Army and Military Organization of Vijayanagara Kingdom

The Vijayanagara Military backed the Vijayanagara Empire, particularly during the empire’s long-running rivalry with the Bahmani Sultanate. The Vijayanagara rulers had a strong navy in addition to a large standing army. This contributed to the Viayanagara empire becoming the most centralized polity to emerge in South India. However, a large portion of the imperial income was dedicated to military purposes, putting a strain on the economy.

Table of Contents

1. Army and Military Organization – Features
2. Army and Military Organization – Composition
3. Strength of Army
4. Administration of Army in Vijayanagara Kingdom
5. Conclusion

Army and Military Organization – Features

• It was necessary to maintain a large army in order to wage continuous warfare. Artillery was important, and well-bred horses were kept in good condition.
• The Vijayanagar rulers imported high-quality horses from Arabia and other Gulf countries across the Arabian Sea.
• The port of Malabar was the epicentre of this and other luxury commodity trade. The Vijayanagar rulers were always trying to gain control of the Malabar port.
• The Vijayanagar state, like the Bahamanis, was familiar with the use of firearms and hired Turkish and Portuguese experts to train the soldiers in the latest weaponry of warfare.
• Deva Raya II, one of the rayas, enlisted Muslims in his armed forces, assigned them jagirs, and built a mosque for their use in the city.
• Such new warfare techniques revolutionised the warfare. To counter firearms, fort walls were thickened, and special types of doors with fortified walls in front were built.
• Special types of large holes were made in the fort walls to rest the guns. Special types of parapets were built on the forts to house the canons.
• There were various types of firearms used. Some firearms were small, such as rifles and pistols.
• Some items, such as canons, were too heavy to be carried into battle on a bullock cart or an elephan

Army and Military Organization – Composition

• The Vijayanagara army was primarily made up of infantry, cavalry, and war elephants who were armed with bows and arrows, swords, and lances as their primary weapons.
• According to Ferishta, the foot soldiers wore oil on their bodies but no armour or helmets, whereas Portuguese travellers such as Pace and Barros described protective clothing made of animal skin and shields.
• Although the Vijayanagran kings had little interest in guns, the infantry did have a matchlock regiment.
• They also built a navy on the west coast, led by the governor of Hanover Timmoju during Krishna Deva Raya, and which, according to Heeras Rayala, assisted the Portuguese in their occupation of Goa.
• The Vijayanagara rulers were able to repeatedly invade Sri Lanka thanks to their powerful navy.

Strength of Army

Strength of Army

• The Vijayanagara army’s numerical strength is debatable.
• During the reign of Krishna Deva Raya, Niccol de’ Conti estimated a figure of 245,000 troops, whereas Fernao Nuniz stated it was closer to 200,000, including 170,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 cavalry, and 550 war elephants.
• The force, Rayawacha retorted, had 500,000 foot men, 60,000 cavalry, and 1,200 war elephants.
• Deva Raya II is said to have enlisted 2000 Muslim cavalrymen to teach the technique of archery to his Hindu soldiers and officers in order to oppose the superior Bahmani cavalry.

Administration

Administration of Army in Vijayanagara Kingdom

• The amaranayaka system was a key feature of the Vijayanagar administration. The Vijayanagar army commander was known as the nayaka in this system. Each nayaka was assigned an administrative area.
• The nayaka was in charge of expanding agricultural activities in his area. He collected taxes in his area and used the money to maintain his army, horses, elephants, and weapons of war that he had to supply to the raya of Vijayanagar rulers.
• Nayaka was also the commander of the forts. Some of the revenue was also used to maintain temples and irrigation systems.
• The amara-nayakas paid annual tribute to the king and personally appeared in the royal court with gifts to express their devotion.
• Several of these nayakas became independent and established separate states in the seventeenth century. The feudal Nayankaras used to keep their own troops, elephants, and soldiers.
• They were a powerful section that challenged Vijayanagar authority, weakened its internal structures, and contributed to Vijayanagar defeat at Talikota.

Conclusion

Conclusion

Military was regarded as the bedrock of empires and large kingdoms, and no empire could extend or maintain its stability and boundaries without proportionate advancement of the armed forces. The challenges that faced the Vijayanagara Empire at the time, as well as the empire’s size, created a one-of-a-kind situation that required a vast and powerful army and military system to sustain its stability and maintain its borders.