Vijayanagara Empire

The History of Vijayanagara Empire

Its Foundation:

The Vijayanagara kingdom was founded by Harihara and Bukka of the Sangama dynasty in 1336. At the instance of their guru Vidyaranya, they established their kingdom with its capital at Vijayanagar.

Harihara became the first ruler, and by 1346 the whole of Hoysala kingdom passed into the hands of the Vijayanagara rulers.

Bukka succeeded his brother on the throne of Vijayanagara in 1336 and ruled till 1337. By 1337, the Sultanate of Madurai had been annexed.

The interests of the Vijayanagara rulers and the Bahamani kingdom which had come into exist­ence in 1347, clashed in three separate and distinct areas: in the Tungabhadra doab, in the Krishna- Godavari delta and in the Marathwada country.

The beginning of the Vijayanagar-Bahmani conflict started on a large scale during the reign of Bukka I in 1367. He also sent an embassy to the Emperor of China. Under Harihara II (1377-1406) Vijayananara Empire embarked upon a policy of eastern expansion. He was able to maintain his position in the face of the Bahmani-Warangal combination. He invaded Ceylon.

Deva Raya I (1406-22) was defeated by the Bahmani ruler Firoz Shah in 1407. He had to give his daughter in marriage to Firoz Shah. He defeated the Reddis of Kondavidu and recovered Udayagiri. In 1419, he defeated Firoz Shah.

Deva Raya II (1422-1446) was the greatest ruler of the Sangama dynasty. He began the practice of employing Muslims in the army. He was called Immadi Deva Raya. In his inscriptions he has the title of Gajabetekara (the elephant hunter). Dindima was his court poet. Abdur Razzak of Persia visited his kingdom. Deva Raya II is the author of two Sanskrit works Mahanataka Sudhanidhi and a commentary on the Brahmasutras of Badrayana.

There was confusion in the Vijayanagara Empire after the death of Deva Raya II. Since the rule of primogeniture was not established, there was a series of civil wars among the contenders. After some time, the throne was usurped by the king’s minister Saluva Narsimha and the Saluva dynasty was established.

Saluva dynasty (1486-1505):

Vira Narsimha (1503-04) the regent of Immadi Narasimha, usurped the throne after his assassination and laid the foundation of the Tuluva dynasty in 1505.

Tuluva dynasty (1505-1570):

Vira Narasimha had the title of Bhujabala (1505-09). After his brief reign, he was succeeded by his younger brother Krishna Deva Raya (1509-30 A.D.) who was the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagar Empire. Under him, Vijayanagara emerged as the strongest military power in the south. He defeated the rebellious chiefs of Ummattur, the Gajapatis of Orissa and Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur.

He suc­cessfully invaded Gulbarga and Bidar and restored the puppet Sultan Mahmud to the throne. To com­memorate this act of restoration he assumed the title of’ Yavanarajya Sthapanacharya’ (The restorer of the Yavana kingdom). He conquered almost the whole of Telangana from the Gajapati king Pratapraudra and the Sultan of Golcunda.

Krishna Deva Raya maintained friendly relations with Albuquerque, the Portuguese governor whose ambassador Friar Luis resided at Vijayanagar. His relations with Portuguese were governed by two factors:

(a) Common enemity with Bijapur.

(b) The supply of imported horses by the Portuguese to Vijayanagar.

Krishna Deva Raya was also a great patron of art and literature, and was known as Andhra Bhoja. He was the author of the Telugu work Amuktamalyada and one Sanskrit work Jambavati Kalyanam. His court was adorned by the Ashtadiggajas (the eight celebrated poets), of whom, Allasani Peddana was the greatest.

His important works include Manucharitam and Harikatha Saramsamu. Krishna Deva Raya also built the famous temples of Krishnaswamy, Hazara Ramaswamy and Vitthalaswamy at his capital. Foreign travellers like Nuniz, Barbosa and Paes speak of his efficient administration and the prosperity of his empire.

After the death of Krishna Deva Raya, the struggle for succession followed among his relations. After the uneventful reigns of Achyuta Raya and Venkata, Sadasiva Raya ascended the throne in 1543. But the real power was in the hands of Rama Raja, theson-in law of Krishna Deva. The Bahmani rulers except Berar combined to inflict a crushing defeat on Vijayanagar in the Battle of Talikota or Rakshasa- Tangadi in 1565.

This battle is generally considered to mark the end of the great age of Vijayanagara. Although the kingdom lingered on for almost one hundred years under the Aravidu dynasty founded by Tirumala Raya with its capital at Penugonda, it came it to an end in 1672.

*Rise and Fall of Vijayanagar Empire

Significance of the Vijayanagar Empire: The signiticance ot the Vijayanagara empire may be stated in the words of Dr. A.L. Srivastva,

“The Vijayanagara empire served a high historical purpose by acting as a champion of Hindu religion and culture against the aggressions of the Muslims in Southern India.”

Apart from above, on account of its efficient administration, prosperous economy, diplomatic polity, liberal religious policy, the Vijayanagara empire occupied a remarkable and glorious place in Indian history for more than two hundred years from 1336 A.D. to 1565 A.D.

Rise and fall of the dynasty:

From 1565 onwards, the empire just remained in existence only and without any worth while achievement till 1614. Its defeat at the hands of the erstwhile Bahamni rulers in 1565 gave it a crushing blow. The 16 rulers of the empire were from 4 dynasties; the Sangma Dynasty (1336 to 1486), the Saluva Dynasty (1486 to 1509), the Taluva Dynasty (1510 to 1570) and the Arvinda Dynasty.

The Kingdom of Vijayanagara came into being as a result of the confusion that prevailed at the time of Muhammad Tughlaq. According to Dr. V.S. Smith, “There is however no doubt that the new power was the outcome of the efforts made by two brothers, sons of Sangama to stay the tide of Muslim invasion and preserve the Hindu Dharma in the peninsula”.

Likewise Dr. Ishwari Prasad says, “The most probable account is that which ascribes the origin of the Kingdom to the two brothers, Hari Hara and Bukka who were employed in the treasury of Pratap Rudra Deva, Kakatya of Warrangal and who fled the country when it was overrun by the Muslims in 1303.”

The Kingdom comprised a substantial part of peninsular India south of the Krishna river up to Rameshwaram, including the Tamil region and that of the Cheras (Kerala). To the north was the powerful Bahamni Kingdom with whom it had constant conflicts and which ultimately led to its downfall.

Krishnadeva Raya (1509-29):

Krishnadeva has been described by all the travellers who visited his empire as “an emperor of much justice.” Domingos, a Portuguese traveller described Krishnadeva in these words, “He is the most feared and perfect king that could possibly be.” The Mughal emperor Babur described in his ‘Baburnama’, Krishnadeva “as the most powerful ruler of India.”

The Vijayanagara empire reached to its zenith in peace, order, power, prosperity and learning during his reign.

Krishnadeva as a military commander:

He was a brave general and bold warrior. He invaded Mysore and annexed it. He recaptured the Doab lying between the rivers Krishna and Tungbhadra from the Bahamni Sultans. The military exploits of Krishnadeva have been described in the following words, “He is one of the most distinguished and powerful kings of Vijayanagara who fought with the Muslims of the Deccan on equal terms and avenged the wrongs that had been done to his predecessors.”

Religious toleration: Though his personal leanings were in favour of Vaishnavism yet he respected all the sects.

Patron of literature:

Literature made a tremendous progress during his reign. He himself was a gifted scholar of Telugu and Sanskrit. He wrote a poem ‘Amuktamalyada” in Telugu. He extended his patronage to Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannad and Tamil scholars alike. The noted Telugu poet Allasani Peddana flourished in his court.

As a patron of art:

He was a great builder and founded the city of Naglapur. He got several ‘Gopurams’ and ‘Mandapas’ built. He constructed the Krishnaswami temple and the statue of infant Krishna installed in it. He also built several ponds for irrigation.

As an administrator:

He decentralised his empire into different administrative units. A province was placed under a governor who was usually a military commander.

Encouragement to trade and commerce:

The ruler made special arrangements for providing trading facilities at ports.

Summing up the Achievements of Krishnadev:

Describing the achievements of Krishnadeva, Nilakanta Sastri has observed, “He was in no way less famous for his religious zeal and catholicity. He respected all sects of the Hindu religion alike, though his personal leanings were in favour of Vaishnavism… Krishnadeva’s kindness to the fallen enemy, his great military prowess and above all the fabulous wealth that he conferred as endowments on temples and Brahamans, mark him out indeed as the greatest South Indian monarchs, who shed a luster on the pages of history.”

Dr. Ishwari Prasad has described the qualities and achievements of Krishnadeva as, “Krishnadeva Raya was always anxious to promote the welfare of his subjects. His liberal endowments endeared him all the more to his subjects. He was polite and amiable in private society, wise and far- sighted in council, eloquent and cultured when he listened to litteratus, dignified and awe inspiring in his public duties.

Krishnadeva was formidable in war and indeed a jewel among all the princes. Under him Vijayanagara attained the zenith of its greatness and prosperity.” He further went on to say, “There is no ruler among the sovereigns of the Deccan, both Hindu and Muslim, worthy of Krishnadeva Raya.”

Causes of the downfall of the Vijayanagara Empire:

1. A despotic government.

2- Wars of succession.

3. Weak successors of Krishna Deva Raya.

4. Continuous wars with the neighbouring Bahamani Kingdom.

5. Lack of control over the provincial governors.

6. Social evils.

7. Lack of fanaticism among the Hindus as compared with the spirit of “jehad” among the Muslims-war against infidels.

8. Rise and fall as the law of nature.