The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 1: Introduction and Four Dynasties (1336–1646)
Part 1: Introduction to the Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646), Hampi as UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the four dynasties — Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva (peak under Krishnadeva Raya), and Aravidu.
Medieval India — Part 5 of 5
Introduction
The Vijayanagara Empire — whose very name means "city of victory" — was one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms of medieval India. Founded in 1336 by the brothers Harihara and Bukka on the banks of the Tungabhadra river, it stretched at its height from the Krishna river in the north to the southernmost tip of the peninsula. For over three centuries it served as a bulwark against the southward expansion of the Deccan Sultanates, patronised Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Sanskrit literature, and produced some of the most spectacular temple complexes in Indian history. The ruins of its capital are known today as Hampi — a name derived from the local mother goddess Pampadevi — and stand as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated 1986), preserving the memory of an empire that contemporaries called the karnataka samrajyamu.
For UPSC aspirants, Vijayanagara is indispensable across three examination layers: Prelims (key rulers, architecture, trade networks), GS Paper I (medieval history, art and culture), and the History optional (detailed political, economic and social analysis). This article synthesises all major dimensions of the empire from textual, epigraphic and archaeological evidence.
1. Foundation and the Four Dynasties
1.1 Sangama Dynasty (1336–1485): Harihara and Bukka
According to both oral tradition and epigraphic evidence, two brothers, Harihara and Bukka, founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336. The site chosen — in the Deccan Plateau protected by the rocky hills of the Tungabhadra basin — offered exceptional natural defensive advantages. The empire was called the karnataka samrajyamu by contemporaries, though historians use the term Vijayanagara Empire. The first dynasty, the Sangama, ruled until 1485. During this period the empire competed with the Bahmani Sultanate to the north (established 1347), the Gajapati rulers of Orissa to the north-east, and consolidated control over the fertile river valleys. The Hiriya Canal, a major waterwork irrigating the cultivated valley separating the sacred centre from the urban core, was constructed during the Sangama period.
1.2 Saluva Dynasty (1485–1505)
The Sangamas were supplanted in 1485 by the Saluvas, who had originally been military commanders. The Saluva rulers maintained imperial continuity but their tenure was brief. They remained in power until around 1505 when they were replaced by the Tuluvas.
1.3 Tuluva Dynasty (1505–1570): The Apogee
The Tuluva dynasty represents the most glorious phase of the empire. Its greatest ruler, Krishnadeva Raya (r. 1509–1529), expanded the empire dramatically, patronised literature and the arts, and brought the kingdom to its cultural and military zenith. After his death in 1529, strain began to show as his successors were troubled by rebellious nayakas or military chiefs.
1.4 Aravidu Dynasty (1570–1646)
By 1542, effective control at the centre had shifted to the Aravidu lineage. Following the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Talikota (1565), the Aravidu rulers could no longer hold the imperial capital and governed from Penukonda and later from Chandragiri (near Tirupati). The dynasty nominally continued until 1646, though its effective power had long been fragmented as many nayakas established independent kingdoms, hastening the collapse of the central imperial structure.