This is where Dasara began

An earlier post was about the Dasara elephants and the Dasara celebrations of Mysore. However, what few people know is that today there is no Dasara at the place where the celebrations began.

The place where Dasara began is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and it is fondly called as part of the largest open air museum in the world.

Viewing the magnificent ruins which are spread over several kilometers brings tears to the eyes and the destruction of the once world’s most populous and richest city leaves everyone numb.

The Dasara has its origin here and it is from this place the world got to know of the procession, which today is conducted in Mysore.

When Dasara was being celebrated in this city, Mysore then was unheard of and the Main Palace from which the procession starts was part of the Purugere village.

European travelers and even Indian who frequented the city of Victory or Vijayanagar which today is better known as Hampi found it difficult to describe the Dasara procession. Portuguese travellers Paes and Nuniz were at a loss for words when they were invited by the Vijayanagar Emperors to witness the Dasara procession.

However, the earliest reference to Dasara is by a Persian traveller, Abdul Razzak who was invited by Emperor Devaraya, the second, to witness the festival during 1442-43.

Though there was no Dibba then, we can safely assume that it was  thereabouts that the procession wended its way. The many buildings that Razzak speaks of and the geography seems to speak of the location of the Dibba as the palace complex from where Devaraya watched the procession.

Here is how Razzak speaks of the Dasara then: “The infidels of this country who are endowed with power are fond of displaying their pride, pomp, power and glory in holding every year a stately and magnificent festival which they call Mahanavami”.

He further continues, saying that “The King of Vijayanagara directed that all his nobles and chiefs should assemble at the royal abode from all the provinces of his country which extends for the distance of three or four month's journey. They brought with them a thousand elephants arrayed in armour and adorned with howdahs on which Jugglers (magicians) and throwers of naptha were seated and the foreheads, trunks and ears of the elephants were painted with cinnabar and other pigments. On that beautiful plain were raised enchanting pavilions of two to five stages high on which from top to bottom were painted all kinds of figures that the imagination can conceive of men, wild animals, birds and all kinds of beasts down to flies and ants. All these were painted with exceeding delicacy and taste. Some of these pavilions were so constructed that they revolved and every moment offered a different face to the view”.

Razzak speaks of the entertainment during the festivities saying, “In front of the plain, a nine - storeyed pillared edifice was built, which was of exceeding beauty. The throne of the king was placed on the ninth storey”. Razzak says he was assigned a place in the seventh storey exclusively for himself and his friends. “In the open space were singers who were mostly young girls. They were seated behind a beautiful curtain opposite the king. All of a sudden, the curtain was removed on both sides and the girls began to dance with such grace that the soul was intoxicated with delight. After the dance, there was a display of acrobatics and the crowd enjoyed it. An elephant was made to stand on a wooden plank and dance to the tune of music. This was a great attraction. The King gave away the prizes to young dancing girls and others who took part in various items”.

Razzak says he was particularly impressed by the rituals of the last three days which coincided with Durgashtami, Mahanavami and Vijayadashami which showed the culmination of the Dasara.

On the Dasara Durbar, he says, “Every evening King Devaraya held a durbar in which all the feudatories and nobles came and bowed to the King and gave rich tributes of gold coins, ornaments, precious stones and pearls. King Devaraya  smiled and accepted them as if he was doing a great favour and the feudatories felt happy at this gesture”.

Razzak was also taken to the King who enquired about his welfare, his Kingdom and other details and gave him betel leaves and a silk bag containing gold coins and wished him good luck. Razzak was satisfied with this kind gesture of King Devaraya and wrote, “My eyes have not seen a better King than Devaraya”.  

The accounts of Paes who visited Vijayanagar in 1520 when Krishna Deve Raya was the Emperor and Nuniz in 1532 when Achuta Deve Raya was the Emperor and those of other travelers mention that the Emperor sat with his family and other high ranking dignitaries on the Mahanavami Dibba and presided over the entire event.

The Dibba was decorated and the Emperor sat on the highest seat. The Dibba was totally destroyed by the Muslim states of Deccan in 1565.

Today, there are no Dasara celebrations at Mahanavami Dibba. It lies desolate and visitors and pilgrims walk about the elevated platform.

History tells us that Mahanavami Dibba was built by  Krishna Deva Raya to commemorate his victory over Udaygiri, Orissa. His first expedition in 1513 to reconquer Udaygiri had failed and this setback had made the Emperor all the more determined to take Udaygiri.

Sbsequently, the Mahanavami Dibba underwent various changes under the leadership of different kings. Today, the Dibba is 22 feet tall, the upper part 80 feet in length and width each.

When the Dasara festival was first celebrated from here sometime in 1514, various ambassadors, governors and poets from different countries also visited Hampi during the period, which lasted nine days.

Several cultural activities and sports like wrestling or Kusti, sword fighting was held in front of the Dibba. The Army chiefs were felicitated for their bravery. A procession of animals including elephants, camels, horse and cattle was taken out through the important streets of Hampi before it reached the Dibba.

Pujas were also performed for several gods like Durga Devi, Elamma and Hathukayithayamma. The battle of Talikote or Rakasa Tangadi signaled the end of Hampi.

Though the State Government celebrates Hampi Utsava and Purandara Mahotsava, the Dasara is no longer celebrated a the Mahanavami Dibba.

Where is the throne of Vijayanagar

It is common knowledge that after the Battle of Talikota in 1565, the Muslim forces of the Deccan set upon Vijayanagar or Hampi and destroyed the city, burnt down the buildings and killed and looted people and their homes.

The Muslim invaders carried back hundreds of tonnes of valuables, books, articles and even people as slaves. However, some part of the immense treasure of  Vijayanagar was carted away to Penugonda by Tirumala Raya who made it the capital of Vijayanagar dynasty.

However, some treasures still continue to elude discovery and it is a mystery what happened to them. The Muslim accounts do not mention them as having been taken away or destroyed. Yet, there are records, both Indian and foreign, to prove that these treasures existed.

One such treasure is the magnificent throne of Vijayanagar on which Krishna Deve Raya sat as did other kings. This throne has been adequately described by Portuguese travellers and even in the accounts of Vijayanagar by Indian authors, including the Adil Shah envoy to Vijayanagar.

The Portuguese and Adil Shah envoys speak of the King’s Durbar and also of the Dharmic durbar. If Krishna Deve Raya presided over the former Vyasa Raja held court in the later. The Vijayanagar throne was a befitting seat for one of the greatest Emperors of the time.

It was a silver  throne and embellished with gems and other rare stones. It was placed on a raised platform in the durbar hall where the Emperor held court wherever he was in Vijayanagar.

Soon after the battle of Talikota, the Vijayanagar forces abandoned the city to its fate and fled.  Gangs of robbers and bandits took away whatever they could. A little later, the Muslim invaders came to Vijayanagar and took away whatever they could lay their hands on.

Yet, some prized articles eluded them and one of them was the throne of Vijayanagar. Historians now have come to believe that the throne is in Vijayanagar albeit in another form.

They saw when the royal family fled Vijayanagar in 1565, they gifted the throne for safe keeping to the Virupaksha Temple, hoping to return one day. Alas, this never happened and Vijayanagar remained a dead city centuries after the Talikota battle.

A historian from Andhra Pradesh, Dr. K. Krishna Rao, who is an authority on  Krishnadevaraya, and who has made films and written on Vijayanagar, has opined that the throne is very much in Hampi.

Dr. Rao claims to have seen the throne at the Virupaksha temple. Dr Rao and other historians say that Krishna Deve Raya and some other kings were coronated in the temple. Krishna Deve Raya was coronated on August 7, 1509.

The throne is of pure silver and it has several engravings on it. The throne is presently being used by the priests of the Virupaksha Temple to place the consort of Virupaksha on it. This view needs to be given a thought as unlike other temples, the Muslim invaders spared it to a large extent.

Now this view needs to answer another question If the throne of Krishna Deve Raya is at Virupaksha Temple, what about the throne in Mysore. This is a rare gold encrusted throne with engravings and this too was in the hands of the Vijayanagar Emperors. Why would they not use this but use the Silver throne?

Moreover, the throne was gifted to the Viceroy of Srirangapatna by the Vijayanagar emperors, Would they gift a much bigger costlier and more expensive throne than their own.

All we know is that the Mysore throne was in Anegundi, which the second capital of the Vijayanagars. What can be guessed is that the Vijayanagar Emperors used several thrones and the Mysore throne was one of them. But what happened to the rest. This still remains a mystery.

By the way, there is an original portrait of Krishna Deve Raya in the museum of Bharat Samshodana Mandal in Pune, Maharashtra. This portrait is drawn by Domingo Paes, the Portuguese traveller who was in the court of Krishne Deve Raya.

It is not only the throne of Vijayanagar that has become an object of mystery. India has several other thrones which have fired the imagination of the people and historians alike.

Some of them are the legendary throne of Vikramaditya is the stuff of legends. It is the basis for the stories of Vikram and Betal.

A stone throne of  Vikramaditya exists in Ujjain near a lake. It is still called the Vikramaditya seat.

Another throne with a hoary past in the Golden Throne of the Wodeyars. This throne is the personal property of the Wodeyars and it is open to the public only during the Dassara. This is when the ruling scion of the Wodeyars sits on the throne and conducts a private durbar. This is perhaps the most costly and most jewelled throne of India.

The Peacock Throne used by the Mughals was taken away by Nadir Shah when he plundered Delhi in 1739. The then Mughal Emperor, Muhammad Shah, helplessly watched as the marauding Shah took away the throne to Persia. The throne disappeared from view after Nadir Shah was assassinated in 1747.  The throne of Ranjit Singh has been carted away by the British and it is in the British Museum in UK. However, we still can see two thrones belonging to the Mughals.

One of the thrones is an inbuilt structure in Red Fort Delhi. It is in Diwan-I Am and it is built in marble surrounded with engravings and minature paintings. The ceremonial steps and royal marble throne in Jaisalmer fort is worth a visit.

Another throne of the Mughals is in the Topkapi palace in Istanbul, Turkey. This is a four legged throne in gold and it was gifted by Nadir Shah to the Ottoman Emperor. 

The throne of Tipu is believed to have been dismantled by the British who shared the booty.  In Jodhpur, you can still see the marble throne of the royal family. There is a throne made of sandalwood in Bikaner. It is on display in the Bikaner fort, Rajasthan.

Another Indian throne which is on display abroad belongs to Orissa. Only one part of the ivory throne remains and this part is delicately carved. It belongs to the 13^th century and could have belonged to the Gajapathis. It is on display at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, USA.