The Plunder of Kampili

The point that Vijayanagar was founded in 1336 is based on two facts. The first is the inscriptions of Harihara I who was called Harib by Ibn Battuta, who became king in 1340 and Batuta's account of a lightning strike by Muhammad bin Tughlaq on the south side. Nunis' account of the lightning strike of 1334 at the beginning of the historical narrative also agrees the fact. A comparative study raises doubts as to whether there are any similarities between Batuta and Nunis' descriptions of the origin of Vijayanagar. Ibn Battuta concluded that Mohammed bin Tughlaq’s move to the south was against his nephew, Baha ud-din-Gushtasp, who had challenged him under the protection of Rai of Kampila, and his stronghold in the highlands. About eight miles from Anegundi, the stronghold of the ancestors of the Vijayanagara kings. Kampila was a small city protected by the surrounding mountains. When the Sultan's army invaded, Rai abandoned the camp and sought refuge in Anegundi, where he was most likely to defend the conqueror. According to Ibn Battuta, Bahandi was send safely to neighboring Chief Hoysala Ballala, the king of the Dwarasamudra and then to the neighboring country of Mysore. After conquering and looting the country sultan killed Rai’s wives along with nobles and ministers by torching them alive and beheaded Rai.Eleven sons of Rai were taken as prisoners and brought before the Sultan. Tuglaq converted them all to Islam. The only reason for such a henoius act was the desire for war.

After the capture of the fort, Tughlaq, who had followed Baha ud-din, had mercilessly executed him by tyrannical sentence of a dictator. Ibn Battuta narrates, "The Sultan took the prisoner with his female relatives and insulted spat at him. He was ordered to be skinned alive. The flesh of the body was cooked with rice and then fed to his children and wife. A portion was fed to the elephant but the elephant would not even touch it.Then the skin was stuffed with straw and exhibited along with his remaining flesh in the streets.”

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Vijayanagar Empire

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