The Vijayanagar Empire

India is known for the numerous dynasties in the past that played a role in shaping what it is today. From the Mughals to the Marathas to the Delhi Sultanate to the Vijayanagar Empire, these different kingdoms played a role in shaping India’s history as well as the history of judicial administration. With the religious diversity in India, we see India under the rule of both Hindu and Muslim rulers. One might assume that thus, the rules under the Muslim rulers might be similar and that of the Hindu rulers might be similar. In contrast to that assumption, the data supplied below proves that even though the Mughal Dynasty and Delhi Sultanate both had Muslim rulers, the judicial administration were dissimilar. Likewise, even though the Vijayanagar

The rulers had well-functioning administrative systems and the king was the ultimate authority. This dynasty prevailed for 3 centauries and was said to be a tolerant and accepting dynasty. The administrative system was just and tolerant. The king focused on the welfare of his subjects and had a council of six to eight ministers to assist him. These ministers were chosen from each caste of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishya’s. There was a governor who exercised military, judicial and civil power. The empire was based on the monarchy form of government and was traditional in nature. The king was the highest court of appeal. Though he was the highest court of appeal, he could not give his full attention to the court and thus set up a series of courts in different provinces. The courts were called sabha and were divided into Mukhya (which transacted business regularly) and Amukhya. A ‘Shastrita’ court was a court where the emperor himself presided over the cases. It can be noted that the courts created were not like the modern ones. The judges were drawn from the village caste population and understood the grievances of the

They ruled in the western Deccan plateau of India and became prominent only under the rule of Shivaji in the 17th century. Shivaji was a great ruler and numerous people looked up to him. He was popular and ruled with the advice of his ministers. They were committed to establishing a Hindu state and hindu political power in the subcontinent of India. The dynasty was governed by ministers called Pradhaans. The Nyayadhish was the highest legal authority and known as the chief justice. There was also a pandit who was responsible for solving disputes like religious customs, formal education and so on. Shivaji collected two taxes called ‘Chauth’ and ‘Sardeshmukhi’ of which one was a military contribution. When it came to the administration of justice, the system of justice was simple, primeval and rudimentary. It was rather simple, basic and to the point. The highest court was termed ‘Hazar Majils’ or the king’s court. The administration of day to day events was carried out by the panchayat. The Patel of the village played a role