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Bukka II (Vijayanagara)

Bukka II, eldest son of Harihara II, was king of Vijayanagara for about two years, from 1404 to 1406. As crown prince he governed provinces for his father, led campaigns into the Warangal country and, in Sewell's account, led the raid of 1398 in which his own son was killed. After his father's death he fought his brother Virupaksha for the throne. Haig makes him the king of the Mudgal story and of the war of 1406 with Firuz Shah, which Sewell gives to his brother Deva Raya I.

Bukka II was king of Vijayanagara for about two years, from 1404 to 1406.12 He was the eldest son of Harihara II.3 Most of what is known about him comes from his years as crown prince, when he governed provinces and led his father’s armies.45 See Vijayanagara and Harihara II.

Crown prince

Sewell’s list of inscriptions shows Bukka governing for his father in several places:647

  • in the Tanjore district in 1381, where he gave land to a temple6
  • in eastern Mysore, where in 1395 he lived at Mulbagal as viceroy4
  • in the North and South Arcot districts in 14037

Krishnaswami Aiyangar wrote that a Sanskrit book on the rites of sacrifice, the Prayogaratnamala, was written at Bukka II’s court.8 Its author Chaundapacharya says that he wrote it at the request of the sage Vidyaranya.8 The book itself names its patron as Bhupati, a son of “Yuva Bukka” (Bukka the younger) and his wife Tippamba.9

Nilakanta Sastri wrote that Prince Bukka led two campaigns into the Warangal country before the end of 1390, without a clear result.5 About seven years later Pangal was taken. In Nilakanta Sastri’s view this gave Bukka a base for later wars in Telangana, but it seems to have been lost soon after.5

The raid of 1398

Sewell thought that Bukka led the raid across the Krishna in 1398, with his old father’s permission.10311 His aim was the Raichur doab (the land between the Krishna and the Tungabhadra), and its forts of Mudgal (then Mudkal) and Raichur.11 His son went with him.11

Ferishta’s story, as Sewell printed it, says that a Bahmani officer crossed the river disguised as a musician.12 At an evening entertainment he stabbed the prince’s son to death.12 At dawn Sultan Firuz Shah attacked the camp, and Bukka, grieving for his son, fled with the body to Vijayanagar.12 Peace cost Vijayanagara a large ransom.13

King

Harihara II died in August 1404, and his sons then fought over the throne.72 Sewell read the inscriptions this way:1

  • Bukka II was king for a short time from August 1404.
  • Between 5 and 27 October, his brother Virupaksha pushed him out.
  • Bukka II won back the throne before July 1405.1

Nilakanta Sastri says only that Virupaksha took the throne first, and that Bukka II soon pushed him out and ruled for two years, 1405–6.2 In 1405 the king dedicated a temple near Vellore and gave it gifts.1 His brother Deva Raya I governed the Chittoor district for him.1

Sewell wrote that, according to Ferishta, Bukka stopped paying tribute to Firuz Shah, partly because Gujarat, Malwa and Khandesh urged him to.13 By 1405–6 four years’ tribute was owing, but the sultan waited for a better time.13

The city and its water

Nuniz names a king “Ajarao” who reigned forty-three years and was always at war with the Muslims.1415 He says this king took Goa, Chaul and Dabhol, built new walls and towers round the city, and dammed the Tungabhadra to bring its water into Vijayanagar.1415 Sewell could not explain the name or the length of the reign.3 He thought “Ajarao” stood for two kings, Bukka II and Deva Raya I, whose reigns together lasted only fourteen years.3

The channel cut out of solid rock that still waters the old city’s fields might be this work, Sewell wrote. He called it “one of the most remarkable irrigation works to be seen in India”.311 See Hampi.

Death

Sewell dated Bukka’s last known inscription to 30 April 1406.16 His later work says that Bukka II died between August and November 1406.1 His younger brother Deva Raya I was crowned on 5 November 1406.161 See Deva Raya I.

Where the sources disagree

  • His reign. Sewell (1900) has Bukka II succeed his father at the end of 1399 and reign to 1406.1316 Sewell’s later work (1932) has him king from 1404, apart from a short break, until 1406.1 Haig says Harihara II died in 1406 and Bukka II succeeded him that year.17
  • The Mudgal story and the war of 1406. Haig tells the story of the goldsmith’s daughter of Mudgal as Bukka II’s.1718 In his account Bukka raided Mudgal to seize her, Firuz Shah answered with a war, and Bukka gave up Bankapur and a daughter to make peace.1718 Sewell tells the same story of Deva Raya I.19 Nilakanta Sastri also places the war early in Deva Raya I’s reign.2

Footnotes

  1. Sewell, Historical Inscriptions (1932), p. 208 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. Nilakanta Sastri, A History of South India, 3rd ed. (1966), p. 268 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 51 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. Sewell, Historical Inscriptions (1932), p. 205 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar, 3rd ed. (1966), p. 267 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Robert Sewell, ed. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, The Historical Inscriptions of Southern India (1932), p. 202 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  7. Sewell, Historical Inscriptions (1932), p. 207 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar (ed.), Sources of Vijayanagar History (1919), introduction, p. 3 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  9. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Sources of Vijayanagar History (1919), p. 54, extract 16, the Prayogaratnamala of Chaundapacharya (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  10. Robert Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar) (1900), p. 50 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  11. Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 52 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  12. Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 54, quoting Ferishta (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  13. Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 55 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  14. Fernao Nuniz, “Chronicle”, in Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 301 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  15. Nuniz, in Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 302 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  16. Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 56 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  17. Wolseley Haig, “The Kingdom of the Deccan”, in Wolseley Haig (ed.), The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III (1928), p. 391 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  18. Haig, Cambridge History of India, Vol. III (1928), p. 392 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  19. Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900), p. 57 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

Dynasties

Vijayanagara Empire

c. 1336–1646 CE

Harihara and Bukka founded this South Indian empire about 1336 on the Tungabhadra. The Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu dynasties ruled it in turn. It held Rayalaseema and the Nellore country from the fourteenth century. It fought the Reddis, the Velamas, the Bahmanis and the Gajapatis of Orissa for the Telugu coast. Under Krishnadeva Raya it took Udayagiri, Kondavidu and Kondapalli and marched to Simhachalam. Its court made Telugu a language of high poetry. After the defeat of 1565 its kings ruled from Penukonda and Chandragiri, until Golconda took the last of the Telugu districts in the 1640s.

References

Sources (5)
  1. Robert Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India (opens in a new tab), Swan Sonnenschein & Co., London, 1900, pp. 51–56, 301–302. [Public domain]
  2. Wolseley Haig (ed.), The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans (opens in a new tab), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1928, pp. 391–392. Chapter XV by Wolseley Haig. [Public domain]
  3. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Sources of Vijayanagar History (opens in a new tab), University of Madras, 1919, pp. 3, 54. [Public domain]
  4. Robert Sewell (ed. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar), The Historical Inscriptions of Southern India (Collected till 1923) and Outlines of Political History (opens in a new tab), University of Madras, 1932, pp. 202, 205, 207–208. Public domain in India; paraphrased. [Public domain in India]
  5. K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar (third edition) (opens in a new tab), Oxford University Press, Madras, 1966, pp. 267–268. Third edition. Cited, not reproduced; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]

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