Vijayanagar-Bahmani Conflict & Krishnadevaraya: The Vijayanagar Empire | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Vijayanagar-Bahmani Conflict and Krishnadeva Raya 

Vijayanagar-Bahmani 
 Conflict

• It started on a large scale in 1367 A.D. during the reign of Bukka-I.
• Clash of interests in three areas : (i) The Tungabhadra doab (ii) Krishna-Godavari delta (iii) and in the Marathwada country.
• The Vijayanagar empire embarked a policy of expansion towards eastern sea coast under Harihara-II. 
• It was responsible for the alliance of the Bahamani kingdom with Warangal and which was a major factor in the inability of Vijayanagar empire to overrun Tungabhadra doab.
• The reign of Devaraya-I began with a renewed fight for the Tungabhadra doab.
• He was able to inflict shattering defeat on Firuz Shah and annexed entire territory upto the mouth of the Krishna.
• Devaraya-II was the greatest ruler of the Sangam dynasty.
•  In order to strengthen his army, he inducted more Muslims in his army.
• There was confusion in the Vijayanagar empire after the death of Devaraya-II
• He had to face an invasion led by the Bahmani sultan Ahmad-I in the Raichur Doab, but the actual outcome of this battle is a matter of controversy.
• However, the fact that the Bahmani sultan shifted his capital from Gaulbarga to Bidar, which was more secure, leads to an assumption that Devaraya gained some success.
• After some time, the throne was usurped by the king’s minister, Saluva Narasimha.
• Tuluva Krishnadeva Raya is considered as the greatest of all the Vijayanagar rulers, for his military as well as other achievements. (Informations

about Krishnadeva Raya will be given separately)

• Krishnadeva Raya’s death was followed by struggle for succession among his realtions.
• After the eventful reigns of Achyutadeva and Venkata, Sadasiva Raya ascended the throne.
• But the real power, during the reign of all of them, lay in the hands of Rama Raya, who was a son-in-law of Krishnadeva Raya.
• Rama Raya was able to play off the various Muslim powers against one another.
• He entered into a commercial treaty with the Portuguese whereby the supply of horses to the Bijapur ruler was stopped.
• In a series of wars he completely defeated the Bijapur ruler.
• He then allied himself with the Bijapur ruler to inflict humiliating defeats on Golconda and Ahmadnagar.
• However, ultimately his enemies combined to inflict a crushing defeat on Vijayanagar at Banihatti, near Talikota in 1565 A.D.
• This battle is also known as the battle of Rakshashatangadi.

• This battle is generally considered to mark the end of the great age of Vijayanagar.
• After the battle, the kingdom lingered on for almost one hundred years under the Aravidu dynasty.

Krishnadeva Raya

• “He is the most learned and perfect king that could possibly be....He is a great ruler and a man of great justice”—Domingo Paes.
• He defeated the rebellious chief of Ummattur, the Gajapati king Prataprudra of Orissa, the Adil Shahi sultan Yusuf Adil and his son Ismail Adil and so on.
• By his successive conquests, the whole of the Raichur doab passed into the hands of Vijayanagar.
• He successfully invaded Gulbarga and Bidar and restored the puppet Bahamani sultan to the throne.
• To commemorate this act of restoration of the Bahamani monarchy, he assumed the title of Kavanarajya Sthopanacharya.
• He concluded a series of treatise with the Portuguese.
• His relations with the Portuguese were governed by two factors:

(i) Common enmity with Bijapur and (ii) the supply of imported horses by the Portuguese to Vijayanagar.

• His political ideas are contained in his Telegu work Amuktamalayada.
•  As a great patron of literature, he was known as Abhinava Bhoja.
• For Telegu it was an age of great poets and eight of them known as Ashta Diggajas adorned the court of Krishnadeva Raya. 
• Among these poets Peddana was personally honoured by the emperor for his proficiency in Sanskrit and Telegu.
• He is honoured as Andhra Pitamaha.
• He founded a town Nagalpur near Vijayanagar.