Sri Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529): Making Vijayanagara a Military Power in the South India - An Overview

Abstract

Sri Krishnadevaraya stands out as the high point in the history of the Vijayanagara Empire. Emperor Krishnadevaraya earned titles such as Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana, Moorurayaraganda, and Andhra Bhoja. He consolidated and expanded the empire through astute use of his massive military, successfully campaigning against the kingdoms to his north. He used diplomatic shrewdness with the recently arrived Portuguese on the west coast of India, deflecting any requests for an alliance while obtaining horses and technical knowledge, especially for bringing water into Vijayanagara City. Krishnadevaraya proved a talented general and diplomat as well as an architect and city planner. He embraced Hinduism, constructing the magnificent city of Vijayanagara as a holy site for the worship of Hindu gods and the administrative center of his vast empire. His kingdom possessed fabulous wealth, much of which went into an ambitious building program funded by tributes from conquered kingdoms including Andhra Pradesh, the Gajapati kings of Orissa, Raichur Doab, and the Deccan sultanates. The present paper will focus mainly on his military achievements during his illustrious reign.