Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 to 1529 and the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty. Widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, he presided over the empire at its political and cultural zenith and is remembered as an iconic figure by many Indians.[Tabasum Bhanu (2015) Sri krishnadevaraya 1509-1529.made vijayanagara a military power in the south an overview IJCRT 3(4)] Following the decline of the Delhi Sultanate, he ruled the largest and most powerful empire in India during his time.[Keay, John, India: A History, New York: HarperCollins, 2000, p. 302]
Krishnadevaraya's reign was marked by military expansion and political consolidation. He became the dominant ruler of the Indian peninsula by defeating the sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Kingdom, and the Gajapati Empire of Odisha, making him one of the most powerful Hindu monarchs in Indian history.
When the Mughal emperor Babur surveyed the rulers of India, he considered Krishnadevaraya the most powerful, ruling over the most extensive empire in the subcontinent.[Vijayanagara Voices: Exploring South Indian History and Hindu Literature William Joseph Jackson: p. 124] Krishnadevaraya was guided by his trusted prime minister Timmarusu, whom he credited as the architect of his rise to the throne, and was also advised by the witty poet Tenali Rama.
His reign is also regarded as a golden age of Telugu literature, and he was a distinguished patron of arts and scholarship. Krishnadevaraya himself composed the Telugu language poetic work Amuktamalyada, celebrated for its literary and devotional value. His court was home to the Ashtadiggajas—eight legendary Telugu poets—including Allasani Peddana and Mukku Timmana. Literary activity flourished not only in Telugu but also in Sanskrit, Kannada, and Tamil language under his patronage, making his court a major cultural hub of the era.
Krishnadevaraya was conferred with several honorific titles such as Andhra Bhoja ("Bhoja of Andhra"), Karnatakaratna Simhasanadeeshwara ("Lord of the Jewelled Throne of Karnataka"), Mooru Rayara Ganda ("Lord of Three Kings"), Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana ("Lord of the Kannada Empire"), and Gaubrahmana Pratipalaka ("Protector of Cows and Brahmins").
Early life
Krishnadevaraya was the son of Tuluva Narasa Nayaka
[Prof K.A.N. Sastri, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, pp. 250, 258] and his queen Nagamamba.
Tuluva Narasa Nayaka was an army commander under Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya, who later took control to prevent the disintegration of the empire and established the
Tuluva dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. He ascended the throne after the death of his half-brother Viranarasimha.
He was married to
Srirangapatna's princess
Tirumala Devi and his royal dancer from
Kodagu, Chinna Devi.
He was father to Tirumalamba (from Tirumala Devi), Vengalamba (from Chinna Devi) and Tirumala Raya (from Tirumala Devi). His daughters were married to Prince Rama Raya of Vijayanagara and his brother Prince Tirumala Deva Raya.
Military career
His main enemies were the Bahmani Sultanate, the Deccan Sultanates, the
Gajapati Kingdom of
Odisha, who had been involved in constant conflict since the rule of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya, and Portugal, a rising maritime power which controlled much of the sea trade.
Success in the Deccan
The raid and plunder of Vijayanagara towns and villages by the Deccan sultans came to an end during the Raya's rule. In 1509, Krishnadevaraya's armies clashed with them and Sultan Mahmud was severely injured and defeated.
Yusuf Adil Shah was killed and the
Raichur Doab was annexed. Taking advantage of the victory, the Raya reunited
Bidar Sultanate,
Kalaburagi, and Bijapur into Vijayanagara and earned the title "establisher of the Yavana kingdom" when he released Sultan Mahmud and made him de facto ruler.
The Sultan of Golconda Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was defeated by Timmarusu, the prime minister of Krishnadevaraya.
In 1513, Krishnadevaraya personally engaged in battle with Golconda Sultan Quli Qutb Shah at Pangal. The Vijayanagar army suffered defeat at the hands of the Golconda forces, resulting in the capture of the Pangal fort from Vijayanagar. As a consequence, Raya was compelled to retreat.
War with Kalinga
The
Gajapati Empire of Odisha ruled a vast land comprising parts of
Bengal,
Coastal Andhra, and
Odisha.
Krishnadevaraya's success at Ummatur provided the necessary impetus to carry his campaign into the coastal Andhra region, which was under the control of the Gajapati king Prataparudra Deva. The Vijayanagara army laid siege to the Udayagiri fort in 1512.
The campaign lasted for a year before the Gajapati army disintegrated due to starvation.
Krishnadevaraya offered prayers at Tirupati thereafter, along with his wives Tirumala Devi and Chinnama Devi.
The Gajapati army was then met at
Kondaveedu Fort. The armies of Vijayanagara, after establishing a siege for a few months, began to retreat due to heavy casualties.
discovered a secret entrance to the unguarded eastern gate of the fort and launched a night attack. This culminated with the capture of the fort and the imprisonment of Prince Virabhadra, the son of Prataparudra Deva.
Vasireddy Mallikharjuna Nayaka took over as governor of
Kondaveedu Fort thereafter.
Krishnadevaraya planned an invasion of Kalinga, but Prataparudra learned of this plan and formulated his own plan to defeat the former at the fort of Kalinganagar. Timmarusu discovered Prataparudra's plan by bribing a Telugu deserter from the service of Prataparudra. When the Vijayanagara Empire did invade, Prataprudra was driven to Cuttack, the capital of the Gajapati Kingdom.
Krishnadevaraya established friendly relations with the Portuguese India in Goa in 1510.
Final conflicts
The complicated alliances of the empire and the five Deccan sultanates meant that he was continually at war. In one campaign, he defeated
Golconda and captured its commander Madurul-Mulk, crushed Bijapur and its sultan Ismail Adil Shah,
and restored the
Bahmani sultanate to the son of .
The highlight of his conquests occurred on 19 May 1520 where he secured Raichur Fort from Ismail Adil Shah after a difficult siege in which 16,000 Vijayanagara soldiers were killed. The exploits of the military commander, Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu of the Pemmasani Nayaks, during the Battle of Raichur were distinguished and lauded by Krishnadevaraya.[
]
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Tidings of the king : a translation and ethnohistorical analysis of the Rāyavācakamu. Wagoner, Phillip B., Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 1993. . . p. 59: Quote: "Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu bravely offers to counter this move of the Turks by going with his men to infiltrate their camp."
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"Journal of the Andhra Historical Society". Andhra Historical Research Society, Rajahmundry, Madras, Andhra Historical Research Society. Volume 30: 91 "Ramalingatiayudu, who succeeded his father, was one of the most redoubtable warriors- in the court of Krishnadgvarlya. ... Rachuru (Raichur) and other strong places with his Pemmasani own men and prepared to proceed against the city of Golconda. ... Pemmasani Ramalinganayudu entered the thickest of the fight". 1964.
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Rajasekhara, Sindigi (2008). The Map Approach to Vijayanagara history. University of Michigan and Sujatha Publications. p. 34.
It is said that 700,000 foot soldiers, 32,600 cavalry, and 550 elephants were used.
Krishnadevaraya was brutal towards Bahmani Generals of Raichur. Many Bahmani generals lost their lands. The other Muslim kings sent envoys to the emperor on hearing of his success and received a haughty reply. The king conveyed that if Adil Shah would come to him, do obeisance, and kiss his foot, his lands would be restored to him. The submission never took place. Krishnadevaraya then led his army as far north as Bijapur and occupied it.
Finally, in his last battle, he razed to the ground the fortress of Gulburga, the early capital of the Bahmani sultanate.
Later life and death
In 1524, Krishnadevaraya made his son Tirumala Raya the
Yuvaraja (crown prince). The prince did not survive for long, as he was poisoned soon after.
Suspecting
Timmarusu, Krishnadevaraya had him blinded.
At the same time, Krishnadevaraya was preparing for an attack on
Belgaum, which was in the Adil Shah's possession. Around this time, Krishnadevaraya fell ill and eventually died on 17 October 1529, succeeded by his brother, Achyuta Deva Raya.
Internal affairs
During his reign he kept strict control over his ministers, and dealt severely with any minister who committed misdeeds.
[A Comprehensive History of India: Comprehensive history of medieval India by B.N. Puri, M.N. Das p. 94] He abolished obnoxious taxes such as the marriage fee.
To increase revenues, he brought new lands under cultivation, ordering the
deforestation of some areas
and undertook a large-scale work to obtain water for irrigation around Vijayanagara.
[Economic History of Medieval India, 1200–1500 p. 194][History of Medieval India: From 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D. by Radhey Shyam Chaurasia p. 111] Foreign travellers such as Paes, Nunez and Barbosa who visited Vijayanagara spoke highly of the efficiency of his administration and the prosperity of the people during his reign.
The administration of the empire was carried along the lines indicated in his Amuktamalyada. He was of the opinion that a king should always rule with an eye towards Dharma. His concern for the welfare of the people is amply proved by his extensive annual tours all over the empire, during which he studied everything personally and tried to redress the grievances of the people and punish evildoers. With regard to the promotion of the economic progress of his people, Krishnadevaraya says,
The extent of the kingdom is the means for the acquisition of wealth.[Medieval Indian History by Krishnaji Nageshrao Chitnis p. 82] Therefore even if the land is limited in extent, excavate tanks and canals and increase the prosperity of the poor by leasing him the land for low ari and koru, so that you may obtain wealth as well as religious merit.
Art and literature
Krishnadevaraya was noted to be linguistically neutral as he ruled a multilingual empire. He is known to have patronised poets and issued inscriptions in languages as varied as
Kannada,
Sanskrit,
Telugu language and
Tamil language. Krishnadevaraya himself was a polyglot, fluent in
Kannada,
Sanskrit,
Telugu language and
Tamil language. The official language of the Vijayanagara court was
Kannada.
Krishnadevaraya patronized literature in various languages. The rule of Krishnadevaraya was an age of prolific literature in many languages, although it is particularly known as a golden age of Telugu literature. Many Telugu, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Tamil poets enjoyed the patronage of the emperor, who was fluent in many languages.
The Telugu poet Mukku Timmanna praised him as a great general and stated:
Telugu literature
The rule of Krishnadevaraya is known as a golden age of Telugu literature. Eight Telugu poets were regarded as eight pillars of his literary assembly and known as
Ashtadiggajas. Krishnadevaraya himself composed an epic Telugu poem
Amuktamalyada.
During the reign of Krishnadevaraya, Telugu culture and literature flourished. The great emperor was himself a celebrated poet due to his composition of Amuktamalyada.
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Allasani Peddana is considered to be the greatest and given the title of Andhra Kavita Pitamaha (). Svarocisha Sambhava or Manucharita, his popular prabandha work, was dedicated to Krishnadevaraya
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Nandi Thimmana wrote Parijathapaharanam
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Madayyagari Mallana wrote Rajasekhara Charitramu
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Dhurjati wrote Kalahasti Mahatyamu and Kalahastisvara Satakamu
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Ayyalaraju Ramabhadrudu wrote Sakalakatha Sangraha and Ramaabhyudayamu
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Pingali Surana wrote Raghava Pandaviyamu, Kalapurnodayam and Prabhavate Pradyamana
- :– Raghavapandaveeyamu is a dual work with double meaning built into the text, describing both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
- :– Kalapurnodayam ("full bloom of art") has been considered the first original poetic novel in Telugu literature
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Battumurthy, alias Ramarajabhushanudu, wrote Kavyalankarasangrahamu, Vasucharitra, Narasabhupaliyam and Harischandranalopakhyanamu, a dual work which tells simultaneously the story of King Harishchandra and Nala and Damayanti
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Tenali Ramakrishna first wrote Udbhataradhya Charitramu, a Shaivite work. However, he later converted to Vaishnavism and wrote the Vaishnava devotional texts Panduranga Mahatmyamu, and Ghatikachala Mahatmyamu. Tenali Rama remains one of the most popular folk figures in India today, a quick-witted courtier ready even to outwit the all-powerful emperor.
Other well-known poets were Sankusala Nrisimha Kavi, who wrote Kavikarna Rasayana,
Kannada literature
He patronised several Kannada poets. Among them was Mallanarya, who wrote
Veera-shaivamruta,
Bhava-chinta-ratna and
Satyendra Chola-kathe; Chatu Vittalanatha who wrote
Bhagavatha; and Timmanna Kavi wrote a eulogy of his king in
Krishna Raya Bharata.
[Dr. S.U. Kamat, Concise history of Karnataka, pp. 157–189][Prof K.A.N. Sastri, History of South India pp. 355–366] Vyasatirtha, the noted
Dvaita saint from Mysore (of the
Madhva tradition) was the emperor's
Rajaguru ("royal guru").
[Krishna Deva Raya considered the saint his Kula-devata and highly honored him. A Concise History of Karnataka p. 178, Dr. S.U. Kamath, [2] Haridasas of Karnataka, Madhusudana Rao CR, History of South India, p. 324, Prof. K.A.N. Sastri] The writing
Krishna Deva Rayana Dinachari in Kannada is a recently discovered work.
[ A Concise History of Karnataka, Dr. S.U. Kamath, p. 157] The record highlights the contemporary society during Krishnadevaraya's time in his personal diary. However, it is not yet clear if the record was written by the king himself.
Purandara Dasa, widely considered the father of Carnatic music, was closely associated with the empire. He extolled the Madhwa philosophy in his compositions and was a disciple of the Rajaguru of the emperor. According to Sambamoorthy,[ Friday Review Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Columns: An authority on Purandara Dasa. The Hindu. 20 October 2006.] He was born as Srinivasa, and had his formal initiation by Vyasatirtha took place around 1525 when he was about 40 years of age when he was given the name Purandara Dasa. Purandara Dasa traveled extensively in southern India composing and rendering them in praise of the deity Vishnu. He spent his last years in Hampi where he rendered his compositions in Krishnadevaraya's court.
Tamil literature
Krishnadevaraya patronised the Tamil poet
Haridasa, and
Tamil literature soon began to flourish as the years passed by.
[Dr. S.U. Kamat, Concise history of Karnataka, pp. 157–189, History of South India, pp. 331–354, Prof. K.A.N. Sastri]
Sanskrit literature
In Sanskrit,
Vyasatirtha wrote
Bhedojjivana,
Tatparyachandrika,
Nyayamrita (a work directed against the
Advaita Vedanta philosophy) and
Tarkatandava. Krishnadevaraya, himself an accomplished scholar, wrote
Madalasa Charita,
Satyavadu Parinaya and
Rasamanjari and
Jambavati Kalyana.
[Prof K.A.N. Sastri, History of South India pp. 239–280][Prof K.A.N. Sastri, History of South India pp. 309–330]
Religion and culture
Krishnadevaraya respected all sects of
Hinduism. He is known to have encouraged and supported various sects and their places of worship.
He rebuilt the Virupaksha Temple and other Shiva shrines. He gave land grants to the temples of Tirumala, Srisailam,
Amararama, Chidambaram,
Ahobilam, and Tiruvannamalai.
He lavished on the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple numerous objects of priceless value, ranging from diamond studded crowns to golden swords to nine kinds of precious gems.
Krishnadevaraya made
Venkateswara his patron deity.
He visited the temple seven times.
Out of the around 1,250 temple epigraphs published by the Tirumala Devasthanam, 229 are attributed to Krishnadevaraya.
A statue of Krishnadevaraya with two of his wives is found at the temple complex of Tirumala.
These statues are still visible at the temple at the exit. He also contributed in building parts of the
Srisailam temple complex where he had rows of
built.
Sri Vaishnavism claim that Krishnadevaraya himself was formally initiated into the Sri Vaishnava tradition, which is why he wrote the Telugu work Amuktamalyada on Andal, a female Tamil Sri Vaishnava saint.
See also
Notes
Sources
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Smith, Vincent, Oxford History of India, 4th ed., pp. 306–307, 312–313.
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Prof K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002)
External links
