Madura Vijayam
Encyclopedia
Madura Vijayam also spelled as Madhura Vijayam is a 14th century C.E Sanskrit
poem written by the poetess Gangadevi
. It is also called as Vira Kamparaya Charitham. It chronicles the life of Kumara Kampanna Udayar or Kumara Kampanna II, a prince of the Vijayanagara Empire
and the second son of Bukka Raya I. The poem describes in detail, the invasion and conquest of the Madurai Sultanate
by the Vijayanagara empire.
) was discovered in the early 1900s, in a private traditional library at Thiruvananthapuram
by Pandit N Ramasvami Sastriar. Sastriar discovered the poem in a bound in a single manuscript between two other unrelated works. Sixty one palm leaf manuscripts have been found so far. The poem is made up of nine chapters with some verses missing and presumed lost. Madura Vijayam was first published in 1924 by G. Harihara Sastri and V. Srinivasa Sastri at Tiruvananthapuram.
. After conquering Kanchipuram and subduing Sambuvaraya chieftain, Kampanna enjoys a brief interlude while consolidating his southern conquests. He is visited by a strange woman (described as the Goddess Meenakshi
in disguise) who pleads with him to liberate South India from the rule of the Madurai Sultanate
. Heeding her exhortation, Kampanna resumes his invasion of the South. The final chapters chronicle his invasion of Madurai, where he destroys the Muslim armies, slays the last sultan in single combat and restores the temple of Srirangam
to its old glory.
's memoirs and epigraphical and numismatic records, has been used as a historical source for determining the history of the Madurai Sultanate and the Vijayanagar empire's conquest of the Sultanate.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
poem written by the poetess Gangadevi
Gangadevi
Gangadevi, also known as Gangambika, was a poet in the Vijayanagara Empire during the 14th century and chronicled the story of the victory of her husband, Kumara Kampana, son of Bukka Raya I over the Muslims in Madhura in the form of a poem. The title of the eight chapter poem was Madhura...
. It is also called as Vira Kamparaya Charitham. It chronicles the life of Kumara Kampanna Udayar or Kumara Kampanna II, a prince of the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
and the second son of Bukka Raya I. The poem describes in detail, the invasion and conquest of the Madurai Sultanate
Madurai Sultanate
The Madurai Sultanate or the Ma'bar Sultanate was a short lived independent Muslim kingdom based in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India during the 14th century CE. It lasted from 1335 until 1378...
by the Vijayanagara empire.
Discovery and publication
Madura Vijayam (lit. The conquest of MaduraMadurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
) was discovered in the early 1900s, in a private traditional library at Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
by Pandit N Ramasvami Sastriar. Sastriar discovered the poem in a bound in a single manuscript between two other unrelated works. Sixty one palm leaf manuscripts have been found so far. The poem is made up of nine chapters with some verses missing and presumed lost. Madura Vijayam was first published in 1924 by G. Harihara Sastri and V. Srinivasa Sastri at Tiruvananthapuram.
Content
Madura Vijayam or Vira Kamparaya Charitham (lit. The history of the brave king Kampa) is a poem in nine chapters. In the early chapters, Gangadevi, the wife of Kumara Kampanna II, describes the historical background of the Vijayanagar empire, the benevolent rule of Bukka I, the birth and early life of Kumara Kampanna. The middle chapters detail the adulthood actions of Kampanna, his south bound invasion and conquest of KanchipuramKanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
. After conquering Kanchipuram and subduing Sambuvaraya chieftain, Kampanna enjoys a brief interlude while consolidating his southern conquests. He is visited by a strange woman (described as the Goddess Meenakshi
Meenakshi
Minakshi is an Avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and consort of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the far famed Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu...
in disguise) who pleads with him to liberate South India from the rule of the Madurai Sultanate
Madurai Sultanate
The Madurai Sultanate or the Ma'bar Sultanate was a short lived independent Muslim kingdom based in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India during the 14th century CE. It lasted from 1335 until 1378...
. Heeding her exhortation, Kampanna resumes his invasion of the South. The final chapters chronicle his invasion of Madurai, where he destroys the Muslim armies, slays the last sultan in single combat and restores the temple of Srirangam
Srirangam
Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....
to its old glory.
As a historical source
The poem along with Ibn BattutaIbn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
's memoirs and epigraphical and numismatic records, has been used as a historical source for determining the history of the Madurai Sultanate and the Vijayanagar empire's conquest of the Sultanate.