The Vijayanagar Empire (1336-1 672 A.D.)

Introduction

The Vijayanagar Empire was founded in 1336 A.D and continued till 1646 A.D. The empire was under the ruling of Harihara and Bukka. At the end of the sultanate period, the territories that were the 1st to separate them from the Delhi sultanate were Multan and Bengal. Multan and Bengal became independent and on the other side, other territories of the Deccan region gradually came into power.

Overview of the Vijayanagar Empire

Krishnadeva Raya was the greatest ruler of the empire of Vijayanagar who ruled from the year 1509 to 1529. He was the 3rd king of the Tuluva Dynasty and possessed the largest empire in India after the downfall of the Delhi sultanate.Prime Minister Thimmarasu voted Krishnadeva Raya as the next leader to rule the Vijayanagar Empire post-death of Veeranarasimha.

The Vijayanagar Empire was destroyed in the Battle of Talikota in the year 1565 when the Deccan sultanates declared a war on the empire. King Aliya Rama Raya was killed brutally in this battle, resulting in the downfall of the whole empire.

The Glories of the Vijayanagar Empire

The Aravidu dynasty was the last dynasty of the Vijayanagar Empire and was very incompetent and weak. This was the main reason for the decline of this empire and the independence of several provincial governors. After the downfall of the empire, some rulers of Bijapur and Golconda seized some regions of Vijayanagar.

The empire of Vijayanagar has several glories as mentioned below.

• Administration − The 3 major administrations that played effective roles in the development of the Vijayanagar Empire include revenue, judicial, and Council of Ministers. The empire has a good infrastructure associated with a well-developed administrative system. Naik was the governor who used to administer each Province.

• Social life and Economic conditions − The Empire was controlled by irrigation policies and Child marriage, polygamy and sati were prevalent. The society of this empire was systemized and the rulers were allowed to worship their religious goddess freely. Textiles, mining, and metallurgy perfumery industries were built during this time. The empire has commercial relations with several islands including Indian Ocean, Abyssinia, Arabia, Burma, China, Persia, Portugal, South Africa, and Malay Archipelago.

• Architecture and Literature − The Hazara Ramasami and Vittalaswamy temples were built during this period. The famous masterpiece of this time was the bronze image of Krishnadeva Raya. Literature including Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada was developed during this period. Krishnadevaraya in Telegu wrote Amuktamalyada and Usha Parinayam and Jambavathi Kalyanam was written by him in Sanskrit.

Vital Dynasties of the Vijayanagar Empire

Some vital dynasties of the Vijayanagar Empire are stated below.

• Sangama − Initially, Harihara I led the throne of Sangama dynasty, followed by and Bukka after Harihara’s renounced his postion. The Father of these founders was imprisoned by Muhammad bin Tughluq in the year 1327. Devaraya II was the greatest ruler of the Sangama dynasty and was well known as Prauda Deva Raya. Mysore and Madurai was captured by Harihara I and he was defeated by Bukka I in the year 1356 A.D.

• Saluva − Mangaldeva was the founder of the Saluva dynasty who played vital role victories of King Bukka Raya I against the Madurai Sultanate. The first king of this dynasty was Saluva Narasimha (1486–1491). In the year 1492, Thimma Bhupala who was the eldest son of Narasimha ruled the dynasty. The dynasty ended with the rule of Narasimha Raya II which was from the year 1491 to the year 1505.

• Tuluva − Tuluva dynasty was founded by Tuluva Narasa Nayaka who was the father of Emperor Krishnadevaraya. Another major ruler of this dynasty was Vir Narsingh who ruled from the year 1491 to the year 1570. Sadasiva Raya (1542-1570) was the last king of this dynasty and Krishna Deva Raya (1509-1529) was the popular king of this dynasty

• Aravidu − Tirumala, Sri Ranga and Venkata II are the three pillars of the Aravidu dynasty. This was the 4th and last dynasty of the Vijayanagar Empire. Rama Raya was the brother of Tirumala and was the masterful regent of Sadasiva Raya who belongs to the Tuluva dynasty.

Contributions of Krishnadeva Raya

Krishnadeva Raya was a famous ruler of the Vijayanagar Empire who belongs to the Tuluva dynasty. A Portuguese traveller, Domingo Paes stated that Krishnadeva Raya was the perfect, efficient, and feared king of that time. He conquered Sivasamudram in the year 1510 A.D. and in the year 1512 A.D. He captured Raichur. Orissa and Warangal came under his rule in the year 1523 A.D.

Apart from these, Krishnadeva Raya was a capable administrator who had built large tanks and canals systems for irrigation. He also maintained good relations with Arabs and Portuguese traders. The famous scholars who adorned Krishnadeva Raya‘s court include Allasani Peddanna, Nandi Thimmana, Madayagari Mallana, Dhurjati, Ayyalaraju Ramabhadra Kavi, Pingali Surana, Ramaraja Bhushana, and Tenali Ramakrishna.

Conclusion

One of the major glories of the Vijayanagar Empire was its administration. The empire had a well-organised and developed administration system. The rulers of the empire were headed to all kinds of powers across the states. Women in this empire captured a high position and used to take an active part in the political, social and literary life of Vijayanagar. Some major rulers of this empire include Harihara I, Krishnadeva Raya, and Bukka I.

FAQs

Qns 1. What are the salient features of the Battle of Talikota?

Ans. Battle of Talikota was fought in the year 1565 A.D. when Krishnadeva Raya’s successors were weak. War was declared by the forces of Ahmednagar, Bijapur, Golconda and Bidar on Vijayanagar during the reign of Aliya Rama Raya. At the end of the battle Aliya Rama Raya and his co-fighters were killed brutally and Vijayanagar was ruined and pillaged.

Qns 2. What was the major reason for the destruction of Vijayanagar?

Ans. Golconda and Ahmadnagar sultans who were defeated repeated times in hands of Rama Raya were mainly responsible for alliance formation. This alliance formation among the sultans gradually destroyed the power of Vijayanagar forever.

Qns 3. Why the empire of Vijayanagar is famous?

Ans. Vijayanagar was the greatest empire of Southern India. The empire used to serve as a barrier against the Muslim sulfates of the North as well as fostered Hindus’ life reconstruction. It also fostered the administration after disunities and disorders among the sultanates in the 12th and 13th centuries.