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Tinto Flavour #17 - 13th of May 2025 - Vijayanagar & Indian regional content

Hello, and welcome one more week to Tinto Flavour, the happy Fridays Tuesdays & Fridays in which we take a look at the content of Europa Universalis V!

Today we will talk about three topics: the generic content available for most of the countries in India; the unique content of Vijyanagar; and other regional content available for other Indian countries. A meaty TF, so let’s start without further ado!

Let’s start by talking about the generic content available for Indian countries. There are some reforms, policies, and units that are available to most countries, like these:

Nayankara System.jpg


Poligar.jpg


Paik System.jpg

The Paik System unlocks three types of levies, depending on the age:

Early Paik.jpg

Paik.jpg

Late Paik.jpg

There are also Elephant units:
Elephant Cavalry.jpg

Elephant Auxiliary.jpg

And a building that produces Ivory from Elephants - For those of you not so tuned into the Tinto Maps series, we’re representing African elephants with the Ivory resource, and the Indian elephants with the Elephants resource, so it can be used for units (as Elephants), or for other economic purposes, by transforming it first into Ivory with this building:
Elephant Hunting Grounds.jpg

Advances like:
Saqiyah.jpg

And a unique type of vassalage - The Samanta System, with 3 different subject types:
Samanta Feudalism.jpg

Samanta.jpg

Maha-Samanta.jpg

Pradana-Maha-Samanta.jpg

Finally, let’s take a look at the flavour naming of the states in the Hindu Indian countries:
Indian Estates.jpg



Let’s now take a look at the unique flavour content of Vijayanagar, a country that in 1337 was leading the resistance against the Sultanate of Delhi in Southern India:

The newly founded Mahārājya of Vijayanagar stands strong after the momentous defeat of Delhian troops in the Deccan, with Mahārājā Harihara Sangama and his brother Crown Prince Bukka Raya Sangama leading the fight against the Muslim rulers of India.

Although the Vijayanagari rule has only recently been established, the current situation in the Deccan promises us a rapid rise to power if we can utilize our momentum correctly, as we can secure control over important trade routes between China and Europe, and profit from exporting valuable goods from our resource-rich lands.


Vij Country Selection.jpg

Vijayanagar1.jpg

Vijayanagar2.jpg


Vijayanagar has a unique policy for the Administrative System law:
Vij Rajya.jpg

It also has unique advances, as usual:
Vij City of Victory.jpg

Vij Bunds.jpg

Vij Bund.jpg

Vij Carnatic Music.jpg

And it also has several flavour events, such as:
Vij Prophecy of.jpg

Arirayavibhada.jpg


Administration of the Realm.jpg

Multilingual Court.jpg


Vij Astadiggajas.png

Astadiggajas.jpg

Another country with unique content is Orissa, which has a very interesting setup, with some countries as Samanta subjects:
Ori Country Selection.jpg

Orissa1.jpg


Ori Anka Year.jpg

Ori Elephants.jpg

Ori Elephants 2.jpg

Ori Odia.jpg

We also have unique content for countries such as Bengal, Bahmani, and Pandua. For example, in the first case, it starts as three independent countries, which in the case of unifying the region and forming the Sultanate of Bengal:
Bengal.jpg

Would get contents and events such as:
Pandua.jpg

Finally, we also have a bunch of content for other formable countries, that will work as ‘regional powers’ with unique content such as advances, etc. This is a list of these formables:
  • Deccan
  • Gujarat
  • Hindustan
  • Marathas
  • Mughals
  • Nepal
  • Punjab
  • Rajputana

…But since this Tinto Flavour is already long enough, you’ll have to find out about it when playing our game, as that’s all for today!

Remember that tomorrow there will be a Tinto Talks about Hinduism, Jainism & Sikhism; on Friday a Tinto Flavour about Delhi; and next Monday we will have the Tinto Maps Feedback for India. Cheers!
 
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Regarding the estates, I did see the discussions about having the basic caste pyramid be copy-pasted into the estate setup raised some eyebrows, but I do feel like it works fine for this game (keyword: GAME). However, I do believe the zamindari system should be represented as well - through the kshatriya estate, and should be a hard-to-revoke estate privilege for most of the Indian countries.

And no Maratha or Rajput estates please - they should just be represented as unique units LOCKED TO THAT CULTURE and researched through advances, along with Gorkhas.

As for the country tier naming conventions, I'm assuming Duchy is Rajya, Kingdom is Maharajya and Empire is Samrajya? What is the equivalent of county then (don't say thikana please). And will be titles be Raja - Maharaja - Chakravarti/Samrat/Chattrapati?
Chhatrapati was a title taken by the Maratha rulers of the Bhonsle dynasty specifically because they weren't from the nobility caste, and were thus ineligible for the "chakravarti" title they actually wanted. It means "defender of the homeland" and sounds kinda similar to "chakravarti", which actually means emperor.
 
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Andhradesha could be a formable for the Telugu states, but the Kakatiyas shouldn’t be given that they’re a dynasty. You shouldn’t be able to reform them unless you’re playing as Bastar (since they were ruled by a Kakatiya king).
Yes agreed, this could be a suitable name for a Telugu formable. I hope the devs add this in.
 
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We know, but sometimes we need to use some 'tropes' to reinforce the 'meaning' of certain content assets, and also to create some more immersion into the country.
Fair enough, but if tropes are being used to build immersion, then let’s be unbiased about which stories we’re choosing to tell. Vijayanagara gets to be this noble, complex bulwark. If it can be selectively romanticized for immersion, then Granada deserves the same nuance—especially since its survival wasn’t just a delay of the inevitable, but a product of real strategy and historical complexity. Tropes should serve depth, not overwrite it.



Would love to see that side given weight, especially since it’s grounded in the actual record—not a romantic rewrite.



(I know this is about the Iberian flavor that’s not yet announced but let it serve as a kind request)
 
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Hi, are the Dalits represented in any way through pops? Sure they would not have their own estate as they did not have political power but are they a part of the population or are they subsumed in the Sudra pops? Is there inter-caste discrimination in the game (Brahmins or Kshatriyas discriminating against the Sudras)? If so, are there any events or gameplay mechanics which a player can take to make an Indian polity a quasi "progressive" state i.e can we give Sudras privileges so that they're not discriminated against?

Thank you for all your hard work!
 
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This happens every time Pavia posts a diary....
Not always, just sometimes. Posting 3/4 times a week is demanding! :p
 
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As for the country tier naming conventions, I'm assuming Duchy is Rajya, Kingdom is Maharajya and Empire is Samrajya? What is the equivalent of county then (don't say thikana please). And will be titles be Raja - Maharaja - Chakravarti/Samrat/Chattrapati?
Someone in the thread already suggested it (though I think only for Nepal) but I'd move Maharaja down to Duchy and make Maharajadhiraja the King-level title. At least for Kannadiga rulers, if not India in general.
View attachment 1298244
(Personally I'd also include (Raja)parameshvara as well, but that might understandably get a bit long)
Rājā
A standard monarch ruling a single region or principality, often subordinate to higher sovereigns.

Mahārāja
Literally “Great King,” a powerful regional ruler with substantial autonomy and prestige, though sometimes still a vassal to a higher emperor.

Adhirāja
Meaning “King of Kings,” indicating suzerainty over multiple subordinate kings, reflecting dominance but not imperial power .

Mahārājādhirāja
“Great King of Kings,” a fully sovereign ruler asserting independence and overlordship over other kings. Imperial in ambition but not always universally recognized as an emperor due to limited territory or legitimacy.

Samrāṭ and Chhatrapati
True imperial titles denoting full sovereignty over multiple kingdoms.

  • Samrāṭ is a pan-Indic Sanskrit term for emperors with vast dominions and supreme authority.
  • Chhatrapati is specific to the Maratha tradition, combining “chhatra” (umbrella, symbol of protection) and “pati” (lord), symbolizing both imperial power and protector of Hindu self-rule (Swarajya).

Chakravartin
The highest and most sacred Dharmic title, meaning “Wheel-Turning Monarch.” A Chakravartin is an ideal universal sovereign who rules according to Dharma, bringing justice, harmony, and peace to all quarters of the world. This title represents not just political power but moral and cosmic legitimacy.


Indian rulers should have dynamic titles that reflect their actual power, status, and cultural context. Ideally, this system would be based on political and territorial realities but could also be symbolic, capturing the rich spiritual and sovereign traditions of India. These titles deserve to be understood independently, without being confined to European comparisons.
 
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1. There is a typo in the astadiggajas event. The word "astadiggajas" is wrongly written as "astadiggajsa."
2. Shouldn't Vijayanagar be called Vijayanagara?
3. The Palegara (kannada) or Palegaru/palegallu (telugu) system would better suit the historical context. The term poligar or Palaiyakkars was mostly used long after the fall of the empire. Moreover, the latter is a tamil-specific term that does not reflect the predominantly Kannada and Telugu nature of the empire, which was even more so the case at the start date. I think renaming the poligar system to "Palegara System" would be more apt for 1337.
4. Would the name change to Vijayanagara Samrajya (Kannada) and Vijayanagara Samrajyam (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Sanskrit) when it become empire tier? The word samrajya/samrajyam means empire in Sanskrit. Note: It was also referred to as Karnata Samrajya in Kannada during contemporary times.
5. Is there specific content to reflect the rapid conquests in the south, such as that of Kumara Kampana in the conquest of the Madurai Sultanate?
 
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Vijayanagara should have some content on the conquest of Madurai. The conquest was really significant as it essentially made Vijayanagara the dominant power in southern India.

They should get bonuses to integration or instantly integrate like the Ottomans get with Edirne and Constantinople. The Madurai Sultanate was well-known for its persecution of Hindus, which Ibn Battuta and many other contemporaries were open about.

Ibn Batuta description of Ghiyasuddin Dhamgani's actions:

the Hindu prisoners were divided into four sections and taken to each of the four gates of the great catcar. There, on the stakes they had carried, the prisoners were impaled. Afterwards their wives were killed and tied by their hair to these pales. Little children were massacred on the bosoms of their mothers and their corpses left there. Then, the camp was razed, and they started cutting down the trees of another forest. In the same manner did they treat their later Hindu prisoners. This is shameful conduct such as I have not known any other sovereign guilty of. It is for this that God hastened the death of Ghiyasuddin.

One day whilst the Qazi and I were having our food with (Ghiyasuddin), the Qazi to his right and I to his left, an infidel was brought before him accompanied by his wife and son aged seven years. The Sultan made a sign with his hand to the executioners to cut off the head of this man; then he said to them in Arabic: 'and the son and the wife.' They cut off their heads and I turned my eyes away. When I looked again, I saw their heads lying on the ground.

I was another time with the Sultan Ghiyasuddin when a Hindu was brought into his presence. He uttered words I did not understand, and immediately several of his followers drew their daggers. I rose hurriedly, and he said to me; 'Where are you going' ? I replied: 'I am going to say my afternoon (4 o'clock) prayers.' He understood my reason, smiled, and ordered the hands and feet of the idolater to be cut off. On my return I found the unfortunate swimming in his blood.

— Ibn Battuta, A Masterpiece to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling, Page 236

Madhura Vijayam is another source that highlights the importance of Vijayanagara's conquest under Kumara Kampanna, the son of Bukka raya. Kampana restored many temples that were destroyed by the sultanate, such as the famous Srirangam temple, and entrenched Vijayanagara rule in the process. Vijayanagara also brought in a lot of Telugu and Kannada Palegaras (Poligars) afterward, further solidifying their control. An event that makes Vijayanagara empire trier and immediately integrates Madurai after the conquest would reflect the historical importance.
 
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