A Forgotten Empire—Vijayanagar
A narrative history drawing on Robert Sewell's seminal 1900 study and B. Suryanarain Row's 1905 A History of Vijayanagar, chronicling the empire's founding in 1336, its golden age under Krishna Deva Raya, and its fall at Talikota in 1565.
From Hampi to Cape Comorin, the south held for three centuries
Founded at Hampi on the Tungabhadra in 1336, Vijayanagar — the “City of Victory” — held the peninsular south against three centuries of pressure from the Bahmani Sultanate. At its peak under Krishna Deva Raya it stretched from the Krishna river to Cape Comorin.
In ochre, the empire at its greatest extent — 1336 to 1646 — set against the Indian subcontinent, with Hampi, the capital, marked.
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The Rise and Fall of a Hindu Empire
The Rise
Uday4 chapters
Introduction
Robert Sewell introduces the forgotten Hindu empire of Vijayanagar and the sources that preserve its memory.
Origin of the Empire
The founding legend of Harihara and Bukka and the role of the sage Vidyaranya in establishing the empire.
The First Kings (1336-1379)
The reigns of Harihara I and Bukka I as they consolidated the new Hindu kingdom against the Bahmani threat.
Growth of the Empire (1379-1406)
Harihara II expands the empire to its first peak, controlling territory from sea to sea across southern India.
The Deva Rayas
Samriddhi3 chapters
Deva Raya I (1406-1419)
Deva Raya I defends the empire against Bahmani invasions and undertakes great irrigation works.
Deva Raya II (1419-1449)
The greatest king of the first dynasty, Deva Raya II, reforms the army and earns the praise of foreign travelers.
The City of Vijayanagar
A vivid portrait of the capital city through the eyes of Persian, Italian, and Russian travelers.
Close of the First Dynasty
Parivartan2 chapters
Close of the First Dynasty (1449-1490)
The decline of the Sangama dynasty through weak successors and the usurpation by Saluva Narasimha.
First Kings of the Second Dynasty (1490-1509)
The Tuluva dynasty rises through Narasa Nayaka and his son Vira Narasimha, setting the stage for Krishna Deva Raya.
The Golden Age
Suvarna Yuga3 chapters
Krishna Deva Raya (1509-1530)
The greatest of all Vijayanagar kings ascends the throne and launches a series of brilliant military campaigns.
The Siege and Battle of Raichur
Krishna Deva Raya's decisive victory at Raichur, witnessed and recorded by the Portuguese chronicler Nuniz.
Buildings and Inscriptions of Krishna Deva
The architectural legacy of Krishna Deva Raya: temples, gopurams, and inscriptions across South India.
The Fall
Patan5 chapters
The Reign of Achyuta Raya
The weak successor Achyuta Raya struggles to hold the empire together as Rama Raya rises to power.
The Beginning of the End
Rama Raya's arrogance provokes the Deccan sultans into an unprecedented alliance against Vijayanagar.
Destruction of Vijayanagar (1565)
The catastrophic Battle of Talikota and the systematic destruction of one of the world's greatest cities.
The Third Dynasty
The Aravidu dynasty attempts to revive the empire from the new capital at Penukonda.
The Story of Barradas (1614)
A Portuguese observer's eyewitness account of the empire's twilight years and the final flicker of Vijayanagar's glory.