Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara, the "City of Victory," the greatest of all medieval Hindu capitals, was founded in 1336 CE by Hukka and Bukka, two princes of a local family, the Sangama. This dynasty rapidly extended its control over the whole of southern India. The power vacuum left in this region after the disruption caused by the Muslim invaders in the early years of the fourteenth century created the ideal political situation for the emergence of a new ruling house.
The Vijayanagara empire, until 1565, the year of its fall, was ruled by three dynasties, the Sangama (1336–1485), the Saluva (1485–1505), and the Tuluva (1505–1570). The most distinguished king, not only in Vijayanagara history but also in the history of medieval India, was Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529). His campaigns against both the sultans of the Deccan in the north and the Gajapati dynasty of Orissa in the east were successful. At the same time, he maintained good relations with the Portuguese on the west coast. Krishnadevaraya was an accomplished scholar and poet in Sanskrit and Telugu, and his reign saw arts, architecture, engineering, and learning flourish. He renovated and built temples throughout the empire to which he gave generous gifts; he also endowed religious institutions.
Krishnadevaraya's half-brother Achyutaraya (1529– 1542) succeeded him and continued the same enlightened policy. However, in the power struggle following his death, the faction led by Ramaraya, Krishnadevaraya's son-in-law, triumphed, and Sadashiva, Krishnadevaraya's nephew, was placed on the throne with Ramaraya as regent. The regent became involved in rivalries among the Deccan sultans with fatal consequences. At the end of a long series of alliances and wars, resulting in territorial gains and increased political power for Vijayanagara, the Deccan sultans buried their differences and in a joint action defeated Ramaraya in a decisive battle at Talikota (now in northern Karnataka) in January 1565. The invading armies of the sultans occupied, sacked, and torched the capital for six months. The Vijayanagara state never fully recovered, and Vijayanagara ceased to be the capital. Two years later, tigers were reportedly roaming through the ruins.
It has often been stated that Vijayanagara was founded in an attempt to establish a new political and moral order based on traditional Hindu cultural values. Although the wars against the sultans of the Deccan were frequent, their cause was more political and economical than religious. On the one hand, the victims of Vijayanagara expansion were not always Muslim, but often were minor Hindu dynasties. On the other hand, a strong contingent of Muslim troops was crucial for the successes of the Vijayanagara army. The Vijayanagara power, however, limited the expansion of the Muslim power in the Deccan for over two centuries and created the conditions for the flourishing of Hindu culture and institutions.
Further Reading
Dallapiccola, Anna Libera, ed. (1985) Vijayanagara: City and Empire. Stuttgart, Germany: Franz Steiner Verlag.
Michell, George. (1995) Art and Architecture of Southern India, Vijayanagara and the Successor States. London: Cambridge University Press.
Stein, Burton. (1989) Vijayanagara. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
Verghese, Anila. (1995) Religious Traditions at Vijayanagara, as Revealed through its Monuments. New Delhi: Manohar and American Institute of Indian Studies.
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