Vijayanagra (Part 1)

The Vijayanagara Empire was the most glorious empire of South India. The name of its capital was Hampi. Colonel Colin McKenzie of the East India Company made a commendable contribution in the discovery of Hampi. He took the first important step towards the discovery of the Vijayanagara Empire by preparing the first survey map of Hampi in 1800 AD. He was appointed the first Surveyor General of India in 1815. He worked on this post till 1821 AD. His works gave a new direction to the coming researchers. Alexander Greenlow in 1856, JF Fleet in 1876 and John Marshall in 1902 threw new light on Hampi. His efforts proved invaluable in reconstructing the history of the Vijayanagara Empire. In 1986, UNESCO declared Hampi as a World Archaeological Site or undoubtedly it was a great achievement.

The Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336 AD by two brothers named Harihara and Bukka. This kingdom was ruled by the R dynasties-Sangam (1336–1485 AD), Saluva (1485–1505 AD), Tuluva (1505–70 AD) and Aravidu (570–1674 AD). Among them, Krishnadeva Raya, who belonged to the Tuluva dynasty, was a famous and powerful ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire. He ruled from 1509 AD to 1529 AD. Krishnadeva Raya not only expanded the Vijayanagara Empire during his reign but also organized it well or undoubtedly the Vijayanagara Empire was at the peak of its progress during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya. On February 23, 1565, the combined forces of Ahmednagar, Bijapur, Golconda and Bidar inflicted a crushing defeat on the forces of the Vijayanagar Empire in the Battle of Talikota or Rakshasi Di. In fact this battle proved very fatal for the Vijayanagara Empire. The Aravidu dynasty was established in the Vijayanagara Empire in 1570 AD. The rulers of this dynasty first made Penukonda and later Chandragiri their capital. The great Vijayanagara dynasty came to an end in 1674 AD.

Main dynasty ruled over Vijayanagara or Humpi are -

1. Sangam Dynasty
2. Suluva Dynasty
3. Tuluva Dynasty
4. Aravindu Dynasty

Rulers of Sangam Dynasty 1336–1485 AD

1. Harihara I 1336–56 CE

Harihara 1 was the founder of Vijayanagra and established the Sangam dynasty in 1336 AD. Because Harihara I’s father belonged to the Sangama dynasty, hence the name Sangama. There were many problems in front of Harihara I. To deal with these problems well, Harihara I paid special attention to organize his military power…

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Vijayanagra (Part 1) (ancientmodernhistory.gq)