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The Grandeur of Vijayanagar in the fifteenth century

It is necessary to move away from historical analysis and gain an understanding of the condition of the metropolis Vijayanagar at that time. As early as 1375, the Sultan Mujahid Shah of Kulbarga heard about the fame of Vijayanagar and wanted to see the beauty of the capital city. The city has grown and the importance and grandeur of it lasted for half a century. According to Niccolo Conte, an Italian who visited Vijayanagar after Devaraya II came to power, Vijayanagar was located close to steep mountain ranges. Ninety thousand warriors were present in the city of Vijayanagar, which was secured by huge walls that stretched for sixty miles to reach the mountains. Within the city of Vijayanagar, there were mountains full of towering cliffs that could form an extraordinary defense. The city boundary stretched for miles through these mountains. The valleys, covered with high cliffs, were inhabited by people. The houses built of stone were inhabited by merchants and the upper classes of society. The canals were irrigated and used for cultivation of food crops including sugarcane, rice and horticulture. Here and there were places of worship and educational institutions that exhibited craftsmanship. Among the residents of Vijayanagar, men were allowed to marry as many women as they wanted and stay with them as wives. But when the husband died, the wives were required to burn in the fire. The Vijayanagar king was the most powerful ruler in India. The king had about twelve thousand wives. Of these, about 4,000 wives accompanied the king wherever he went. They used to do service in the kitchen also. It was considered a great honor by women to become wives on the condition that they would sacrifice themselves in the fire when the king died. Once a year, they held a ceremony to parade their idol of gods through the city streets. The procession will be held in the presence of a large crowd in the middle of two beautifully decorated chariots with l ladies in beautiful dresses singing hymns to the gods. They also believed that it was by the grace of God that if they died suddenly between the wheels of the chariots in the midst of this chariot journey.Some considered it a devotion to the God they believed in, inflicted wounds on their bodies and hung themselves in chariots.

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