UPSC Prelims 2024 Q56: Portuguese Fort at Bhatkal — Explained
Who of the following rulers of medieval India gave permission to the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal?
- Krishnadevaraya
- Narasimha Saluva
- Muhammad Shah III
- Yusuf Adil Shah
Answer: (a) Krishnadevaraya
Statement-wise explanation
- a: correct — Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluva dynasty ruled Vijayanagara from 1509 to 1529. Early in his reign, around 1510, he let the Portuguese under Governor Afonso de Albuquerque build a fort at Bhatkal, a port on the Kanara coast. The deal suited both sides. The Portuguese got a protected trading post, and Vijayanagara got steady supplies of Arab and Persian horses for its wars with the Deccan Sultanates.
- b: incorrect — Saluva Narasimha took the Vijayanagara throne from the last Sangama rulers in about 1485 and reigned until about 1490–91. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut only in 1498, so no Portuguese were in India to ask him for a fort.
- c: incorrect — Muhammad Shah III was a Bahmani Sultan who reigned from 1463 to 1482. He is remembered for having his minister Mahmud Gawan executed in 1481. His reign ended about 16 years before the Portuguese reached India by sea.
- d: incorrect — Yusuf Adil Shah founded the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur in 1489, and his territory included Goa. He was an enemy of the Portuguese, not a partner. Albuquerque took Goa from Bijapur in 1510, the year Yusuf's reign ended.
How to eliminate
This question is mostly solved by dates. The Portuguese reached India by sea in 1498, when Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut. Any ruler who reigned entirely before 1498 is out. That removes Muhammad Shah III (1463–82) and Saluva Narasimha (c. 1485–91). Two options remain. Yusuf Adil Shah's Bijapur lost Goa to Albuquerque in 1510, so its ruler was unlikely to hand the Portuguese a fort on the same coast. Krishnadevaraya, who needed Portuguese horses against Bijapur, is the logical ally. Fact to remember: Krishnadevaraya let Albuquerque build a fort at Bhatkal in exchange for a supply of horses.
Know more
Vijayanagara and the Portuguese: a horse-trade alliance
Vijayanagara's army depended on cavalry. India bred few good warhorses, so they were imported by sea from Arabia and Persia through the ports of the western coast. Before 1498 this trade was in Arab hands. After Vasco da Gama's voyage, the Portuguese tried to control it.
Krishnadevaraya (1509–29) fought repeatedly against the Deccan Sultanates, especially Bijapur. He won Raichur from Bijapur in 1520. That made the Portuguese useful partners. They had taken Goa from Bijapur in 1510, and they could send horses to Vijayanagara instead of to its enemies. In return, he allowed them a fort at Bhatkal, a port in present-day Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.
| Ruler | State | Reign | Link to the Portuguese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Shah III | Bahmani Sultanate | 1463–82 | None (before 1498) |
| Saluva Narasimha | Vijayanagara (Saluva dynasty) | c. 1485–91 | None (before 1498) |
| Yusuf Adil Shah | Bijapur (Adil Shahi) | 1489–1510 | Lost Goa to Albuquerque, 1510 |
| Krishnadevaraya | Vijayanagara (Tuluva dynasty) | 1509–29 | Allowed the fort at Bhatkal |
Vijayanagara's four dynasties: Sangama (1336), Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu. The empire's power was broken at the Battle of Talikota (Rakshasa-Tangadi) in 1565.
Related facts:
- Portuguese visitors Domingo Paes and Fernão Nunes wrote accounts of Vijayanagara in Krishnadevaraya's time.
- Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada in Telugu.
- Albuquerque's capture of Goa in 1510 gave Portugal its main base in Asia.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Krishnadeva Raya: The question asks which ruler made a deal with the Portuguese; this entry gives Krishnadeva Raya's reign dates and policies to check against.
- Portuguese in India: Gives when the Portuguese reached India by sea, the date that rules out rulers who reigned before it.
- Vijayanagara Empire: Two options are Vijayanagara rulers from different dynasties; this entry sets out the empire's timeline.