INDIA , THAT IS BHARAT -A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, #BHARAT[PART-71][EP-300]

VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE

Before we could start our series on Medieval INDIA , we must study about the last HINDU EMPIRE of South INDIA i.e. the history of VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE which ruled from 1336 AD to 1646 AD . It was established by two brothers called HARIHARA I and BUKKA RAYA I in 1336 AD of the SANGAMA DYNASTY , members of which claimed to have from YADAVA lineage . Its capitals had been : 1. VIJAYANAGARA (1336-1565 AD) ; 2. PENUKONDA (1565-1592 AD) ; 3. CHANDRAGIRI (1592-1604 AD) ; and 4. VELLORE (1604-1646 AD) . Common languages of the people were KANNADA , TELUGU and SANSKRIT . People followed HINDUISM.The VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE was established on 18th April 1336 by HARIHARA I who ruled from 1336-56 . But its most famous ruler was KRISHNA DEVA RAYA who ruled from 1509-29 . SRIRANGA III was the last Emperor of this empire who ruled from 1642-46 .To ward off MUSLIM invasion at the end of 13th century that the empire rose to prominence .The YADAVA EMPIRE of DEVAGIRI , the KAKATIYA DYNASTY of WARANGAL and the PANDYAN EMPIRE of MADURAI were repeatedly raided by and attacked by MUSLIMS from the north . By 1336 , the upper DECCAN region had been defeated by armies of SULTAN ALAUDDIN KHALJI and MUHAMMAD BIN TUGHLUQ of the DELHI SULTANATE .The Kingdom collapsed after the defeat by the armies of DELHI SULTANATE . And upon their defeat , the populace committed a jauhar (ritual mass suicide) in 1327-28 .The VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE was founded in 1336 as a successor to the hitherto prosperous HINDU kingdoms of the HOYSALAS , the KAKATIYAS , the YADAVAS and the KAMPILI kingdom to fight the repeated MUSLIM invasion from the north .The empire’s territory covered the lands of the modern-day INDIAN states of KARNATKA , ANDHRA PRADESH , TAMIL NADU , KERALA , GOA , MAHARASTRA and some parts of TELANGANA . SRI LANKA was also part of it .

THE LEGACY OF KRISHNA DEVA RAYA

KRISHNA DEVA RAYA was the most powerful Emperor of the VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE who ruled from 1509 AD to 1529 AD. He was the third monarch of the TULUVA DYNASTY . He is considered as one of the greatest rulers of the INDIAN history . He ruled the largest empire in INDIA after the fall of the ISLAMIC DELHI SULTANATE about which we will discuss in detail later . KRISHNA DEVA RAYA earned the titles of ANDHRA BHOJA (BHOJA of ANDHRA) and KANNADA RAJYA RAMA RAMANA meaning by Lord of KANNADA EMPIRE apart from other titles . He was born on 17th January 1471 in VIJAYANAGARA and died on 17th October 1529 at the age of 58 . He was the son of TULUVA NARASA NAYAKA and his queen NAGAMAMBA . TULUVA NARASA NAYAKA was an army commander under SALUVA NARSIMHA DEVA RAYA , who later took over the reign of the VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE to prevent its disintegration and thus established the rule of TULUVA DYNASTY over the empire . KRISHNA DEVA RAYA accessed the throne after the death of his brother VIRANARSIMHA in 1509 . He married to SRIRANGAPATNA’S princess TIRUMALA DEVI and his royal dancer CHINNA DEVI who was from KODAGU . He was father to TIRUMALAMBA and TIRUMALA RAYA from TIRUMALA DEVI and VENGALAMBA from CHINNA DEVI . His daughters were married to Prince RAMA RAYA and his brother Prince TIRUMALA DEVA RAYA .

KRISHNA DEVA RAYA— THE DESTROYER OF THE TURKS

KRISHNA DEVA RAYA’S main enemies were the BAHAMANI SULTANS of five small kingdoms , the GAJAPATIS of ORISSA who remained in constant conflicts with the VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE and PORTUGAL , a rising maritime power controlling much of the sea trade . In 1509 , KRISHNA DEVA RAYA’S armies clashed with SULTAN MAHMUD of DECCAN who was severely injured and defeated . YUSUF ADIL SHAH of BIJAPUR was killed and RAICHUR DOAB was annexed . He then united BIDAR , GULBARGA and BIJAPUR into the kingdom of VIJAYANAGARA . When he released SULTAN MAHMUD and made him de facto ruler , he earned the title “establisher of the yavana kingdom”. KRISHNA DEVA RAYA’S Prime Minister , TIMMARUSU , defeated the SULTAN OF GOLCONDA , SULTAN QULI QUTB SHAH . In 1513 , when KRISHNA DEVA RAYA himself engaged in the battle with the SULTAN of GOLCONDA , he was defeated at the hands of GOLCONDA forces . As a result , he was compelled to retreat and lost the PANGAL FORT from VIJAYANAGARA . In 1512 itself KRISHNA DEVA RAYA laid siege of the UDAYAGIRI FORT of GAJAPATI king PRATAPARUDRA DEVA of ORISSA .The campaign lasted for a year before the GAJAPATI army was disintegrated due to starvation . KRISHNA DEVA RAYA , there after , with his wives TIRUMALA DEVI and CHINNAMA DEVI offered prayers at TIRUPATI . Ultimately , the GAJAPATI King PRATAPARUDRA surrendered to VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE , gave his daughter , Princess JAGANMOHINI, in marriage to KRISHNA DEVA RAYA who in return gave back all the captured lands north of the KRISHNA river . So far as with the PORTUGUESE , he established friendly relations in GOA in 1510 . KRISHNA DEVA RAYA used to obtained guns and ARABIAN horses from the PORTUGUESE merchants . He also utilized PORTUGUESE expertise to improve to water supply to the capital of VIJAYANAGARA . In 1524 , KRISHNA DEVA RAYA made his son TIRUMALA RAYA the YUVARAJA (crown prince) but he was poisoned . Suspecting TIMMARUSU , his Prime Minister , for that , KRISHNA DEVA RAYA made him blind . However, when he was preparing for attack on BELGAUM , he fell ill and died in 1529 . He was succeeded by his brother , ACHYUTA DEVA RAYA .

NOTE : THE SOURCES OF THE BLOG ARE TEXT BOOKS AND OTHER WRITTEN MATERIALS ON THE SUBJECT .

TO BE CONTINUED ……………….