Category Kindoms of India

            Vijayanagara Empire reached the zenith of its power under King Krishnadeva Raya of the Tuluva dynasty. He was undoubtedly the greatest of the Vijayanagara kings.

           In addition to the already established presence in the south, he expanded his kingdom to include territories in the northern Deccan that were formerly under the Sultanate, and the territories in the eastern Deccan, including Kalinga.

           Krishnadeva Raya was known as Andhra Bhoja as he was a great patron of the arts and literature. He was an author himself, who wrote both in Telugu and Sanskrit; he wrote Amuktamalyada (Telugu) and Jambavati Kalyanam (Sanskrit). His court was adorned by a group of eight celebrated poets known as Ashtadiggajas among whom, Allasani Peddana was the greatest.

           Many important monuments were either completed or commissioned during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya. He built the famous temples of Krishnaswamy, Hazara Ramaswamy and Vitthalaswamy at his capital.

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             Also known as lmmadi Deva Raya, Deva Raya II who ruled the Vijayanagara Empire was one of the greatest rulers of the Indian subcontinent. From his inscriptions, it is known that he enjoyed the title ‘Gajabetegara’, the elephant hunter.

            It was Deva Raya II who began the practice of employing Muslims in the army. He is known for subduing Quilon. He is also the author of two Sanskrit works- Mahanataka Sudhanidhi, and a commentary on the Brahmasutras of Badrayana. Dindima was his court poet.

           The Vijayanagara Empire was engulfed in a bubble of confusion after the death of Deva Raya II. The rule of primogeniture, that is, the right of succession of the firstborn child was not established at the time of his death. This led to a series of civil wars among the contenders. The throne was finally usurped by the king’s minister Saluva Narsimha following which, the Saluva dynasty was established.

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            Harihara and Bukka were ministers of the ruler of Kampili in Karnataka. When Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq invaded Kampili, he captured them. However, they were sent back to Karnataka in an attempt to suppress the revolts that followed the invasion.

           Harihara and Bukka went back to build a new empire after defeating the Sultan. To commemorate their grand victory against the Sultan of Delhi, the capital of the newly formed kingdom was named Vijayanagara, meaning the city of victory. Later, the empire came to be known by this name.

           Harihara was the first to rule the kingdom, and Bukka succeeded his brother to the throne in 1336. He built the capital city of Vijayanagara, and by 1346, the whole of the Hoysala kingdom came under the rulers of Vijayanagara.

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           The Bahmani architecture is a blend of Iranian and Indian elements. They built many mosques, forts and tombs. In 1367, Muhammad Shah built the Jami Masjid at Gulbarga. Forts were built at Daulatabad, Narnala, Bidar, Warangal, Golconda, Mudgal and Raichur.

          The Daulatabad fort stands on an isolated rock. It is 186 metres high and the outer wall is four and a half kilometres in circumference, surrounded by a moat. The fort has three inner walls, with gateways and towers. The walls of the Bidar fort is fifteen and a half metres high, five kilometres in circumference, and is surrounded by a triple ditch cut out of rock.

          There are a series of royal tombs in Gulbarga. The tomb of Firuz Shah and his family holds a special place among them; it measures 48 metres by 24 metres and has shining plaster and painted designs inside the wall.

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           Though the Bahmani kingdom disintegrated after Emperor Krishnadeva Raya’s invasion, it gave birth to five smaller kingdoms- Bijapur, Ahmednagar, Berar, Golconda and Bidar.

           Yusuf Adil Shah founded the state of Bijapur in 1489 AD. Ibrahim Adil Shah, known for replacing Persian by Hindvi (Dakhini Urdu) as the official language is their best-known ruler. In 1686, Aurangzeb annexed Bijapur.

           In 1490, Malik Ahmad founded the kingdom of Ahmednagar. Within nine years, he annexed Daulatabad. He was succeeded by his son Burhan-i-Nizam Shah in 1508. The Mughals annexed the kingdom of Ahmednagar in 1636. Qutb Shah, a Turkish officer began the rule of the Qutb Shahi dynasty in Golconda. This happened in 1518 and a century and a half later, the kingdom of Golconda was annexed by the Mughals in 1687.

           The kingdom of Bidar was founded in 1526 under the Barid Shahi dynasty. It was annexed between 1619 and 1620 by Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur. Berar, founded in 1490, was annexed by Ahmednagar in 1574.

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