CHANDRAGIRI
CRESCENT
OF VIJAYANAGARA PRIDE
Working in these walls of time;
Some with massive deeds and
great,
Some with ornaments of rhyme.
‘GOD’ is the supremo and our
Expression of powers and forces
We do not understand.
The sound and light show
conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation at Chandragiri
takes us back to the age old regal precincts and ‘the soul of Chandragiri’
tells us about everything – the power, the glory and the tragedy of Vijayanagara
Empire. On a starlit night, in the backdrop of nature’s beauty, with the pin
drop silence, in the darkness and the focused lights an excellently composed
sound show leaves an indelible mark. The crescent shaped “Hill of the
Moon” Chandragiri, is located 14 kms, south of Tirupati. On this hill
‘Chandra’, the Moon God performed penance to please Lord Shiva. The place is a
heaven on earth with fertile lush green fields and hillocks. A picturesque
place as it is prominently has medieval reflections and temples, for Raja
Rajeswari, Venugopala, Karthikeya, Shiva and especially Hanuman, the guardian
deity of the Fort. A strong, beautiful fortification is at the summit as well
as at the foot of the hillock.
The sound and the light show
starts with suprabhatam, a prayer to
wake up Lord Venkateswara. Slowly the lights come. The place is sacred. As ‘the
soul of Chandragiri’ tells it is a place which staged golden and remarkable
annals of history. Before anything came in here to be a part, this place was a
dense forest with musical streams, the abode of the Lord of Tirumala, because all this was his Tiruvengadam, a place which destroys
all ills. Alwars started Bhakti Movement,
which propogated the complete surrender of one’s soul, heart and mind to the
God, Almighty. The political history puts forth our eyes, the rule of Cholas
and Pallavas in this area before tenth century AD. The Chola King Shakti
Vetankan was a devotee of Lord
Venkateswara and his wife contributed for the development of the Temple
In the tenth century AD Yadava
king, Immadi Narasinga Yadava Raya, who ruled Narayanavanam came to Tirumala
for the darshan of Lord Balaji.
While he was taking a nap, an eagle snatched away his crown; the chasing
soldiers along with the eagle came to this ‘Chandragiri’. The king was
fascinated by the splendour of the place and its key location. The place gained
importance, as it was an ideal perview for a formidable fort. The Bhakti Movement started by Nammalvar
was made famous by Ramanujacharya.
He spread the spirit of Vaishnava
Bhakthi. The Tirruppavai Pasurams sung
by Goda Devi in Tamil make it clear
that linguistically Sanskrit was losing its influence and hold to the Dravidian
Languages. In 14th century AD, Harihara Raya and Bukka Raya
established Vijayanagara Empire, which became a stronghold of trade, commerce,
literature, prosperity and symbol of power. The founders consolidated the
position, so strongly, that the kings who came later enjoyed all the benefits.
Devaraya II ascended the throne
in the year 1426 AD. He was a benevolent patron for arts and literature. It is
said that in his reign ‘Srinadha Kavi’ used colloquial Telugu language
wonderfully. By using four words he composed a complete piece of poetry. The
overwhelmed king felicitated ‘Srinadha’ by doing ‘Kanakabhishekam’ i.e.,
showered the poet with gold coins. When Devaraya II died in the year
1446 AD, the war of succession was a witness to bloody violence. At that time
Saluva Narasimha Rayalu, was one of the provincial rulers under the rule of
Virupaksha, the king of Vijayanagara Empire. Saluva commanded the respect of
everyone in the Empire, who were tired of Virupaksha, an unfit ruler, given to
pleasures. In the year 1485 AD Saluva dethroned Virupaksha, and ascended the
Vijayanagara throne. Saluva was the reputed patron of Annamacharya, the prolific composer. Fifteenth century witnessed
the glorious musical rise of Annamacharya and his devotional, devoted follower Purandaradasa, who gave new meaning to
the sweetness of Telugu and Kannada languages. Their keerthanas are eternal
streams of nectar, blissful blessings.
In the sixteenth century, the
Tuluva Dynasty took over the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire. Sri Krishna Deva
Raya ascended the throne in 1509 AD. He was a clever administrator, brave
soldier, accomplished poet and unmatched patron of Telugu literature. In his
court were the eight court poets called Astadiggajas,
the eight literary gems. He himself wrote Amuktamalyada
by divine order. While he was in a sojourn during the Kalinga War, Lord Vishnu, ordered him in his dream
to write about the love of Goda (Andal) and her marriage to Lord Ranganadha. In 1529 AD, Sri Krishna Deva
Raya, on his death bed, ordered the coronation of Achyutha Raya, as the King of
Vijayanagara Empire. This special coronation took place in the temple of Lord Venkateswara
The upheavals and ravages of time
made Sadasiva Raya, the ruler. The Empire torn between wars was still
resourceful and rich. This lured the rulers of Bijapur and Golconda
Venkatapati Deva Raya was
laudable as he made the Vijayanagara Empire, an abode of peace, serenity,
prosperity and happiness. As a religious tolerant ruler he gave permission to Christian
Missionaries in December 1598 AD. He became quite friendly with the Portugese
who even troubled the mighty Moghul rulers. During the reign of Venkatapati
Deva Maha Raya of Aravidu Dynasty, the Fort was sufficiently strengthened and
several royal edifices were built. The document granting the site of the Fort
Saint George in Chennai to the British East India Company was signed at
Chandragiri. The king accepted the demands and was taken over by the convincing
promises of the Europeans. The native army which scared the Moghul army was
made to bow down to keep the economic position smooth and intact. On august 22nd,
1639 AD, the document was signed. The income thus generated to save the Dynasty
could not save it from down fall in the year 1642 AD. The internal warfare gave
Golconda Mysore
Raja Mahal and Rani Mahal are the
two imposing storeyed structures, well-preserved by the Archeological Survey of
India, in this Citadel. The architecture is a fine example of Indo-Saracenie
style. The tower is a typical ‘Dravida Vimana’. Both the Mahals are raised on
high moulded plinths and have in their lay-out a series of corridors, halls and
rooms with projecting window balconies decorated with stucco work and supported
by heavy corbels. The elevation is further figurined by arches, toranas as well
as geometric, floral and animal motifs in fine cut plaster. No where in the
entire construction do we find the use of timber. It is the singularity of this
Fort. The coffered ceiling is made up of stone and brick in mortar. The
edifices are built in coursed rubble masonry set in lime mortar with finely
plastered surfaces.
The fort also houses a museum
established in the year 1988-89 by ASI in the Raja Mahal, where the cultural
vestiges are retrieved from the neighbouring Rayalaseema districts and put on
show in the exhibition. The museum has a very rich collection of stone and
metal sculptures. The displays in the galleries speak of watermark achievements
of artisans of those times. The royal figures on display pay eloquent tribute
to the mighty rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. As the narration of ‘the soul
of Chandragiri’ came to an end along with the show, the story represents the
disappearance of this fabulous historical story of a beautiful little Fort in
the facades of time. But the minute we step into the surroundings, an eerie
feeling takes over, and the Fort makes us feel that we are already in a
different world. The story and all the characters seem to come alive. The glory
is distinct and the place this Fort occupies is majestic. But, honour, glory
and majesty are the possession of one and the only one omniscient and
omnipotent. It is only true that ‘Bhakthi’ is permanent – our complete
submission to GOD.
Forts have always enchanted me
and stimulated my imagination. As a pantheist I communicate with everything in
nature. It was many years back that I visited the place. The care ASI has taken
to develop and renovate it is appreciable. I get a touching feeling when I
enter places like these – historical monuments. This fort has been a source of
immense feelings of joy, admiration, sympathy and wonder. I am fortunate enough
to undergo this kind of an experience, because these deliberations on life give
power of endurance. Architecture is frozen music. As Voltaire said, “By
appreciation we make excellence in others our own property”; memories to
treasure and thoughts to gift.
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