The City of Victory

The Vijayanagara Empire also known as the city of victory, ruled the region of Deccan Plateau from 14th to 17th century. It was founded in the year 1336 by two brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya belonging to a pastoral lineage, they claimed themselves as Yadavas. They established the Sangama dynasty which became the first dynasty to rule the Vijayanagara Empire with its capital at Hampi. Harihara I became the first emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire. They were one among the non-Kshatriya dynasties to rule a large territory in India. The Vijayanagara Empire was ruled by four different dynasties in different time periods. The dynasties in chronological order are Sangama dynasty, Saluva dynasty, Tuluva dynasty and Aravidu dynasty. The dynasties in the Vijayanagara Empire changed one after the other, but the city kept on developing. Infrastructural developments were made in the city depicting the classic Indian architecture, this type of design was credited as the Vijayanagara architecture. These architectural designs were depicted in the form of temples, palaces, statues, pillars, ceremonial halls, pavillions and ritualistic structures such as the Mahanavami Dibba. Greater infrastructural developments came in the form of city planning and beautification. The city of Hampi gains it's significance from it's infrastructure which includes various architectural structures made using advanced building technique and calculation. An impeccable method of building and sculpting skills were portrayed through the architectural structures such as the Lotus mahal, Elephant stables, Queen's bath, Hazara Rama Temple, Virupaksha temple and Vittala temple. These magnificent structures were made by carving black granite, one of the heaviest materials to be used for construction. It took many years and thousands of workers for the construction of these historical structures. This time period is also referred as the Golden era, because the region under the Vijayanagara Empire flourished in the field of social, economic, political, cultural and architectural development. The Vijayanagara Empire collected large amount of tax and land revenue from the land owning subjects; separate funds were raised through trade and commerce activities. This makes it clear that the main source of income in the Vijayanagara Empire was land revenue collection. All these funds were used by the king for the purpose of development of the empire by improving it's infrastructure by building a well planned city. Throughout the different periods of time, the ruling king and the administration ensured that a significant amount of fund is collected to build temples and shrines dedicated to deities. Similar to the other dynasties, in the Vijayanagara Empire the royalty was combined with the divinity. The king was seen as a powerful authority of the god in the form of a deity, this notion was established in the minds of the subjects. By doing so the king gained authority and respect in the jurisdiction which he ruled. Literature works were effectively used to put forward this thought into the minds of the common people. We are able to identify this from various literary sources which elucidate the relation between the king and the god. This was one of the fine ways to make the subjects obey the orders and rules of the king. With this notion in mind the people thought that anything told by the king is equivalent to what god says. And with this in mind everyone obeyed the rules and orders with fear and respect to the king. A large amount was invested by the rulers to build temples such as the well known Virupaksha temple dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, a deity of Lord Shiva who is considered to be the tutelary god of the Vijayanagara Empire.

A name which is much related and remembered in Indian history when it comes to Vijayanagara is Krishnadeva Raya, reigned from 1509-1529 which can be termed as the 20 golden years of the Vijayanagara empire. He was the third ruler from the Tuluva dynasty to rule Vijayanagara. He is one of the few kings who had ruled the largest empire in India. Along with his ruling abilities he was also a decent poet who went on to write one of the greatest literary works of the period named as Amuktamalyada. Krishnadeva Raya is considered to be one of the greatest kings of medieval India, he ensured that any disputes between the subjects were resolved and focused on unity within the kingdom. In the field of warfare he has won a lot of battles in the Deccan region and he is also credited for the victories and conquests in the region of Krishna-Tungabhadra basin which he conquered on a larger basis to expand his territory.

He is responsible for the administrative reforms such as the Amara Nayaka system in which a large area of mainly agricultural land was divided and given to Nayakas who were military chiefs or commanders, to establish law and order, collect tax and administration of the region along with a group of army; similar to the knight system which was followed in the European kingdoms. Nayakas usually submitted to the king who was the authority of Vijayanagara. This political innovation of division of power made administration easier, but later on after the time period of Krishnadeva Raya it became one of the reasons which led to instability, internal crisis and finally the decline of the Vijayanagara empire.The worsened relation and rising internal conflict between the Raya Kings and Nayakas in the name of power led to lack of unity and instability in Vijayanagara, making use of this situation the combined army of Deccan Sultanate went on to invade and defeat the Raya kingdom led by Rama Raya the chief minister of Vijayanagara. The power of Vijayanagara empire gradually started to decline after this infamous incident, the Battle of Talikota which was a major military defeat in 1565. After the fatal battle the enchanting city of Vijayanagara was shattered and destroyed by the invading military forces of the Deccan Sultanate. Finally leading to the decline of the Vijayanagara empire in 1646.

-Mukund T