Overview

The Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646 CE) was the last great Hindu empire of South India, ruling from Hampi on the Tungabhadra across four dynasties (Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, Aravidu). Founded by former Hoysala commanders Harihara I and Bukka I, it reached its zenith under the Tuluva Krishnadevaraya (r. 1509–1529), whose victory at the Battle of Raichur (1520) and patronage of Telugu literature define the era. The catastrophic Battle of Talikota (1565) ended Vijayanagara dominance; Hampi was sacked and never reoccupied. The Hampi ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1986).

Territory Phases

1. Vijayanagara Empire (Sangama Dynasty)1336 CE – 1485 CE

   Founded by Harihara I (1336–1356) and Bukka I (1356–1377), former commanders in the Hoysala/Kampili orbit, at Hampi on the Tungabhadra. The Sangama dynasty reaches its zenith under Devaraya II (r. 1424–1446), who defeats the Bahmani Sultanate and builds the first river dam at Vijayanagara. The dynasty ends with Saluva Narasimha's usurpation in 1485.

2. Vijayanagara Empire (Saluva Dynasty)1485 CE – 1505 CE

   Short-lived Saluva dynasty (1485–1505) under Saluva Narasimha (r. 1485–1491), who usurped the Sangama throne to prevent fragmentation. Real power held by the Tuluva regent Narasa Nayaka. The dynasty ends with the Tuluva usurpation.

3. Vijayanagara Empire (Tuluva Dynasty)1505 CE – 1542 CE

   The Tuluva dynasty (1505–1570) encompasses the empire's absolute peak under Krishnadevaraya (r. 1509–1529), who captures the Raichur Doab at the Battle of Raichur (1520), patronises Telugu literature (Amuktamalyada), and receives Portuguese envoys. The Battle of Talikota (1565) is a catastrophic defeat by a Deccan Sultanate coalition; Hampi is sacked. The Tuluva line ends ~1570.

4. Vijayanagara Empire (Aravidu Dynasty)1542 CE – 1646 CE

   The Aravidu dynasty (1570–1646) rules a contracted empire after the Talikota disaster. Capitals shift from ruined Hampi to Penukonda, then Chandragiri and Vellore. The empire fragments as Bijapur and Golconda absorb territories; the last Aravidu ruler loses effective power by ~1646.

Key Rulers

Key Events

Related Civilisations

Sources

1. Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955) A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar(Standard textbook on South Indian history. Extensive Chola coverage integrated into the broader peninsular narrative.)
2. Eaton, Richard M. (2005) A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives (New Cambridge History of India)(Chapter 1 "Pratapa Rudra (R. 1289–1323)" is directly on the Kakatiyas and independently confirms the single-reign chronology for Prataparudra II. ISBN 9780521716277 (pb) / 9780521514422 (hb).)
3. Sewell, Robert. A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India. Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd., London, 1900(First systematic English-language history of Vijayanagara by Robert Sewell (1845–1925), ICS officer in Madras Presidency. Includes translations of the Portuguese chronicles of Domingo Paes and Fernão Nunes, who visited the empire at its zenith. Publisher name confirmed as "Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd." via JRAS contemporary review and Internet Archive. Available in full on archive.org.)
4. Sinopoli, Carla M. and Morrison, Kathleen D. "Dimensions of Imperial Control: The Vijayanagara Capital." American Anthropologist, 97(1): 83–96, 1995(American Anthropologist 97(1):83–96, 1995. DOI accessible via Wiley Anthrosource (anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.1995.97.1.02a00110) and ResearchGate.)
5. Sinopoli, Carla M. and Morrison, Kathleen D. The Vijayanagara Metropolitan Survey, Vol. 1 (Memoirs of the Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, no. 41). Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2007(Museum of Anthropology Memoir no. 41, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. ISBN 9780915703654. Reports on ten-year regional archaeological survey of the Vijayanagara metropolitan hinterland. Listed on University of Michigan Press and Fulcrum.)
6. Stein, Burton. Vijayanagara (The New Cambridge History of India, vol. I.2). Cambridge University Press, 1989(New Cambridge History of India vol. I.2, xiv + 156 pp. ISBN 9780521266932 (hardback) / 9780521619257 (paperback). Reviewed in American Historical Review 96(2):586 (1991). Addresses Vijayanagara politics, society, economy, and the "segmentary state" debate.)
7. Verghese, Anila. Hampi (Monumental Legacy series). Oxford University Press, New Delhi / New York, 2002(ISBN 9780195654332. xiii + 95 pp. Part of the OUP "Monumental Legacy" series (general editor Devangana Desai). Reviewed in Journal of Asian Studies and Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Verghese is the acknowledged expert on Hampi site.)