History of Vijaynagara(Hampi, Karnataka)

History of Vijaynagara

The dynasties that ruled the Vijaynagara Empire from 1336 to 1565, with Hampi as their capital, constructed many forts, ramparts, temples and statues. What they have built then have come to be acknowledged as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO today.

Within a span of five years after Allauddin Khilje entered the Devagiri kingdom in 1296 AD, the South Indian Territory witnessed a major religious and cultural upheaval. Hinduism faced a threat from foreign invasion. It was at this time that a few sons of the soil got united to build a strong army that would liberate South India from the tyranny of foreign invaders and fulfil the aspirations of the locals. The kingdom they founded came to be known as the Vijaynagara Empire, which survived for over two hundred years. Vijaynagara was ruled by kings belonging to four different dynasties. Vijaynagara Empire was founded by(Harihara) and Bukka, also called the Sangama brothers. The empire consolidated under Harihara I and began to expand and prosper under Bukka Raya.

The foundation of the Vijaynagara Empire in the 14^th century is an epoch making event not only in the history of Karnataka, but also in India. The founders of the Vijaynagara Empire were selfless and broad minded. They gave preference to the welfare of the nation. Their first and foremost objective was to safeguard their heritage and culture. They gave more importance to the traditional system of education, the development of different departments of science, diffusion of knowledge, development of language and literature, and the development of fine arts.

Royal Emblem:
The founders of Vijaynagara Empire had Varaha, the pig, embossed on their seal. Mythology has it that when Hiranyaksha, the demon king, stole the earth and hide it under the ocean, Lord Vishnu in the form of Varaha(Pig) retrieved it from the ocean. The founders of Vijaynagara Empire choose the Varaha as their symbol to show that they also were interested in saving the earth from the ill-effects of cultural hybridization at that time.

Dynasties that ruled Vijaynagara Empire:

The Sangama Dynasty (1336 - 1486)
- Harihara I
- Bukkaraya I
- Harihararaya II
- Bukkaraya II
- Devaraya I
- Veera Vijayaraya
- Devaraya II
- Mallikarjuna
 Virupaksha

The Saluva Dynasty (1486 - 1503)
- Narasimha I
- Narasimha II

The Tuluva Dynasty (1503 - 1571)
- Veera Narasimha
- Krishna Devaraya
- Achutaraya
- Sadashivaraya

The Araveedu Dynasty (1572 - 1680)
- Sri Rangaraya I
- Immadi Venkatapathiraya
- Sri Rangaraya II
- Ramadeva
- Venkatapathideva II
- Sri Rangaraya III


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