Domingo Paes describes a king in these words: 'Of medium height, and of fair complexion and good figure, rather fat than thin; he has on his face signs of smallpox'. Identify the king from the options given below.
- A.Krishnadeva Raya
- B.Ram Raya
- C.Devaraya II
- D.Devaraya I
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Krishnadeva Raya. The Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes visited Vijayanagara during Krishnadeva Raya's reign and left this well-known description of him.
Paes came to the city around 1520 and wrote a detailed account of its markets, palaces, festivals and army. He called the king the most feared and perfect ruler, cheerful and fond of justice, but liable to sudden anger. Krishnadeva Raya (1509–1529) of the Tuluva dynasty was the greatest Vijayanagara ruler; he wrote the Telugu poem Amuktamalyada and his court had the eight poets called the Ashtadiggajas.
B is wrong because Rama Raya was the regent whose defeat at Talikota in 1565 ruined the empire, decades after Paes wrote. C is wrong because Devaraya II ruled in the fifteenth century and was described by the Persian envoy Abdur Razzaq. D is wrong because Devaraya I was visited by the Italian Nicolo de Conti.
Exam tip: Paes and Nuniz for Krishnadeva Raya, Abdur Razzaq for Devaraya II, Nicolo de Conti for Devaraya I.
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