Krishnadevaraya came to the throne of Vijayanagara in 1509, in the Tuluva dynasty, succeeding his half-brother Vira Narasimha. He inherited an empire under pressure from the Deccan sultanates to the north and the Gajapati kings of Odisha to the east — and turned it into the strongest state in South India.
దేశ భాషలందు తెలుగు లెస్స“Among the languages of the land, Telugu is the finest.”Krishnadevaraya, in his Amuktamalyada
He was guided in his early years by his wise minister Timmarusu, whom he honoured as a father.
Victories
He defeated the Bahmani successor states, campaigned against the Gajapatis — taking the forts of Udayagiri and Kondavidu and reaching the Godavari — and in 1520 won the great battle of Raichur against the Adil Shah of Bijapur. He kept friendly relations with the Portuguese at Goa, who supplied him with horses.
The city of victory
Portuguese visitors such as Domingo Paes and Fernão Nunes described Vijayanagara as a city as large as Rome, with bustling bazaars of diamonds and spices and splendid festivals like Mahanavami. Krishnadevaraya built and enlarged temples across the south: the Krishna temple and Hazara Rama temple at Hampi, the great gopurams of the Vitthala and Virupaksha temples, and rich gifts to Tirumala, where bronze statues of him and his two queens still stand.
Poet-king
His court was famous for the Ashtadiggajas, eight great Telugu poets, among them Allasani Peddana and — in popular stories — the witty Tenali Ramakrishna. Krishnadevaraya himself wrote Amuktamalyada, a Telugu poem telling the love of the Tamil saint Andal for Vishnu, which also gives advice on kingship. He supported scholars of every school, including the Madhva teacher Vyasatirtha.
How they are remembered
The ruins of Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, testify to his age, and his reign is remembered as the golden age of Vijayanagara. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka celebrate him in festivals, statues and stories, including the much-loved tales of Tenali Rama.
Ekatmata Stotra · Stanza 23
Named in Stanza 23 of the Ekatmata Stotra — those who held the line against invasion.
लाचित्-भास्करवर्मा च यशोधर्मा नृपोत्तमः।
कृष्णदेवश्च ललितादित्यो वीराः प्रकीर्तिताः॥
Sources: Wikipedia: Krishnadevaraya · Wikipedia: Vijayanagara Empire. Written afresh for The Hindu Book; corrections welcome at [email protected].
