Disintegration Of The Delhi Sultanate

Economic Condition of the Vijayanagar Empire

It is clear from foreign accounts, and also other sources, that unbounded prosperity prevailed in the Vijayanagar Empire. Agriculture flourished in different parts of the realm and the State pursued a wise irrigation policy.

 The principal industries related to textiles, mining and metallurgy, and the most important of the minor industries was perfumery. Craftsmen’s and merchants’ guilds played an important part in the economic life of the kingdom. ‘Abdur Razzaq writes – “The tradesmen of each separate guild or craft have their shops close to one another.” Paes also observes: “There were temples in every street, for these appertain to institutions like the confraternities you know of in our parts, of all the craftsmen and merchants.”

The most remarkable feature in the economic condition of the kingdom was commerce, inland, coasting, and overseas. The most important port on the Malabar coast was Calicut, and, according to ‘Abdur Razzaq, the Empire “possessed 300 seaports”. It had commercial relations with the islands in the Indian Ocean, the Malay Archipelago, Burma, China, Arabia, Persia, South Africa, Abyssinia and Portugal. The principal articles of export were cloth, rice, iron, saltpetre, sugar and spices, and the imports into the Empire were horses, elephants, pearls, copper, coral, mercury, China silks and velvet. The cheap means of transport for island trade were kavadis, head-loads, pack-horses, pack-bullocks, carts and asses. Ships were in use for coasting and overseas trade. According to Barbosa, South India got its ships built in the Maldive Islands. Epigraphic evidence proves that the rulers of Vijayanagar maintained fleets and the people there were acquainted with the art of ship building before the advent of the Portuguese. We have, however, no definite knowledge as to how the Vijayanagar Empire “dealt with the important question of ocean transport”.

The coinage of the Vijayanagar Empire was of various types, both in gold and copper, and there was one specimen of a silver coin. The coins bore on them emblems of different gods and animals varying according to the religious faith of the rulers. The prices of articles were low. The accounts of the foreign travellers tell us that the upper classes of the people had a high standard of living but we know from inscriptions that the common people groaned under the weight of heavy taxation, collected with rigour by the local governors, who were, however, sometimes restrained by the supreme rulers.
Social Life in the Vijayanagar Empire

Accounts of foreign travellers, inscriptions, and literature, contain copious references regarding the different aspects of the social life of the people in the Vijayanagar Empire, of which we can study here only the more striking ones. Women in general occupied a high position in society, and instances of the active part they took in the political, social and literary life of the country are not rare. Besides being trained in wrestling, handling swords and shields, music and other fine arts, some of them at any rate received a fair amount of literary education.   

Nuniz writes: “He (the King of Vijayanagar) has also women who wrestle, and others who are astrologers and soothsayers; and he has women who write all the accounts of expenses that are incurred inside the gates, and others whose duty it is to write all the affairs of the kingdom and compare their books with those of the writers outside; he has women also for music, who play instruments and sing. Even the wives of the King are well-versed in music. It is said that he has judges, as well as bailiffs and watchmen who every night guard the palace, and these are women.” Plurality of wives was a recognised practice, especially,among the wealthy classes, and child marriage was the usual custom. The evil practice of exacting exorbitant dowries was greatly prevalent among those who were well placed in life. The State occasionally interfered in social affairs to settle disputes among various communities. The rite of Sati, or women burning themselves on the funeral pyres of their- husbands, was very common in Vijayanagar, and the Brahmanas freely sanctioned it. Being held in high esteem by the rulers, the Brahmanas exercised a predominant influence not merely in social and religious matters but also in the political affairs of the State. Nuniz describes them as “honest men, given to merchandise, very acute and of much talent, very good at accounts, lean men and well formed, but little fit for hard work”.

There were no strict restrictions in matters of diet. Besides fruits, vegetables and oil, meat of all kinds, excepting that of oxen or cows, for which the people had great veneration, was taken by the general population; but the Brahmanas never killed or ate any “live thing”. Nuniz gives the following description about the diet of the Vijayanagar Kings:

“These Kings of Bisnaga eat all sorts of things, but not the flesh of oxen or cows, which they never kill because they worship them. They eat mutton, pork, venison, partridges, hares, doves, quail, and all kinds of birds; even sparrows and rate, and cats, and lizards, all of which are sold in the market of the city of Bisnaga.

“Everything has to be sold alive so that each may know what he buys-this at least so far as concerns game–and there are fish from the rivers in large quantities.”

If the statements of Paes and Nuniz be true, this was, remarks Dr. Smith, “a curious dietary for princes and people, who in the time of Krishnadeva Raya and Achyata Raya were zealous Hindus with a special devotion to certain forms of Vishnu”. Most probably rats, cats and lizards were eaten by the lower section of the people, who formed the non-Aryan element in the Vijayanagar population.

The foreign travellers refer to numerous blood sacrifices in the kingdom. According to Paes, the King used to witness the sacrifice of 24 buffaloes and 150 sheep, the animals being decapitated by a single blow of a large sickle. On the last day of the famous “nine days festival ” 250 buffaloes and 4,500 sheep were slaughtered.