LAND OF THE LOTUS
An Indian Timeline.
On the 26th January 1565, on the rolling plains of the Bayalu Seeme, one of the most decisive battles in the history of India was fought, between an alliance of Sultanates in the Deccan, and the Vijanayagara Empire. The Vijanayagara Army, which was commanded by the Maharajah[1] Tirumala Deva Raya[2], consisted of hundreds of thousands of footsoldiers, 30,000 cavalrymen, a few cannon[3], and over 1500 war elephants. The Army of the Sultanates was commanded by the Sultans, and was made up of hundreds of thousands of footsoldiers, 50,000 Persian cavalrymen, and several dozen cannons. It resulted in the economic and social collapse of the Deccan Sultanates, and was the first major battle lost by Muslim forces against Hindu forces in many years.
Three years prior to the battle, the Maharajah Rama Raya had been killed by malaria. He had been unpopular in his lifetime for instituting his family in the important government and military positions within his empire. As soon as Tirumala came to the throne, he reversed this, and reintroduced the old system of appointment based on merit and achievement to a degree. He had a deep distrust of Muslims owing to a Muslim trader he had once encountered having lied to him, and so released from service the Gilani Brothers, two commanders in the Army[4]. He also imposed higher taxes on the Muslim people of his Empire.
In the Deccan Sultanates, a period of uneasy peace had lingered for a year or so as they vowed to unite against the Hindu Empire to their south. Previous to this, there had been intense rivalry between them, with much conflict and bloodshed over the years. They were roughly equal in power, although the Golkonda, Bijapur and, to a lesser extent, Ahmadnagar Sultanates have been viewed by modern historians as the most influential of the five.
The armies clashed at the Battle near the villages of Rakshashi and Tangadi. The figures of the armies vary in different accounts and explanations of the battle, indeed a few claim over a million men were involved in the battle! The Sultan of Berar made the first thrust forwards, but he and his army were destroyed by one of the generals and his force. The Maharajah then took the initiative, and charged ahead to the Muslim Armies with his force, upright in the centre of the battleground. Another of the generals followed suit, and soon there was a full-blown battle. Guns were shooting endlessly, the thud of cannons and elephant's hooves landing on the ground shook the earth, the pungent fragrance of blood filled the air. As the ranks of the Muslims were softened, the Maharajah called for another charge, and this was so vigorous it seemed a Hindu victory was imminent. He also commanded the behind of the far right and left of his army to form a ring around the Muslim Army for as far as it could stretch, and then attack. Two of the Sultans had been killed, and the other three were retreating as far as they could, leaving their soldiers to fight. Many fled from the battle. As the battle went on, the Muslim force was evidently shrinking. After several more hours of fighting, the remainder of the Sultanate's Army was completely surrounded by the Vijanayagara Army, but they were steadfast and stubborn, and they held their ground, stirred on with cries of Jihad. The majority of the army was massacred, and the rest were taken prisoner.
The Battle was over; Vijanayagara had won. Alas, it was a Pyrrhic Victory. Half of the victor's army lay strewn across the plains, dead. They had won, but only in the broadest possible sense of the word; hundreds of thousands of men had been killed or maimed, many more had been injured. The march of the army back to the capital, the city of fabled splendour, was grim and solemn; many men were too tired to speak, and those that could did not want to talk about what had happened. They were hailed as heroes when they returned, and they shall be remembered as heroes in the history books of our world. This had been a turning point in world history.
[1] Wasn't his actual title, but I've used it here for ease.
[2] Brother of the OTL King, Rama Raya.
[3] We really don't know the size of the armies, but it was probably closer to a million than a hundred thousand.
[4] Who, OTL, betrayed the Vijanayagara at this battle, and were a major factor to the loss of it.
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So, yes, that was my
attempt at the start of a timeline. I would really love criticism, comments, anything at all, to guide me in the right direction and keep me motivated. I hope you like it. Any corrections noticed then tell me; I'm really, really far from being an expert on Indian history.