source was land revenue from crown lands. Other significant sources of income included tribute and gifts from vassals and feudal chiefs, customs levied at the ports, tolls on interior commerce, taxes levied on different trades, homes, marketplaces, and licenses, fines imposed by courts, etc.
It was gathered based on evaluation and fixed following thorough research. Its cost changed depending on the type of cultivated land. It was determined based on the quantity of yield and crop cultivation. The average amount of gross produce that was collected as revenue was 1/6th. Yet on occasion, it was increased to 50%.
According to the Amuktamalyada, the state's spending was split into four categories: security of the Empire, military victories, care of horses, and charitable and personal expenses of the monarch.
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Judicial Administration Of Vijayanagar Empire
King fairly conducted justice. The highest court of appeals, the sabha, was presided over by him. There were regular courts that handled justice in various regions of the Empire. They had a hierarchy of officials in charge.
In addition, there were village courts, caste panchayats, and guild organisations to handle minor offenses like breaking trade and caste laws.
In most situations, the Dharmasastras served as the foundation for case decisions. There were severe penalties applied. For instance, decapitating, mutating, and tossing elephants were extremely customary.
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Military Administration Of Vijayanagar Empire
A practical and well-organised standing army was present. This supported the administration of the Vijayanagara Empire. This force comprised the cavalry, infantry, artillery, and elephant crops.
- High-quality horses were bought from international traders. The army had various officer grades, with the nayakas or palegars being the highest. Armed forces of vassal kings, rulers, and feudal levies supported the King in addition to the regular standing army when necessary.
- Some nadaprabhus, such as the gaudas of Bangalore, effectively defended the borders against outside incursions and even assisted in putting down the rebellious province governors and vassals. The royal army's regular soldiers were typically paid in cash, but influential leaders like palegars were given territories (amaram) with a set income in place of pay.
- A sizable army had to be maintained if there was to be ongoing combat. It was crucial to preserve well-bred horses and artillery. The kings of Vijayanagar brought fine horses from Arabia and other Gulf nations across the Arabian Sea. This commerce, as well as that of other high-end goods, was centered around the port of Malabar. The Malabar port was always under the administration of the Vijayanagara Empire.
- The Vijayanagar empire, like the Bahamanis, had experience with weapons and hired Turkish and Portuguese specialists to instruct its soldiers in the use of cutting-edge military equipment. Deva Raya II, one of the rayas, enlisted Muslims in his armed forces, gave them jagirs and built a mosque in the city for their use.
- Such innovative military methods have now revolutionised warfare. To protect themselves against weapons, forts today have thick walls and specific doors with protected fronts. Specially designed large holes were drilled into the fort walls for gun rests. To mount canons on the forts, particular parapet types were built. Weapons were employed. Rifles and pistols were among the smaller types of weapons. Some, such as canons, had to be transported into the field of combat by being mounted on an elephant or a bullock waggon.
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Amara-Nayaka system
Military commanders, who typically oversaw forts and had armed supporters, were among those who wielded power in the Empire. These chiefs frequently travelled from one region to another, with people looking for productive territory to settle in. These leaders were called nayakas and frequently spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many nayakas bowed to the Vijayanagara rulers' authority but frequently revolted and had to be put down by force. They helped in the administration of the Vijayanagara Empire.
- A significant political advancement of the Vijayanagara Empire was the amara-nayaka system. Several aspects of this system are drawn from the Iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate.
- An area was assigned to each nayaka for the administration of the Vijayanagara Empire. The nayaka was in charge of increasing agricultural production in his region. He maintained his army, horses, elephants, and weapons of war, which he had to provide to the raya or the Vijayanagar monarch, with the taxes he gathered in his region. The nayaka was in charge of the forts as well.
- A portion of the proceeds was also utilised to maintain irrigation systems and temples. To show their loyalty, the amara-nayakas sent the monarch tribute yearly and personally appeared in the royal court bearing gifts. Kings periodically exercised authority over them by moving them from one location to another. Several of these nayakas founded their states and gained independence in the seventeenth century.
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Conclusion
The feudal Nayankaras once kept their troops, elephants, and warriors. They were a strong group that opposed Vijayanagara rule, undermined its internal systems, and helped the Vijayanagar lose the battle of Talikota.
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Administration Of Vijayanagar Empire FAQs
Which was the largest unit in the administration of the Vijayanagar Empire?
Mandalam, the largest administrative region in the Vijayanagar empire, was ruled by a ruler known as a Mandalesvara.
Which language dominated the Vijayanagara Empire's administration?
Kannada and Telugu served as the Empire's official administrative and court languages.
Who was Vijayanagar's most effective ruler?
The greatest of all the Vijayanagar emperors was Krishnadeva Raya.
What was the structure of the administration of the Vijayanagar Empire?
Mandalams, Nadus, sthalas, and gramas were the different administrative divisions to organise the Vijayanagara Kingdom. Grama was the name of the smallest administrative subdivision. The ruler of the Mandalam was Mandaleswara or Nayak.
Who was the Vijayanagar government's founder?
Harihara and Bukka created the Vijayanagara kingdom.