Vijayanagar kingdom

By: Varun Kabra

Subject: History
Grade: 7D

Introduction
TheVijayanagar Empire(also called
Karnata Empire), was an empire
based inSouth India, in theDeccan
Plateauregion. It was established in
1336 byHarihara Iand his
brotherBukka Raya ofSangama
Dynasty.

Harihara I and Bukka

Location of the Vijayanagar

kingdom
Vijayanagar was situated in
south India at the Deccan region.
Hampi, the capital of Vijayanagar
is in the Bellary District of
northern Karnataka.

Map of Vijayanagar

Vijayanagars rulers
There were a total of 16 rulers from four
dynasties who ruled the kingdom for 230
years (1336-1565 CE). The dynasties
were:
The
The
The
The

Sangama dynasty
Saluva dynasty
Taluva dynasty
Arvinda dynasty

The sixteen rulers are shown in the next

few slides

The Sangama dynasty

Harihara I (1336-1356 CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Bukka Raya I (1356-1377 CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Harihara Raya II (1377-1404 CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Virupaksha Raya (1404-1405CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Bukka Raya II (1405-1406 CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Deva Raya I (1406-1422 CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Ramachandra Raya (1422 CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Vira Vijaya Bukka Raya (1422-1424
CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Deva Raya II (1424-1446 CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Mallikarjuna Raya (1446-1465
CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Virupaksha Raya II (1465-1485
CE)

The Sangama dynasty

Praudha Raya (1485 CE)

The Saluva dynasty

Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya
(1485-1491 CE)

The Saluva dynasty

Thimma Bhupala (1491 CE)

The Saluva dynasty

Narasimha Raya II (1491-1505
CE)

The Taluva dynasty

Tuluva Narasa Nayaka (1491-1503
CE)

The Taluva dynasty

Krishna Deva Raya (1509-1529
CE)

The Taluva dynasty

Achyuta Raya (1529-1542 CE)

The Taluva dynasty

Sadashiva Raya (1542-1570)

The Aravidu Dynasty

Aliya Rama Raya (1542-1565 CE)

The Aravidu Dynasty

Tirumala Deva Raya (1565-1572
CE)

The Aravidu Dynasty

Sriranga I (1572-1586 CE)

The Aravidu Dynasty

Venkata II (1586-1614 CE)

The Aravidu Dynasty

Sriranga II (1614-1614 CE)

The Aravidu Dynasty

Ramadeva (1617-1632 CE)

The Aravidu Dynasty

Venkata III(1632-1642 CE)

Administration
The Vijayanagar rulers were efficient
administrators which revolved around
the assessment and the collection of
land revenue
The king was the supreme authority in
civil, military, and judicial matters
Ruled with the assistance of council of
ministers, who were helped by a
number of officials

Administration
Portuguese traveller, Domingo Paes,
was struck by the magnificence of
the court which was adorned by a
number of distinguished scholars,
artists, and foreign ministers

Administration
For administrative efficiency, the
empire(country) was divided into a
number of Kottams.
Each Kottam was divided into a
number of Nadus.
Each Nadu was divided into a
number of villages

Administration(rulers of each
division)
Empire-King
Kottam-Governor (usually from the
ruling
family)
Nadu-Officials
Village-Village Headman

Administration
Nadus

Nadus
Kotta
ms
Nadus

Nadus

Empire
Nadus

Nadus
Kotta
ms
Nadus

Nadus

Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s
Village
s

Economy
Admission was geared towards a
more efficient collection and
generation of revenues
Land revenue were the main sources
of state income
Farmers paid between 1/3 to 1/6 of
total produce as taxes
Rulers constructed dams for
irrigation

Economy
Other sources of revenue were
Customs duty
Grazing tax
Import and export duties

Most of the money was spent on

welfare schemes and in the
maintenance of

Economy
Most of the money was spent on
welfare schemes and in the
maintenance of
A large army consisting of
Infantry
Cavalry
Elephants

Good quality horses were most

important items imported by the king

Trade
They had a flourishing trade, first
with the Portuguese and later with
the British and Dutch
They had brisk trade with Persia,
Arabia, Burma, China, Sri lanka
They had 300 seaports, the most
important being Calicut in Malabar.

Exported items
They exported
Cotton cloth
Rice
Iron
Sandalwood
Sugar
Spices

Exported Items

Cotton Cloth

Exported Items

Rice

Exported Items

Iron

Exported Items

Sandalwood

Exported Items

Sugar

Exported Items

Spices

Imported items
They imported
Ivory
Good quality horses
Silk

Imported Items

Ivory

Imported Items

Good quality horses

Imported Items

Silk

Art and Architecture

Vijayanagar rulers were great
builders and their period saw the
revival of regional art, architecture
and literature
They built many temples like
Virupaksha Narayana
Parshwanatha Basadi
Hazara Rama Temple
Vithalaswami Temple

Temples
The temples were adorned with
beautiful sculptures
Repaired temples built by Cholas

Domingo Peas' view

Vijayanagar was surrounded by 7
walls covering an area of 96 kms.
Inside the city there were beautiful
gardens, lakes, palaces, temples, and
other buildings
People were fond of jewellery
Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and
pearls were sold in the bazaar.

Jewellery sold

Diamond

Jewellery sold

Ruby

Jewellery sold

Emerald

Jewellery sold

Pearls

Literature
The Vijayanagar rulers were great
patrons of learned men
Telugu, Kannada, and Sanskrit
languages flourished
Works on religion, law, and
philosophy were written

Literature(a few works)

1. Amuktamalyada-long poem in
telugu explaining how the kings
rule, by Krishnadeva Raya

Krishnadeva Raya
He was the greatest ruler of the
Vijayanagar kingdom.
Ruled from 1509-1530 CE
From Taluva dynasty

His Feats
Attacked Bahmani kingdom which
broke it into five parts
Suppressed the feudatory chiefs
Conquered the Raichar Doab
Defeated the kings of Bijapur &
Orissa
Vanquished the king of Udayagiri

His Trading
Traded with the Portuguese
Established friendly relationships
with them
Allowed them to settle in the West
Coast
Permitted them to build a fort

Literature
Krishnadeva Rayas court had eight
great Telugu scholars or the
Asthadiggaja
There names are given in the next
few slides

Asthadiggaja

Allasani Peddana

Asthadiggaja

Nandi Thimmana

Asthadiggaja

Madayyagari Mallana

Asthadiggaja

Dhurjati

Asthadiggaja

Ayyalaraju
Ramambhadrudu

Asthadiggaja

Pingali Surana

Asthadiggaja

Ramarajabhushanudu

Asthadiggaja

Tenali Ramakrishnudu

Social & Religious Customs

They followed Hinduism with all its
Vedic customs
Governed by religious norms
Gave a lot of importance to the
Brahmins
Caste system was followed
Tolerant to other religions

Social & Religious Customs

Women were respected
They were given high positions in
political life
Their freedom was limited
Sati was practiced
Polygamy was followed
Child marriage was allowed
Sacrifices were made routinely