"The princes of the Bahmani maintained their superiority by valour only; for in power, wealth and extent of the country, the Raya…

Question

"The princes of the Bahmani maintained their superiority by valour only; for in power, wealth and extent of the country, the Rayas of Bijarnagar (Vijayanagar) greatly exceeded them". Who among the following made this statement?

1. A. Nicolo Conti
2. B. Ferishta (Correct answer)
3. C. Abdur Razzaq
4. D. Nuniz

Correct Answer

Option B — Ferishta

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Ferishta.

Key Points

• The statement comparing the Bahmani princes unfavourably with the Rayas of Vijayanagara in power, wealth and territory was made by Ferishta.
• Muhammad Qasim Ferishta was a Persian historian at the court of Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur, and wrote the *Tarikh-i-Ferishta* (also called *Gulshan-i-Ibrahimi*) in the early seventeenth century.
• His work is a principal source for the history of the Deccan Sultanates and their long rivalry with Vijayanagara.

Additional Information

• Why the other names are placed as distractors — all three were genuine visitors to Vijayanagara, but none made this statement:
  • Nicolo Conti — an Italian traveller who visited during the reign of Deva Raya I (c. 1420) and described the city's fortifications and festivals.
  • Abdur Razzaq — the Persian ambassador of Shah Rukh of Herat, who visited during Deva Raya II (c. 1443) and left a famous description of the city's seven concentric fortifications and the Mahanavami festival.
  • Fernao Nuniz — a Portuguese horse trader who wrote about the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya and gives valuable detail on the empire's administration and army.
  • Domingo Paes, another Portuguese, described Vijayanagara under Krishnadeva Raya as "as large as Rome and very beautiful to the sight".
• Vijayanagara was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka of the Sangama dynasty, with its capital at Hampi on the Tungabhadra — now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The empire's decisive defeat came at the Battle of Talikota (1565) against a confederacy of the Deccan Sultanates, after which the capital was sacked.