Who of the following rulers of medieval India gave permission to the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal ?
- (a) Krishnadevaraya ✓ UPSC's answer
- (b) Narasimha Saluva
- (c) Muhammad Shah III
- (d) Yusuf Adil Shah
Why the answer is (a)
• Bhatkal, on the Karnataka coast, was a key port of the Vijayanagara empire for importing Arabian horses, which the Portuguese controlled after taking Goa in 1510.
• Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529), needing a steady supply of horses for his wars against the Bahmani successor states and Odisha, allied with the Portuguese and permitted them to build a fort at Bhatkal — option (a).
• Narasimha Saluva ruled earlier (1485–1491), before the Portuguese arrived in force; Muhammad Shah III was a Bahmani sultan; Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur lost Goa to the Portuguese and was their adversary.
• The horse trade underpinned Vijayanagara–Portuguese relations, as Domingo Paes and Nuniz record.
• Hence option (a).
Why the other options are wrong
- (b) Narasimha Saluva
- Narasimha Saluva ruled before the Portuguese established themselves.
- (c) Muhammad Shah III
- Muhammad Shah III was a Bahmani sultan, not the ruler of Bhatkal.
- (d) Yusuf Adil Shah
- Yusuf Adil Shah fought the Portuguese over Goa; he granted them nothing.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2024, held on 16 June 2024. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.