A brief overview of the Vijayanagara rulers is given below

A brief overview of the Vijayanagara rulers is given below.

The Sangama Dynasty Most of Bukka’s life was spent in waging warfare against the Bahmanis.

He died in 1379, and was succeeded by his son Harihara II (1379-1404). Harihara’s reign saw the conquest of the whole of south India including Mysore, Kanara, Tiruchirapalli and Kanchi. After his death the kingdom was involved in a civil war after which one of his sons, Deva Raya I, became the king in 1406.

Nicolo Conti, the Italian traveller, visited Vijayanagara in 1420. Deva Raya II came to the throne in 1422. He was perhaps the greatest ruler of this line. In his reign the empire extended to the most distant south and even touched the shores of Ceylon. It was during his reign that the Persian traveller, Abdur Razzaq, visited Vijayanagar and was struck by its grandeur and prosperity.

The Suluva Dynasty After 1465 there was a period of disorder as the rulers were weak. The Bahmanis, the king of Orissa, and the Pandyas renewed their aggression. The situation was saved by Narasimha Suluva, governor of Chandragiri, who seized the throne in about 1486.

This event is known as the ‘First Usurpation’. Narsimha succeeded in restoring the lost prestige of the empire. However, the dynasty was shortlived, and power passed into the hands of Nasra Nayak.

The l\iluva Dynasty Nasra Nayak died in 1505, and was succeeded by his son Vira Narasimha as the regent. He very soon deposed the Suluva ruler and laid the foundation of the Tuluva dynasty; this event is known as the ‘Second Usurpation’.

Krishnadeva Raya (1509-1529) was the greatest ruler of the Tuluva dynasty and the Vijayanagar empire. His most notable military achievement was the recovery of the Raichur Doab from Bijapur. Under him the kingdom of Vijayanagara reached the height of its prestige and prosperity.

Krishnadeva Raya was noted for his religious zeal, tolerance, hospitality to foreigners, love of literature and purity of life. He maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese governor Albuquerque, and gave him permission to build a fort at Bhatkal. He got Portuguese support against Bijapur.

Decline After the death of Krishnadeva Raya, power passed into the hands of Rama Raja, son-in- law of Krishnadeva and an able man but ambitious and tactless. He took an active part in the politics of the Muslim states of Bijapur and Ahmadnagar and supported the one against the other, changing sides as it suited his interests.

This so incensed the Muslim rulers that they all, except for Berar, formed a confederacy against Vijayanagara. They defeated the

Vijayanagara forces at Bannihatti near Talikota in 1565. The Vijayanagara empire thus came to an end.

Some places like Madurai, Thanjavur and Jingi came to be ruled by local chiefs or nayakas, while a new dynasty was set up at Penugonda. This was known as the Aravidu dynasty, founded by Rama Raja’s brother, Thirumala.

Venkata II (1585-1614) was the most important ruler of this dynasty. He removed the capital to Chandragiri and maintained the empire intact. It was during his reign that the English and the Dutch began to establish themselves on the east coast of India.