Post No. 14,642
Date uploaded in London – 15 June 2025
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Ganga Devi has praised Agastya , the author of seventy four Poetic Compositions, in the first canto of Madura Vijayam. This Agastya is nothing to do with the Agastya rishi found in the Rig Veda. We know many Agastyas from Vedic days to a very late period. In Tamil we have astrology and medical books in his name ; there is even a devotional hymn அகத்தியர் அருளிய லலிதா நவரத்தின மாலை Lalitha Navaratnamala done by Agastya sung in the Tamil bhajans.
The poet Agastya mentioned by Ganga Devi was a poet in the court of Prataparudradeva of Warangal and an elder contemporary of Ganga Devi. It is guessed, not without sufficient reasons, he was under the patronage of Sangama and Bukka also. The Pratapa Rudrayaso- bhushana was among his noted works. Of the seventy-four works attributed to him a few are extant. These are Balabharata, Krishnacarita, Nalakirti kaumudi, Lakshmi Stotra ,Sivastava, Lalitasahasranamam ,
Manipariksha,Sivasamhita, and Sakaladikara .
Agastya seems to have distinguished himself as a writer of excellent prose. His nephew Gangadhara
was a dramatist and wrote at least three plays :
Mahabharata ,Candravilasa and Raghavabyudhayam .
Ganga devi greets him as the second Vyasa who made the Bharata story visually enjoyable .
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What is in the Madura Vijayam?
Canto 1
This canto contains the following pieces of information:
1.Gives the names of contemporary luminaries.
2.Gives the information about the parentage of kumara Kampana—mentions Bukka and Harihara and describes the qualities of the head and heart of Bukka. Also mentions the name of Bukka’s queen Devayi. It may be noted that it is the only source giving information about the chief queen of Bukka.
3.Describes the city of Vijayanagar. Compare this with the descriptions of the city given by Paes, Nicolo Conti Abdur Razak and others who visited the city in the heyday of its prosperity. Pampa is mentioned as the branch of Vijayanagara.
Canto 2
The birth of Kampana and also of the other two sons of Bukka, Kampana and Sangama.
Canto 3
1.Gives an account of the early training of Kampana.
Mentions his marriage with Ganga Devi.
Canto 3
Contains very interesting and valuable historical information which can be analysed as follows:
Bukka’s analysis of the pollical situation in the Tamil country.
His exhortation to Kampana to destroy the chieftains in the tamil country and to establish himself at Kanci as its ruler.
After winning over the people of Tondaimandalam , Kampana has to march on his conquest of Madurai.
Canto 4
Preparations for the march on the Sambuvaraya territory.
The size of Vijayanagara army described.
The allies of Vijayanagara the Colas, the Keralas and the Pandyas .
The orderly march of the army.
Camping at Mulbagal. Then the move to Virincipuram.
The siege of Padaiveedu and the fight with the Sambuvarayas.
The defeat of the Sambuvarayas and the death of the Sambuvaraya king at the hands of Kampana.
Canto 5
Kampana establishes a just and prosperous rule in
Kanchipuram.
Cantos six and seven
Contain no historical information.
Canto 8
The condition of the Tamil country after Muslim occupation
The concluding canto
The final battle with the Muslims. The conquest of Madurai by Kampana after the defeat and the death of the sultan in the battle.
–subham—
Tags- Agastya, 74 poetic compositions, Madura Vijayam, Kumara Kampana, Conquest of Madurai , death of Sultan, Condition of Madurai
Tamil and Vedas 