Vijayanagara & Bahmani Kingdoms

The Vijayanagara Empire was the greatest Hindu kingdom of medieval South India, set up to resist the southward expansion of the Delhi Sultanate.

• Harihara and Bukka were the sons of Sangama, hence the first dynasty is called the Sangama dynasty.
• They had earlier served under the Kakatiya ruler Prataprudra II of Warangal.
• They were brought to Delhi and converted to Islam by Muhammad bin Tughlaq, then sent south to control a rebellion.
• On the inspiration of their guru Vidyaranya (a saint of the Sringeri math), they re-converted and established the Vijayanagara kingdom in 1336 AD.
• The empire was located on the bank of the River Tungabhadra, with its capital at Vijayanagara (modern Hampi).

The empire was ruled by four successive dynasties over more than three centuries — a favourite exam table.

The Sangama dynasty was the founding line of the empire and laid its foundation in 1336.

• Harihara was the first ruler; Vidyaranya was his guru.
• Bukka I fought with the Bahmani Sultan Muhammad Shah I and signed a treaty.
• Deva Raya I constructed a dam across the Tungabhadra to solve water shortage — it is still known as "Deva Raya Samudra".
• Italian traveller Nicolo Conti and Persian ambassador Abdur Razzak visited during the Sangama period.
• Deva Raya II was the greatest Sangama ruler; he was titled Immadi Devaraya and Proudha Devaraya, and was called Gajabetekara (the elephant hunter).
• In 1442 Deva Raya II sent a naval expedition against Sri Lanka and defeated it; he wrote two Sanskrit works — Mahanataka Sudhanidhi and a commentary on the Brahma sutras of Badarayana.

After the Sangama line came the short Saluva dynasty, and the empire ended with the Aravidu dynasty.

• The Saluvas were closely linked to the Sangama dynasty.
• The Aravidu dynasty (1570–1652) was founded by Tirumala, the brother of Rama Raya.
• Tirumala deposed the last Tuluva ruler Sadashiva Raya from the throne.
• Tirumala's son Sri Ranga II expanded the empire; Venkata II was the last great ruler of Vijayanagara (died 1614 AD).
• Venkata II shifted the capital to Chandragiri, which became an important cultural centre.

The Tuluva dynasty gave Vijayanagara its most celebrated ruler, Krishnadevaraya, under whom the empire reached its golden age.

• The Tuluva dynasty was founded by Vira Narasimha.
• Krishnadevaraya wrote the famous Telugu work Amuktamalyada; he was a great patron of Telugu and Sanskrit literature.
• His court was adorned by the Ashtadiggajas — the eight great Telugu poets.
• He patronised the poet Peddana (Allasani Peddana, called *Andhra Kavita Pitamaha*).
• He built the Hazara Temple and the Vitthala Swami Temple at Hampi.
• The Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes visited his court (1515 AD).

The Ashtadiggajas were the eight great Telugu poets of Krishnadevaraya's court — a high-yield matching topic.

Several foreign travellers visited Vijayanagara and left vivid accounts of its wealth and grandeur — examiners love matching the traveller to the country and the ruler.

The empire had a well-organised administration, with a clear hierarchy of territorial units from province down to village.

• The Ayagar system managed village-level administration through 12 functionaries.
• The territorial units, from largest to smallest, were:

The Bahmani Kingdom was the first major independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan and the chief rival of Vijayanagara.

• It broke away from the Delhi Sultanate during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
• Its first capital was Gulbarga (Ahsanabad), later shifted to Bidar (Muhammadabad).
• The Bahmani Sultans were constant rivals of Vijayanagara, fighting over the fertile Raichur Doab (between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers).
• Persian, Arab and Turkish nobles formed an important part of the Bahmani court.

The Bahmani Kingdom reached its peak under the able prime minister Mahmud Gawan.

• He was a brilliant administrator who expanded the kingdom to its greatest extent.
• He founded a famous madrasa (college) at Bidar, a centre of learning.
• He was eventually executed on a false charge, after which the Bahmani Kingdom declined.
• The kingdom later split into the five independent Deccan Sultanates.

After the decline of the Bahmani Kingdom, it broke up into five successor states known as the Deccan Sultanates.

• The combined Deccan Sultanates (all except Berar) united to crush Vijayanagara at the Battle of Talikota.

The Battle of Talikota in 1565 shattered the Vijayanagara Empire and is one of the most important dates in medieval Indian history.

• It is also called the Battle of Rakshasi-Tangadi (the source notes also place a defeat in 1565/1566).
• During the battle the real power lay with Rama Raya, the minister of the puppet ruler Sadashiva Raya.
• All the Deccani Sultanates except Berar joined hands to defeat Vijayanagara.
• After the defeat, the Vijayanagara government shifted to Penukonda and later to Chandragiri, made the capital by Venkata II.
• The capital city of Hampi was destroyed and plundered, but its magnificent ruins survive — Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These flow diagrams capture the dynasties, Krishnadevaraya's achievements, and the path to the empire's fall.

The Bahmani Kingdom rose, peaked under Mahmud Gawan, and then fragmented into the five Deccan Sultanates.